Wednesday 29 March 2017 12:20, UK
When the season ends Sean Dyche is hoping to swap his football boots for walking boots when Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling embarks on another epic walking challenge for Prostate Cancer UK.
The March for Men heads to Turf Moor on day 11 of 15 (June 12) and it's a pertinent issue for the manager who is fully aware of former Burnley chairman Barry Kilby's battle with the disease.
"I remember Jeff's efforts last year and it's amazing to think he will be doing it again and adding some more to it," said Dyche.
"I'm hoping to be in these parts when that occurs. I think what he's done has been remarkable and all credit to him not just for the fundraising but for the awareness. It works at both levels and if we can play a part in this area then we certainly will and I'll be looking to do that.
"I think there's a connection here slightly more with what Barry Kilby's been through so they know about that, they understand it and I'd like to think there will be plenty of support for Jeff."
Nine games left and your Burnley side are already on 32 points - what's your current assessment and what are the main differences between this season and your last top-flight campaign?
It's probably different for us. Two years ago we had a lot on and off the field to correct at the club and you are sitting in part of the building that we have just moved into. That was a decision from myself and the board, a collective decision amongst all the stakeholders at the club that this needed to be done. So to now be back in the Premier League two years later with this great facility and also with good points on the board at this stage - but there is still plenty of work to do - then I think it's partly down to everyone, not just what we've built here but the alignment of the club to realise how to layer and layer and layer, get the bricks in place on the journey to making the club stronger as a whole. And I think it certainly is at this moment.
You are all learning as a manager, staff, players… It's a great journey together…
Absolutely. I think beyond the hiccups along the way it is pretty well recognised. I think people think generally there is a good feeling about Burnley Football Club. Even if they didn't know much about us, they understand we have done some good work here. Certainly before me, and in my time here which is about four-and-a-half years. I think myself, my staff, the players and the fans. The fans have played a massive part of it. The board, along with the chief executive have been important factors. You want to be in the Premier League on an ongoing basis. The challenge is not finished, it's an onward journey and we want to keep building.
How important is man management in football these days? How has that progressed with you over time? Do you learn every day?
Yeah, kind of. There's always something going on at a football club. It's not just about players, there's a lot going on. Whether you are learning about yourself or learning about other departments, sometimes it is about the players. There is a lot going on, and you are always adding as many details as you can to your own tool kit, if you like. And then really hoping that all those skills come together when you really need them.
I remember the saying 'it's easy to take the wheel of a ship in calm water'. Really you need your tool kit when things aren't going as well because football has a funny way about it. When results are going well and the feel-good factor is there everything seems to slightly look after itself. But the imaginary tool kit, like I spoke about, that's really for the times when things aren't so good. What can you use? What skills have you got to guide everyone through that, so that's a key part of it as well.
You obviously impart advice and wisdom on the players, but is there any advice you would give your younger self?
The main one is to listen more and speak less. I've learned that over the years, not necessarily as a coach and a manager, but towards the end of my playing career, I was always quite strong with my opinion. I remember as I got older I started listening a bit more and had a bit more depth to my thought. I think I was already doing it, but now I probably look back and think that's an even bigger part. And I realise there are a lot of good things about football and even football management. It's stressful and it's hard work. Just remember there are a few knocks along the way. As long as you can deal with that then you will pretty much be alright.
What's the best piece of advice you've been given - or can give?
The best piece of advice I've been given and I referenced it recently in an interview, was my Sunday League manager when I was a little kid aged seven. When I first started playing, there was a fella called Jim Hoover, I still speak to him now and again now. I remember him saying as a kid 'a great attitude is everything'. And I remember distinctly and clearly even though at a very young age I wasn't understanding the words. I understood them on reflection, of course. As I got older I kept hearing about people having good attitudes and people having bad attitudes. The words were always ringing in my head. So that's a big thing for me - a great attitude is everything.
I guess you often get told you are punching above your weight. Is that flattering for you and Burnley or irritating and patronising?
No. I think there's a reality to it. It's a club that have always done that historically. There's varying stories down the years. I've had one here myself when two days before the season we sold Charlie Austin, who was a massive player for us at that time, but that was because the club had to. To make sure the club was on a sound financial footing a decision was made. And there are various stories through the years about Burnley having to do that.
Very small town, great numbers go into the ground, great support system for such a small place. They've had to fight. And it's not just the football team round these parts. I've come to realise people have had some tough times up here and the one thing they are never lacking is a bit of fight and the ability to dig in. So I think that is a thing I've been proud of - that the team have shown some of those qualities to the fans.
It was a big week for your fellow LMA member Gareth Southgate, another man who has proudly worn the Prostate Cancer UK badge, as he took charge of England for the first time since getting the job permanently. How proud are you of Gareth and what he's done to earn that job?
I spoke openly at the time. One of the main points I found with him being in the system for so long and understanding the FA and how to work with the U21s etc was for that pathway to end up with a chance of being England manager. So I think there was a common-sense view. Beyond that, we want him to do well, we want an English manager to be recognised full stop, particularly at international level of course. We certainly will be supporting him as best we can.
You, Craig Shakespeare, Eddie Howe… up-and-coming English managers doing remarkably well in the top flight as well..
Well it's a so-far story for us. Eddie's done a great job with Bournemouth and turned that club into something that is recognisable now, not just because it's in the Premier League but a club that's recognised throughout football. Shakey's just taken over, a new challenge for him, a new situation, it's a completely different challenge when you step up and so far it's gone very well for him.
And for myself it's been a longer building process. With a club we've had to make ends meet all the way through, we've not had a backer who has put too much money in, as an individual I've had to build, we've had to put layer on layer on layer, the success and development of the team and then off the pitch build this facility. It's not just me, by the way, it's good staff, good players, a good boardroom and some reality from the fans as well. I think there's been a good connection between us all. So three different kinds of managers with three different reasons to try and be successful I think.
It's a measure of the success that in an international week it's quite quiet around here. That suggests the players are doing well, including Michael Keane. How pleased are you at his development?
I'm pleased at a lot of the players here for developing. Some will get the headlines like Keano because of what he's done, particularly this season, but people seem to forget. I read something the other day about his first season in the Premier League at Burnley, it wasn't; he came here two years ago. People soon forget, there has been a depth to his development. It's not been overnight. Sometimes it's misrepresented about some of these players. It takes time sometimes for these players to develop into what they are going to be. And unfortunately due to the harsh side of football they don't always get time, managers that is, they don't always get time to see these players develop long term.
I've been fortunate that we've had enough success to allow me the chance to hopefully rub off on some of these players, including my staff and the work they do with them. Keano's a good example of that, Tom Heaton is another one. There are various examples. It's not just them two. But there are two who are quite obvious about how they have moved forward with their own careers, how they have moved forward with Burnley and are now being recognised on the international scene.
It must be a source of pride though to see those guys there representing the club. It shows how far you have come…
The thing is as a manager, it's not just about those who are out there in the media's eye, there have been so many good development stories here from in-house, and it's not always the ones that catch the eye. I am proud of them, of course, but I'm proud of all of the different players, I'm proud of all the different departments and how they work here and what the club has become. I'm proud of the whole lot. It's not about a few individuals within it. They are part of the overall feeling of pride in what Burnley Football Club stands for now as oppose to it did four-and-a-half years ago when I first came in.
