{"id":1440746,"date":"2026-03-30T15:48:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&p=1440746"},"modified":"2026-03-30T15:48:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:48:11","slug":"andy-whing-interview-brackley-barrow-solihull-moors","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/andy-whing-interview-brackley-barrow-solihull-moors\/","title":{"rendered":"“It’s probably been the most challenging 6 weeks of my career” – Brackley Town’s Andy Whing talks to Squawka on life as an EFL player and manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brackley Town manager Andy Whing spoke to Squawka about life as an EFL player and manager and the challenges that come with being in charge of a part-time club.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 41-year-old recalled his time in charge of Banbury United, Solihull Moors and Barrow, as well as talking about his current role at Brackley Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whing opened up about the difficulties moving from playing to management, as well how his ambitions for the future have changed over the last six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You had a successful playing career before moving into coaching. What do you think the most significant challenge was you faced when transitioning from player to coach?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I found it really, really tough. I retired quite early at 30 and it was a bit of a shock. Even though I was breaking, I’d had about 4 or 5 operations in two years and I still needed another operation, it was a shock. I wanted to try and play as long as I could, but it was taken out of my hands really and I respected that decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got into coaching with the under 18s which was brilliant. I really enjoyed it. Michael Appleton invited me into meetings, kept me involved so I still felt a part of it, but after Oxford United got promoted my mates started leaving the club and I was just another coach. I found that really difficult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then out of the blue, the Banbury United job popped up. It properly got my foot in the door and I haven’t looked back since. It’s been a fantastic journey up until now. I’ve had success in the last few years in management but obviously there’s always going to be sticky periods. It’s not always going to be sort of a linear, straight line and you sometimes have to take a step backwards to go forwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You mentioned Solihull and you did have some success there, making the National League playoff final and being just a penalty kick away from promotion to League Two. What do you think the key factors were behind that success?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When I was at Banbury we changed the structure in terms of bringing in a head of recruitment, changing the profile of the type of player we wanted and I took that into Solihull. We implemented that same structure and it just fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The culture we created at the club was great, the training ground facilities were fantastic and our recruitment was very, very good especially having the budget of a midtable team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to try and continue that with Solihull but I felt we were stuck. I didn’t think we could sort of go again. The margins were tiny, a penalty kick away from from being a league team but unfortunately that’s football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Football is known for being a results driven business. How is how hard is it to manage those short term expectations of success with the long term vision of the club?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I think it depends where you are and the club you’re at because you don’t get much time in football. So you try and plan ahead but obviously your short term results are going to keep you in the job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to try and get a solid structure within the here and now and that’s what I want to try and do with Brackley. Give them that structure, that vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But obviously football is results driven. And if owners don’t share that vision, you’re in trouble. It’s brutal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ve spoken about moving back to part time football with Brackley Town. Does that present new challenges, but also present new opportunities to advance?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It’s a lot tougher than I thought, especially coming in mid-season. The intensity of the games and the lack of time you’ve got with the players really takes its toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s kind of a constant battle, especially when you’re playing against top teams who can rotate, who’ve got bigger squads, who are full time. It’s really, really tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had Dean Brennan of Barnet in my thoughts a lot. He joined Barnet when they were in the lower reaches the National League and it took 2 or 3 years for him to get them competitive and then promoted and now he’s flourishing. Even if we have to take a step backwards, I still feel that vision is to go from part time and to take the club to full time.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    How does that impact when it comes to to bringing new players in? Is that a big challenge?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    It’s a massive challenge. I’ve had 10 or 11 games in charge now and I’ve had four training sessions. There have been games every Saturday, every Tuesday, every week so we’ve only had the odd Thursday to really get the group together. It’s been really difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We can only have five loans in the matchday squad and we’ve got six at the moment so we’re trying to navigate that too. We’ve consistently only been able to name three players on the bench and even if we got another loan player in, they can’t even be on the bench. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It’s probably been the most challenging 6 weeks of my career. I’m not going to lie. It’s been really, really tough mentally. But I think it’s a massive learning curve, a massive chance to learn. The support from the club and the fans has been absolutely unbelievable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You mentioned the fans. At this level of football community engagement is huge, especially at clubs where the supporter numbers aren’t huge. How do you engage with the fans?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    It’s been tough at the moment because results haven’t gone our way and we’ve had so many games in a short amount of time. So it’s been difficult to just take a breath and relax and engage with the fans. It’s frustrating because it’s what I’ve done at every club I’ve been a part of. I’m really sociable, I’ll go out and meet fans in the bar and really get in with the community. They’re taking time out of their day to come and support the club and deserve the same back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What I can say is they’ve been absolutely brilliant to me since I’ve been at the football club. That engagement and support is massive. It’s crucial. Hopefully when thing die down a bit, I can start engaging a little bit more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There’s a growing call for three up, three down when it comes to promotion and relegation to and from League Two and the National League. Are you in support of that or do you think the current setup is is working?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I’m fully in support. We’re seeing teams getting 100 points and having to go into the playoffs. It looks like it’s going to happen again this season with Rochdale or York City. Last season you had York finish 23 points ahead of Oldham but it was Oldham that ended up getting promoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I think it’s definitely time for 3 up and 3 down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What legacy do you hope to build long term in football management?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    18 months ago it was all about how far I could go. I’m still ambitious to get to where I want to get to but I think the last six months has really kind of took its toll on me in terms of traveling, spending time away from family, the pressures of football. There’s only certain aspects you actually enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What happened at Barrow was probably the right decision at the time but it really hurt me. I was chasing that next level but wasn’t content. I thought League Two was going to be all glamour and it was far from glamorous, to be perfectly honest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But then I had conversations with Brackley about longevity, stability, sharing a vision and taking on accountability. I can see the long term vision and I really want to be a part of it. So my ambition has probably changed in the last six months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I reassessed where I wanted to go next. I love being a manager, I love the accountability and stability and the long term vision of Brackley. It’s rejuvenated me. I want to stay here for years. I really am really excited about the challenge. I want to grow with this football club. I’m excited about that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We obviously want to stay up this season and that’s our short term goal. But the long term vision is bigger for the football club. It’s probably been the toughest six weeks of my whole career but it still excites me. That’s a great place to be.<\/p>\n\n\n

    Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n