Tony Mowbray has solidified his reputation for developing young players at Sunderland. Credit: Getty Images/Ian Horrocks
Tony Mowbray unexpectedly led Sunderland into the playoffs in his first season back in the Championship, turning a team full of young players into one of the most exciting teams in the division.
At the age of 59, Mowbray, who left Blackburn Rovers at the end of last season after failing to take them out of the league after five years in charge, may have been seen as a disappointing appointment.
But the former Middlesbrough and Ipswich captain Town was offered the job due to his excellent experience in developing young players, and this season has highlighted his skills in this area.
A managerial career that began at Hibernian and took him to Celtic, West Brom, Middlesbrough and Coventry, as well as Blackburn, has been given new life in his native North East.
Before Sunderland take on Luton Town in the first leg of the play-off semi-final on Saturday, Mowbray shared his thoughts with Telegraph Sport.
Football philosophy
"There is no right or wrong way to play football. You can be the most direct team, never take a short goal kick. Every standard play goes into the opponent's box and you fill your team with 6'5″ players. If you win football matches, it's okay, they don't break any rules.
"I don't play the way I'm made to play, and injuries require us to handle the ball well and keep it on the grass . We don't need a stop-and-go game with lots of free throws and long throws. We try to play as fast as possible, keep the ball moving, and when you have the talent of some of us, sometimes it can look easy on the eyes.
“In football, it's all about the players and we have a few technically talented ones and we put them on the team because we need to keep the ball. If we had bigger players available, this team would look different.
“We play in a style that tries to make the most of what we have on the field. Football is an excitement and you want your fans to enjoy it. There are times when you get a membership as a fan and you might find it a bit of a chore to watch. I don't want my teams to be like this and I hope the Sunderland fans, even when this team lost, enjoy watching them because we try to do the right thing by playing with intensity and quality. I hope there is some connection here."
Is it too early for Sunderland to go up?
"That would be nice. I joked the other day that I would probably be out of a job in 10 weeks if we got promoted. Everyone thinks they know the answer and that there is a guy around the corner who can win every game.
“People didn't think we needed to make the playoffs this year. This was done in order to try to consolidate and not fall into the scrap of relegation. The guys hit above their weight.
"If we somehow win the next three games, we should take the backbone of this team with us. But you have to fill it in and give it some depth. You can't put young people under 23 playing with world-class footballers.
“I'm pretty sure the club will do just that. They are turned on, know what they want and have a pattern. And if you get into the Premier League, you'll have the finances to make that model work.
"Some clubs have stayed at the top, spending a fortune, some have fallen straight away. You strengthen the team to such an extent that if you lose, you are really strong in the Championship.
"It's amazing not to sleep. Brentford did it. Forest power. If not, have some faith. You will return to the championship and win many games. As long as you don't overspend and don't have to sell a lot of players. I'm not a businessman, but I know how to gradually develop the club and fill it with good players"
How to deal with adulation and failure
" 20 years old and I'm not too worried. The amount of people who support this club is incredible. Fans are everywhere and they love this club very much. This is humiliating.
🧡 Tickets for Tuesday's second leg at Kenilworth Road are already sold out.
Thank you for your support 👏#SAFC | #TilTheEnd
— Sunderland FC (@SunderlandAFC), May 11, 2023
“I don't want to lift my head too high because I know that when we lose four or five points on a rebound, it can mean 'you don't know what you're doing.' 39; or 'time to go'. Football can hurt a lot, a lot, and defeats hurt a lot more than wins. So getting too close to something where somewhere in the future it will set me aside… I totally appreciate the love, [but] it's really hard for me to get too emotionally attached because I know this is football and we're going to lose several games, and there are people who will start a conversation: 'He doesn't know what he's doing'. It just grows and grows and then you lose your job and become trash.
"In the industry I work in, I have a self-protection mode that takes care of me and my family. .
"So while I love this club and the fans, I love the team, I try not to beat my chest, flash my badge, and suck up to people. It's a self defense mechanism and if you're in the industry you should have it because it can cause too much pain.
"There are managers who have probably lost their jobs, and so it was. difficult, they didn't manage to bounce back because it hurts so much"
Working with young players
“I just love working with young players because I was one of them and I remember the people who influenced me. I'm just trying to influence them, create an environment where I don't think I'm a great coach or anything like that. I leave coaching to my staff, I just figure out what we need to work on today.
“I watch practices, I notice things, I have individual conversations with the players and tell them what they are not doing, and so on. I just guide them, push them, try to get them to learn. I'll show them the video, that's why you get caught in possession all the time because you don't scan and don't know he's there and he's there. Here are three examples from Saturday… I'm trying to teach young footballers to develop habits so that they do it without thinking, like all the best players.
"This' It's great when you can just flip the switch with young players and they want to work. You didn't tell them they needed extra training, and then you look out the window and they're there practicing what you said. Then you know this guy has a chance, these are the players I enjoy working with.
"I've had so many players who have had fantastic careers and there are some on this team, who can go and do the same. Why not? If they enjoy it, if they have a growth mindset and keep getting better. Whatever the motivation, whether it's just to test yourself against the best players or earn millions of pounds to improve your family's life, it doesn't matter"
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