Graham Alexander interview: Salford City ambitions, working for Gary Neville and the 'Class of '92' documentary
"I know there's a TV documentary but this club isn't a TV show, it's a serious football club that is working hard to be successful."
Wednesday 20 November 2019 12:17, UK
Sometimes in life you have to take a step back to then move forwards.
That is a sentiment Graham Alexander can easily relate to. Sacked by Scunthorpe in March 2018 with his side sat in the League One play-off places - having previously achieved a promotion to that level with Fleetwood - he decided to take the plunge in his next job into the National League to manage Salford City at the start of last season.
The majority of football fans will be familiar with the story of Salford by now, part-owned by the 'Class Of '92' - Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Paul Scholes - they have enjoyed a remarkable rise through non-league since 2014, winning four promotions to reach League Two this season: their first ever campaign in the Football League.
Alexander joined them at the start of the 2018/19 season when they had just won promotion to the National League, and admits he had some initial reservations about taking a job outside of the EFL.
"It was a difficult one," he tells Sky Sports. "The non-league status of the club was the only concern and a hurdle I had to overcome in my own mind to start this role, but apart from that there were so many positives about this job.
"I had some really good conversations with the owners to get a clear picture of what was required and expected of me. It was nothing to do with the club or the people that own the club, it was more to do with the fact it was a level I had never experienced before.
"But I've thoroughly enjoyed it and not regretted it for one minute. It has been a great opportunity for us all to do new things for this club and to be part of that has made it a great place to be."
They may have had plenty of backing, but promotion for Salford was far from guaranteed last season. The structure of the National League makes it notoriously difficult to escape from, and after finishing second in the table they had to make their way through the play-offs and a Wembley final.
"We had a lot of tough challenges," continues Alexander. "There are a lot of good players and managers at that level, added with the pressure of only one automatic promotion spot. That makes it very different to the Football League and it builds in everyone's mind and adds to the tension towards the end of the season.
"We were really pleased to do it, especially at the first attempt. Everyone that played a part should be proud because it was a fantastic achievement, winning promotion at any level is, but especially when you know you're making history and taking a club into the Football League for the first time ever. It was a magical day for everybody that played their part over the course of the season."
If the spotlight of Salford City wasn't enough pressure for Alexander already, then the regular presence of TV cameras last season wouldn't have helped either. The entire campaign was documented for the Sky TV series 'Class of '92: Full Time', which was aired earlier this year.
"I watched it back and got a quick preview of it, but that's the only time I watched it to be fair," says Alexander. "I'll admit I was nervous about it at the start, mainly because it was something I've never experienced before. But they were very respectful of our working environment and the spotlight on our club is there anyway, regardless of the documentary cameras.
"A story can be made either way, but it is tough to try and put a positive light on a difficult season or try and put a negative light on a season where you've won promotion! I think the end result defines how it will come across really. It's impossible to try and cover every aspect of what goes on in a football club, but I think it gives people a snippet of what it might entail.
"I think there's enough pressure in the game anyway, and we put pressure on ourselves to win or we wouldn't be in the job in the first place. Sometimes they see things that people don't know go on, but I think it was quite a balanced view of the season.
"Of course, it is only three or four hours of clips over 10 months, and there's a lot of stuff that goes on that people don't see, both positive and negative. It's only a snapshot of what goes on but I think it gives people a good insight into what does happen behind the scenes.
"I've caught one or two episodes of the Sunderland one and some of the Manchester City one, but I've not religiously watched them and I'm not aware of any of the others. In any football club when you win or lose there are good days and bad days regardless, so it's just about how it's shown in the end and how it's put together that will define how it's come across."
Obviously the fascination with Salford City comes about because of the interest in the 'Class of '92' and the success they had in the game. So what is it like for Alexander - who played against most of them in his career - to work for them?
"My main contact is with Gary," he explains. "He is the main driver of the club and the other guys support him from afar.
"The day at Wembley when they were all there celebrating afterwards was fantastic for everyone, but I think they understand that we're here to do a job. We had about two days to enjoy it, then we had our first meeting about what was required for the next level and how we approach it. So it moved on pretty quickly.
"I know there's a TV documentary but this club isn't a TV show, it's a serious football club that is working hard to be successful, and they allow us to manage and coach to get results on the pitch, which is the main thing. But of course them knowing the intricacies of football and management is a positive as well.
"It's a unique situation in world football, but that's part of the challenge. I see it as a positive for us that these guys were massively successful in their own playing careers and they've got all that experience of winning things. Anything we can get off them is a good thing."
The first major goal for the club was to reach the Football League, but what comes next? Salford have enjoyed a solid start to life in League Two, they currently sit 12th in the table, four points off the play-offs.
Plans are in place in the background to keep the club progressing away from the pitch, but Alexander is just focused on matters on it, taking things one step at a time.
"We've got to be respectful of the jump we have made," he said. "There is an increase in quality and competition and we are learning. I've been in the Football League but there are many others who haven't. The club has come a long way in a short space of time and there are people working hard to build the infrastructure that is required for a Football League club.
"The aim for this season is to continually improve. We want to compete and win as many games as possible, and that's the challenge for us. We've had up and down results, but it's about where we are at the end of the season, then we can judge what we've done and whether it's been a success or not.
"We have to understand winning promotions every season is not going to happen, certainly not once we get to the Football League, but that doesn't diminish our ambition as a club because we want to be successful. If you look at the last five years, did they expect to be in the Football League in such a short space of time? No, but here we are.
"We understand where we want to be, and that is part of the reason I came here, but there is not a specific time-frame on that. I'll leave any long-term ambitions to be spoken about by other people, because right now we need to just improve every aspect of ourselves day to day. Every football club is based around the team, and that's my main priority."
