Grantham Town boss reveals tireless work behind the scenes ahead of a new football season
Grantham boss Martin Mcintosh has been busy preparing for the new season as well as keeping active during lockdown.
As with most managers across the country, Gingerbreads boss Martin McIntosh has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that his playing squad is ready for the return of the new season.
Keeping in regular conversation with transfer targets as well as his coaching staff, the Grantham boss admitted he has been working non-stop in the off-season.
He said: “Preparations have been good so far.
“Some days are slow, but some days are full of joy. I’m on the phone almost every day finding out about players, seeing who is available and whether or not they will be the right fit for us.
“I’m on the phone to my assistant [Tim Ryan] sometimes nearly three to four times in one day so we haven’t really had chance to stop.
“With the current situation it’s been harder to sign players but I’m not complaining one bit, as it’s a vital part of the job that I really enjoyed doing.”
Despite there being no official start date for the 2020/21 season confirmed by the Northern Premier League, some clubs have already begun their preparations for the upcoming campaign by returning to pre-season training.
Whilst the Gingerbreads are not one of those who have returned to training yet, the Grantham boss is cautious to start training too early to ensure the safety of the playing staff is fulfilled.
McIntosh continued: “Normally I would have started back by now but obviously things are a bit different at the moment.
“The players - like me - are desperate to get back but more importantly we have to make sure it is safe for them to return and ensuring that we are correctly following the government guidelines.
“We have to get it right and make sure it’s okay, but I think it will probably be another two to three weeks before we start maybe.”
McIntosh also stressed that he didn’t want to overload his squad with pre-season training ahead of what is likely to be a busy schedule next season.
He said: “What I don’t want to do is have the players training for 12 weeks before the start of the season.
“The season is long enough as it is and training them intensely - and for too long - before the start of the season will only burn them out and would end up becoming quite counter-productive.
“Players nowadays though tend to keep themselves fit in the off-season anyway and I know that when they return, they will all be eager to get going ahead of next season.”
As the wait continues for the return of football at The Meres, fans have still been able to get their fix of football as the top two leagues in England have returned to finish their respective campaigns.
The Grantham boss has also been tuning into the games and whilst he is happy to have the beautiful game back, believes that clubs are missing their fans.
He said: “First and foremost, I think I speak for everyone that it is great to have some football back.
“I think because of the financial implications, the top two tiers had to come back otherwise they were going to lose so much money, what with no TV and matchday revenue coming in, but it still hasn’t quite been the same as the normal experience.
“Crowds certainly add an extra element to the game, and it is clear that we are missing that. Players thrive off the crowd and, in some ways, I think it has affected the way that some teams have played.
“Without the fans there to push them on, some teams have been safer with the way they played as normally they would have somebody shouting them on and encouraging them to be positive in the way they play.”
The 49-year-old also said that he had been keeping an eye on one team in particular due to previous connections with the club.
He added: “To be honest I don’t actually support anyone in particular, but one team I have been keeping a closer eye on it would be Tottenham.
“They were the first club I signed for when I moved down to England and I enjoy the way they play so I would say Spurs are who I have the most interest in.”
Away from football, McIntosh has spent his time in lockdown getting to grips with the great outdoors as well as swapping football for golf and also proposed a challenge to any of our Grantham golfing supporters.
He said: “At the start of lockdown I tried doing a bit of running but over my years playing football I had a lot of wear and tear with injuries and operations so had been doing 10-mile walks almost every day whilst combining those with all my work-related phone calls.
“Since some of the restrictions have been lifted, I have reduced those walks to about 6-miles now and been playing some golf which, I have been playing three or four times a week.
“I would say I am alright at golf. My handicap is currently at seven so if any of the fans fancy playing against me, I would be more than up for it, but once I’ve played, it’s normally then back to work!”