We won the match, then I got a call to say I’d been sacked
Garry Monk on being axed by Middlesbrough at Christmas...
Pulling into his driveway the night before Christmas Eve, garry Monk took the phone call that would change his festive plans in an instant.
His Middlesbrough side had won 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the afternoon but as he returned to his Yarm home in the evening, owner Steve gibson informed him that his tenure was over after only six months in the job.
inside his family home a ‘movie-style Christmas scene’ was playing out, as the in-laws and cousins toasted their glasses and children played board games.
Monk’s dismissal altered the mood and he then needed to inform his backroom team of the decision.
‘it was very difficult, calling my staff the night before Christmas Eve,’ said Monk. ‘We met up. There was some shock, not much talking, but the club have the right to do that. We have to accept it.
‘it tests my mentality but that has been tested my whole career. i played two years above my age when i was a kid. i was in the first team as a 16-year-old, making my Torquay debut against Cyrille Regis. He was still a big, imposing player in his mid-thirties.
‘You see the big striker running at you and he seemed like a giant. i remember catching him in a tackle, then the next ball played in, he came from the side, elbows leading in — i took the full force. Welcome to football!’
in many ways it is an episode that sums up the sport. Take a blow, pick yourself up. ‘My confidence has not been affected. i am robust thanks to my upbringing. At Torquay, before we saw a football, we would do two or three hours of manual work every day.
‘We cleaned pigeon mess off the stadium, scrubbed the seats, cleaned everything. Eddie May was my first manager there. He sent me out to get his newspaper, his pack of 20 Benson and Hedges and then i had to clean his car.
‘A coach would come back in with a swipe of dirt on his fingers and tell everyone to clean the stadium again. it taught us discipline.
‘The biggest change now is the money. A lot of young players now have talent, burst on to the scene and go missing. They can earn good money from a short career without fulfilling their potential. There isn’t that worry about bills and the desire goes. We were pushed to our limit to prepare for the real world.’
in his short time in management, Monk, 38, has experienced peaks and troughs. He kept Swansea in the Premier league then guided them to eighth. They defeated Manchester united three times and beat Arsenal home and away. He was dismissed in his second full season after a poor run.
last season, Monk galvanised leeds, inducing their first sell-out Championship matches for six years, only to fall out of the play-off places in the final weeks.
Taking over at Middlesbrough in the summer, expectations were high. The club invested more than £ 40million. When Monk was dismissed, Boro were ninth in the Championship but only three points from the play- off places. gibson has a reputation for patience, so the timing and nature of the sacking were curious. Tony Pulis was in to replace him just over 48 hours later.
‘i did not expect it,’ said Monk. ‘After beating Wednesday there was a good feeling in the dressing room. That made it six wins in 10 and we had winnable games over Christmas. Second place was up for grabs with half a season left.
‘The players were low after relegation and the dressing room had been fractured towards the end of last season. We moved 14 players out and moved 10 in. Yes, we spent £ 40m but our net spend was actually only the fifth highest in the league. We recruited dynamic younger players and i gave opportunities to academy products.’
Monk knows his best chance of a Premier league return is to take a team up. ‘That was the way for Sean Dyche and Eddie Howe. i hope to go abroad at some point but for now i am focused on English football. i want to keep improving.’
To do so, he has listened to former players. ‘i spoke to Ashley Williams and leon Britton when i left Swansea. i spoke to Kyle Bartley and luke Ayling when i left leeds and will do the same at Boro.
‘i wanted to know what worked well, what could be better. i’m going to see Brendan Rodgers at Celtic and hopefully Rafa Benitez at newcastle.
‘i’ve had a lot of experience in a short space of time. i had a relegation battle at Swansea, then people were talking about leeds for the right reasons for the first time in a long time. now it feels unfinished business at Boro. But i will keep going, keep improving.’