Nigel Adkins stepping up to face another challenge at Charlton Athletic + how Twitter stay has been far longer than he initially planned

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Nigel Adkins was already a man on a mission. Now he has got another one.

The 56-year-old is walking 11,000 steps a day in March to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Adkins is part of the League Managers Association’s March the Month team.

But now he has to juggle that challenge with a return to management after Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard plumped for the former Southampton and Scunthorpe boss to succeed Lee Bowyer.

Adkins has been holding one-to-one meetings with the Addicks players this week, with some of those conversations taking place with a stroll around the Sparrows Lane training ground.

When I catch up with Adkins at 4pm on Wednesday afternoon he has done 16,000 steps.

“I normally get up early and I normally go for a walk – it’s just part of my routine,” he said. “We’re supporting Prostate Cancer UK and we’re trying to raise as much money as we can. It’s 11,000 steps, on average, because 11,000 men a year die of it – one man every 45 minutes.

“They are husbands, brothers, uncles – it affects the whole family. If we can keep trying to raise awareness to help find the right treatment and early diagnosis then that helps.

“I’m very thankful for everyone who has made a donation so far.”

Adkins has also been a social media hit during lockdown.

His positive daily morning messages – often asking for people’s three goals for the day – has seen him attract more than 50,000 Twitter followers.

He joined the platform in 2014, although he was convinced it would be a short-lived experience.

“I was at Reading and I couldn’t understand why people were on social media and Twitter,” said Adkins. “A wonderful lady was giving a talk to a load of managers at St George’s Park about it.

“There were pictures of what players at other football clubs – the Arsenals and Manchester Uniteds – were doing. All of a sudden it was one of my players up there and I was cringing at what I was seeing.

“I came out of that session and said: ‘Right, tell them to come off it now, meeting at nine o’clock in the morning’. I ran the riot act about why you shouldn’t be on it.

“I was totally naive to it. But this is what my players are doing regularly, they are on it seven or eight hours a day, and it’s the way the world is going. I like to think I’m forward-thinking and keep abreast of what the latest things are. I said: ‘Can you please put me on it? I know I will get a lot of stick for being on it. I need to understand why people are on it’.

“I thought I’d just go on it for three months, understand it and then come off it saying: ‘That’s why you don’t go on it’. There is always going to be an element that people have an opinion – that’s freedom of speech and fine. But there are so many good, good things that can just come from helping people.

“This year, more than ever because the fans can’t be in the stadium, it is a great way to engage.

“The daily messages have gone down well. People have related to it. I do a lot of charity work and there are a lot of people who have struggled through this year, a lot more than others. If I can just help one person it is worth doing.

“I do a lot of CPD (continuing professional development) – putting ideas out there. I’m trying to get the right balance, a lot of fun and laughter but with a serious side as well.

“The walking is brilliant and the talking is brilliant. Just to try to get people to speak goes a long way.

“I can see the input I’ve had has helped a lot of people in challenging situations. And it’s helped a lot of people then help other people.

“Because you put yourself out there, there is a situation that could arise that you get a lot of negative feedback for what you’re doing. But at the moment everyone has been absolutely brilliant. I’m just trying to be me.”

Adkins’ upbeat approach is likely to be crucial in Charlton’s run-in. Former players talk glowingly about the belief and confidence he added to their games.

Getting to know his squad and building rapports quickly has been a priority. Adkins admits he has 500 messages on his phone that he is yet to find the time to respond to since being appointed Charlton boss last Thursday.

“You have to prioritise certain things,” he said. “Players need to understand where they stand and what the identity is, a bit of clarity on everything.

“Just having that one-on-one conversation with a person is the most important thing – and where they are at this particular moment in time. For example that could be their contractual situation, family situation, injury situation, how they are finding things and what their mindset is – building that relationship is so, so important.

“I’ve had that experience. I played more than 200 games. I was a physiotherapist for 557 games – that is 10 years. You understand life and it is how you help people. And then I’ve had 550 games, or something like that, in the league as a manager, along with a couple of hundred at Bangor in the league of Wales as well.

“It’s about how I build a relationship with the players and the staff, but also getting on the training ground. It’s about implementing the principles of how we conduct ourselves and our values, trying to get the environment and culture how we want it.”

Adkins has won four promotions before – three from League One with back-to-back ones at Southampton to reach the Premier League.

Sandgaard has talked about Charlton returning to the top flight as well as qualifying for Europe.

“The owner has already put the long-term vision out there,” said Adkins. “It is very, very ambitious, but it is exciting. It gives clarity to everyone at the football club.

“From my point of view coming in, the short-term side of it is how can we go and win the next game, to keep the season alive and still give ourselves the chance to get promoted?

“But, likewise, what is our identity and how are we going to be as a team moving forward? How do we recruit to that so we do have a good balance in the squad? How do we develop an elite culture? What are our values? The first of those, going back to social media, is to be a good person in life and see if you can help everybody.

“I’ve engaged with the academy. I went to watch the U23s at Coventry. I’ve met some of the schoolboy teams and Karen [Hills, Charlton Women’s new manager]. I’ve tried to meet as many people as possible – because we are one football club and one community. How can we all come together as a team? Together everyone achieves more.

“I’m looking forward to meeting the supporters at the appropriate time.

“Yes, you’ll always get judged on results. But success is sometimes also the many, many other things that go on alongside winning on a Saturday – that’s everyone feeling part of our football club, buying into it, feeling valued for what they do and listened to – that is an important one.

“If we can harness that all together it can be really powerful. We all want to belong to something.”

You can donate to Nigel by going to https://marchthemonth.prostatecanceruk.org/fundraising/nigel-adkins

NIGEL ADKINS’ FOUR PROMOTIONS

SCUNTHORPE 2006-07
Initially took caretaker charge in November 2006 and six months later the Iron were celebrating the League One title as well as ending a 40-year wait to be back in English football’s second tier. Finished six points clear of Bristol City.

SCUNTHORPE 2008-09
Sixth in the final standings in League One. They beat Millwall 3-2 in the play-off final at Wembley.

SOUTHAMPTON 2010-11
The Saints were 22nd in the League One table when Adkins signed a three-year contract in mid-September. Won 13 of their final 15 matches to finish runners-up, on 92 points, to Brighton.

SOUTHAMPTON 2011-12
Rickie Lambert scored 31 goals for the South Coast club, who won on the final day at home to Coventry to deny West Ham United runners-up spot in the Championship.