Hill climbing with Alfie makes me peak performer
Stephen Robinson c onquered Sc o t t i sh foot b a l l ’ s t ou g he s t challenge when he steered St Mirren to a stunning win over champions Celtic.
Hitting those heights is thanks, in part, to Robinson s c a l i n g S c o t l a nd ’ s magnificent Munros.
Robinson admits it’s taken him too long in his managerial career to learn how to relax.
His partner Robyn and their cocker spaniel Alfie have helped him mellow by hitting the high road.
Last Sunday was like no other for Robinson as his Saints side halted Celtic’s unbeaten Premiership record at 38 games.
That’s normally his day to disappear and dismiss all football talk.
A fresh approach to life off the park is helping his work on it – making Saints top-six contenders.
Robinson said: “I listened to a podcast with (new Derby manager) Paul Warne where he said when you win there’s a sense of relief, rather than joy.
“And when you lose, you blame yoursel f and it’s depression for 48 hours.
“I couldn’t have described it any better. I changed our routine of going out for dinner from Saturday to Thursday because you avoid maybe having that disappointment.
“But you have to break that cycle and find balance, a way to actually start living your life at the same time.
“It’s taken me a long time to get to that point.
“Robyn is massively into hillwalking. Alfie and I often don’t get much choice.
“Whether the weather’s good or bad we climb up the hills and Munros. I don’t even know the names of half of them but we’ve done lots, including Ben Lomond and The Cobbler.
“We’re not Munro baggers – we’ll just drive until we find somewhere promising where we can park.
“We often go to Killin and spend five or six hours going up and down these hills.
“The dog usually sprints up them 10 times, which is three times more than us! Alf ie’s a great dog with boundless energy, he never seems to tire. Ideally, I want to buy a camper van so we leave straight after our game on a Saturday.
“That’s the long- term plan, anyway, so I can get peace and quiet for 24 hours. I f ind it very helpful , especially mentally.”
Robinson walked away from Motherwell believing he’d taken the club as far as he could. Two cup finals in 2017/18 and third place three seasons ago was brilliant work.
But trying to arrest a slump in 2020 took its toll on him and his loved ones.
The 45-year- old admits the intensity of the game, particularly in Scotland, can get the better of you.
He admitted: “I probably am thinking football a lot of the time when we’re out!
“But I’m not speaking about it because it does dominate your life and I try not to let that happen.
“It’s the only job where people place bets on you being sacked. And you’ve pundits calling for your head who actually WANT you out of work.
“It’s difficult to switch off completely. Most managers in Scotland don’t earn the megabucks that can set you up for life.
“You need to not to think about it otherwise you’d go absolutely crazy.
“Robyn keeps me sane. She makes me realise not everyone’s l ife revolves around footbal l , even though mine does.
“I took the job knowing the parameters so there’s no real surprises to me.
“But my family didn’t buy into all that. Sometimes it’s hard on them.
“It’s easy to get so caught up and think it’s only about you. It’s really important to find time away from that.
“I call Alfie our angel sent from heaven because dogs love you the same whether we’ve won, lost or drawn. Going away with them on a Sunday allows you to re-set. We get away from it all.”