WE’VE GONE FROM AIMING FOR THREE POINTS TO WALKING A HUNDRED MILES!
Non-League managers explain how they have replaced that buzz on a Saturday
IT’S not easy finding something to replace the buzz of chasing of three points on a Saturday afternoon. For Hendon boss Lee Allinson, long walks with his wife Faye aren’t quite as high octane as the 90 minutes on the pitch, but setting challenges has been the perfect cure in these strange times.
“We’ve gone from wanting three points on a Saturday to trying to walk 100 miles in February!” Allinson laughs.
The vast majority of NonLeague football has been shutdown since the end of October. There have been cup competitions, a brief return for some leagues, but for most of Steps 3-6 it has been months of inaction with the prospect of many more yet before football fully returns.
For Alvechurch manager Ian Long, a diet of Premier League football only goes so far.
“Even that is getting a bit tedious,” Long, inset right, says. “Obviously you don’t get the adrenaline buzz you get from your own football. You look forward to it so much. Socially, everything. I love having a pint after the game with my chairman and assistants – it’s probably done me a favour because I haven’t been able to have a beer!
“But seriously, it can’t be good. I’m alright. My lad is off school so I’ve got things to keep me active. The dog has never been so fit, we do 7-8km a day. But even the dog is looking at me on these cold mornings thinking he wants to go home!”
Missing that interaction and lack of normality has been one of the biggest issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic across society.
“We’ve done a quiz with the players and I’ve spoken to lads individually,” Long says. “They’re all keen to get back, they want to play football.
“The issue is, some of the lads we’ve had have just come out of pro clubs. They’re at that age where they’ve basically missed 12 months of football. They get to 23 and the chances of going back into a pro club are slimmer – they can’t play U23 football then. They’ve lost 12 months of a short career. It’s bad timing for a lot of lads who have those aspirations.” Marine boss Neil Young concedes they have been more fortunate than many with their FA Cup run to third round where they took on Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur, afforded them elite status so they could continue playing and they had a brief return to league action around Christmas.
“Obviously the enjoyment is the playing but it’s getting together with your mates, your team-mates, having a laugh and that interaction,” Young says.
“Speak to most players and most of the enjoyment is in the banter, having a chat and that’s what players miss most. The same from a manager’s perspective with the staff.
Impact
“A big part of our drive in the FA Cup was, ‘Come on boys, if we can win, we can keep training’. I’m not saying that got us to where we did but obviously it helped. It was about staying together, being able to train and socialise.”
Allinson, son of St Albans City boss Ian, speaks openly about the impact lockdown has had on his own mental health, with his day job of coaching also interrupted.
By taking care of himself through, among other things, walking and drinking plenty of water, he says he has been able to put himself in the best frame of mind for a long time.
“From July to May has always been football in my life,” Allinson says. “It’s probably been harder this year because last time at least we were at the back end of the season. It’s really tough.
“From my point of view, I probably struggled the first month or six weeks while I tried to get my head around it. But I got in touch with two guys at a company called Football Flow. It’s run by
ex-pros Dean Hooper and Dominic Sterling. Dean is an ex-professional who suffered with mental health and Dominic has a background of working in mental health. They are fantastic people. They really helped me and they can be a big part of NonLeague football for years to come because if you look at it, there’s not enough support for anyone – managers, players, supporters.
“I’ve made no secret I’ve had struggles in the past. I suffer quite badly with OCD so I’ve not had it easy but you have to learn to deal with it. Football Flow are unbelievable. To have something you are used to taken away for so long – and it’s not like you can go and watch a few games either – is really tough.
“They got me to think about the ‘Now’ – think positively. I’ve started drinking loads of water and walking!
“Me and my wife make sure every day we go for a walk. I can’t believe the difference and positivity I feel.
“I’m in a good place and looking forward to the future and working again. It’s not my own doing, it’s the pandemic we’re in. But it’s trying to be positive and the guys at Football Flow have helped me do that.”
Scarborough Athletic boss Darren Kelly is also looking at the wider picture.
“I’ve got a fantastic group of players and staff,” Kelly says. “I don’t think the season will start up again but we have to be prepared for any situation.
“Reading between the lines, it’s likely it will be null and void. If that’s the case it’s waiting until the confirmation of that and then building for next season.
Open-minded
“In a way it’s trying to turn a negative into a positive. There’s a bigger picture in all of this. Work towards a bigger picture and not let this horrible pandemic dictate.”
Like Steps 3-6, the National League North and
South is now set to stop its season.
“I saw a stat that 860 players, 43 managers, staff members, board members that are without football now because of the decision at Step 2,” Allinson says. “That’s going to have a massive affect on mental health. It’s OK to talk about that.” Getting rid of the stigma around mental health – particularly among men – is, Allinson, inset, says, key.
“For me, it’s really crucial people talk and feel free to talk. There’s nothing wrong with not feeling yourself or not feeling great. It’s not normal to feel great all the time. “But there shouldn’t be a stigma around it. You should feel free to say, ‘I don’t feel OK’, and not worry about being punished in football. There is a big thing that if you’re feeling depressed it’s a weakness. It’s not. Not at all. It’s how you are feeling and people can help you.
“I think we’re getting to a point now where it’s OK to talk about it and people are really open-minded about it so we get to a position where we’re accepting. And that’s how it should be.
“There are a lot of people who suffer in and out of football. The only way we’re going to get better as a society is by talking and taking away that it’s a sign of weakness. Actually it’s a sign of strength you can get through it.”
Allinson hopes a positive that will come from the pandemic is the increase of young men talking openly about mental health.
Kelly, too, believes the game and society can bounce back from the difficulties of the last 12 months.
“I think it will make everyone appreciate things that little bit more when we get back to a form of normality and remember these difficult times,” Kelly says. “Fingers crossed there is good news on the horizon. The death rates are coming down, every life that’s lost is a sad life lost.
“Just hopefully we can get back to a form of normality and start getting our lives back. Everyone will appreciate – not just football – but life that bit more.”
Long added: “I’ll never moan about going to Lowestoft or Leiston on a Tuesday night again!”