What is it like to be a caretaker manager?

Key Highlights

• And is hiring an interim manager a good idea?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement'They seem to believe in me'Phil Brown (left), Jobi McAnuff (centre) and Neil Warnock (right) have all overseen caretaker manager duties during their careers []Neil Warnock has been no stranger to arriving at a team in crisis and steering them to safety.
• A 44-year coaching career has taken him to 17 different clubs. The 77-year-old worked as a caretaker or short-term boss at Rotherham, QPR, Huddersfield and Aberdeen, and he says the key to success is identifying strengths from the off and weeding out players who do not want to be there."I go in and have a look at what they have got and straight away try and look at where the strengths are, where the weaknesses are, and try and work on the strengths," he told BBC Sport. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"When I've gone in the dressing room and I start talking, you can hear a pin drop.
• They're all thinking 'this is our best chance to stay up having a manager like him', and that is how I get everybody on board.
• With me having a record that I've got, they seem to believe in me."Jobi McAnuff's situation was different. He was club captain at League Two side Leyton Orient when manager Ross Embleton was sacked in February 2021 and the chairman approached him with the chance to take over until the end of the season. Unlike Warnock, McAnuff already knew the club's issues, understood the dressing-room dynamic and knew the owner - much to his advantage. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut he also had to find ways to distance himself from his former team-mates, deciding to hang up his boots and even quit the team WhatsApp group."I was ready to step away from the pitch completely because I feel that you need to put your sole focus on management and coaching and it's incredibly demanding," he told BBC Sport.
• "I wouldn't recommend anybody try and play and manage in this day and age.