Under-18 Lead Coach Tom Cleverley has enjoyed adjusting to life as the new boss of the Young Hornets following his appointment in July.
As the former midfielder previously mentioned, he has reclaimed a fantastic sense of purpose having taken the job, and has been excited by the development exhibited by his squad so far.
That includes a memorable 8-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers last weekend (September 2), with Zavier Massiah-Edwards (2), Amin Nabizada (2), Jonathan Lawson, Kash Odiase and Josh Riza (2) all etching their names onto an impressive scoresheet. Delighted by the scoreline, Cleverley was quick to point out his side’s desire and work rate throughout the contest.
“It was a really pleasing result and it was more competitive than it sounds,” Cleverley began. “We were only 1-0 up after about 30 minutes. We then scored three goals in four minutes at the end of the first half which made it pretty comprehensive.
“The challenge for the lads was in the second half and keeping those standards, and they did that and more. It was a really pleasing day, but the most pleasing thing was that the elements we had been working on during the week came out against QPR. That shows good focus and willingness to learn.
“I’ve been really pleased with the reaction from the lads in training since the victory against QPR. You could think that they might start believing the hype after an 8-0 win against a decent side, but it’s straight back to work and we have Peterborough on the weekend (September 9).
“We lost to Fleetwood Town a few games ago and it showed us that we have a lot of work to do. Not necessarily technically, but from a dark arts side of the match – those habits that the older players and experienced players have.
“For instance, I had Jonathan Lawson come up to me after playing against Sheffield Wednesday the other day for the Under-21s against two first-team centre-backs, and he found it difficult.
“It is those moments where I feel like I’m really good to step in and use my experience to help these lads who are good technically, but maybe need an experienced head to guide them on the other parts of the game.”
Now nearly two months into his role, Cleverley will be hoping to continue the momentum that he has built so far. The ex-England international himself heralds from an impressive background in academy football having risen through the Manchester United ranks.
And after taking the coaching role at Watford, the 34-year-old revealed that he received a phone call from a well-known Red Devils figure, who played a crucial part in his own development as a player.
“I had a nice call off Sir Alex Ferguson,” Cleverley said. “He must’ve read somewhere that I had taken the job and we spoke on the phone for 10 or 15 minutes which was nice. I don’t think I can better that one. He gave me a couple of technical coaching points, a couple of psychological things and then we had a general chit-chat. I’ve not spoken to him for probably five or six years, so it was a really nice catch-up and an unexpected one.
“It’s a testament to him that a lot of players that played under him have become coaches and managers, and that’s learning from him and the things that he did every day. I’m sure he has an element of pride seeing that.”
Now looking to further his development as a coach, Cleverley gave an honest reflection of where he currently stands as the boss of the Young Hornets.
He added: “On the grass, I have felt very much at home and I’ve really enjoyed that part of the job trying to develop the players. Off the field, the admin and the logistics – you get so used to, for 15 years, having a team manager who tells you where to be at a certain time, but then overnight you become the guy who has to set the schedules and the time.
“That’s been the challenge, writing the teamsheets and stuff like that. There is a heck of a lot of things you have to remember to do throughout the day rather than just focusing on playing football, but I’m embracing it and loving it. Hopefully it’s the start of an exciting journey.”
