PAYNTER KNOWS ART OF BEING A TOP BOSS
AS BILLY Paynter takes his first steps in football management, he can draw on his experiences of playing under a galaxy of high-profile bosses.
That’s what happens when you’ve played in the Football League for more than 15 years, notched up over 500 career games and 130-odd goals. From Brian Horton to Peter Taylor, Danny Wilson to Simon Grayson, Neil Warnock to Nigel Clough, Gus Poyet to Ronnie Moore – and a whole lot more – Paynter has pretty much seen it all.
Ask the 38-year-old Runcorn Linnets boss to pick out some of his major influences and he says: “When I was at Swindon, Danny Wilson was the one I really rated. His man-management was really good and he put the onus on the players.
“He had a wealth of experience and he allowed the players to police the dressing room. He gave you the responsibility. If you weren’t playing, it was down to you because you weren’t performing. “Peter Taylor was a brilliant coach. He signed me for Hull and to have a manager who worked for England keen on you was a big boost.
“Peter’s attention to detail stood out and he spoke to the players not just as a player but as a person. He improved your technical side.
“I had a bit of South American style management when I was on loan at Brighton and Gus Poyet was in charge. It was the flamboyance, the love of playing, you could see the way he was feeling.”
Throw the name of Warnock – a man who knows a thing or two about winning promotion – into the equation and Paynter responds positively.
“I really liked him,” he said. “He’s a top manager still doing it and he gets the best out of
players. He’s just straight – he tells it how it is. He will do his work on the coaching, but he does a lot of work off the pitch, too – studying and watching other players and opposition.
“He was dead honest with me in my time at Leeds. He said ‘you’re not in my plans, go and enjoy your football elsewhere’. I appreciated his honesty.
“All experiences, whether good or bad, you have to take on board.”
Privilege
Early indications are that Paynter is heeding the lessons well as he attempts to mould his own managerial style. Thrust into the hotseat from his position as first team coach when the Linnets parted company with Dave Wild at the end of March, the 38-year-old led the Cheshire club to the NPL West play-offs.
They knocked out runners-up Leek Town in the semis before losing
2-1 at Workington after extra-time in the final. However, Paynter had done enough to impress and has now been handed a two-year deal.
It makes him the first contracted manager of the fanowned club, founded in 2006.
Paynter said: “Although it was disappointing to lose the play-off final, all-in-all the players could be proud of themselves. After that the chairman (Peter Cartledge) mentioned that he wanted to keep me for a further two years and it was a privilege that I was highly thought of at the club.
“I couldn’t turn it down. The fans made me feel really welcome as have the players, staff and board members.”
It’s the latest step for Paynter in his fledgling coaching and managerial career.
“I was doing my coaching badges in my early 30s and that whet my appetite – I got the bug,” the Liverpudlian explained. “I retired due to injury a lot earlier than I was hoping for (at 33).
“When I was lying on the sofa with my foot in a cast, I knew I had a coaching badge along with my playing experience.
“I was helping out at the Everton academy and it progressed nicely. I went to the Port Vale academy and I got experience of working with difference age groups and a variety of players. I also helped out with the first team for three or four months. It came to a point where I felt I needed to step away and have a journey myself.”
His playing journey was certainly a noteworthy one. He made his debut for Port Vale at the tender age of 16 and served the Valiants with distinction. The powerful forward’s travels took him far and wide as he made his presence felt in all three divisions of the EFL.
Passion
He enjoyed some great times with Swindon and also hit the goal trail with the likes of Doncaster and Hartlepool. “People say you have had a fantastic career, but you think it’s normal,” he said. “It’s only once you’ve finished and look back that you realise what you did.
“I’m very proud to have played 17 years in a difficult profession. You have people trying to take your shirt and you have to perform year on year. Sometimes you have to move on, try to get a new club and be the best you can be. “My career got cut short, but it happens in that industry. If you play 500-odd games over 17 years, it does take a toll on your body, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
As for a couple of highlights, Paynter mentions a double – and an assist for Charlie Austin – in a 3-0 win for Swindon at Leeds in League One in 2010 and setting up Doncaster’s dramatic late winner at promotion rivals Brentford to clinch the League One title in 2013.
On being handed the Runcorn reins for the next couple of seasons, the UEFA A Licence coach said there are going to be a lot of ins and outs this summer. He also wants to add a bit of extra quality in the final third.
If he could unearth another Charlie Austin, it wouldn’t be bad. Paynter formed a superb strike partnership with Austin at Swindon after the latter had hit a barrage of goals in Non-League for Poole Town.
“He was a bit raw, but he wanted to learn,” said Paynter. “He was hungry and had a passion to score goals, and that would never change. He kicked on up the leagues and it wasn’t a surprise.”
In time, Paynter would love to do something similar in the managerial ranks and work his way back to where he spent his playing days – in the EFL.
“It feels like I’m starting out again and Runcorn is a great place to learn,” he said. “Who knows what will happen in the future. It would be a dream to one day manage in the Football League.”