SUNSPORT columnist DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM and Burnley boss SEAN DYCHE examine the issues as football gears up for a return.
As a player and manager, Dyche has seen it all. Our man OSCAR PAUL listened in as they discussed the issues facing Project Restart.
DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM: So, Sean, what’s the plan for returning to training?
SEAN DYCHE: We spoke to every player by Zoom and asked them in front of the group but equally said if it’s private to you, speak to us about any concerns. There weren’t any. They want to carry on and get back to work.
Some people forget it’s a job. They are used to it so when it’s taken away it’s weird and surreal. The protocols will simply be high-level common sense, backed up by science and medical support — that will come together to allow us to get to that point before a hopeful return to action.
DH: How have youngsters like Dwight McNeil coped with everything?
SD: Well I was told the other day that he did well in the EA Sports, so he must be doing all right! They seem OK but you forget that when you’re young you have a different kind of resilience. You may feel you’re having a weird break but you’re with your family and loved ones, so you can make a bit of sense of that.
I think there’s a frustration. Once you’re in that way of life as a professional athlete then there is a craving for it.
That weird thing about pre-season, you go away on holiday buzzing but towards the end you get this feeling and deep down you want it again. They’re at that stage now.
DH: How has your role changed — are you on the phone to players a lot more?
SD: Not really. I feel I have a very good relationship with the players but they don’t want to speak to the manager all the time, trust me! I’ve done enough to make sure they’re all OK and we’ve shared a bit of fun on Zoom.
The other day Jack Cork’s kids had got hold of the clippers so he had to shave his head and the lads were wetting themselves laughing when he popped on. These things diffuse a very serious situation.
DH: We’ve seen some players express concerns about playing again. What are your thoughts?
SD: Any individual has the right in any workplace. Equally there is a balance to that.
Ironically, people say often footballers are treated differently and they shouldn’t be. So if you are asking for normality it’s fair to say most people will be going back to work in some form.
It’s my personal view but I see football in the sense of, this is what I do. It’s what I’ve brought into from 16.
I did an interview with Eamonn Holmes the other day and he brought something up that was really relevant and I feel strongly about it in a sense.
He said: “What if there was a tragedy in football? Then it would stop again.”
I said: “Well does that mean you’re going to stop every industry?’ If you think about it rationally, you’ve got to stop everything. If there’s a tragedy at an accountants or a school, you’ve got to shut it down.
There’s enough tragedy at the moment anyway, which is shocking for everyone, but I don’t think you can start saying, “If that came you just shut everything down again”. There’s a bit more to it than that.
There has to be a realisation that it is a workplace. Although a professional sport and very public, it is a workplace.
We don’t want any tragic circumstances of any kind but if it happens for any reason then I don’t think you shut everything down for that one reason.
DH: What have your players been asking about?
SD: It’s mainly been suggestions on safety, how we align with the rest of the country.
We’ve applied a lot of common sense as I trust my players. We all make mistakes but seven weeks in we should all be aware enough of the information to look after ourselves.
The questions have been quite simplistic in terms of getting more information, knowing there’s a balance and knowing there’s a testing programme.
DH: A month ago I was dead against football returning but my opinion has changed listening to managers like yourself and others in the game.
SD: I’ve had plenty of time to digest everything and am just trying to rationalise it. I’ve got elderly parents I’ve not seen.
On my mum’s birthday I sang happy birthday from the end of her drive with my kids. I’ve got a 15-year-old and 17-year-old who I want to have a good, healthy future. These are things that are real to me.
Half my career was in the lower leagues and people’s livelihoods could be heavily at risk, so if we can get the top of football back on, the knock-on financial effect can help. It’s not just about the Premier League but it has to start somewhere and hopefully it can drip feed from there as time goes on.
DH: With all the protocols and testing, is football actually safer than other industries?
SD: The protocols will be really stringent to make sure it’s as safe as it can be. Ironically, the players can then go down to the supermarket and mix with 400 people they have never met in a confined area. People say, why aren’t footballers treated like everyone else?
Then we go, OK let’s treat them like everyone else. Why have we got to train say 12ft apart when you can then go to Tesco and stand 6ft apart from people who may not have been tested. That’s weird, surely?
DH: How have you found this period yourself?
I live away a lot so to spend time with my family has been good. Simple things that used to be the norms in my lifetime were sitting around the meal table chatting as a family.
Life got in the way of that a bit so I’ve enjoyed more quality time. Someone asked me what I would do after the world has sorted itself and I said sitting in the shack in Portugal by the lake with my family, having some chicken wings and a cold pint.
You come to appreciate some of the simple stuff you probably take for granted.
