KEEP IT REAL
Tranmere boss Mike Jackson says players need to be realistic
TRANMERE Rovers boss Mike Jackson says players must “wake up” to the new reality facing football and stop holding out for big wages.
Jackson, who took charge in July after Micky Mellon joined Dundee United, conducted an extensive overhaul following relegation from League One.
Eight new faces arrived at Prenton Park, including former Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing and veteran striker James Vaughan, who had previously been on loan with Rovers.
But many more walked away from negotiations in pursuit of more cash - money, says Jackson, that simply doesn’t exist in the wake of a supporter shutout that continues to decimate the finances of clubs across the country.
“It’s been a really difficult summer in that respect,” says the 46-year-old. “I feel for chairmen and owners right across the country because they’ve had no income whatsoever.
“On top of that, a lot of agents haven’t dealt with their players properly. They’re looking out for money that was never going to be there.
“Now those players are scrambling around a bit, trying to get a living. The realisation is sinking in that they will have to take a cut in the kind of wages they’ve been on.
“We’ve got a guy who deals with the finances but I always like to speak to every player before we sign him. Those conversations do come about and they’re not easy. You’re basically saying to someone’s face, ‘I can’t pay what you want – and neither can anybody else’.
Tough
“All these guys are used to earning a certain amount of money, the lifestyle that goes with it. All of a sudden, that’s not there. When people have got bills to pay and families, that’s tough.
“It’s not been pleasant, but it’s the reality of what’s going on. And I think everybody is waking up to that now.
“Don’t chase what you can’t get. Make sure you’re in a club. Make sure you’ve got a job. Just put yourself in a situation that when – hopefully – everything starts to turn, you’re in a position to capitalise.”
As a player himself, Jackson won promotions with Bury, Preston North End and Blackpool before embarking on a ten-year coaching career that brought successive promotions at Tranmere as No.2 to Mellon.
Amongst his greatest influences is David Moyes. The grizzled Scot was initially a comrade in Preston’s back four before starting his managerial career at Deepdale in 1998.
“I thought David was great,” says Jackson. “He took a young group of lads, gave them direction and purpose. We grew massively over three years and so many went on to bigger things.
“He was a winner. He had standards. He was intense and demanding. But if you bought into that, he’d go out of his way to help you.
“For a player - for me anyway - the biggest thing is to have a manager who will take the time to try to improve you. If somebody is pushing you and helping you to be better, how can’t you respond to that?” Much like Moyes,
right, at West Ham, Jackson is picking up the pieces. Tranmere had won three games on the spin prior to lockdown but were relegated to League Two after a majority of clubs voted to decide the season on points-pergame. A ‘monstrous injustice’ in the words of owner Mark Palios was then compounded by Mellon’s departure.
“When people have been away for so long, they have time to think,” says Jackson, whose side drew their opening game at Mansfield.
“Players were sitting at home, wondering about what would happen to their career. How they’d support families. “That’s been the biggest thing to deal with. Once they got back in, they could get stuck into work and all of that stopped hanging over them. “Now we’re just looking at the season in stages. First, we’ve got to get a squad of good players together, get the culture and environment right.
“Only then we can move on to the next step which is getting results, being consistent and improving our play. This club has taken a big hit and we need to make sure the foundations are steady before we look too far ahead.”