I try to manage like Jurgen Klopp - but an ex-Liverpool and Man City coach taught me more

EXCLUSIVE: I try to manage like Jurgen Klopp - but an ex-Liverpool and Man City coach taught me more

EXCLUSIVE: Craig Fagan has enjoyed a fine start to life in management after replacing Wolves icon George Elokobi at non-league Maidstone United in the summer

Starting a first managerial role is widely considered one of the toughest transitions in football. Arsene Wenger, Diego Simeone, Antonio Conte and Bobby Robson are among the high-profile coaches to have struggled in their maiden jobs.

But former Premier League forward Craig Fagan has taken to the managerial scene like a duck to water, and is thriving in his first senior position after he was appointed as first-team manager at National League South side Maidstone United in April. The 43-year-old spent three years as assistant to George Elokobi at the Kent club before getting the top role at the end of last season.

Since becoming the main man, Fagan has helped propel Maidstone to the top of the table, winning six, drawing one and losing three of his first 10 league matches, picking up 19 points in the process. Although the Stones crashed out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, losing to Isthmian League Premier side Cray Wanderers, Fagan's start to life as a manager has still been a success.

Reflecting on his first six months in the job, Fagan, who retired from professional football in 2015 after a 13-year playing career, told The Mirror: "Enjoyable; you get less sleep being a manager because your mind is always going, but I've enjoyed every minute so far.

"Similar in terms of assistant manager, but the only difference now is decisions and the results lie on me more than what it is as an assistant manager, but I'm enjoying every minute of it so far."

"Disappointing to be out of the FA Cup, of course," Fagan added, when asked about his assessment of the season so far with Maidstone top of the National League South. "Our club has always done well since I've been here in terms of getting through the rounds, so it was a disappointment this season.

"But the league position I would say we're doing well, maybe ahead of schedule in terms of our budget compared to some of the others in the league, but the players have done well. We've had a bit of a blip, lost the last two in the league, but we need to get back to what they've done.

"I think we've kind of been a victim of our own success, and I've said this to the players, they've gained belief from doing well in the first month or so, won a lot of games, and then we stopped doing what brought us joy in the last two games, and that's part of management, getting everybody back to basics and getting everybody doing the things that brought us joy again."

Fagan's Maidstone side embodies what he was like as a player: hard-working, high-energy and direct. They like to get the ball forward, out wide with speed, put crosses into the box and have shots at goal. Out of possession, the Stones press with intensity and aim to win the ball back as soon as possible.

Maidstone have also managed to score in all 10 league matches this season - the only team in the division to have reached that feat so far. Fagan has implemented an attacking approach which has benefited the front players, with striker Tom Leahy joint-second in the top goalscorers list with five this campaign.

"I like to see hard work, not ridiculous, running past people to close the goalkeeper down or nothing silly like that," Fagan said on his side's style of football. "Supporters pay their money and want to see hard-working and attractive football at times. For myself, it's what I want the players to be doing.

"They get paid by the football club, they should at least work hard in terms of closing down and pressing. I like to press on the front, I like to be aggressive in the way that we press. Maybe it does pass over a little bit.

"Like I said, I've had to work hard so I don't see why other players can't do so. Talent only takes you so far, you need determination and hard work with both."

Fagan's style is thought to be similar to Jurgen Klopp's 'rock and roll football' seen at Liverpool, with players pressing from the front, working hard to win the ball back and not messing around when in possession, getting it out wide with purpose and having lots of efforts.

And Fagan, who played for Hull City, Derby County and Birmingham City, among others, in his playing career, admitted he is a "big fan" of Klopp and his former assistant Pep Lijnders, saying he studied them both and how they transformed Liverpool into a counter-pressing, relentless machine.

Asked if there are any managers he has modelled his style to, Fagan said: "The best way I'd explain it is that us football coaches and managers are all thieves. We try to steal from the best managers and the best coaches. Obviously, managers I've played for, I've taken some bits and some bits I definitely don't want to use in terms of managers which I didn't agree with some of the stuff they did.

"But when I look at the styles I've played, I was a big fan of Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp was there in terms of the way they like to attack quickly, play football at the right times. He's someone I've studied, the way they play.

"I was on my A License with Pep Lijnders, so I like the way he's been in the way of his coaching manner and the way he goes about stuff. But for me, again, a team based on hard work that plays football in the right areas, that can get the ball wide and can attack with and attack in freedom. Because like I said to you before, fans want to see attacking football and they want to see exciting football.

"I think sometimes now the way the modern game's gone, because of Pep [Guardiola], of course, he's changed England in the way that people want to play football. But I'm not one that wants to get wide players into wide areas that don’t cross the football. I've played in both areas as a wide player and as a front man, and sometimes I watch some of the Premier League games and I don't know how some of the forwards do it without moaning, being starved of crosses going in the box.

"Everybody has their own style, but my style is I want to get the ball wide so I get crosses in the box. I want players to have freedom if they feel that they can get shot off and it means a tap-in for a centre-forward. That would be something I would want as a centre forward. It means you have to do less work and score 10 goals from that. That's my kind of style."

After retiring 11 years ago, Fagan went straight into coaching. He earned his UEFA A License badge in 2018 where he came across ex-Liverpool and Manchester City assistant Lijnders.

Sharing his experience of learning from Lijnders, Fagan said: "He was excellent and he was pretty open in terms of how he went about things. He had a great career going from there, from the A licence. He's similar to how he was. Very open, very passionate, wants to develop players, knew who he was.

"Some of the stuff he's done, especially with Jurgen Klopp, with their sessions, is some of the stuff which I simply tried to bring in, as well as other coaches of course. He was just someone that was on my A Licence, which I look up to now still. I know he's not in the game at the moment, but he's had a great career and someone you aspire to be."

Fagan, who scored 58 goals in 357 appearances during his senior career, coached Hull City's Under 23s, Southend United and Welling United before finding his feet at Maidstone.

But, having lost twice on the bounce to Cray and Truro City, Maidstone and Fagan are hoping to get back on the winning trail when they travel to Horsham on Saturday afternoon.