GRAHAM WESTLEY
Our guest columnist hails the work of Accrington boss John Coleman
IDO not imagine that John Coleman and I will ever be great mates. We’ve had some feisty encounters and we’re both thick-skinned and competitive people, so it’s a tough job to really build any friendship. My point is that I am not writing words of praise for a ‘pal’.
It would be remiss of me, though, to have an opportunity to record my admiration in a column and to be untrue to my feelings in this moment.
I have a huge, huge respect for John Coleman, Accrington Stanley and their achievements.
Just as he managed Accrington in the Conference, in League Two and now at the top end of League One, so I shared that same journey with Stevenage. I know what it takes.
It is a journey that requires some very strong human ethics and when I hear John speak, I hear the presence of those ethics in abundance. His success is no fluke.
He talks often about humility (shedding the ‘waistcoats’ and remembering the basics), self-confidence (respecting all but believing in self), resourcefulness (using what he has got and not moaning about what he hasn’t got), teamwork (genuinely enjoying sharing life’s emotions together) and just trying as hard as possible to keep winning (by just getting better).
When my Stevenage team moved from the Conference into League Two, then League Two into League One, then into the top six in League One after wins over Charlton Athletic, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, we did so because we deserved to.
Humble
We were hugely humble, we did not shout about our achievements as we went along, we just put all our effort into winning our next game. We just grafted. We knew that we had the time between games to become quicker, stronger, more resilient, more organised, more creative, more together, more motivated, better prepared... and we didn’t waste a second.
We just worked. As cleverly as we could. And you know what? Nobody cared that we were sometimes working long hours. We didn’t set the hours. We just all loved doing all we could to prosper.
If we were tired, we’d rest (it’s a performance sport) and get fresh. If we were fresh we’d work to be ready.
When you play the likes of the Sheffield giants, you have to be impressed by their stadia, their fan bases, their traditions and their resources.
But as John Coleman says, it still comes down to whether your right-back decides to destroy their left-winger on Saturday at 3pm.
Our confidence came from knowing that however many people sang against us, we could still tackle harder and shoot more ferociously. Our confidence came from our practice.
We respected opponents but weren’t impressed by them.
Being small does not mean that you have to be lazy. Having deep pockets does not mean that you find the best answers.
I remember fondly my lads at Stevenage coming to me with a recovery strategy which involved hiring a band tour bus for journeys home on Saturdays before Tuesday night games.
For less money than the cost of an executive coach it was possible to hire a vehicle in which every player could rest in a bed whilst in transit. Now that is resourcefulness.
Edges
And when you are small these are the edges that you have to find as you prepare to rest while travelling to try to win again next time out.
I know that John’s version of teamwork runs much deeper than most. He generates phenomenal loyalty from his lads and incredible trust.
I think that is founded on the strength of his position within his club. There is far less politic within a small club than a big club and that helps togetherness to flourish.
My Stevenage was similar and having built success there, I took my beliefs and strategies to Preston – but couldn’t implement change quickly enough to avoid the sack. John suffered similarly when he left Accy for Rochdale.
I’m sure that he will want to stay around this time and deliver the promotion at Accrington that Gary Johnson achieved at Yeovil and Nigel Clough delivered at Burton.
It is a tough possibility, but however difficult it is (squad size can always hinder small clubs), the values that John has instilled mean that no opposition will win any easy points from his resilient Stanley team.
He may not believe that I wish him well but he’d be wrong. I’d absolutely love to see them deliver the incredible prize of the Championship.