Post by Salem6 on Nov 5, 2003 9:39:09 GMT
By PAT SHEEHAN
THERE will be few people more delighted than George Graham when Tony Adams is named as the new Wycombe manager today.
And there will be nobody more proud when, for the first time with Adams as boss, the Wycombe defence move forward in line with their arms upraised, the linesman flagging and the referee blowing for offside.
Graham knew the strapping, but raw, central defender was ready to become Arsenal’s captain at just 21.
Now he believes the Highbury legend, 37, is perfectly placed to start a coaching career which may eventually end with him managing the Gunners.
The Scot, who helped the former England captain to every major domestic trophy plus the Cup Winners’ Cup, declared: “I’m glad Tony has chosen to start at Wycombe and not somewhere in the Premiership.
“For his celebrity status means the spotlight is going to be right on him.
“He was always one of my top candidates to become a manager. He was an intelligent footballer, not just someone who did it on instinct.
“It is the most tremendous buzz when someone who worked under you moves on and finds success.
“Tony will need a bit of guidance, as it is well known that big names have gone straight into management from a successful football career and famously failed.
“He’ll know people are going to examine his decision-making from day one. So Tony needs to take time and be careful. He’s in this for the long haul, not the short term.
“What he has that I’m confident about is the ability to be focused and very single-minded.
“He is going to find there is an abundance of advice. But it is those hundreds of little decisions on a day-to-day basis which will ultimately decide his success or failure.
“Tony needs to take some of the advice on board, yet he must sort out the good from the bad.
“All the great managers — Cloughie, Alex Ferguson, Bill Shankly — have known how to listen to advice. But they were never afraid to discard what they didn’t like and follow their own thinking.
“The motto which helped me succeed, and which will stand Tony in good stead, is that you mustn’t be afraid of making decisions. As long as you make 75 per cent of them correctly and only 25 per cent wrong, you will be fine.
“Get it the other way round and you are gone.
“Another tip to Tony would be again to follow the successful managers like Fergie, Cloughie, Arsene Wenger, myself, Shankly and Jock Stein by stamping his personality on the club from day one.
“Day one is when Tony Adams will be at his strongest at Wycombe and from day one you need to hammer out your values for the club both on and off the pitch.
“I think Tony needs to let the chairman and directors know he alone is in charge of all footballing matters and to ensure the important decisions are his.
“In the dressing room, Tony is fortunate in that the players, if they have any sense, will listen to him from day one because of his pedigree. Even so, and Tony will know this because he is not naive, footballers are not going to be like the students he has been studying with recently.
“Players may not always be too academic. But, in terms of being streetwise, they are brilliant.
“They know very quickly if you are good or not good and will seize on it, too.
“The key to Tony’s relationship with the squad will be good results in the first six months to a year. Then the players will believe you are on the right track and follow you anywhere.
“At Arsenal, I had won the League Cup within my first year. Players love success.”
Graham believes the assistants Adams appoints will be crucial to his success or failure.
And Adams, still studying for a degree in sport science following his retirement 18 months ago, will kick off with experienced John Gorman as his No 2.
Gorman, right-hand man to Glenn Hoddle with both Tottenham and England, has been Wycombe’s caretaker-boss since Lawrie Sanchez was sacked at the end of September.
So is Adams, whose first match in charge will be Saturday’s home FA Cup date with Swindon, starting on a route which will take him one day to Graham’s old office?
Graham said: “If the opportunity ever arises for him to take over at Highbury, why not?
“He knows, though, he has to do his apprenticeship, succeed at Wycombe and will rise to the top only if he has proved he has learned his trade.
“I wish him all the luck in the world.”
Source:-
www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2003511186,00.html
THERE will be few people more delighted than George Graham when Tony Adams is named as the new Wycombe manager today.
And there will be nobody more proud when, for the first time with Adams as boss, the Wycombe defence move forward in line with their arms upraised, the linesman flagging and the referee blowing for offside.
Graham knew the strapping, but raw, central defender was ready to become Arsenal’s captain at just 21.
Now he believes the Highbury legend, 37, is perfectly placed to start a coaching career which may eventually end with him managing the Gunners.
The Scot, who helped the former England captain to every major domestic trophy plus the Cup Winners’ Cup, declared: “I’m glad Tony has chosen to start at Wycombe and not somewhere in the Premiership.
“For his celebrity status means the spotlight is going to be right on him.
“He was always one of my top candidates to become a manager. He was an intelligent footballer, not just someone who did it on instinct.
“It is the most tremendous buzz when someone who worked under you moves on and finds success.
“Tony will need a bit of guidance, as it is well known that big names have gone straight into management from a successful football career and famously failed.
“He’ll know people are going to examine his decision-making from day one. So Tony needs to take time and be careful. He’s in this for the long haul, not the short term.
“What he has that I’m confident about is the ability to be focused and very single-minded.
“He is going to find there is an abundance of advice. But it is those hundreds of little decisions on a day-to-day basis which will ultimately decide his success or failure.
“Tony needs to take some of the advice on board, yet he must sort out the good from the bad.
“All the great managers — Cloughie, Alex Ferguson, Bill Shankly — have known how to listen to advice. But they were never afraid to discard what they didn’t like and follow their own thinking.
“The motto which helped me succeed, and which will stand Tony in good stead, is that you mustn’t be afraid of making decisions. As long as you make 75 per cent of them correctly and only 25 per cent wrong, you will be fine.
“Get it the other way round and you are gone.
“Another tip to Tony would be again to follow the successful managers like Fergie, Cloughie, Arsene Wenger, myself, Shankly and Jock Stein by stamping his personality on the club from day one.
“Day one is when Tony Adams will be at his strongest at Wycombe and from day one you need to hammer out your values for the club both on and off the pitch.
“I think Tony needs to let the chairman and directors know he alone is in charge of all footballing matters and to ensure the important decisions are his.
“In the dressing room, Tony is fortunate in that the players, if they have any sense, will listen to him from day one because of his pedigree. Even so, and Tony will know this because he is not naive, footballers are not going to be like the students he has been studying with recently.
“Players may not always be too academic. But, in terms of being streetwise, they are brilliant.
“They know very quickly if you are good or not good and will seize on it, too.
“The key to Tony’s relationship with the squad will be good results in the first six months to a year. Then the players will believe you are on the right track and follow you anywhere.
“At Arsenal, I had won the League Cup within my first year. Players love success.”
Graham believes the assistants Adams appoints will be crucial to his success or failure.
And Adams, still studying for a degree in sport science following his retirement 18 months ago, will kick off with experienced John Gorman as his No 2.
Gorman, right-hand man to Glenn Hoddle with both Tottenham and England, has been Wycombe’s caretaker-boss since Lawrie Sanchez was sacked at the end of September.
So is Adams, whose first match in charge will be Saturday’s home FA Cup date with Swindon, starting on a route which will take him one day to Graham’s old office?
Graham said: “If the opportunity ever arises for him to take over at Highbury, why not?
“He knows, though, he has to do his apprenticeship, succeed at Wycombe and will rise to the top only if he has proved he has learned his trade.
“I wish him all the luck in the world.”
Source:-
www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2003511186,00.html
