Darren Carter interview: Birmingham City Women boss faces an uphill task but a basketball coach is his inspiration | Football News

Darren Carter is home. A lifelong Birmingham City supporter, his playing career at the club included scoring the penalty that first took the club into the Premier League in 2002. Twenty years on, he has returned as the interim coach of Birmingham City Women.

Some of his players were not born when that ball hit the net, but he is remembered around these parts. For his first game in charge against Manchester City last month, the attendance at St Andrew’s was swelled by the number of family and friends in the crowd.

“It was a special moment,” he tells Sky Sports. “It probably did not sink in first time around how proud they all were. You do appreciate those moments more as you get older. My whole family are Birmingham City supporters. It still feels like home.”

Although Carter, 38, says that he is “loving every minute of it and learning every day” the circumstances of his return are far from ideal. The team are rock-bottom of the Women’s Super League with just one point from their opening 10 matches.

Some fight was shown in that first game, only a late Manchester City goal denying them a point. There were even two goals to celebrate – doubling their total for the season. It was encouraging because it provided a bit of belief that the team can compete.

“The first job was to lift the spirits,” says Carter, “because we should be competing. The players deserve to be at this level.” But how do you restore confidence? “You just remind them of their qualities. I have been there. That is how you build momentum.

“I have seen a change of mindset. Players are starting to enjoy it again. That is big for me. In any industry, if you are not enjoying it, if it becomes a grind, you aren’t going to get the best out of people. It is about creating that environment and putting smiles on faces.”

His own playing career only came to an end last season. He acknowledges that the opportunity has come sooner than he has anticipated in his coaching career following a conversation with former team-mate Craig Gardner, now the club’s technical director.

Carter played under Steve Bruce and Mick McCarthy, vastly experienced coaches, but he describes Solihull Moors boss Jimmy Shan, under whom he began his coaching journey, as his mentor. “I am a bit of a disciple of his. He is on speed-dial.”

The influences are eclectic. Carter is a big basketball fan and so Phil Jackson, the former Chicago Bulls coach, is an inspiration. “He is one of the greatest. I have read all his books. When the pandemic first hit I did so much studying of him and his ways of coaching.

“I love the intricacies of basketball, the psychology of it. They are way more advanced on how to create an environment for players, how to engage them. Even though it is a different sport, a different dynamic, the challenge of managing people is still the same.”

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Tactically, he has changed things, trying a new formation. “What is the system that suits the players? We have looked at that. Changing the way they play, being more on the front foot and being brave even against the top teams.” But mentality is going to be key.

“Adversity separates the winners from the rest and we know we have good leaders here. Even the younger ones have a great attitude. They won’t shirk it. There are players here with high ceilings. The challenge for me is to get them to their best.”

Defeat to Leicester in his second game in charge was difficult to take. “It was a real gut-check, I cannot lie. We felt that we had enough in the game to score. We got into good areas. It was just that final bit of quality. We shot ourselves in the foot.”

But they are creating chances now at least. “That has come from a change of style. We want to be in the final third a lot more, have those entries, those shots and create those chances, because we have talented players at the top end of the pitch.”

They need to take them soon but there is still hope. With a dozen games to play, his team are only two points from safety. “We are positive,” he says. “Ultimately, you need results at the weekend but I know these players have more to give. The time is now.”

Watch Birmingham City Women vs Arsenal Women live on Sky Sports Main Event from 1.30pm on Sunday; kick-off 2pm