Will Still became the youngest manager in Europe's top five leagues when he replaced Oscar Garcia as Reims manager last season. AFP/Loic Venance
While Will Still's passport lists Belgium as his place of birth and his professional maturity in France, there's no doubt about who he's loyal to.
A manager from Reims would not look out of place. in a pub on a country road, and when asked what really made him an orthodox Englishman, he replied: «My bloody red hair.»
“When people ask me if I feel Belgian or English, I feel completely English. I was born in an English environment and culture,” explains the 30-year-old in an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport.
“At home we always spoke English, and whenever we came to England, I felt It feels like home there.”
Born in Belgian Wallonia to English parents, Still blazed a unique path, using a university degree as the vehicle to become a football manager in Europe's top five leagues.
It wasn't until October that Still took over the reins at Reims, taking them to an honorable 11th place and out of a tumultuous period.
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However, his success came at a cost. The club must pay a £22,000 fine for every game it manages until it receives a UEFA Pro license, but Reims owners feel he is worth every penny, especially after a 19-game unbeaten streak following replacement Oscar Garcia.< /p>
It's fair to say that Still has come a long way since starting his career as an assistant at Preston North End U14 after a post-graduation internship. However, he quickly became a video analyst in 2014 with the Belgian team Sint Truiden, and then became an assistant head coach at Standard Liege, Lierse and Beerschot.
It seems that his future is destined to return to England, but the time is not quite right yet — not yet. The recently signed contract extension until 2025 shows how happy he is at Reims, who start their League campaign at Marseille on Saturday.
“Ligue 1 is at a very high level, this is one from the best leagues in the world. This is the right place for me, where there is everything that needs to be learned. I think it's a dream for anyone to coach and play in the Premier League,» Still said. “I have had phone calls and offers, but I have more than enough time to get there. If the opportunity presents itself at the right time, I'll think about it, but that's not what I'm talking about right now.”
Such a prediction is hardly surprising, given how much Still's life has changed in the past. year.
“Life is all about taking advantage, and throughout my career I have been in the right place at the right time. When you have these opportunities, your life changes a lot,” he added.
But Still is not up to all the accolades, and he blocks the noise around his sudden rise to fame: “People get excited very quickly, but I not stupid enough to fall into this nonsense.”
A self-proclaimed control freak, Still demands the highest precision and almost surgical precision from his players. And if he feels that something is wrong, he will communicate his feelings, often switching between English and French to express his anger.
“I can enter the club in a very bad mood, even if it's not, just because I feel like the energy is where it is and needs to be changed. It's just a mind game we play,” Still admits.
“If I feel something is wrong, I tell my players to their faces. It never hurt anyone and it never hurt me. I did shit and I totally admit it.
“I am very meticulous in what I do, leaving nothing to chance or luck. I try to control everything I can. Then you face the reality of players making mistakes that you can't control, but that's the beauty of football. The higher you go, the fewer mistakes you make and the better the quality of your players.»
Losing is by and large the «worst feeling in the world», but it's hard for him to enjoy the good moments knowing that everything can suddenly end overnight.
“In football, you are only as good as your last game. The pleasure of winning lasts about six and a half minutes after the game. Losing lasts longer and I hate it. It makes me feel like shit and I don't sleep until 4-5am after that. I take it personally because this is my team and I need to be able to tell the players what to do.”
So players win games and managers lose them?
«That's not true. I think, but that's how the world of football thinks, and I'm no exception. As good as we are this year, if we lose five games out of five at the start of next season, who will people be looking at?
“It's the reality of the job, but you know it before you start. It's the pressure we're under, but that also makes it exciting.»
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