They say it is the loneliest job in football. Maybe they are right. “I have had managers admit to me that they have sat in the car on the way home, pulled over and cried because that was their only private space where they could have that release.”
Those are the words of Ray Power. His job is to provide that sounding board as a confidant to the game's top coaches, an outlet to those under pressure at the top of the game. A conversation with Power offers an insight into how these managers really think.
Unfortunately, naming names is out of the question. Non-disclosure agreements have been signed. "The starting place has to be trust," he explains. "And football is not great in terms of allowing professionals to show weakness or any little bit of vulnerability."
But within the game, Power's work is known. He has coached development pathways in Ireland and Asia, worked with Sunderland to help young talent in Tanzania, and is a best-selling author in the field of coach and player development.
As well as the one-on-one conversations with Premier League managers, speaking regularly with football's elite, there are his webinars for youth coaches and the smaller sessions for the game's professional coaches, from a range of different leagues.
"Those meetings of 10 to 12 coaches are like a support meeting, an inner circle." They come from all around the world. "I would not have two managers from the same league in the same meeting and the breadth of it means that would be unlikely anyway," he adds.
Guest speakers have included former Liverpool and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and ex-England rugby union coach Eddie Jones. But the aspect of his work that has taken off over the past 18 months has been the one-to-one sessions with elite coaches.
Perhaps it says something about the pressure on these apex figures that they find it easier to be heard out by someone who might best be described as a football-fluent therapist than their colleagues or even their family. Power argues that it makes sense.
"They cannot go home and tell their partner that their biggest problem today was that - and this is a genuine example - my centre-back would not take the ball off the goalkeeper and I wanted him to. It is not a grown-up problem to other people is it?
"Your partner is going to turn around and say, 'What the hell are you talking about? I have had the kids all day and they are ill or the alarm went off and I could not find the keys.' Maybe the guy who was supposed to fix this or that at the house hasn't turned up.
"But if a player openly challenges a coach in a training session about something that is crucial for the team, that stings and it has a ripple effect. It can be hard to recover from that from a tactical perspective but more importantly from an authority perspective."
Speaking to fellow members of staff can be tricky for different reasons. "In that environment, it can become a bit of echo chamber." Power can offer perspective. "Some have genuine sounding boards within clubs. What I have found is that most do not."
The problem is that the demand on a manager encourages them to bottle up the doubts. "You cannot show weakness, you have to know everything. If you have actually got something wrong, then you probably do need to speak to someone on the outside."
In Power's experience, those at the top of their profession "tend to be very aware of their blind spots" while it is those with a lot to prove who "struggle to accept that they are struggling to deal with a big character or that they have got a tactic wrong" on the pitch.
But what they all share is this outsized responsibility in a sport in which plenty is outside of their control. "And the mask always has to be on for them." Power allows them to show their "inner face" in his presence and think through the solutions without being judged.
These one-to-one relationships do differ. With one elite manager, the contact is near constant. "We speak every few days. A deep dive into everything." With another, it might be once a month. One engages Power for "six-week sprints where we dig into one particular problem."
He works with one manager on the challenge of being more persuasive with players, staff and even the upper echelons of the club. Often, the focus can be on external perceptions rather than internal stresses, whereupon Power's role seems to be at the intersection of therapy and public relations.
For example, he studied press conferences and interviews, providing feedback. "There was one recently where the setup was so poor that he did not look comfortable. I suggested that he re-do it walking around the training ground instead."
Another memory is of sending a 12-minute video to a prospective client who was wavering about engaging him. "I was watching his interview on Your Site the next week and it was that video condensed, even down to the phrasing." They work together now.
It should come as no surprise that those in the public eye can be acutely aware of how they are being perceived. "Everything you say is important and when you say it on camera you are saying it to everybody - including your next employer or next crucial signing."
He is always on the lookout for those tell-tale signs in his private conversations too. When a job appears to be running its course, like any therapist, it is often a case of asking questions with the aim of helping the person reach conclusions on their own.
"Would you rather be on the beach somewhere tomorrow with your wife than walking into that training ground because an issue is cutting you that deep? Alternatively, what happens if we just wait this out for four to six weeks? How might the situation look then?
"Maybe that is therapy but it is just presenting them with the options, really. You soon find out from their answers. One manager once said to me, 'They have a game in a few days.' Not we, they. You know when you hear that where they have put their chips."
Intriguingly, Power points out that a running theme for managers is a focus on legacy building. In a job that can feel transient with trophies at a premium, leaving something behind can be a way to provide meaning, bolster self-esteem and boost a reputation.
"One particular client is very aware of their legacy so we are ensuring that they are do things beyond focusing on the result. It might be something as simple as speaking to parents in the car park, being visible at the academy, or sticking your neck out for a local player."
He adds: "Jurgen Klopp got so much credibility for rocking up in a pub or stopping for a bunch of kids when walking down the street. Telling people you value their support can definitely be a factor in how your work is perceived and how much backing you receive."
Others might be at the start of their journey not the end. "That conversation might focus on points of difference. If you are midtable and everyone else is playing 4-2-3-1 with a mid-block too, how are you going to stand out unless you go in a particular direction?"
Even when things are going swimmingly, there is a key role to play. Power has to assume the role of devil's advocate, carrying a box of "what-if scenarios" to future-protect his client.
"What if a referee's decision or bad luck costs you a game? What if six straight wins becomes three without a win? Can you foresee things like this and communicate it to everyone - even your chairman - to make sure that it does not hurt you when it turns?"
So, what has he learned from his time as football's manager whisperer? "Not all of the best coaches are working at the top, you know. I will say that outright." But a shared trait among most leaders is that inner belief, an ability to take a group of people with you.
"You do need a certain makeup," Power explains. "There are some serious football people, experts in their trade, experts on the training ground, but if you put them in front of Chelsea's first team then they would go to pieces. Not every coach has that makeup."
But even the ones that do sometimes need a voice in their ear. "Each individual is different but everyone should have someone, whether it is when things are going well or when they are going badly," says Power. "Because the noise can be hard to get away from."
