Graham's modern methods

Known to football fans as a no-nonsense, tough-as-teak player, age has obviously mellowed the six foot two inch, 13 stone, Chorley-born former Wigan, Altrincham and Chester midfielder.

Now aged 50, and after cutting his managerial teeth at Wigan Athletic, Rochdale and Chester City, the Shakers' boss has grown to appreciate modern methods.

"It's crucial to get your campaign off to a good, steady start, as the tone of the season is set very early on," he said.

"As coaches and managers we've all been on the same courses and we all set off with the same enthusiasm at the start of every season.

"Therefore, in order to be successful you can't afford to be afraid of new ideas.

"Coaches I respect, like Sam Allardyce and Ian Dowie, are not fightened to bring in outsiders, people from other sports to help them with their preparations.

"Dowie brought someone in from the rugby world to help with fitness and to toughen his players up and it worked.

"Sam won't leave a stone unturned in his effort to improve his squad, which is perhaps unexpected when you bear in mind the era he comes from.

"In the end it's not just about football, it's about life itself and you have to accept that.

"Players have to work a lot harder these days - I'm probably one of the few who would admit the game is tougher now then when I played.

"Bigger squads mean players play fewer games, so they now need to set themselves targets for the season much earlier.

"You have got to want to be in the team, that means mentally preparing yourself to produce the maximum effort from August through to May.

"Last season only three or four could say they had a good full season. Some did well the first three months, others the middle three and some the last three.

"They all need to aim for a solid nine months."

Experience has taught him several lessons which he is now putting into practice.

"I've learned plenty since I first became a manager," he said.

"Perhaps the most important is the need to talk to players more, to get to know them as people.

"It's not easy to tell a lad he's not playing, it's even harder to give a valid reason, sometimes it's just down to gut instinct.

"But it is much more of a tactical game now, which means you have to be prepared to change formations.

"In order to get players to respond in the right way you have to sit down with them and talk to them.

"The days of throwing cups and chairs around and rollicking them just because you have lost are gone.

"You have to get to know them while keeping a certain distance. At Chester and Bury I already knew the lads when I took over, which makes things that much easier.

"You should be able to look at a lad and know there's something wrong.

"You have to be able to pull him aside, even when nothing has been said and ask them if everything is alright, all because you've got to know the their ways.

"As a manger you are not just dealing with players' careers, you're also dealing with their lives.

"We are all human, we all have the same problems and you have to help them deal with them.

"With having a smaller squad it should be a little bit easier to deal with, because if a lad isn't in the team it will only take an injury, loss of form or a tactical reason to get him back in the team.

"But it is more of a squad game now, even though we don't have the 29 we had when I first came down to Gigg Lane, it doesn't create a healthy environment.

"We need to create and maintain a competitive element to the squad to get the best out of people, and that's what Kelham and I will be aiming to do."

Part of this modern approach includes the way the game is portrayed, and he is in favour of the Football League re-vamp.

"I was pretty impressed with the deal, getting a company like Coca Cola on board is a major coup and it just shows how well football outside the Premiership is supported and regarded.

"You only have to look at Chester and Shrewsbury who have come up this season.

"Shrewsbury, in particular, were in the League the year before last, then they dropped out but they've sorted themselves out and now there're back and the crowds they are getting are marvellous."

When it comes to teams to take seriously next season, the same two crop up again.

"Both Chester and Shrewsbury will be strong, mainly due to the shock of being relegated," he said.

"Just look at York City. In January they were almost in a Play-off place and now they are in the Conference.

"We had a similar wake-up call at the same time. Fortunately we turned things around, but unless you learn from the experience you won't survive."