Why JFH thinks it’s part of his job to give Brewers an identity

THE feelgood factor around the Pirelli Stadium at the moment is palpable.

It was fuelled by the return of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink last season and the remarkable upturn in results which followed.

It has continued through a summer of recruitment widely welcomed by supporters.

These are very early days in the new season and, at some point, we will have to see what happens when fortunes on the field hit a bad patch, as they invariably will.

But for now, Hasselbaink seems unable to put a foot wrong.

A fans’ forum, featuring Hasselbaink and his assistant, Dino Maamria, as well as chairman Ben Robinson, held at the stadium and streamed online recently only added to the positivity.

There was a moment in the evening when someone asked how the management got on with the players. “Would love be too strong a word?” the chairman asked the manager, only a little tongue in cheek.

Laughter apart, Hasselbaink talked the next day about the importance of the atmosphere around a club and how he sees himself as the figurehead who can drive it – he sees it as an integral part of his job.

Hasselbaink was popular enough at Burton the first time around, winning promotion from League Two and putting the team on top of League One before moving on but he has seen both sides of the coin since then.

Spells with Queens Park Rangers and Northampton Town were less productive. But they have served him well overall and those who were with and around the Brewers for both of his spells think they see a more relaxed man this time. It is six years and a lot of experience later, after all, and he acknowledges the point.

“I’ve learnt a lot in the time, especially about not taking things for granted,” said Hasselbaink.

“I try to be as relaxed as I can be. I want the people on my staff to be themselves and not to be on edge.

“I want them to be able to express themselves and I think that all comes from me being relaxed and open, giving them that room to express themselves.

“If I get the best out of my staff it will only make me so much better.”

Yes, he sees the feelgood factor and wants to develop it, while noting that it is easier to do so when results on the field are strong.

“I think it’s a combination. The work ethic has been great and the atmosphere,” he said,

“I think winning obviously helps but we have tried to embed some kind of identity in the club and we are trying to breed that throughout the club, with everyone – professionalism, the ‘feelgood’ and the winning mentality.

“Obviously, we are seeing the players trying to get that on the field on Saturdays and Tuesdays but there’s so much more being done behind the scenes.

“You have to get that right so the players can perform on those days.

“We’re trying to do that all together – the chairman, me and Dino and others as well at the club. It’s about building blocks.”

He is a confident man, generally, and comfortable with the fact that he is the focal point for the identity he talks of.

“I think it’s important that they need to see the leader from the front,” he said. “They need to see me relaxed, with a smile and also they need to see me when I’m passionate about something and how it is to be done.

“I think the workplace has to be a place that you want to go. There is room for a joke but there is also work to be done and there has to be professionalism.

“There has to be a little bit of pressure but you have to enjoy it, whatever job you do in the club.

“We all have a responsibility to bring everything together. At the moment, yes, we are in a good place but we need to keep that going and not take it for granted.

“We have a lot of laughs, there is a lot of sweat. We work very hard.”

It always comes back to the work ethic. Any great player – and he was a great player – will say that the glorious moments on the pitch are facilitated by the work off it.

“How can we get that work to be enjoyable? That’s the secret,” said Hasselbaink.

“Don’t get me wrong, winning helps, but winning shouldn’t blindside you to the work, the dedication and the detail you need.”

So far so good on that front. This season promises to be an enjoyable ride.

Last night’s Burton Albion game against Sunderland finished after the Derby Telegraph went to press.