Exclusive interview with Darrell Clarke: Barnsley boss on promotion, personal motivation and being ‘a cheat’ as a player | Football News

Talk to many of Darrell Clarke’s former players and they’ll tell you that man-management is the secret to his five career promotions. He’s a motivator. It’s a trait rooted in a sense of regret from the new Barnsley head coach’s own playing days.

Bobby Hassell, now Barnsley’s academy manager, was a team-mate of Clarke’s at Mansfield and recently remarked that he could have gone further if he hadn’t enjoyed a joke and a pint. When he tells Clarke this in his office at Oakwell, he strikes a more serious tone.

“I consider myself a bit of a cheater as a player,” Clarke says Sky Sport“That’s probably one of the reasons why I’ve done so well as a manager. I know all the signs. I can see very, very easily when a player can give more on and off the pitch.

“I have regrets in my career. I don’t believe I achieved everything I could have achieved in the game. The good news for my players here is that I know that and I’m not going to let them do the same, because it’s a regret I live with.

“That can be a powerful tool if used in the right way to remind players that football is a short career. Maybe you shouldn’t go out for that drink or that Kit Kat or that piece of cake. Maybe you should do everything as professionally as possible.”

Clarke has worked his way up. Two promotions with Salisbury City were followed by two more with Bristol Rovers, taking them from the National League to League One. More recently he helped Port Vale into the Third Division. But Barnsley are a different beast.

“It’s a club that has spent most of its time in the Championship. I’ve always found that when you manage clubs higher up the pyramid, it comes with high expectations, which is great. I want to play for clubs that want to succeed.

Is it the biggest club he’s ever managed? “That’s a fair point. But I think I’ve got used to managing clubs that were probably lower down the pyramid than they would like to be, whether that’s Bristol Rovers or Port Vale. That brings a certain amount of pressure.

“If there are expectations to move up the pyramid, that will always weigh heavily on the head coach and the players. But that is something we are prepared for. The aim is to get promoted straight away. It is as simple as that.

“I haven’t deviated from it. That’s the goal. I’m not here to buy myself time. That’s what I want. That’s the message to the players and it’s certainly the message coming from the fans. We want to get out of this division as quickly as possible.

“I want to be at a club with that ambition. These are the best facilities I’ve ever experienced. At some clubs it’s difficult because they don’t have the resources, but Barnsley gives me that platform to get a team out of League One.”

Some argue that it should have happened already. Barnsley were well-placed for automatic promotion last season, but they went into a slump in the spring and lost the play-offs for the second year in a row. Striker Devante Cole has since left, and he was not the only one.

“There’s been a lot of change, there always is at clubs, and we still need to do a bit more,” Clarke said. “But League One is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s 46 games with a lot of highs and lows. But the foundations are there to be successful.”

He added: “Goals have gone out of the team and we are looking for reinforcements, but I have enormous confidence in the players who are already there. It is a clean slate for everyone. One or two who thought the door was closed may not find it closed anymore.”

Mladen Sormaz, former head of analytics at Leicester, is the sporting director. “He is a top operator who knows his trade and understands the connection between data and the man-management side.” Together they find a balance in recruitment.

Georgie Gent has arrived, a 20-year-old left-back from Blackburn. “He is old enough. We hope we can continue his career and that he can help us reach the Championship.” But Sormaz has backed Clarke by also bringing back Marc Roberts and Conor Hourihane.

“It’s very data-driven, but not just now data-driven. I thought it was important that we brought in some experienced players who know the club well. Then we can also go for a certain type of player that we can improve and hopefully make a decent profit on.

“The key is that these players are all hungry and come here for the right reasons. This is a working class city and our fans expect a certain type of performance. That means 100 percent every day, representing the shirt in a way that suits our fan base.”

Hourihane will be a player-coach, with a strong focus on individual work within the group. “He’s first-class.” And then there’s Jon Stead, brought in by his predecessor. “A hungry coach who’s willing to learn.” Martin Devaney has stayed on as assistant manager.

Clarke has only brought Dean Whitehead with him from his time at Port Vale. “I like to assess what I have in the building. You build new relationships and move on. Martin knows the club and there is a good balance in the coaching staff. We are all on the same page.”

Not that he’s one to be limited by style. “Everyone talks about philosophies. It’s the favourite buzzword, isn’t it?” He wants his team to adapt. “Every game brings out different strengths and weaknesses. You have to fight them,” he says.

“But we want to press, we want to counter-press, we want to be really good without the ball. Every team that’s successful in this division has that. This is a very athletic league and that means running forward, getting in people’s faces and being aggressive.

“I know that sounds basic, but you’ve got to be able to run hard, be aggressive in everything we do. I’ve always prided myself on having teams that will run through brick walls for me. Players feed off that and the fans are on the edge of their seats too.”

It all comes down to man-management, it seems. Clarke talks passionately about “maximizing individual player performance” and “making everyone in the squad feel important,” but the big question is how exactly does he do that?

“It requires communication, understanding, honest one-on-one conversations, because there will be players who need an arm around them and players who need to be reminded how to live their lives. It’s not about the training ground, it’s about away from here.

“It’s about finding out their background, their roots, their family situations, finding out what drives them. By that I mean, what gets them out of bed in the morning? Where do they want to be? How can they get there? How can I help them get there?”

A thought occurs. What is it that motivates the motivator? “Good question,” he answers. “I’m addicted to this job, to be honest. I’m addicted to that feeling of winning. It’s not a healthy addiction. It takes over your life,” he adds.

“It’s an addiction to help young players. I call them my boys, my boys, you know what I mean? So I treat them a bit like sons. I enjoy watching them perform and do well as much as anything else. I want them to get the most out of their career.”

He still regrets that he himself, as a player, still has such regrets.

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