Skelmersdale United boss Paul McNally is looking to rebuild his side’s mentality after a difficult season where they suffered relegation last term.
The Skem boss took over in the middle of last season with the side already bottom of the league, and they ultimately finished bottom.
That lead them to the NWCFL and now McNally wants to build confidence at the club to make it a more attractive place to play football.
“You’ve got to remember that coming down hits you hard, and it can dent people’s confidence.
“Good players become bad players when you're near the bottom. Now, it's about turning over a new leaf, give them [a new] mentality and change everything to try and get us back to where we can.”
Last season’s relegation was a great disappointment to McNally, and despite his frustration throughout the season he sees this campaign as a chance to refresh the whole club.
“If I reflect on it, I tore my hair out over the summer. I inherited a young team - a very young team and we tried to build on that but it was very tough. I was questioning everything and I was gonna go back to the drawing board.
“And then I spoke to a few people in the game who know me and they said just try and build again, you’ve basically got a blank canvas.
“I kept a few from last season so hopefully with more experience they're gonna be a lot better this season as they are more mature.”
With Skem already in a precarious position when he took over, McNally admits his appointment did have this season in mind with relegation looking likely.
“I’m gonna make it perfectly clear - if they were in the top half of the table I wouldn't have got the job. They wouldn't have thought of me.
“But they knew Id done a job at REMYCA the year before and at Cammell Laird. They were on relatively low budgets. I think that's how they looked at it.”
McNally is thankful to Skem for giving him a chance, but does have regrets about the season.
He also admits doubts clouded his mind throughout the campaign, and even up until before the summer he was questioning himself.
"I think they thought with me being an up-and-coming manager they were prepared to give me a chance and I'm very grateful for that chance, although I’ve got a releagation now on my CV. I wish I could have turned back time. I’d have started pre season and… hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I just feel that it could have been a bit different.
“If I’d have had a pre season behind me I could have had different methods in place and maybe different personnel. It was harder to attract players when you're rock bottom.
“You're like a laughing stock because some of the results were horrendous. They were the worst I’ve personally experienced in my career.
“I was questioning myself coming home on the end of some defeats like, ‘wow, am I bad?’
“People were saying this is just what's happening, it's been waiting to happen for a few years. It’s a culmination of problems.”
These doubts did make him consider his future at the club, he admits.
He also expressed an element of surprise that the club didn’t fire him after relegation, but says despite the results last season, the board seen progress under his stewardship.
“A few people asked [about resigning] and I’ll be honest, I thought I would have got the sack!
“If I’m getting relegated [I thought] they might sack me. On the flip side, they could see I was making progress in a weird way.
“I know it might not look like it but in a weird way performances were a lot better. They knew how close we were.
“I did question myself, i'll be honest. I was thinking ‘am I cut for this?’ but I didn’t want to quit - I'm not a quitter.
“I’ve had a few texts from people commending me for staying around because most people would have walked away and washed their hands of it. But I want the club to do well.
“There's some good people at the club - really good people - and their doing their best and I want to do my best for them.”
Looking ahead to this campaign, the Skem manager admits pre-season has been mixed, but asserts it’s not about the results at this stage.
After a few changes from the original list, our schedule for pre-season..... @nwcfl pic.twitter.com/kZ3jweZR3s
— Skem United FC (@Skemutdofficial) July 1, 2019
“It’s [pre-season] been mixed. We’ve won three, we drew with Lower Breck which was a great game and we've had two defeats.
“We lost to Warrington who are a fantastic team, so that was a good game to gage where we’re at, then we had a horror show against St Helens. We got beat 4-0 and they played really well.
“It was a bit of a big-time, lazy attitude from my players and they got a rollocking after it.
“Pre-season’s not about results, it means nothing until you start but it’s just confidence. That's all I think for this team, it's getting a couple of wins on board, getting everyone happy and then moving forward.
“It’s still a young team, they’re gonna make errors and do the wrong things at the wrong time but they're gonna progress and hopefully some of them might go a little bit higher in the game.”
Development is on the mind for McNally, but despite his long-term view, he’s not naive. He understands a manager can’t look too far ahead.
He also realises his team have been handed a difficult start and knows they’ll do well to take a few points out of their opening league games.
A number of new adventures and familiar surroundings in our return to the @nwcfl #nwcflfixtures pic.twitter.com/L4lOSvPvKb
— Skem United FC (@Skemutdofficial) July 15, 2019
His aspirations for the season are to consolidate, despite wanting to go higher, but he feels it might be a step too far to aim as high as that.
“I’m hoping we can win our first game but it's not an easy game - maybe the toughest we could have had - and maybe get off to an okay start. The aspiration is just to consolidate to make us an attractive proposition and get back to our home base.
“My aspirations personally, I'd love us to be in the top three, but I don't think we'll be there at this minute. I think we could be beating teams and give everyone a game but I think if were in the top 10 then we've done very well and that'll be a great season.
“It'll be something to build on. I've spoken to people at the club and they think the same. If we can finish top half great.
“If we have a bit of a cup run as well and I think we'd be punching above our weight, especially with the way the division is this season.
“The saying is if you've got a lot of money then you’ll have a bit of success and I think that's generally right.
“We haven't got money and we’re trying to do it the right way by building and building and attracting one or two to build into that to, hopefully, make us an attractive proposition for players to come in next season - maybe half way through the season - and build again.
“It's not a short term job, it's a long term job but you can never look ahead of the first couple of games as a manager.”
McNally has a few words about how he feels the game is going, particularly the amount of money filtering down the league system.
He also comments on the rise of social media, and the impact it’s had on the perception of managers within the league system.
“Everyone wants to get out of it [gain promotion] so it’s ‘if you have 20 pound, I'll have 40 pound’ and ’if you have 50, I’ll have 60’. It's just a bankrolling effect. It has come right down from the Premier League right down the leagues and that’s football now isn't it.
“You can be the best thing since sliced bread one week and the next your not. I also think if your social media friendly you become very popular or highly thought of without doing anything within the football world.
“Its very fickle. It's all about how people perceive you. I don't write on Twitter and people might think ‘he's rude or quiet or ignorant’ but when people speak to me it's different. I choose not to air my views. If I’ve got good or bad thoughts I don’t feel the need to put them on Twitter.”
Skelmersdale return to NWCFL action when they travel to Brocstedes Park to face Ashton Athletic on opening day.
