Cambridge United head coach Garry Monk believes adaptability is key to his style of management following Russell Martin’s sacking at Southampton
Head coach Garry Monk has opened up on his decision to alter Cambridge United’s style of play earlier this season.
Tactical approaches have been a hot topic of conversation in the Premier League in recent days following bottom-of-the-table Southampton’s decision to part company with manager Russell Martin. Having guided the Saints back to the top flight last term, Martin stood by his way of playing despite a plethora of errors in the defensive third leading to a number of goals being conceded.
That is contrast to Monk, who like Martin started the campaign with aspirations of seeing the U’s building out from the goalkeeper and enjoying the lion’s share of possession.
However, after a run of eight defeats from the opening nine League One fixtures, Monk opted for slightly more of a direct approach and it has paid dividends with United going on to pick up 16 points from the next 30 on offer.
And while insisting that every manager should stay true to their own beliefs, Monk feels that showing some adaptability is a key component to his way of working.
He said: “Everyone is different and there is no right or wrong. You’ll have the extreme where it’s ‘no matter what I’m going to play this way’. And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, it’s whatever your belief system is.
“My belief system, which probably comes from my experience, is that my idea of good management is adapting, being able to play different ways, but also recognising what the group needs and what their strengths are – and adapting yourself to them.
“I don’t see anything wrong with that and I don’t see anything wrong whatever way you do it, but if I had a business, I would expect whoever is running it to be able to adapt.
“No season is the same, no moment is the same from week to week and things happen differently. Ultimately results drive the business and you’ve got to find a way to get them.
“If something isn’t working over a prolonged period of time – and in football it’s often only a short time – you’ve got to make those decisions. And I think good management is about making those decisions, regardless of me doing that or anyone else doing that.
“But then I see the other side of it. If we’re using Russell as an example, I’m not saying he’s wrong at all because everyone is different. I just feel personally that my job is to adapt, that’s what good management is, but of course there are certain bits that are not idealistic or what I’d like them to be.
“How long do you do certain things for? What you’re trying to do is get some stability and then try to add certain bits to that. Maybe at the start of the season it was a learning curve for everyone and we went too quick.
“And sometimes ego can play a big part in it and stubbornness. At times you’ve got to give in (and change), as long as it’s for the right reasons.
“I always look at things and try to work out what the best thing to do is, but it’s ok thinking you want to do something different, it’s then having the skillset to actually deliver it, train it and all the other things you need to do.
“We’ve moved the dial a bit recently, but how we progress that will depend on the period we’re in, what we’re doing and the players coming back obviously helps that, so we’ll see.”
