Sports
In his second diary dispatch from the dugout, Robbie Savage reveals the stress of managing Macclesfield and his simple instruction to win a penalty shootout…
In association with Planet Sport Bet, Robbie is taking us behind the scenes each week at Macclesfield FC, the phoenix club rising from the ashes of Macclesfield Town, who went bust in 2020.
Robbie has played one of the leading roles in the rebirth of a now-thriving football club, first as director of football, now as first-team manager as the Silkmen seek to climb their way from the ninth tier back to the Football League.
Following last week’s opening diary entry, Robbie illustrates the stress and anxiety of management, while explaining his simple key to penalty shootout success in the FA Trophy…
‘No f***ing panenkas’.
I kept it simple, as my players had to, when our FA Trophy tie up the road at Curzon Ashton went to a penalty shoot-out.
It should not have got that far. Against a side one game in hand off the top of the league above, we turned around an early deficit after losing a soft early goal to lead with 95 of 96 minutes played. Then we conceded an even softer goal with 38 seconds left.
I remembered Mark Hughes’ words at that moment; that goals are always the consequence of consecutive individual errors. I counted FIVE while Curzon Ashton celebrated an equaliser which, on the balance of play in the second half, they deserved.
There wasn’t time for an inquest with a shootout looming. ‘Who wants one?’ Ten hands went up. I left my assistant, Peter Band, to pick the first five, all of them substitutes sent from the bench during a second half in which I had to make tactical tweaks to retain our lead. Which we were seconds from achieving.
In the past, I always believed in practising penalties for this scenario, but you can’t replicate that walk. The takers went on their way with a straightforward message.
‘Nothing fancy. No f***ing panenkas. Do it right and I’ll always have your back, whatever happens. Now let’s f***ing win this game again.’
Which is what they did. All five scored, with maximum efficiency and ruthlessness, as I expected they would.
100% we keep pushing , players , fans, volunteers, staff and the whole of our community 💙 https://t.co/wbnTZKKEqn
— Robbie Savage (@RobbieSavage8) November 17, 2024
Confidence, though, does nothing to reduce the stress.
Standing there, watching the nine-kick shootout, my heart rate rose to 141bpm. During the 90 minutes, it hovered above 130bpm. When I go in the gym, it rarely tips over 107!
So you’ll understand why I dashed across the pitch to celebrate another victory, another perceived scalp, with the travelling Macc supporters. Those moments of joy and unity – that is my release.
I’ve come to embrace my emotions as one of my biggest strengths as a manager, but they can be a weakness if not managed properly. I’ve learned how to channel the adrenaline during matches. But it’s not always easy!
If you see me on the sidelines, sitting on a ball or an ice box, that’s not a tribute to Marcelo Bielsa – I just need to sit down to take the strain off my lower back. All the years as a player, all the painkilling injections, mean that, after a period of time, I always have to perch myself somewhere.
And as a manager, you pay a mental toll. No matter how much faith you have in your players, you can’t escape the stress and anxiety, which makes it impossible to sit still for long. Managers can’t flick an ‘off’ switch after the final whistle. This job is constantly with me. At home, I’m restless, checking on my lads, on other teams around us, searching for an edge. But that’s also one of the reasons we are doing well – because I’m relentless. That’s just my character.
ICYMI: Robbie Savage: Diary of a Football Manager: Why I became a boss at Macclesfield…
Being so invested in this group of players is a massive buzz, but the sense of responsibility is massive. These lads aren’t full-time pros, and they have different concerns, added everyday stresses to what those higher up the ladder might endure. Some of the boys with families might be worried about Christmas coming up. If I can do anything to ease those worries, to allow them to concentrate on being the best footballers they can be, I’ll always do it. And, for the most part, they feel comfortable coming to me or my assistants with their problems. If I can help, it’s a privilege – but it means I’m never off the clock.
Despite that, we’ll get on the grass only once for training this week. Our game at Mickleover on Tuesday was called off at 2pm so the players had to train individually late in the day. The postponement gave me the chance to watch Guiseley move up to second by winning at Ashton.
So the players will be busting to get the boots on come Thursday morning, especially given the competition for places. I made four changes last week, including leaving out my captain and my record signing. People may have wondered if I was talking the competition seriously – of course I was. But I believe in the group. I’ve got 21 starters chasing 11 places.
As a player, I rarely had to worry about whether or not I would be in the team come the next game, but I know that it must be hard if you’re training as well as these boys are but you don’t get the chance to show what you can do on a Saturday.
There would have been questions of me and my selection had we lost last weekend – but even with those changes, I still saw us as the favourites. This squad is built for the league above so I had no fear that the lads coming in would not do themselves justice against opposition from a higher division. Their performances have given me plenty to ponder before the next game…
Up next: Blyth Spartans (H)
Saturday’s game is the type that will win us the league. Or not.
Blyth are battling for their lives towards the foot of the table, but we’ve come unstuck against these teams before. Maybe a dozen times since I’ve been involved at Macc, when the club was reborn in 2020, we have suffered because perhaps we – fans, players, and maybe even myself as director of football – have been complacent. I will guarantee you: that will not be the case when Saturday comes.
The boys know the importance of these games. Against five teams this season from the bottom half – Prescott Cables, Whitby Town, Matlock, Warrington Rylands, and FC United of Manchester – we have had to graft our nuts off for slender, one-goal victories.
So you can be sure that we’ll respect Blyth. I’ve watched their last three games, I love the manager’s passion and Michael Connor’s side will come and have a go at us. As I’ve always demanded, we’ll have to work harder than them. One of the targets I set this team is to run over 100km per game – in the last three we’ve averaged 105km. That’s just a small example of the work ethic we know is necessary. If we outrun Blyth, outwork them and win our duels, I would expect our quality to shine through. But we have got to earn the right to play, especially in these games against the sides scrapping for survival.
Robbie Savage is a brand ambassador for Planet Sport Bet
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