Learning on the job

4 key challenges facing rookie Silkmen boss Savage

There is no single secret to success in football management. Just a lot of clues, hints and whispers – some genuine, many false, all in need of interpretation. Following Robbie Savage’s appointment after Michael Clegg’s sudden departure, in seven days’ time he’ll take charge of his first Silkmen fixture in our pre-season curtain raiser against Blackburn XI.

At least that’s the theory. So far, there’s been radio silence from Robbie and the club since the surprising turn of events which seemingly caught everyone off guard. Oh to be a fly on the wall at the Leasing.com stadium right now.

As Savage prepares to address the players to set the tone for the new campaign, one wonders how his approach will differ as he transitions from Director of Football to First Team Head Coach? He’ll surely place some importance on reading the room to assess the mood and body language in a bid to get a handle on his first managerial gig. Similarly, the players will be watching him with the same degree of scrutiny for signs of things to come.

And so, as we reflect on Macc’s latest managerial regime, what are the elements Savage MUST get right? Let’s take a look at four key challenges that Robbie will need to overcome if he is to succeed.

Restoring trust with supporters

Macc’s new gaffer has obviously had a head start with this, given his instrumental involvement in the club’s upward fortunes since it was reformed. No one can doubt Sav’s passion and commitment to the cause. In fact, there’s an argument to say that he is underappreciated by some and unfairly scapegoated by others, on occasion.

Maintaining the affection of the Silkmen’s core support is a subtle art that goes beyond results. There’s a code of conduct to be set and maintained, but the manner in which Savage jumped into Clegg’s shoes has damaged his rapport with a small but vocal minority of Macc’s fans. Understandably so.

Whilst Savage will want the dust to settle and do his talking on the pitch, he must also show a degree of humility in recognising that some bridges will need to be rebuilt. A fans forum, planned for 20 June, was pulled as hastily as it was arranged due to many supporters being unable to attend at short notice. Re-arranging a new date, either in person or on Facebook live, is a must. At the very least, some form of communication from the club is needed in response to supporters’ concerns on activities occurring both on and off the pitch.

Recruitment

After a flurry of early signings which has seen Justin Johnson, Elliott Whitehouse (pictured), Danny Whitehead and Danny Elliott bolster the squad, things appear to have gone a little quiet. At the time of writing this post (2pm, 6th July), Macc didn’t have a goalkeeper on their books (since addressed by the signings of new keepers Max Dearnley and Tom Scott) and the first-team ranks look light in defence and upfront.

Speaking on the Planet Football podcast in early June, Savage spoke at length of the challenges he faced in attracting his preferred transfer targets after Macc failed to secure promotion to the National League North.

“We’re currently in the market for seven players. The problem we are having is that a lot of the players who are on our list were waiting to see if we got promoted. If we’d have gone up I think it would have been quite easy negotiating, but what we get is those players don’t want to play at Step 3, so to play at Step 3 they want more money.”

“There’s a player we’ve gone after. We had a message from his agent asking if we were still interested, so I said ‘yes’. Remember, we’re at Step 3 – training two mornings a week on a Tuesday and Thursday – we’re not full-time as some people say. We’re the same as everyone else in terms of training hours, but we train in the daytime because that suits our group.

“It’s harder for us to attract players because people have to leave two mornings of work, so financially we’re always going to be more than others. The agent said ‘this player is on about £1,200-1,300 a week at his football club. He’ll come to you for £2,000 a week over 52 weeks, which is £104,000 a year. Just remember, we (Macc) pay 38 weeks as well.

“My mindset is: ‘Right, so somebody wants to come and play for Macclesfield for £104,000 a year when this player was full-time on £1,300 x 52 so about 70 grand a year. So this player wants £34,000 more a year to play two mornings a week and a Saturday, rather than full-time because they would be dropping down to Step 3.”

“We’re finding it very difficult at the moment. We’ve been in for 7/8 players, made them good offers, because we know we can’t make mistakes. What I’ve got to be careful of is that I’m not bringing players into the football club just for money. They’ve got to want to be here, they’ve got to want to follow the process.

“There’s two players we’ve gone after who are playing higher, in a position out wide where we’ve lost James Berry and Kane Drummond (it will probably go to an FA tribunal because Kane is under 24 and we can’t agree a fee with Chesterfield, so the FA will set the fee). The players we’re going for are out of contract and are saying ‘we want to play higher’. But I’m saying: ‘Come to Macc, the plaform’s there, we’re looking to replace Kane who was brilliant for us. The last two players that have gone to Chesterfield have come from lower leagues than where you were playing at and you’re both on frees’.”

“The easiest thing to do if you’ve got targets is to pay what they want. But are they here for the right reasons? You need to build a good changing room and a great team spirit. As I know in a changing room when someone comes in on a massive amount of money more than you then it causes unrest. So we’ve got to get the balance right, which is very difficult because all players talk in dressing rooms and all players will know, to a point, what every player earns.”

Macc’s targets will be a closely guarded secret, but we were heavily linked with forwards Mo Touray (pictured) and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts who opted to join Chorley and Curzon Ashton respectively. Both players would have been stellar signings for Macc, at good ages (mid-twenties), who would have likely commanded an attractive re-sale value. In contrast Savage’s latest recruits, whilst outstanding talents at Step 3, are all approaching their late twenties / early thirties.

Media responsibilities

Several supporters have expressed frustration towards Savage for not commenting since being handed the managerial reins. What we do is that Robbie has been busy working as a media pundit during the Euro 2024 tournament, as a phone-in presenter for BBC Radio 5 live, a podcaster for Planet Sport Bet and a columnist for the Mirror newspaper.

One suspects, Savage will be free to focus solely on managing Macclesfield once the tournament is over. But it’s about time Silkmen fans received clarity either way. Can Sav focus on Macc 24/7? If not, why not, and what’s the plan? Is the ambiguity surrounding Emile Heskey’s ‘position specific role as and when required’ a euphemism for suggesting that he’ll be present in the dug out on occasions where Savage is unavailable? Does 2+2=4 or =5?

Hopefully the club can clear this up soon. In the meantime, this website has submitted a Freedom of Information request to the BBC to ask them to confirm Savage’s contractual status and clarify whether he has any additional media commitments to the corporation beyond the Euros. Watch this space.

Results

Results are arguably the only thing Savage will ultimately be judged on. Macc’s task this season is crystal clear – win promotion no matter it takes. To do so, the Silkmen will have to better the 77 points they accumulated from 40 games last season, which saw them finish second, ten points behind Northern Premier League champions Radcliffe.

Key to bettering last season’s tally will be improving our away form, which saw the Silkmen lose seven times and pick up only two draws on the road. Picking up points when not playing at their scintillating best, and installing a steelier backbone to dig in when required (the 4-3 Radcliffe debacle a case in point), are attributes of a promotion winning side that Savage will want to create.

It will be interesting to see what footballing philosophy Savage, assistant manager Peter Band and (the soon to be appointed?) the new first-team coach will adopt, from playing style to tactical formations:

·       How will they accommodate the outstanding options they have in midfield

·       Can they get more out of Luke Duffy and Tom Clare?

·       Do they have a plan for lowering the average age of the squad?

·       Will they buy their way to success, or can they develop and improve the existing squad to get the best out of them?

These are all fascinating conundrums facing the rookie Silkmen boss. Strap yourselves in for what promises to be a thrilling ride!