The Athletic.

Hello, I'm Mark Chapman.

This is The Athletic Football Podcast, and our guest today is Sean Deich, who in April

this year left his role as manager of Burnley after nearly 10 years in charge.

I started by asking him what he's been doing since then.

I took advice from a lot of managers who had been down that road way more than me. doing since then.

I took advice from a lot of managers who had been down that road way more than me,

older, wiser managers, and they said, look, whether you need it or not, take a break from it, just step away from it, which I did do, mainly through the summer months, and then

even going into the beginning of the season, preseason time, I wasn't getting

involved in all the football stuff. I wasn't watching too much. I was just taking it. Watching my lad play, to be fair, and bits and bobs like that. Popped up to see Michael Duff, who's working at Barnsley, had a look at his lot. Pop down to local clubs like Forest and stuff. But not in a way, you know, not in a way I was scoping anything out. I was merely, well, if I asked me to come and have a look at what they were doing,

casual, I would say, casual football observations, taking a proper break from it, seeing friends, going to gigs, stuff that I like doing, a bit of golf, a few charity bits, a few podcasts. And generally, I think the last probably month I've started, you know, viewing it differently

again, getting back, making sure I'm up to date with match of the day and, you know,

much of the day too, of course.

Of course.

Generally, keeping more of a view of it and keeping an eye on what's going on in the

marketplace.

When you look back now at maybe what you did through the summer, do you now think that you needed it? Just in maybe a refreshing way, just to get that real taste back in your mouth again for it, you know, because, you know, I was at it for a long time and, you know, I had a year at Watford previous to Burnley, only had kind of four months out then and then back in at Burnley. And I think the other side of life, don't forget, it's not just the football.

I was travelling a lot and in the car a lot and staying away a lot and all them life challenges that people forget because obviously when you're a football manager, you're just a football manager. You know, you become not a human being anymore. You're just a football manager. So, you know, a lot of them things. So, yeah, looking back on all of them things, if you've got more in the melting pot,

it can be a good thing, I think, to step away, have a break, and just remember there is life outside of football. Yeah, and I always think maybe that's the most important thing. Look, to work in football, to work in sport, is an amazing privilege. It feels so lucky to, you know, for you to do what you do, for me to do

what I do, but it can be all-consuming. It can be. And you do need to step away and go to a

gig or go to the cinema or whatever it may be. I remember years ago when I was, you know,

properly getting involved with the management thought and the concepts. I mean, probably when I was a youth team coach at Watford around that period kind of development coach,

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