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5 July 2013
"We've been frugal, at least compared to a lot of your teammates, Paul. We've invested well. Don't let the salary be a deciding factor."
Paul Sanderson smiled at the woman he'd married 15 years ago, not long after he broke into the first team at Derby. He and Leanne had moved from Derby to Hearts, with their toddler son, and while they were in Edinburgh their daughter entered the world.
In 2008, Paul was thirty-two years old, not young for a footballer. He'd taken care of himself, however, and he hadn't lost much of the pace which had been his calling card as a young central midfielder. Now he also possessed a more mature understanding of the game, and it was that combination that attracted the attention of the staff at Everton. The Toffees purchased him from Hearts, and Paul was living a footballer's dream: joining the club he'd supported passionately as a young lad growing up in the Lake District town of Kendal.
Paul could never secure a spot in the first team, but he loved every minute of his time at Goodison Park. It was Robert Roberts, the curiously named Head of Youth Development, who first told him he ought to give management a try when he hung up his boots. Paul began studying for his coaching badges, and by 2011, he was splitting his time between playing and assisting with the Under 21 team.
The 2012-2013 season saw Paul make only seven appearances for Everton, only two in league play. He--and everyone else with the club--knew his playing days were done. He didn't merit a testimonial, but he left the pitch with his head held high--a respected professional who had served his clubs well and who had made a number of friends around the game that could help him make the transition into management.
Jobs weren't easy to come by, however. Paul had been on £12,500 a week as a player-coach at Everton, and to make that kind of money now, he'd have to be hired to manage a club in the Championship. No club at that level wanted to take a chance on a boss with no managerial experience.
Paul was about to surrender his dream of staying in football when he got a call from John Broome, the director of Rochdale A.F.C. The Dale played in the Royal First Division, the sixth level of the British League System pyramid. Rochdale's Spotland Stadium was only 70 kilometers away from Goodison Park, but in another sense, it was a long, long way away.
Rochdale offered Paul their manager's job, at a salary of £1,500 a week. Paul liked the club, got on well with the interview committee, and was ready to sign his contract...except for the fact he'd be taking home exactly 12% of his former salary.
He discussed it with Leanne, and she put his mind at ease. The kids, Chris and Gemma, liked the idea, too--as long as they could keep supporting Everton, too.
"I don't think Rochdale will be playing Everton very often," Paul reassured them.
"They will once you get Rochdale promoted," Chris replied, with the confidence of an eleven-year-old who thinks his dad is the greatest football mind in the Western Hemisphere.
So, with the backing of his wife and family, Paul Sanderson accepted the offer, and became the manager at Rochdale Association Football Club.
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