It is fair to say that the transition from playing football professionally and then going into management is not easy. Some individuals just do not have the drive, confidence or ingrained love of the game of football to start coaching players on the training ground. In addition, there are other individuals who are simply not good enough or have the right temperament to become a manger after playing football at a professional level because their inability to understand football as well their behaviour on a football pitch. However, current Millwall manager Gary Rowett is not a person who has these characteristics.
“You Can Do Something About It And Use It In A Positive Way”
Gary Rowett spoke honestly in an interview with Millwall FC that it is important for a player to recover mentally and explore other opportunities after facing the disappointment of retiring early as a professional footballer.
Rowett told the club’s official website: “It’s those periods which shape you a little bit. You can either sit back and rue the fact your career is over at age 30, or you can do something about it and use it in a positive way.”
Rowett has shown excellent mental capacity to be able to make the smooth transition from playing football at a professional level to then becoming an established manager. It would be naïve to think that the Englishman had an easy route to management because every manager needs to complete their coaching badges and be able to prove that they have got the right credentials to be good manager.
Furthermore, it is also important to note that they also need to show their supporters, critics and the board of directors at a particular club that they are adequate enough to be a good manager and ultimately bring joy and success to the football club.
Of course, it goes without saying that success or the level of success is relatively subjective because success to one club could be different to another. For example, winning trophies, surviving relegation or playing an attractive brand of football could be perceived as being a success to a board or football supporters.
The current Millwall manager has certainly shown some promise during his spell at the South East London club. Rowett has been able to impress the fanbase by having a clear football philosophy whereby his team looks play aggressive when in transition of the ball, playing higher up the pitch and looking to exert their authority over the opposition by playing nice possession-based football.
Therefore, it comes to no surprise that the board of directors are very happy that they appointed him because it allows Millwall to become a more attractive proposition for players who want to leave a particular football club. Moreover, it also makes The Den an even more terrifying place to attend for opposing players because they will know they will be in for a very difficult game.
Where It All Began For Rowett
In his earlier days, the Englishman had the fortune of making it as a professional footballer. Rowett started his career at Cambridge United as he progressed through the youth ranks. He was part of the Cambridge team that achieved their best ever league finish in the history of the club, finishing 5th placed in the Second Division during the 1991/92 season – a record that still stands in the club’s history. After three successful seasons at the Abby Stadium Rowett was rewarded for his efforts at Cambridge United by earning a move to Merseyside club Everton in March 1994 for £200,000.
Unfortunately, the spell at the Merseyside club did not quite work out for the Englishman as he failed to make a breakthrough into the first team. Rowett then suffered a setback in his professional footballing career by having unsuccessful loan spell at Blackpool. However, he managed to deal with disappointment of not making it at Everton by going out on loan to Blackpool. The Englishman was able to get some appearances under his belt during his time at the Seasiders and managed to have a good season. After having a positive loan spell at Blackpool, Rowett moved on to Derby County in swap deal with Craig Short which led him to spend three seasons at the club.
In the summer of 2000, Rowett made the return to the Premier League by joining Leicester City for a fee of £3 million after being noticed for his excellent performances during his two-year loan spell at Birmingham City whereby he helped the Midlands club reach the Championship play offs. Gary Rowett had the pleasure of earning his first taste of continental football by competing in the UEFA Cup with Leicester.
Sadly, for him and the Foxes, the tournament ended in disappointment as they lost to Red Star Belgrade in the first round on penalty shoot outs. However, one highlights of Rowett’s career was when he scored his first ever Premiership goal in a 2-1 against Chelsea at Filbert Street.
“It’s Probably My Biggest Frustration, In Truth”
In May 2002, Rowett moved to Charlton Athletic for £3.5 million. However, Rowett did not enjoy his time at Charlton due to injuries. Seventeen years later, the Millwall manager admitted in an interview with Millwall FC that he had difficult time while playing at Charlton.
Rowett told Millwall’s official website: “It’s probably my biggest frustration, in truth. It was frustrating for Charlton fans, because you’ve signed a player you think is going to play and looking from the outside they think that he is injury prone. But I’d hardly been injured before then.”
“It Was Tough”
Rowett made the decision to retire from professional football in the summer of 2004 due to a knee injury. It was a decision that shocked the club and their fans as it came a few weeks after his centre back partner Richard Rufus chose to retire.
During an interview with Millwall FC, Rowett felt that it was a hard decision to retire at the age of 30. “It was tough. You almost feel guilty in that situation because you’ve signed for a club who have wanted you for so long. Curbs had signed me to play with Richard Rufus – quite a good combination. All of a sudden the two of us retired with the same injury within the space of a couple of weeks”, said Rowett to the club’s official website.
Gary Rowett then overturned his decision to retire after he was persuaded by Nigel Clough who the Burton Albion manager at the time. Rowett joined the Burton Albion in 2005 whereby he spent two seasons at the club until retiring at the age of 33 in 2007. Five years later the Englishman started his managerial career at as he appointed as the permanent manager in May 2012, spending two seasons at the club and eventually moving on to Birmingham City in October 2014.
Rowett had a successful first season at Birmingham as he managed to propel the Midlands club from 2nd to 10th in the Championship table which earned him a huge amount of praise from the supporters and the management. However, Rowett was sacked by Birmingham in December 2016. It was a decision that was heavily criticised by the fans and the public as the club were sitting in 7th place in the Championship, one place behind the play off places.
What Life Is Now Like At The Den
The Englishman then had unsuccessful spells at Derby County and Stoke City respectively whereby he only managed to spend a season at both clubs. However, he was able to return management and move to The Den and become the new Millwall manager, taking over from Neil Harris. Rowett managed to impress the Lions’ faithful by earning a 2-0 home victory over his former club Stoke City.
The Millwall manager has continued to impress the Millwall fans with his attractive style of play and it has led the fans and the board to believe in what he is trying to achieve at the football club. Rowett will be looking to achieve their long-term goal as he will hope and believe that he is the man to steer the South East London club back to the Premier League.
