Former Blackpool manager discusses his return to the dugout

Blackpool Gazette

Gary Bowyer returned to management back in December, after nearly 18 months out of the game.   The ex-Blackpool boss took over a difficult job at Burton Albion, but was able to keep the Brewers in League One.

Transcript

00:00Gary, end of last year, you got back into football.

00:03You took over a very hard job with Burton.

00:05I think at the beginning of the year,

00:07there were 11 points off safety.

00:09And yeah, you did it, the great escape.

00:11So how great does it feel to be back in football

00:13and to be obviously achieving things?

00:17Yeah, I mean, to be back in football was brilliant.

00:20You know, I think I've got a lot to thank Radio Lancashire for

00:25because obviously they had me doing the games at Blackpool

00:28and that was great.

00:29And it really helped because I was watching League One football.

00:33So I was getting an eye on the teams and the standard.

00:37And then obviously the call came just before Christmas from Burton.

00:42And, you know, fortunately for myself,

00:45I found myself being offered the job.

00:47And yes, it was a massive challenge.

00:50I think people were questioning my sanity and saying like,

00:55you know, what are you doing?

00:56But I'd been out of work a long time and I needed to get back in.

01:00And I was excited by what, you know, had been sold to me by the owners.

01:05And yeah, it was a massive, massive effort from everybody, you know,

01:11from like the staff, the support staff, because when we first went in,

01:16you can imagine, I think they'd won two in 21 or two in 22,

01:21that then that stretched to two in 27.

01:23And, you know, they were on the knees themselves, the staff, you know,

01:28and then the players as well, it's similar and the supporters.

01:34So it was a massive job in terms of picking everybody up

01:37and trying to get them with smiles on the faces and start enjoying the jobs

01:42and start enjoying coming to the games.

01:44And fortunately, like you say, we had a good January window.

01:49And then we had a fabulous week where we won three in a week.

01:51And that really gave everybody the belief that, you know,

01:55we're going to be fighting all the way to the end.

01:58What was your mindset going in?

01:59Was it always thinking we can survive this?

02:02Or was it just thinking it's baby steps, take a win, win at a time?

02:05Yeah, I was never in a position where I could guarantee an outcome for anybody.

02:11You know, I couldn't go in and say, yeah, we will stay up

02:13because I've got no guarantee of that.

02:15So what I could guarantee was that we'd worked very, very hard in training

02:19and we'd always be competitive in games.

02:23And that's exactly what we did.

02:25And so it was more a process of, you know,

02:28highlighting what strengths we had individually and collectively

02:33and just keep reaffirming them and just keep building on the positives

02:37and keep showing them the positives.

02:39And like I say, before you knew it, we were winning some football matches.

02:43And as we both know, that that's the big, easy thing to give to players

02:49that gives them that little boost of confidence.

02:52You do love a challenging situation.

02:54Think of Blackpool, where you took them up.

02:56That was a straightforward job.

02:58Obviously, you've been in other clubs where it's been difficult.

03:00So where does this rank among your career achievements?

03:04Yeah, I mean, like you say, I've been very fortunate.

03:08The successes that I've had as I look at them, you know,

03:13I think Blackburn to go in and turn the club around

03:19for all the negative media it was getting

03:22and then build a club, build a team, sorry,

03:24that was young and hungry and with massive sellable assets.

03:28That was a real buzz for me because of the fact

03:32that I've been there 11 and a half years as well.

03:34And so that was a big one.

03:37And then, you know, the romance of being a kid

03:40and watching my dad play at Wembley so many times

03:43to then actually lead your team out for Blackpool at Wembley

03:46was personally a huge moment for myself and my family.

03:52And then to actually top it off by winning there,

03:55that's just huge, you know.

03:57So it's all different then to go up to Scotland

04:01and be an Englishman winning a league in Scotland.

04:04That gives me, again, enormous a sense of pride.

04:08But this one, nobody gave us a chance.

04:10We were dead and buried, you know.

04:12Everybody was taught that we were relegated in November, December.

04:15So, yeah, it's a fantastic achievement from everybody.

04:21But it's difficult to rank them all

04:24because they're all so different and all so unique.

04:27Does that make it easier going to Burton

04:29that people didn't expect to stay up,

04:31that you could just say to the players, they're relaxed?

04:34Yeah, I think so.

04:35I think if you look at the situation we find ourselves now in,

04:38we've raised expectation.

04:40You know, people didn't, when we first went in,

04:42people didn't expect us to do anything.

04:44Again, win a football match.

04:46That was the highest expectation people had.

04:49We end up finishing the season winning nine of our last 19 or 18.

04:53I think you're nine of our last 19.

04:56So, of course, moving into next season,

04:58the expectation's just been raised.

05:00But we know within this game,

05:02obviously, we've got players out of contract.

05:05We've got players that we'd like to keep that are out of contract.

05:08But with the season that they've had,

05:09that's obviously going to provide opportunities for them, possibly.

05:15Then we've had loans go back, like most clubs have.

05:18So we've got still a big rebuild to do.

05:21And, yeah, it's going to be really, really tough again,

05:23because you look at the calibre of teams that have come down.

05:26I know people will go,

05:27oh, well, you've lost Birmingham and you've lost Wrexham.

05:31Yeah, they're two outliers, really.

05:33But coming down, you've got Luton,

05:35who were in the premiership two years ago,

05:37and Plymouth and Cardiff.

05:40Good grief.

05:41How can I forget Cardiff?

05:42You know?

05:43So that just shows you the size of those clubs.

05:47And the clubs coming up are big clubs as well.

05:49Port Vale, Bradford, Doncaster.

05:51So from a budget point of view,

05:54you know, it's going to be very, very tough for us again.

05:57Yeah, is it important not to get carried away

05:59and just thinking first things for going to survive next year?

06:02Yeah, yeah.

06:03I mean, you know, it is exactly that.

06:07You can't get carried away.

06:08Like I say, we've got to rebuild

06:11and bring some more bodies into the building

06:14and see where we are after we've done that first window.

06:18How much did you enjoy stepping back in

06:20and being part of a changing room environment again

06:22and being around a club?

06:24No, it's brilliant.

06:25It's once you've, you know,

06:27I look back to my time when I was at Blackburn,

06:30I was happy I was being the reserve coach.

06:32It was not a problem.

06:34And then you get asked to do the caretaker job twice.

06:37And then you get hooked on the management side of it.

06:42And then, like I say, I've been very fortunate.

06:45I've been in work as long as I have,

06:47as many times as I have.

06:48And I think I've done over 400 games now.

06:51So, but yeah, you can't beat being on the grass

06:55and working with players.

06:56I think, you know, that's what I've always enjoyed.

06:59I've always enjoyed putting a team together

07:01and building a team and then working with them.

07:03How hard was that time away from management

07:06and trying to get back in after, obviously,

07:09your last club had ended on successful terms?

07:12So how difficult was it?

07:14It was tough, really tough.

07:16I mean, initially, because the family stayed in England

07:19when I was in Scotland, coming back was okay.

07:22You know, it was great to get,

07:24to see people that you'd not seen for that whole year

07:28and obviously integrate back into family life.

07:31And then you were able to, you know,

07:33go away on holiday at different times of the season.

07:36So that was good.

07:37And like I say, Radio Lanx and Baisy were brilliant for me

07:43and Chizzy, you know, to be getting in

07:45and dipping into different games.

07:48But then it does get tough.

07:50It does get tough.

07:51And, you know, you start to question yourself.

07:55Doubt creeps in.

07:56Well, not creeps in.

07:57It is there.

07:58And, you know, there is such, you know,

08:01there's better coaches and managers out of work still now,

08:06you know, and they can't get back in.

08:07And it is tough.

08:08It really is tough.

08:09And you need a good support.

08:11You need a process for your days

08:13because the days sometimes can just fly by

08:15without you actually doing anything.

08:17So it's important that you have a process in place

08:19and a structure to help you with that transition

08:22so that you get back in.

08:23And that was, I was fortunate

08:25that I had good people around me.

08:27Yeah, when you parted ways with Dundee,

08:29did you think it'd be such a struggle

08:30to find the next job?

08:33Hand on, no, I didn't, you know.

08:35And I got, I was offered obviously some jobs

08:39that just didn't suit for me and for my family

08:41and of one or two at a level

08:44that I didn't think I wanted to drop to.

08:46And that's not being disrespectful.

08:48It was just, I feel, that still had a lot to offer.

08:52And then I missed out on a couple as well in League One.

08:56And you just get a little bit frustrated with that.

08:59But, you know, when you lose out to one or two

09:01that you look at and you go,

09:03yeah, fair enough, I understand that.

09:06Any manager will tell you,

09:07it's when you lose out to ones where you're going.

09:09I don't understand that.

09:10I don't understand how they've got to that decision.

09:12But that's their prerogative.

09:15And then you just get on with it again.

09:16So, you know, that's the nature of the industry.

09:21Obviously, now you've got back in

09:22and you've done something incredible with Burton.

09:25Do you almost look at those jobs that you didn't get

09:27and think, well, this is what you could have had.

09:29I'm sure.

09:30No, no, you obviously just,

09:34you just concentrate on what, you know,

09:37what we've done at Burton now

09:38and can we build on that

09:40and can we go again

09:41and try and, like you say,

09:44get above that red line again this time next year.

09:47Just finally, you mentioned that doubt

09:49that does come into your mind.

09:50When you are back in and, like I say,

09:52you are doing the job day in, day out

09:54and things are working for you.

09:55What was I thinking about that doubt?

09:58You've got to keep that confidence in yourself.

10:00No, I think it's human nature to have that doubt

10:03and especially when you go out of work,

10:06I think, you know,

10:08you do question whether you will get back in.

10:11You do question, right,

10:12is it time for me to look at doing something else?

10:15And that's just human nature, you know.

10:18And I think what it does do

10:21is it makes you appreciate when you're back in

10:24every day that you're back working

10:26and obviously then what we have done as well,

10:29it makes you appreciate it even more

10:30and I still try and keep in touch

10:33with people that I know

10:34that are out of the game still

10:35and try and support them

10:37because, you know,

10:38it can be a tough, tough place at times.

10:41So,

10:43let's get to this.

10:44Let's get to to this.

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