Tales from the National League - How the unique genius of Paul Sturrock set up Graham Coughlan for the management challenge at Boston United

Mentors come in all shapes and forms, especially in the footballing landscape, but when talking about his footballing life, Graham Coughlan credits his success to a man he calls a ‘genius’ and how he played a pivotal role in both his career as a player and his entry into management.  

Coughlan’s current job is trying to steer Boston United away from relegation danger in the National League, but the Irishman may never have ended up in Lincolnshire if it hadn’t been for this relationship with Paul Sturrock. 

• Read next I Phil Brown aiming for another tick on his managerial list by ending the season on a high with Kidderminster Harriers

The sucess of Sturrock 

It was under Sturrock who the former defender thrived during his playing days, as they enjoyed a successful era together at Plymouth Argyle that saw back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship. And Coughlan is quick to wax lyrical about his former boss and the impact he had inside a dressing room. 

“I know the word legend is used loosely, but I tend to use the word genius, so I used the word genius when it comes to Paul Sturrock,” Coughlan said in an exclusive chat with DAZN News. 

“Now, everybody will look at me and think, what's he going on? He was just crazy, he was just mad, he was just weird, and the weird and wonderful things he used to do -  I'd certainly never get away with them things now.

“I've got hundreds and hundreds of great tales, great stories, but he was a lovable rogue; he looked after us, and he made sure we were taken care of.

"He knew when to spike you, he could give you a needle, he could give you a little bit of a kick up the backside or a spike to get you going, and he knew how to push your buttons. In fairness to him, he used to, if ever I needed it, he'd just say to me, listen, get yourself off, don't come in and have a few beers, I'll go home to Dublin, I'll go and spend some time with the wife and the kids.

"He knew how to treat you, he knew how to look after you, and I think every player that has ever played for him just went out and put their bodies on the line for him because they had that connection with him, they loved him, and they respected him.” 

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Cryptic call to coaching 

After enjoying success together as manager and player at both Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday, Sturrock then played a massive role in Coughlan’s pathway into management.

After hanging up his boots, he’d already started coaching at various clubs in their academy set-ups – even admitting management wasn’t on the cards. That was until he got a phone call from his former boss and an instruction that changed his career route.

“As far as management and first team coaching, I suppose again I have to look back to Paul Sturrock,” Coughlan confesses with a smile that foreshadows that a story is about to be told.

“One Sunday afternoon, he just phoned me up to give me a postcode and just said I'll see you there in the morning. I said well, ‘Where are we going?  What are we doing?’ and just be there, he says to me.

"This is probably the trust I had in him. I turned up on the Monday morning at the training ground in Southend, and he didn't say welcome, how was the journey, what the plans were or what we were going to do for the day, the week, the month, the year or what the jobs were, never even discussed the contract.

"He just chucked the whistle and a stopwatch at me, and if I remember rightly, I think I dropped the two of them! He just says you've got a job to do, and I'm like, where are you going, what are you talking about, what do you want me to do?

"And he says just put a smile on the face, get them going, you've been involved in the game long enough, get them out, get them on the field, get a sweat on the brow and a smile on the face, and I'll do  the rest.” 

Boston bound 

The role at Southend turned out to be a turning point, as before long, Coughlan was handed the top job at Bristol Rovers and went on to enjoy spells as boss of Mansfield and Newport Country before taking up the challenge at Boston in November. 

What was it then that enticed the 50-year-old to the National League and to a club firmly embroiled in a relegation battle at the bottom of the table? 

“You would have heard this a hundred times, but I thought I was going to be the MLS in America,” he jokes before explaining his decision. 

“It was the challenge, it was just a great challenge. I've always been a firefighter. I've always dug deep and against the odds. I'd rather be in the job, I'd rather be working hard, helping people, digging deep and passing on a little bit of knowledge, a little bit of experience rather than not. 

"So it was an opportunity, and the fact that they picked up the phone, and invited me to come down, I just, I jumped at it, really.

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"I jumped at it, seeing the players, seeing the club, seeing the facility, listening to the fans. They were in a dodgy situation, obviously, but not one fan was negative, everything about the fan base that day was positive, and I thought, well, look, there's a lot worse environments you can go into, a lot worse clubs and a lot worse people and players you could work with.

"I really liked what I saw and what I heard and what I witnessed when I came in to see them play, so I'm glad I took it.

"I've absolutely, no regrets. I'm absolutely 100% sure it was the right thing to do, and I just wish we could put more results on the board, and we could be a little bit stronger and better, and I wish I could help the group a little bit more, but yeah, I've no regrets, I think it was 100% the right thing to do.” 

So, now an established manager in his own right, has Coughlan taken on any of the stuff he learnt under Sturrock previously?

“I’m not sure I’d get away with most of those things now.” He finishes by saying, before telling a story that backed up the statement but is better left inside the changing room. 

“Just some of the things he used to do were absolutely hilarious. He had a serious way, and you knew there was a line that you didn't cross. But you knew what you could, and you couldn't do. He was genius, and his genius was his timing.”

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