Creating trust

Everything in football is a process. 

I want my teams to be dominant, on the front foot and scoring goals, but there is a learning process that produces that. You would never teach a five-year-old algebra, for example. You teach what’s right for them at that stage. 

That is why a lot of coaches speak about process and being given time, but not enough get it. What happens – especially with the turnover of managers in the Championship – is that short-term football is coached because it’s a short-term job.

I was really fortunate at Hull that I had an 18-month block. It doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but in that period I managed to turn a team around; to imprint a philosophy, style of play, and move the team forward. I am really proud of the job that everybody did there, regardless of how it ended.

In September 2022 I had left Derby, having had my first experience as a number one, as interim manager. Hull were looking for a new manager themselves, and asked me to send them a presentation on my style of play and what I believe in. Then I got a FaceTime call from the executive vice chairman, Tan Kesler, and the owner, Acun Ilicali, who had taken over the club earlier that year.

Acun’s a really special guy. He believes that he can get to know someone within five minutes. From that first call, he was pretty much set that I was the right person for the job.

"YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON THE RIGHT THINGS"

When I went in that November, the team was conceding a lot of goals and only one point above the Championship relegation zone. I had to build a structure and style of play to keep the team safe in the division. That meant being pragmatic. It doesn’t matter what your style is; you cannot have a situation where every time the opposition attacks, you are concerned that you are going to concede. 

Results were not only vital for the club. They were crucial for me to get buy-in, too. The players, the fans and the club need to feel that you are on the right track. You have to find a balance between building a philosophy and getting the results that will give you the time to build that philosophy. You need to focus on the right things.

For the first three or four months, I worked more on the defensive shape, making sure the defensive principles were right. It was about giving stepping stones to the group to keep improving, and we managed to do that.

The team had lost 10 of its previous 14 league games when I took over. We only lost five of the next 24, and eventually finished 14 points clear of the relegation places. A lot of that was based on defensive structure and organisation.

That meant that, at first, I wasn’t able to coach what I really believed in – being dominant, on the front foot, and scoring goals. Moving towards that had to come in the second year, when we had a full pre-season, and were able to move on players who didn’t quite fit, while recruiting players who did.

In terms of the culture, my assistants and myself were very open and vulnerable with the players. I wanted us to create trust, and we worked so hard on getting to know them. Not just whether they were right or left-footed, or what their best position was, but getting to know about their families, where they grew up. We wanted to create strong links.

"it was a huge step in seeing that these players were coachable"

So much of the job is about understanding people, so that they can understand you. From there, you can create a journey together. We had a wonderful team spirit at Hull, with a group of young players put together in a really short space of time. With the way that we built the culture, they will be friends for life.

Sometimes the players would come in expecting to train, when instead we would have something like a Lego-building competition. Why? Because that dynamic of working together and being together is just as important as the training you do on the pitch. 

I never lost sight of the fact that, first and foremost, they were a group of people. Then they were a squad of footballers. That is the way I will always approach my work, because without considering the human side you can’t develop the tools needed to be successful in the long term.

Before my first game in charge, against Millwall away, I had two days with the team. Going to The Den is as hard as it gets in the Championship, in terms of being physical and standing up to set-plays. We drilled what I wanted on the training pitch and put it into practice, playing from a 4-4-2, pretty much a mid-to-low block. Although we had a player sent off after 37 minutes, we managed to draw 0-0.

As a manager in his first permanent job, it gave me confidence to see what the players took on board in just two days. We didn’t get the win, but it was a huge step in seeing that these players were coachable and could learn.

Once we had picked up enough results to keep us safe, it was about taking the team to the next stage. When we went away to Sunderland at Easter, I had just started talking to the players about how we build – taking more time in terms of the details and how we played out from the back. It was a really open game that we drew 4-4, live on Sky, and we were magnificent. We built on it, through to the end of the season, which gave us a great platform going into the next campaign.

"the players were able to go man-to-man if needed, rather than sit and run less in the zonal block"

However, before the 2023/24 season began, nobody really thought that we were a contender for the playoffs. We ended up becoming victims of our own success, in a way. The fact that we had turned it around so quickly meant that, as the season unfolded, we were soon among the contenders for promotion. 

That is why I cannot agree when people say that we failed because we finished the 2023/24 season three points off the playoffs. Our budget was nowhere near as big as other clubs. The likes of Fábio Carvalho, Liam Delap and Jaden Philogene signed for me at Hull because of human connection. I had made the effort to go and see them, to get to know them. For example, Fábio is a south London boy who grew up in Balham and knew that he could trust me.

We also worked hard to continue developing how we played; I always study successful teams to keep learning. Pep Guardiola is someone who has influenced my way of thinking, and it is fascinating to see how Mikel Arteta has taken those concepts on. And I would say that Roberto De Zerbi is a genius. 

In May 2022, I was working on a game for Sky. De Zerbi’s Brighton drew 1-1 against Guardiola’s City, to qualify for Europe. I observed then how Brighton were not afraid to go man-for-man all over the pitch, against the best team in the world.

That kind of approach inspires you as a coach: “If Brighton can do it against Man City, why can’t we do it in the Championship?” I spoke about that game with my staff, and we analysed it, as well as other games that Brighton had played man-to-man all over the pitch. That included them going away to Arsenal and winning 3-0.

You can take things you see with other teams and adapt them to your players and the way you play. At Hull, we adjusted our pre-season and made it a little bit more intense, so the players were able to go man-to-man if needed, rather than sit and run less in the zonal block.

"If we let them make passes and dictate the game, we’d be finished"

The progress we were making was evident when we went away to Enzo Maresca’s Leicester, in our fifth league game of the new season. Going into that game, our defensive principles had been a very zonal 4-4-2, but I asked the players: “Do you want to go man-to-man all over the pitch, with no cover?” We had created such a good relationship with them and they were so open, they said: “Yes gaffer, let's have a real go at it.” So we went away and coached man-to-man all over the pitch.

We knew Enzo was a top manager and that Leicester had the best players in the league. If we let them make passes and dictate the game, we’d be finished – so we pressed them and ended up winning the game 1-0. It evolved the team’s belief that we could be a dominant team with the way that we played and pressed.

So I would say to every coach: “Don’t be stuck in your ways.” I had been quite set that the best way to not concede goals was to be zonal. Now I’m a man-for-man guy, so you have to continue to analyse other teams and learn. 

Of course, being a manager is very busy during the season – in the Championship, it’s often games on Saturday and then Tuesday. You’re watching your own team and watching the opposition. At Hull we had a big say in the academy, so we were also watching Under-21 games and individual players. All of which meant that when there was an international break, or I had a clear week, I would use that bit of spare time to analyse teams I thought were successful.

There are coaches who come along and change the way the game is perceived. I’ve got a lot of respect for De Zerbi, who has done that in the last few years. Guardiola too, as with Arrigo Sacchi and others in the past. Hopefully one day I can find something different, in a way that people would ask: “How does a Liam Rosenior team play?” That is the ultimate compliment for a coach.

At Hull, I relished that it was more of a tactical battle when we played other possession teams. Against Russell Martin’s Southampton at home, we played really well – even though we lost 2-1, I was so happy with our performance. When we played them away,  we played so well again, in a way that I’ve always wanted to see a team play – build, dominate possession, and we pressed man-for-man all over the pitch. It was almost the perfect game for us, and this time we won 2-1. 

"The lesson is that you have to invest in your infrastructure – not just players"

When we played top-of-the-table Leicester at home, we had more possession than them and drew 2-2. I know it can be frustrating for fans and owners when you don’t win a game, but as a coach it gives me so much satisfaction when I see my team be dominant. I look at the performance, rather than just the scoreline, because over time those performances bring results.

When it came to results, in my second season with Hull we actually won four more points from away games than we did at home. A lot of people said we played slow at our stadium, but if you analyse it, our pitch was the worst in the league. The pitch slowed our tempo and allowed teams to get back into their shape. If you look at our results towards the end of the season, they picked up again because the pitch was better.

The lesson is that you have to invest in your infrastructure – not just players – because all of these 1 per cent gains add up to high performance. I wanted to keep our process consistent and not change just because of the pitch. Whether we were home or away, we stuck to the principles that we believed in, because those principles see you through.

When it comes to things that are most important to me, as a manager, I always ask three things of every player: give 100 per cent, love and respect your teammates, and don’t hide from the ball. On that first point, it doesn’t matter if you’re an attacker or a defender, players must give 100 per cent with and without the ball. On the second point, in my team, you have to be trustworthy, to respect everyone around you and be honest.

And third, you have to be brave. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but if you do make a mistake, go and take the ball again. When I was a kid who just loved playing football, it was because I loved having the ball at my feet. I don’t ever want to take that love of the ball away from the players I work with. I want my team to have the ball and provoke the game, but I can’t coach that if I am not willing to allow my players to make mistakes.

Some players are very good at showing a crowd that they want the ball, but if they are standing directly behind a defender, do they really want it? If I want my goalkeeper to have the ball, but he’s made a mistake and we’ve conceded, is he brave enough to have the ball again and make a pass, rather than just clear it? When I am recruiting, I look for players who make that extra effort to receive the ball.

"My ambition now is to manage in the Premier League"

I am certainly proud of the 18-month journey we had at Hull, which culminated in getting 70 points in a really difficult league. The 2023/24 season was the strongest Championship I have ever seen, and we got those 70 points with a style I believe in.

Hull is a club with really good people. I learned a lot there, including about managing up and managing the culture, to make sure that everybody is aligned at every step. Having control of certain aspects of the process must be non-negotiable, so everyone knows the journey that you are going on.

My ambition now is to manage in the Premier League, and I feel ready – not least because the games where I have been at my best as a coach have been possession-based. Maybe it’s not going be my next step, but the next step has to be to give myself, my staff and my club the best opportunity to be a Premier League team next season.

For the moment though, I am relaxed and not looking to jump into any job. I will do my work diligently to make sure that I align with my next football club. To make sure that I am the right fit for them, and they are the right fit for me.

Author: Craig Bloomfield

Popular

Newsletter

The Coaches' Voice Weekly Superb insights and stories from the top names of football delivered to your inbox weekly.