For the past few weeks, I have been reading a book titled: 'The Manger Inside the Minds of Football's Leaders' written by Mike Carson and untill now one matter that has stood out is how head coaches/managers handle the interesting relationship they have with the media. In this essay I intend to share my amusements.
Fans are stakeholders. They demand intel on their clubs, media houses bridge this gap by providing intricate internal information through press conferences, pre and post-match interviews, inside training coverage, documentaries etc. The ineluctable standing of the media is directly parallel to the fans, head coaches are constantly in an inevitable relationship with the media whether they like it or not.
Managers (should) inoculate in themselves the thought that fans are more than or as knowledgeable as them, they assess, analyze, scrutinize and offer solutions that are — atleast in the fans' minds — the same or close to those provided by professionals, and above that, they are the core of the game.
In the words of renowned English manager, Roy Hodgson, "they keep our football going".
Communication with journalists entails to one character of the best managers, informing how they present their thoughts to the players. Communication is a key value for coaches — clarity, simplicity, inspiration — all need to be of the highest accord.
From the rainy streets of Manchester, England to the cheerful neighborhoods in Dar es salaam, Tanzania, fans are the same; supportive — sometimes wild — enthusiasts who would stack the little they have to finance watching live matches. To the fans, the media is dear, quenching their craving thirst to be closer to the celebrities they watch on television. Fans being the stakeholders they are, it is imperative for head coaches to actively interact with fans. Enter media houses.
Fans are driven by emotions, this is what gives them power; power to finance the club, power to fill the stadiums, power to build exquisite atmospheres and sometimes to even oust managers. This emotional power translates to pressure all over the organization.
Former Arsenal manager Arséne Wenger cites this as the single greatest pressure he faces.
For professionals, pressure is enormous and constant, the best pros do well to cope. Recruitment probes mentality to discern individual mental aspects and how they (will) fare in the most dire of conditions.
To handle this and many other seemingly impossible-to-cope-with situations head coaches need the media's help in:
Bringing forth their perspective to the fans: reasoning on day to day decisions they make and answering to public scrutiny.
Establishing strong, bonded connections: swaying the masses onto their (club's) side to maintain coordination inside and outside.
Proving worth and competence: words can be inspiring, when well articulated, words penetrate the hearts squelching through flesh and blood, draining into the brain. Head coaches are leaders, leaders can inspire.
Shrewdly manipulating opposition: mind games are part of the game, effective conspiracy allows clubs to compete. Pep being the obvious example.
Reminiscing public opinion: the media represents opinions of the masses, asking questions for the public is their job. Head coaches need to answer these questions and maintain clarity.
Implicitly, the media needs head coaches for:
Developing stories: the coach's words print pictures in fans' minds, journalists cater for these words to obtain public reaction. Head coaches are sources for the media.
Providing insights for analysis shows: whether patterns or trends, the average fan is madly in love with tactics and who is best equiped to elaborate such matters than those who dedicate their lives to this and many other aspects of the game.
Education on the game and modern tweaks: the game evolves, so do coaches, so do their methods, the media is educated by coaches and in turn they educate the fans.
However, the media walking into today's modern era has changed massively, previously trustworthy companions connecting coaches, players and club leaders to the fans are now meddlers honing to derive a story from everything. Negative comments/reactions are exasperated and encouraged more than anything because, that is what sells.
The introduction of social media entities does not make the situation any better, previously, public scrutiny was much farther away from the players, professional scrutiny being considered crucial for reflection and betterment of players and professionals. Contrary to now, an individual mistake is pieced into short clips that are shared all over the internet, fans poking fingers and adding salt to wounds.
Sir Alex Ferguson explains,"They are a beast that isn't interested anymore in what happened in the thirty second minute of the game".
The Solution: how do head coaches do it?
Given how bizarre the relationship between head coaches and the media is, meticulously handling encounters with the media is pertinent for head coaches. But how do they do it? Or how to best resolve the existing conflicts and attain a conducive base upon which both coaches and journalists can not only endure but thrive while effectuating their duties and responsibilities? Well, different coaches have different methods.
Being Arsenal manager for 22 years, Arséne Wenger surely must have had a good way of dealing with the media. The French coach explains that his approach involves accepting the media's opinion(s), respecting the fact that the media is entitled to (an) opinion(s), reflecting on said opinion(s) — (how much truth do they hold), professionalism throughout this process and finally acknowledging that the media also has a tough job to do.
Roy Hodgson has been coaching for 48 years, so how does he do it? For Hodgson, he ensures to avoid individualisation, he avoids the spotlight; alluding to his main focus whenever he encounters the media. He further explains his job is to prepare and coach a competent football team, that is where he invests his focus. Then, he does not shy away, when needed to he approaches the media with due diligence and leverages this opportunity to converse with the supporters.
The Variance.
People are different, shaped by their historical backgrounds and societal admonitions, the media is no different. From place to place, country to country, the attitude of the press and media differs. Some interested in tactics, others in propaganda, others in the celebrities and others in the private lives, thus, methodologies used to handle the media are by no means universal. Head coaches need to first cogitate the media in question and then stockpile a variety of weapons in their arsenal to counter variance, therefore variability is imperative for head coaches.
I consider variability one among core individual principles I hold for myself. These principles guide me throughout my thought processes and though the complete list is still pending, what is available of it has proved handy. I return to these principles not only when thinking about football but also life, in fact they have been derived from my previous encounters in life.
The Coda.
Top-flight football is a maelstrom. Head coaches need to know how to deal with the media. The author proposes one of the best methods I have seen to do this.
Relish your role: it is tough being the man in the middle, but it also brings great privilege. It represents a great challenge, and great leaders relish great challenges.
Get your priorities right: best practice seems to be; first ensuring the relationship with the media is in good state, then devote focus and energy to the team. In other words, understand your counter part and then do the job you are paid to do to the best of your ability.
Establish and communicate a shared vision: the relationship with the media tends to flourish where there is a shared base.
Readily accept that the media is involved: far from resenting the involvement of the media, top managers welcome it. They realize, the media not only has to be there, but also has an important role to play. This mindset drives relationships. They intend good for the other party.
Focus on the relationship: from this intention comes the ability to focus on the relationship in question. It takes real leadership to do it and is not always easy. But the leader who can suspend natural frustrations and come to every interaction with genuinely good intent, will find himself with the strongest, most supportive relationship.
Who is the writer?
Luqman Kabange is a college student at Kibaha College Of Health and Allied Sciences Pwani, Tanzania, studying Clinical Medicine. Also found on twitter (X) as @KabangeLuqman.
Comments