Burned by the hot seat

This week saw the first Premier League managers to be sacked this season with Mark Hughes dismissed by QPR and Roberto Di Matteo axed less than six months after his Chelsea side lifted both the Champions League and FA Cup.

And let’s not forget that as recently as four weeks ago his Chelsea side were top of the Premier League and receiving a lot of plaudits for the free-flowing, attacking style of football.

Still, we shouldn’t be too surprised to see Roman Abramovich react swiftly after their poor results in what he sees as the Holy Grail, the Champions League. Even after Chelsea’s euphoric European exploits last season, which saw them produce some fantastic performances — none more so than in the final against a superior Bayern Munich side — I was still surprised to see Di Matteo get the job on a permanent basis. It was no secret Pep Guardiola was Chelsea’s first choice but his insistence on a year’s sabbatical after his sudden and surprising exit from Barcelona made the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge look elsewhere and, obviously, after looking around they felt the best option was to stick with Di Matteo.

The swift appointment of Rafa Benitez for the remainder of the season would suggest they still harbour hopes of luring Guardiola to Stamford Bridge.

I sampled Roberto Di Matteo’s management for a few months in what was his first ever job as manager of MK Dons. It’s fair to say he didn’t get to manage me at a great time as my move to Blackburn Rovers was imminent and I was obviously determined to leave. But I have to say that what I saw in the brief time I was there with him didn’t leave me thinking he would go on to manage Chelsea to Champions League glory five years later.

I have experienced a lot of different managers during my career to date. It’s hard to pinpoint who I think was the best as each one would have certain aspects that I liked or disliked. Take someone like Martin Allen as an example. A lot of people will just see the “crazy” antics he gets up to. True enough, when he was managing MK Dons he had us practicing set-pieces on a roundabout in Wrexham on the morning of one game and, on another occasion, staged a game in a park somewhere in Darlington as it was getting dark against a gang of teenagers, a game in which Martin should have received about five red cards as he launched into one reckless tackle after another on those young lads. Having said that, few will realise how hard he works behind the scenes to make sure his team is prepared well.

Glenn Hoddle was the first manager I had who hosted regular video meetings about the opposition and the way we would prepare and play against them. As a young professional I didn’t fully appreciate his style of management but fully respected him and was even slightly in awe of him. I would see a lot of similarities between Hoddle and Roy Hodgson, especially in their meticulous preparation for each game, whether it’s training sessions geared to play a certain way or those video analysis meetings.

Personally, I like managers to be very organised and get us prepared well as a team. The ones who can do that while not creating a regimental atmosphere are very clever. For me it’s important to work in an environment that let’s you be yourself and express your talent to its maximum. The best managers get the best out of their players. They quickly work out what makes each individual tick, whether it’s an arm around the shoulder or a kick up the backside. I don’t think you can manage all players in the same way as not all players/personalities are the same.

There is no doubting that when a manager picks you week in week out, it gives you an inner confidence and platform to play well. Football is all about confidence. If the manager shows confidence and belief in you then it will automatically show in your performances. The two managers who have shown the most belief in me have been Paul Ince and Giovanni Trappatoni, so I think it’s no surprise I’ve played some of my best football under these managers.

Paul Ince in particular has been integral to my career. He instilled belief in me that I could perform at the highest level while I was playing in the fourth tier of English football. He had more belief in me than I had in myself and worked closely with me on a daily basis to bring that out. I will always be indebted to him initially for what he did for me at MK Dons and then for keeping faith in me and fighting hard to get me with him at Blackburn Rovers.

A few managers and coaches I have had have commented that they can see me as a future manager. I’m planning on playing for as long as I can but I wouldn’t rule it out as it certainly does interest me. Having said that, it’s a job which does bring a lot of pressure with it and whether that’s something I would want, I’m not sure. I’ve seen the visible effect pressure has on managers: grey hair, bags under their eyes and clear ageing in the space of a few months.

In fact, I heard a good quote a few weeks ago on management that I think sums it up quite brilliantly: “The halo around your head can quickly turn into a noose around your neck.”