Trust is key when it comes to the crunch

WHAT makes a successful club? In my experience, it’s about looking around the dressing room and seeing people you trust.

- Guy Branston

I’ve played in teams that were very successful. Rotherham under Ronnie Moore, when we won consecutive promotions to the Championship. I won the play-offs with Colchester and Sheffield Wednesday.

All of them had a hardcore of seven or eight players you’d trust with your life. If I moved out of my slot, I knew someone would cover. If they moved out of theirs, they knew I’d be watching their back.

But I’ve also been in teams that failed, and what happened in those teams was people looked across the dressing room and doubted each other.

If you doubt your goalkeeper, you’re going to make mistakes trying to stop shots - giving free-kicks and penalties away because you don’t think he’ll make a save.

Doubt

If you doubt your centre-forward, you might take a shot from range or refuse a cross because you don’t trust him to put it away.