Outside the box

I was at Team Bath for seven years with no conventional influence from the football world,” says Paul Tisdale, “and it opened my eyes to the kinds of approaches being employed outside the game.” After injury put paid to his professional football career Tisdale started his management journey at the University of Bath sports division, mixing with coaches from a host of disciplines, from hockey and tennis to skeleton bob, most at international or Olympic level.

“Every Monday lunchtime, the head coaches from the university’s 15 full-time sports would get together, discuss coaching and take turns to present on a theme,” Tisdale recalls. “It was a great way to learn from one another.”

Struck by how advanced the thinking in some other sports seemed to be at the time – for example, in their use of analytics and sports science and the importance they placed on a ‘big-picture’ outlook – he developed a lateral approach to improving his side’s performance. It’s something he took with him when he accepted the management job at Exeter City in 2006 and he has since built a reputation for thinking outside of football for ideas.

In the business world Tisdale’s best known connection is with fashion retailer Ted Baker, a brand he has had a 20-year connection with and is an ambassador for.

“I’ve seen up close how Ted Baker has grown from a small private company into a £1bn global plc and I often turn to it for inspiration,” he says. “Nienty per cent of the business is relevant to football. The product is different, but the management process required for success is similar: create an energised and positive environment; understand the economics; invest in and develop the product; inspire, direct and lead your team; adapt to industry changes and stick to your principles. I’ve seen founder Ray Kelvin build the brand using skills that are applicable to any football business.”

THE BIG PICTURE

Having managed in over 500 matches Tisdale has a wealth of experience in the many styles of play, tactics and approaches out there on the field. However, his inquisitive nature and lateral thinking have also equipped him with a far broader set of skills, which he believes has been invaluable as his role has evolved.

“The longer you’re with a club the more you tend to become intrinsically involved in all departments and so you get a valuable insight into their challenges and needs,” he says. “You need a broad skillset if you’re going to help run a league football club because what the fans see – your league position and your recent results – is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s what’s below the waterline that constitutes the majority of what goes on.”

Tisdale’s remit covers developing the club’s players and coaches, from the academy through to the first team, and of course trying to win matches. But there’s also a considerable business side to his role – managing the overall health of the club, spending money shrewdly and sustainably and generating wealth.

We have no big benefactor at Exeter. Instead, the supporters put in about £100k per year and everything else is down to the decisions we make, which are always in the long-term interests of the club,” he says. “I have to consider both the commercial and playing sides, which means there’s a large set of variables and the horizon is constantly moving.”

BALANCE AND PERSPECTIVE

The real challenge therefore lies in striking the right balance between thinking long-term about the club as a whole and winning the next game. “Getting that balance right is one of the toughest parts of my job,” says Tisdale, “because you can’t allow your focus, time and energy to be taken too far away from what’s happening on the pitch. Good results are essential.”

Looking outside of your immediate football environment shouldn’t mean you neglect the game, he adds. “I gain something from every match that I watch, whether it’s one I’m involved with or that of another team or sport,” says Tisdale. “You can also learn a lot from everyone around you, including your players, because every one of them will bring out something different in you. I often think while coaching, ‘I can use that’ or ‘I can build around that’, and that changes with every new team. Anybody who has talent, is totally committed and has imagination can inspire you.”

Tisdale is similarly open to the use of modern techniques such as data analytics to assist his decisions, but he agrees there’s a skill in recognising where they’re a useful tool and where they simply muddy the waters.

Exeter City has a full-time analyst who shares Tisdale’s office and is on hand to provide advice and support on any ideas that he comes up with. “I am, however, very aware that although data is now a very important part of the game you mustn’t let it govern you,” Tisdale says. “I have 15 years’ experience in collecting and analysing data and I’ve seen it work well when you have a plan and the numbers support or challenge your thinking. However, I’ve also wasted energy researching interesting but needless data. There’s so much available now that prioritising what is really important and relevant is the biggest challenge.”

Born in Malta, the child of a military man, and having played football professionally in Finland and Greece, Tisdale is also well travelled and this too has widened his outlook.

“I think it showed me that although the rules are the same, every league has its own distinct personality,” he says. “What I experienced in Greece, for example, was completely different to what I had seen before in England and I found that certain players and coaches may flourish in one league but not in another. Sometimes it’s down to their fit with the club or manager, but the country and culture are certainly factors. In the English leagues there is a need for drama, pace and instant gratification that differs from the subtlety and patience you find elsewhere and that encourages a different type of player. In that sense travel was a real eye-opener for me.”

FOUNDATIONS

Ten-year tenures such as Tisdale’s, during which he has guided Exeter to several promotions, are becoming nothing short of remarkable in English football and he has what many managers might consider an enviable level of autonomy and responsibility.

Asked what has led to that longevity and stability he says his total commitment to Exeter City has been a major factor. “I’ve been focused on developing the players and facilities here and making this my club,” he says. “A big part of my goal has been to create an environment of long-term thinking and to encourage continuity. Also, many of the other key figures at the club, from the director of football, the chairman and the academy manager to the head groundsman, have been here for a long time too, so I’ve really benefited from their experience and from the continuity of the wider team.”

In return the club has benefited from the consistent approach and direction that comes with retaining its core staff over a long period.

“We have experience of what works at the football club and are able to take a more strategic long-term approach to the choices we make,” says Tisdale. “Too often in football people think only in the short term, which can lead to mistakes. For example, when a club sacks a manager the new one is likely to replace players and young talent may not get the opportunities they need. Such mistakes would be very costly at a club like ours.”

He adds that the longevity of its staff also means there’s a greater sense of affinity with the club, an affection and a shared ambition that goes above and beyond professional goals.

“We’re not interested in a boom-and-bust cycle,” he says. “There’s a trust and understanding that everybody wants the best for Exeter City in the long term.”

Over his 10 years with the club Tisdale has had to adapt both to its changing needs and his evolving role. “It gets stronger by the year, especially the academy, which continues to be the lifeblood of the club,” he says. “It’s our primary source of capital and has seen a growing number of players breaking through to first-team level.”

In other areas too Tisdale has been instrumental in pushing for continual progress off the pitch. “The Football in the Community department at Exeter has grown hugely over the past few years, for example, and we’re very proud of that,” he says. “Seeing the club improve in this way is really important for everyone associated with the club.”

Exeter City is also in the process of installing a state-of-the-art 3G facility at its training ground, funded by a club-record sale of one of its young players.

Having started out in non-league football and worked across three leagues, Tisdale believes that the quality of club facilities is one of the biggest differentials and that improving them should be a priority.

“Standards are developing continually at the top and that filters down, pushing up quality and professionalism further down the football pyramid,” he says. “There has been, however, an apathy in non-league towards good facilities right through to grassroots level and that has been to the detriment of our game. We must address that, because you can’t expect people to respect the game if the environment they’re playing in isn’t of a respectable standard.”

KEEPING PACE

While a long tenure generally brings multiple benefits to both club and manager, there is always a risk that complacency might creep in. Tisdale says it’s important to give yourself a regular reboot, thinking afresh about your philosophy and methods.

“My long-term vision for the club, the need to rebuild the team every few years and trying out new ideas on the pitch keeps me on my toes,” he says, “and that’s important because you have to keep it interesting. Also, it’s healthy to have strong personalities around you who are prepared to challenge your ideas and approaches. That’s why I’ve always enjoyed having coaching staff around me with strong opinions who I can learn from.”

Looking ahead, Tisdale also faces the challenges that come with the fan-ownership model, which he says has both pros and cons. “In many respects, being a community-based club provides us with security and we know that we’re doing things in a sustainable way,” he says. “But it can also mean that we’re more limited in what we do compared to privately-owned clubs, so it’s harder to keep pace with their progress. Therein lies the challenge for me and the rest of the team here at Exeter.”