Gary Brabin, the assistant manager of Oldham Athletic, doesn’t try to hide the part that coaches gave him while he was a player. The then-midfielder’s no-nonsense approach was one that teams would use to try to fight their way out of problems. It was successful.
“Where people were under pressure they would bring me in and I had a good record of going into places and never in my live have I been relegated,” Brabin said.
That’s what I felt pleased about. However, it seems that was my football calling.”
Brabin believes that kind of fighting edge came from his early football years.
“I loved playing football as a kid, typical street type football growing up,” he stated.
“There were no academies or similar establishments as there are today. We were forced to travel independently via bus. I grew up in that setting, so it’s amazing how much has changed.”
It was beneficial to him.
“I was fortunate enough to have played professionally and pretty much at the end of my career I got straight into coaching and managing,” he stated.
“I learned from my football experience and have always wanted to be a manager. I believe that I gained a deeper understanding of your concerns and intended to address them if I ever had the opportunity to work in management, which I was lucky enough to achieve.
“I feel like you’re constantly stealing concepts for workouts and lineups. Someone suddenly gains a lot of success and everyone believes they’ve invented the wheel. They haven’t; these are long-standing issues, but you have to stand by your convictions.”
But when he thinks back on his own playing career, he wishes he had set a higher standard.
“As I get older and wiser… I don’t have any regrets but when I look back I think I should have done better,” he stated.
“You learn from it and I try to put that into football now as best I can to try to get the best out of players.”
And that’s just what he and supervisor Micky did.
Having joined the team in October of last year, Mellon intends to do with Oldham Athletic in their first full season in command.
“While I wouldn’t say I attempt to fit the squad around the players, I do believe that it influences how you play to some extent, unless you go elsewhere and start from scratch and make all the necessary changes. “When you take over as a manager, you’re usually taking over a team of players that the previous manager left for whatever reason, and that’s something I’ve always enjoyed,” Brabin said.
“I was thrilled when Micky asked if I would like to visit Oldham. It wasn’t the challenge, the club, or working with Micky that made me consider it; rather, it was other factors that had an impact on my life.
but I chose to accept it since I was enthusiastic about it.
“This is a nice club.
“There is nothing bad about Oldham; everything is good.
“The club is in a great situation now that the new owners have taken over, and they have done more than just help the team on the pitch.
“We’ve entered that.
But the work is challenging. I was aware that it would be difficult.
“Managers face a variety of difficulties that make it difficult. Although it’s a difficult task, we can tell that we’re making progress.
In addition to his position as sporting director of Southport, Brabin, 53, has managed Southport twice, Cambridge United, Luton Town, and Tranmere Rovers. Prior to accepting the call to join Mellon at Boundary Park last year, he preferred to serve as an assistant at Port Vale, Blackpool, and Luton Town Welsh club TNS.
“I didn’t want to become a managerial mercenary that goes from club to club because I have small children and I want to spend more time with them. “I wanted to evaluate my actions and make sure I made the right decisions the next time I went somewhere,” Brabin said of his choice to leave management.
“As a manager, I’d like to think I’ve been successful. I’ve led teams to play-off finals and cup runs, and I’ve taken over struggling teams and kept them in the top division. In my opinion, I’ve been a very successful manager.
whose roles.
“It’s gone well. Anything the manager spills, I’m beneath to catch it for him. I think that’s the best way to characterise an assistant manager—someone who fills in the gaps that a manager cannot.
“I do my hardest to accomplish that, and I also strive to contribute other things, such as my experience, coaching, and recruiting skills.
As an assistant manager, I try not to shove my beliefs down people’s throats.
“I understand that there may be times when you disagree, but in the end, I’ve been in your shoes, therefore if we disagree on anything, I will support the manager in his actions.
That’s the reason I’m taking this job and enjoying this role.”
However, I made the choice to work as a coach or an assistant manager, and I’ve been lucky to have
