Thursday 1st July, 2021
Latimer Park, Kettering
"Well, it's finally nice to put a name to the face, Dominic," David Mahoney said, grasping my hand in a firm handshake. For a chairman, he was fairly jovial but the years of overseeing a football club was visible.
"Lovely to meet you," I said as I smiled and shook his hand.
David ushered me into the board room and proceeded to introduce me to the other three figures in the room. Sat around the table were Ken Samuel and Neil Griffin, both Directors at the club. And at the centre, sat next to a vacant seat was the owner of the club, Ritchie Jeune. Mr Jeune's name had rung a bell during the car journey here, as I briefly remembered his name, among many, being mentioned in articles that had attacked the National League Board over funding issues during the course of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances, gentlemen", I said, taking a seat at the far end of the table.
"I hope the journey down was pleasant. Have you had time to take in Kettering, Dominic?" Ritchie asked.
"Not yet," I replied. "I've only just recently returned from a trip from Scotland so, to say that the past 24 hours have been a whirlwind would be an understatement."
"Well, given enough time you can no doubt get settled in with the town," Ken said.
"Indeed," I responded.
"Well then, shall we get down to business," Ritchie said, motioning his hand towards David.
"Yes," David said. "So, to address the elephant in the room, we understand that this would be your first foray into management, yes?"
"Yes," I said in agreement. "Though it will not be my first experience of sitting in the dugout, as I was able to serve as a coach and start with my coaching badges whilst seeing out the winter of my career in Austria."
Sitting back in his chair, Bill interjected. "Interesting," he said. "I'd heard that your time in Austria was riddled with injuries. What made you take the plunge into coaching?"
Tapping my glass of water, it took me a moment to collect my words.
"Because I was asked too. Because I felt that I could still contribute towards the outcome of results for Austria Wien and because it had always been an ambition of mine to start getting my coaching badges. The club had a plethora of young talent and, given my experience in the game, both the highs and lows, I believed I could have been an asset."
I then proceeded to tell the board of my experiences in club football; how I started out in the youth academy of my hometown club, Dundee United before being picked up by Nottingham Forest. I told them of the impact of what first team football had on me, both physically and mentally. How a few solid performances in my breakout season with Forest led to the club selling me to Werder Bremen of Germany. I explained how much fun it was, initially, of moving to a new country but how I regressed after being frozen out of the first team and sent out on a series of loans, ultimately signing for Austria Wien on a Bosman before enduring a series of injuries during the prime of my career. I summarised that, despite the injuries, I had learned so many things under great managers and how I came to focus on methods that developed personality and mental strength in players and club staff.
"I would love to delve deeper into those methods of yours," David asked.
"Certainly," I responded. "Performance is the key factor in securing results in football. But that can't be achieved if the players personalities and mental states aren't in the right frame. Take me for instance, every time I returned from injury I didn't feel my whole self; sometimes I'd just be waiting for the next blow to strike me. At non-league level, we have players who have dropped down from as far as the Premier League - which, for many of them, can feel like the end of the road. So it's vital that I focus on these two aspects as not only will it drive up performance, but it builds up a culture of purpose at the football club."
They all nodded.
"Look," I said. "Do I have what it takes to be a manager: absolutely. I'm desperate to showcase my skills and develop my methods."
"Do you think you can turn the club into a stable National League North team during the course of your proposed tenure?" David asked.
"Yes I do. The trick to making any club stable is by ensuring we have a club culture that players dropping down from the divisions can not only buy into, but also contribute too. We all have to build the connections throughout the game to make this work. Then, I believe, the pieces will all fall into place."
The four of them looked at each other.
"Is there anything else you'd like me to speak about?" I asked.
"No," David said. "I think that just about concludes the interview."
I sighed. Did I blow it?
"So, can we show you the stadium and the training facilities?" Ritchie asked, pushing his chair back from the table.
