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It’s the first time in his career that Charlie Mulgrew has found himself wondering about the coach’s tactics. Almost a decade ago, I was coming out of the tunnel for a game and I wasn’t happy.
Something was there and it was devouring him. Mulgrew has too much respect for his former bosses to reveal the adjustment in question. But the one word he couldn’t get out of his head was “Why?”And what player has the audacity to sow doubt about his boss’s instructions?Then his team suffered a negative loss. And from that moment on, Mulgrew told himself that he would never be silent again.
This defeat triggered anything in him. This sparked a burning ambition in the coach himself. And after retiring at age 37, he still asks questions. That’s why he recently spent two days watching Brendan Rodgers at Celtic’s base in Lennoxtown. That’s why Southampton manager Russell Martin has granted him access to all areas. That’s why he took the opportunity to analyze Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi in the Seagulls’ educational field.
And that’s why he has already scheduled visits with Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou and Unai Emery at Aston Villa. In addition to the training badges, she took a leadership and emotional intelligence course. After years of challenging managers in their approach, you now need to be one.
And it all started that day in Hampden, seven years ago. In an exclusive interview with MailSport, Mulgrew said: “I played a match when I was about 29 or 30 years old. I went in frustrated with the tactics deployed by the coach. We were betting unlike a team known for its smart football. So, for me, I wondered why we didn’t take them to the top of the field.
“That was my frustration. That’s my earliest memory of smart tactical thinking. I’ve had an idea of that ever since. As a player, I’ve questioned myself, wondering why we do certain things.
“It generated a lot of frustration, but it also brought a lot of positives because it made me perceive the game much better. Now it’s a real passion. That summer, I was given my B licence when I moved to Blackburn Rovers. I expressed my frustrations until the end of my career.
“It’s not easy to do because it rarely happens in a team meeting environment. You become very vulnerable, but I felt like I had to speak my mind. When I didn’t, I got frustrated and it was worse when I didn’t explain.
“Because I felt as if I wasn’t helping. At Blackburn I was captain of the team. I felt it was my duty to help the boys and myself understand exactly what the manager wanted.
“This has led to our success. In League One Tony Mowbray, we lost our first two games. We were trying to play well from the back, but we got stuck from the start.
“We had a meeting. We were favourites for the title so it was a case of: ‘What are we doing here?’ and it was the best meeting ever in terms of voicing my opinion. That was a crisis moment for us but we went on to win promotion.
“We started betting on our strengths, sticking to a game plan and it all came out of that two-hour meeting. Many truths have been spoken, but many benefits have been derived from them. Since then, I’ve had strong opinions. “
Mulgrew is his own man, but that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to learn. So when the opportunity arose to get close to Rodgers and De Zerbi, he made a sponge, soaking up information. He said, “It’s whatever I’m going through to keep doing it. I’m lucky enough to pass by and see Ange in January and maybe move to Aston Villa with Unai.
“It’s wonderful to pass by and see De Zerbi in Brighton. It’s wonderful for me. What I’ve discovered is that it’s deeply ingrained in their customs. He knows how he sees the game, and it’s not rocket science.
“He relies on what he considers to be the most vital things to winning the game. I was able to communicate with him, but I tried to keep my distance a bit. I just wanted to see everything he did. Brendan has been wonderful to me. “, as did Russell in Southampton.
“He’s my teammate, I played with him in Escocia. Me he allowed access to team meetings, staff meetings, all accesses. It’s the first club I’ve visited and I’m very grateful.
“I sat down with Brendan for two days in his office. That allowed me to attend his team’s meetings in preparation for Celtic’s match against Lazio and also to watch the training sessions. I had a lot of questions and he gave me a lot of his time. I’ll be grateful because he did a lot in the match between Celtic and the Premier League. These are invaluable experiences.
All those big bosses create an express culture in the clubs they play for, which leads to victory. Mulgrew believes it all comes from the coach and how he treats the players, on and off the court. Now, with two decades of experience at clubs and abroad. If they back him, at eight other clubs, he is in a position to take the lead and lead.
He said, “The most sensible true managers are themselves. They are true to themselves. I learned this in my leadership and emotional intelligence course. It’s amazing because you can gain advantages in all areas of life.
“Culture is a word that other people use a lot now in the game, but when you dig deeper into what it is, a culture is who the leader is. It’s a reflection of them.
“That’s what I’d like to create and that’s all I’d like to think I can contribute. Honesty is an integral component of it, being authentic, running hard is a given, then it’s about having the courage to play football. Like we did when we were kids. It has to come from the manager and I would ask for it.
“I need to have a taste that everyone needs to play. No one grew up playing football and just wanted to play the way they did. We were all looking to have the ball. These are the things I need to give to my team.