, PASCAL S MISSION
BEN SMITH REPORTS ON PASCAL CHIMBONDA ,S ADVENTURE AT SKELMERSDALE UNITED . AND HOW HE HOPES TO INSPIRE OTHER BLACK MANAGERS...
send my CV and I don’t even get a reply. No interviews. Not one,” he told The Telegraph. “‘No experience’, they say. Right, so I need experience.”
Thus when North West Counties Premier Division side Skelmersdale United – known simply as Skem – dismissed their manager following a run of poor form, Chimbonda met with the chairman to discuss the vacancy.
Here he saw a chance to put his knowledge into practice and gain the first-hand experience demanded of him. Indeed, he was so keen that he agreed to do the job for free.
As a former Premier League stalwart, Chimbonda’s situation might seem a little odd. The likes of Lee Bowyer, Joey Barton and Scott Parker walked into managerial jobs in the professional game.
Chimbonda had a successful playing career (he has the rare accolade of having won a trophy with Tottenham!) and has his coaching credentials. Obtaining a similar position to his contemporaries should, therefore, appear within reach.
However, for many black managers across Britain, a lack of opportunities is all too common.
According to a report published last March, just 4.4% of management-related positions in English football were held by black employees despite the fact that 43% of Premier League and 34% of Championship players were black.
This discrepancy has been widely acknowledged by everyone from former players to the Football Association itself. But efforts to understand and address the lack of representation have been slow, leaving a glaring gulf between playing and managing.
In October 2020, the FA launched its Football Leadership Diversity Code as part of an attempt to solve the problem by making clubs “commit to embedding greater diversity” across coaching setups.
Unfortunately, results have been discouraging, largely stemming from the Code’s voluntary approach which means clubs aren’t held accountable if they fall short of their commitment.
As Kick It Out chief executive Tony Burnett has pointed out, mandatory legislation is the minimum if genuine change is to occur. Until then, clubs can effectively kick the can down the road without consequence.
Chimbonda, meanwhile, has decided he won’t wait around for top-down reform. As manager of Skem, he says his hope is to inspire other black managers to take the plunge.
Key to this is not so much breaking down barriers but understanding why they exist in the first place.
“Maybe one day we will know why the barrier is there,” Chimbonda told BBC Sport.
He arrived at Skem with a clearcut philosophy in mind – “your players should be able to play 10 passes no matter who you have” – and was also quick to draft in several of the players from his PC39 academy to help foster a fresh style of play.
The aim, as far as the board are concerned, will be to save struggling Skem from relegation. And Chimbonda will know that anything less will be considered a failure.
Yet at the same time, nobody is blind to the reality of his position as manager of a club in the ninth tier. He is ultimately there because the doors were closed elsewhere.
Now, having taken up an unpaid role and called the bluff of those who demand “experience”, Chimbonda has helped bring publicity to the cause. If he can kickstart serious change as a result, he surely knows it’ll be worth than any club could afford to pay.