"My wife is a doctor. That is life and death." In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Stevenage manager Alex Revell talks pressure ahead of the new League One season as he returns to the job determined to learn from his past experiences.
Wednesday 7 August 2024 07:36, UK
When Alex Revell did his presentation on the UEFA Pro Licence course, he chose to do it on pressure. "I went to different hospitals, spoke to firefighters," he tells Sky Sports. "I went to see the Red Arrows." He was also able to look much closer to home.
"My wife is a doctor. She is a neonatologist who deals with incredible things every day. It is life and death, really." For the newly-appointed Stevenage manager, it is a source of perspective as he tackles the season ahead. "It does bring me down to earth," he says.
"When I moan about missing out on a player or a bad day in training, the perspective comes. She comes home from a terrible day and has to be a mum to two children. That awareness helps in terms of making sure that football does not get on top of you."
It is a thought worth clinging to as he faces the task of not only following Steve Evans but improving on his own previous time in charge. Revell held this job for 21 months during the pandemic, keeping the club up before, by his own admission, losing his way.
Many managers will point to injuries or other misfortunes beyond their control. A select few will acknowledge that their own errors were a key factor. It is extremely rare for a man now back in the same job to admit that he was not ready. His honesty is disarming.
"I thought staying up was a really big achievement but I let people lead me where I did not want to go after that. I do not blame anyone but myself. It is not until you are in the seat that you see all those other factors. I probably was not ready for that at the time.
"I was not brave enough to really go and show what I wanted. That was the biggest thing. I should have shown that bravery and confidence to really show what I was about. I did not lead them well enough. It got too much for me. That is me being brutally honest."
Revell talks of "going with the flow" but what does he mean by that? "For instance, I would not have the confidence to send someone in if they were not doing it in training. Players need that clarity. If you do not lead with conviction, it can spiral out of control."
He adds: "When things are going well, you can kind of just go with it. It is what you do in those moments where it does not go well. That is when a manager needs to be clear about what they want. It was a huge learning curve, the hardest I have ever had."
In truth, there were mitigating circumstances. Revell's first job had been to release much of the squad. "Those were unprecedented times." He had two games in interim charge before the season was scrapped not knowing which division they would be in.
"I am not sure I was ever really given the job," he says, having drifted into it instead. "It was a surreal moment. We had decisions to make not knowing whether we were in the Football League or the National League. The club was in a completely different place."
It speaks volumes for the work that he has done since that Stevenage have turned to him again - this time at a level above in League One. It reflects his role among Evans' staff these past two years, helping them win promotion before last season's play-off tilt.
"Steve has taken this club on an amazing run. We surprised a lot of people in League One last year. The foundations are in place and we have got used to winning games. The biggest thing I learned from him is about the standards that he set off the pitch."
Evans' departure for Rotherham presented an opening for the continuity candidate with a twist. Revell is planning to do the job very differently this time around and he makes that argument with such forceful conviction that is hard not to be persuaded.
"I know that it was nobody else's fault and the last two years have been about making sure that when I did get the next opportunity I would be ready. That is why I feel ready now. I have a burning desire to succeed. I cannot wait to show what I have learned."
Smartly, he has surrounded himself with staff who will complement him this time. "I have been lucky enough to learn from a master of the trade and one of the things he taught me was to make sure that your own weaknesses are someone else's strengths."
As a result, Neil Banfield, Arsene Wenger's long-time assistant manager at Arsenal, has come in to bring vital knowledge that he will lean on. "I chose Neil because of his in-game experience." Scott Cuthbert, an ex-Stevenage player, brings intensity to the staff.
His optimism is apparent. It would be easy to make the case that Stevenage punched above their weight in finishing ninth last term, to downplay potentially inflated expectations after that wild ride under Evans. But he has no appetite to protect himself.
Instead, Revell wants to encourage his players to believe. "I could sit here and say mid-table and just think of me, but that is not why we do this job. I think we can finish higher than last season. That is the aim, to keep the spirit but improve the quality," he says.
"People do not see the inside of this club but we have come such a long way. Our training ground has been set up for the higher levels. The stadium has been redesigned. The pitch has been laid. The foundations are becoming stronger and stronger."
Perhaps that confidence stems from his own interest in psychology. He relates it to his playing career. Revell had been a formidable striker in the lower leagues, once scoring twice to help Rotherham come back to win the League One play-off final at Wembley.
But he had his doubts. "As a player, if I missed a chance I would allow it to affect me for too long. You are going to miss. Even the best players miss. It is about how they react to that. If I had not let it affect me so much, would I have got to a better level? Maybe."
How can he influence the thinking of others? "I have had a lot of individual meetings to understand how players feel. How do we make sure they leave on Monday in a better place if we lost at the weekend? How do we maintain that momentum if we have won?"
The intention is to coax more from this team. Stevenage kept 19 clean sheets last season. "We do not want to change that. But there is a need for more goals." They are working on "certain things around what we do when we win the ball" in order to improve.
Additional work on set pieces could help too. "We have a real focus on that. A few years ago, it was not a cool or sexy thing to work on. People have realised now that it is a huge part of the game. Every time the ball goes into the box is an opportunity for us."
Having kept much of the squad together, Revell senses that opportunity - for this team and for him personally. As well as his Pro Licence, he has a sports science degree. "All of that was for this moment and to make sure that I would be ready," he explains.
"I have given myself the best opportunity and others have given me this opportunity because they have seen that work, not because I did the job before. They know that I am ready. This is the start of it for me. I want this to be the beginning of another career.
"I am determined to get real success as a manager with this group and I am really excited about the challenge ahead. We are going to give them a real opportunity to show how good they are and if they do that then we will do some special things this year."
But it will be a tough challenge and he understands the pressure that will come with it. Not the pressure of flying an aircraft in close formation or working in neonatology, of course. But pressure, nevertheless. Alex Revell has earned this second chance.
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