FLITCROFT:
Big Sam has given me top advice
DAVID Flitcroft had barely cleared his desk at Bury when the phone in his pocket buzzed. The man on the other end? Sam Allardyce.
“Big Sam’s one of my mentors,” explains the 43-year-old, now in charge at Swindon after being sacked by the Shakers in November.
“We live in the same village near Bolton and whenever I’ve needed guidance he’s always been there for me.
“He’s there for everyone, to be honest. Sam’s a massive advocate of coaching talent in this country and he’ll do anything to help young English managers up the leagues.
“Early in his career, he could always call Sir Alex Ferguson for advice. Sam is my Sir Alex, and he has been from a young age.
“It’s amazing because he’s outstanding at what he does. He’s never been able to work with the best group of players but his results and his win percentages are just incredible.
“For me, he’s a pioneer. He’s the one who brought sports science, defensive and offensive coaching. He’s still at the cutting edge now.”
Big Sam’s message for Flitcroft that day was less sympathetic, more characteristically forthright and pragmatic.
Pragmatic
Flitcroft recalls: “He said to me ‘Right, you’ve been sacked. So what? Let’s start thinking about the next step, the options. Most of all, look at the reason why you got sacked. Are there any big issues? And if there are, go away and learn’.” So he did. “What Sam said rang true,” admits Flitcroft. “That was me as a player. I’d pester managers incessantly. If I wasn’t in the team, I’d be saying ‘Tell me what you want me to improve’.
“You’ve got to understand why you’re out of work. Once you strip that down and analyse it truthfully, you can target the things you were weak at.
“What I homed in on was scouting and recruitment. I wanted to get to grips with how the big clubs do it.
“I worked with Leicester, going round the country and looking at teams for them. I went down to St George’s Park, talked to the staff there. I had two days with Steve Walsh at Everton, learning about how they recruit and the due diligence they put in. That blew my mind.
“Then I went to work with a performance coach at Blackburn, Chris Neville, who worked for Roy Hodgson with England. I’m still gleaning his knowledge at the minute.
“What I came to understand is that recruitment and sports science are intrinsically linked. When you look at the best – the Pochettinos of this world – they’re steeped in that stuff. I think Jurgen Klopp’s even got a degree in it.”
Along the way, Flitcroft was one of the last four candidates interviewed for the England Under-21 job that ultimately went to Aidy Boothroyd.
He was also offered a job with the US Soccer Federation – advocated by Allardyce – before Swindon chairman Lee Power persuaded him to plump for Wiltshire.
“Sam said to me ‘Go to America, build a profile and you’ll be a great success’,” adds the Mancunian. “But when I spoke to the chairman here, it was very no nonsense. “It was ‘This is what I want, this is how I want it done. This is why I want you’. Then you get down and see the size of Swindon. “Being a northern boy, I didn’t expect the passion of the town for its club. If you get this right, 10,000 fans will come through that gate. It’s a massive attraction.” Swindon had just six players on the books when Flitcroft arrived on June 5, the tattered remnants of last season’s messy descent from League One. A perfect opportunity to utilise his new-found expertise? Yes and no. “Clubs like Leicester have massive budgets,” he says. “Top, top scouts. Analysts. You can’t do that in League
Two. The trick is working out what can be scaled. “With the loan window closing now, everyone’s got to be more careful in the market. So you look at all the stats you can. You do more research. Ask more questions. “Does the player always make training? Can you speak to the physio? Can you speak to players? What intensity and temp does he train at? Most importantly, can he make games? “If the window shuts and you haven’t got robust players who can slog through a season, you’re in trouble. “What’s the person like? I’ll have a twohour interview on my terms. Another one in their environment to make sure the character is right. “That double meeting is important. Whenever you meet a player - all managers will say the same - you always drive away thinking ‘Ah, come on, why didn’t I ask that?’ “So you follow up, fill in the gaps, make sure you didn’t leap to any snap judgements good or bad. The ultimate question is ‘Does this player actually want to get better?’ It’s almost like a football map, trying to identify the right person.”
Until last weekend, it was working a treat. Signings like Paul Mullin and Olly Lancashire hit the ground running. Three wins from three sent the Robins top of League Two. Then, out of the blue, a 3-0 thumping at home against rock-bottom Crawley.
Hiccup
“It’s the first real hiccup,” he admits. “But you know what? I love a hiccup. It provides perspective – lets everybody know that just because you’re a big club, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win games.
“After a good run, it’s easy to think you’ll just turn up and roll the other team over. It’s those mental lapses that are the difference between players at this level and the elite. I’ve got to really drum that into this group.
“I’ve got a saying: you don’t lose. You either win or learn. That’s my mantra to all the staff and players. What we’ve got to do now is learn.”
And they’d better learn fast. At Bury, Flitcroft was tasked with rebuilding the club. His three-and-a-half years at Gigg Lane saw the academy overhauled and money pumped into youth development. It was, he says, a “labour of love”.
At Swindon, the solitary aim is an instant return to League One. Does that pile on the pressure?. “No,” he insists. “It drives me insane when you sit and have a drink with managers after the game and it’s all ‘Oh, we just want to consolidate’.
“I’ve sacrificed seeing my family to come down here, so I want something to show for it. Lots of people make a secret of their targets but that’s not me. That’s the remit, that’s what the chairman wants and we’ve got to handle it.”
With a little help from his friends?
“I’m sure I’ll be in touch with Sam,” says Flitcroft. “But I’ve got plenty of support.
“The first game of the season in Carlisle, my mum was there, my wife, the kids, my brothers Gaz and Stevie. My sister Kelly. There must have been at least 18 of them up there!”