David Pleat interview

David Pleat sat down with Owen Jephcote to reminisce about his time in Nuneaton. So grab a brew, sit down and have a read….

What part did Nuneaton Borough play in your managerial career, and what were some of the main things you learned from your managerial role with the club?

They had a massive role. They were very friendly people. I met the board after being recommended by Brian Clough and Peter Taylor I think. They were doing a favour for a man called Sam Downs who had a removal business in the area. There was also a man from a coach/bus company called Laws, and then there was the chairman Mr Scattergood. All well known people in the area in the Nuneaton area, all businessmen. Oh and Mr Openshaw, who was either a solicitor, an accountant or an estate agent. He was on the board too.

It was a great great experience and when I joined the club I was asked to get to work quickly. I got one or two players who I knew from previous experience and I bought John Gill and Tony Bircumshaw from Hartlepool. I gave a debut to Kirk Stephens at 16 at Chelmsford, and I promised him that in three years' time or before that if I ever became a manager of a league club, I would sign him which I did.

I paid Nuneaton I think five or ten thousand pounds for him, and he became a wonderful player for Luton Town and still lives of course in the Nuneaton area. And then there was Stan Marshall, who lived in the area, blue and white stripes right through his body, a real Nuneaton man. At the time we played in the Southern League and it was combined like the National League/Conference is now, there was a Northern and Southern League. It was a good standard. 

I remember the slope at Manor Park. We had some good games there, particularly night games, where we got a good crowd in the midweek league, mainly because football wasn't on television. In those days, you couldn't get night games on the television. They hadn’t done the relationship between the TV and football, which meant that our crowds diminished considerably once football was on television in midweek. One of the outstanding games I remember was a particularly sad day when we lost to Torquay United after winning about six games to get through the FA Cup First Round Proper. We lost in the last minute! I remember Gerry Baker, the brother of Joe Baker, who played at Nottingham Forest. Jerry was a good player for me. 

I should also mention Dave Goodall who travelled from Telford. But I tried to be very fair with the players. I used to train the players on a Saturday morning, and we did what was called Shadow Play. We did our free kicks. We practised our throw ins. It was amazing - Saturday mornings. Then we would have a bite to eat in the social club, and then we would play the game. That was the routine for all home games. But we didn't do too much training midweek as we often had a game, but when we did train, I didn't always demand that all the players came in, especially if they lived more than 60 miles away. I thought I was slightly unfair. We had about three players who made that journey. 

So managing at Nuneaton Borough taught me how to treat and manage people. I think I learned how to talk to people and how to hopefully lead people. 

Why did you leave the Boro?

I went to Luton after because Harry Haslam (Luton’s manager) was always very keen to have me on his staff. So after Nuneaton, I had learnt a lot and I carried on my career at Luton but I do owe Nuneaton a tremendous amount. A super super club. Very homely, very nice friendly people. I didn't know the Midlands that well as I was from Nottingham. It was a wonderful experience and wonderful people.

During your time at the club, the Southern League raised the price of match entry to 25p (around £3-4 in today's money), what are some of the biggest differences you noticed during your career as a player, manager and pundit?

The biggest difference, obviously, is television coming in and taking over the game and almost running the game. Then the agents came into the game. There was no advertising on the shirts. Everything has become commercial. With everything that has changed, some things have changed for the better. However, the game isn’t on a level playing field anymore. The rich have gotten richer, and the others have straggled on trying to get more money. Since the start of the Premier League, they have almost run the game, and the FA has become secondary in many ways to the power of the Premier League and the big clubs.

Unfortunately as a consequence of the introduction of television, non league crowds have suffered. I always remember reacting very badly at the game when they suggested games would be televised during the week. We needed the money from gates to try and sustain a team. At that time, football was affordable. Normally now, teams in the National League charge £15 / £20 and if you go to the big leagues it's £60 odd - unbelievable prices.

However, there is still room for football clubs like Nuneaton, and it is so important that the community has a good club to support. You have to ride with the changes, accept them, and just make the most of the enjoyment that a local team representing the town can give.

Why would you encourage Boro fans, football fans and the local community to get behind Nuneaton Town FC?

Because it's part of your tradition. It's part of the fabric of the town and town’s people. When the Boro has a run in the cup, everyone knows about it. It makes a wonderful difference. I'm sure people go to work with a smile on their face when they do well. Can you imagine the pride in Coventry City this year with the way that they have done in the cup? There's no question about it. Every community needs a local team, a local team to be proud of and they need to raise as much money as they possibly can. 

I wish longevity and to get the club going again because it is vital. I'm still in contact with Kirk Stephens who I speak to very regularly and who still lives in that area. I knew Trevor Peake, and the boys who Graham Carr had at Nuneaton who went into league football. You can look back and there were over 20 players from that time period who went into league football. Whether it was at Oxford, Luton Town, Coventry City, they produced players for football league teams. The whole system was perfectly poised. Good local players who played for Nuneaton, do well at Nuneaton then maybe get the wonderful chance to play in the Football League or Premier League. So we must try everything possible to keep it going.