SWINDON Town manager John Sheridan admits it can be hard to mentally switch off away from football and says consistently losing as a manager affects him emotionally.

The 56-year-old also went onto reveal as well as losing both of his parents over the Christmas period, his wife has also had a cancer scare as well, making his stint as manager of Town a particularly emotional one.

This article is only available to our subscribers. You are seeing it today for free. Subscribe today to enjoy unlimited advert-light access and exclusive content. Your subscription will help fund the vital, trusted coverage that our communities need.

 

In the pre-match press conference on Thursday, Sheridan said he does try to remove himself from Town’s troubles when at home in order to recharge his batteries, but defeats and people talking about him losing his job does hurt him.

Asked if he is able to switch off from the pressure of being a manager when at home, Sheridan gave a long and heartfelt answer.

He said: “I don’t read the press, I don’t go on any websites. I’ve got a family at home that I try to relax with and switch off, but it’s very hard to switch off.

“It hurts me when I’m not winning games, and it hurts me to see us where we are in the league.

It hurts me when people talk about me – that’s just the way I am. I don’t like that, I like to get on with everyone. I want to do well, and I want to keep the team in this division.

“Sometimes I do switch off, like yesterday when I had my granddaughter. I’ve had a difficult time, a difficult two or three months – not just with football. My wife has had a cancer scare and I’ve lost both my parents. Sometimes, I do think I’m quite tough inside, but I can be soft as well."

Sheridan said he still has the fight to keep Town in League One though, and promised Swindon fans he will give everything to turn the club's form around and make it a successful end to the season.

He said: “More than anything, I want to do well here because I don’t like getting beat and I don’t like where we are in the league.

“But I’ve been around football a long time, and that’s just part and parcel of the job.

"There’s nothing better than when you’re winning, but when you’re losing being a manager can be a very, very hard job.

“So you’ve got to stand tall and be strong. If it doesn’t work out, I know the consequences, but while I’m here I’ve got to push myself and hope we can turn it around.”