Charlie Adam shared the pitch with the world’s best but now he’s enjoying his first job as a manager, using advice from a football icon.
Adam’s long playing career was a brilliant one, starring in the Premier League for Liverpool, Stoke and Blackpool over the years.
But after retiring from playing in 2022, he is now at the beginning of a new exciting journey in football as a manager.
Adam became Fleetwood Town boss in December and despite relegation, which was already destined before he arrived, he remained in charge for his first full season as a boss this campaign.
And for the 38-year-old, this position is a dream and he has always had a keen eye on management even during his playing days.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com, Adam said: “I’m loving it. Every day is a learning curve for me, I’m learning all the time.
“I think it’s important to take everything in and you look back at things and look at how to improve. Every day is different and that’s something I’ve learned quickly.
“I’m delighted with how it’s started here and honoured to get the opportunity.
“It’s something I’ve always been really interested in,” he continued.
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“I’ve always looked to understand the game and understand what managers go through and what they’ve done.
“I’ve always asked questions of the managers I’ve worked with and that’s given me the insight in terms of how management goes.
“But when you’re on the other side of the touchline, it’s totally different. It’s full-on, everything comes to you, picking teams, picking squads, it’s all down to your decision.”
Adam has stepped into management after a successful career in England, spending two years at Blackpool before Liverpool snapped him up in 2011 to beat Tottenham and Aston Villa to his signature and seven at Stoke from 2012.
And the former Scotland international looks back fondly on his time sharing the pitch with some of the world’s best.
“I was fortunate enough to play against some of the great players of the last 10-15 years,” he said.
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“[Sergio] Busquets, Yaya Toure, [Steven] Gerrard, [Michael] Essien, [Frank] Lampard. They were all top players for a reason.
“But I was so fortunate to play on the same team as Steven Gerrard and I think he was very, very good and you could see why he was part of England’s golden generation.
“Of course, Luis Suarez and players like that were top players as well.”
Adam was a Premier League star in his own right, though, and many fans will remember him for scoring one of the most iconic goals ever in the top flight.
Whilst playing for Stoke in 2015, he scored a stunning halfway-line goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, lobbing now-Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to find the back of the net.
The 66-yard strike has gone down as one of the greatest ever and Adam has revealed that he had actually prepared for a potential chance at scoring it.
He said: “It was something that I’d noticed – Courtois would like to stand off his line in the box just from the work with the goalkeeping coach.
“I knew I had the capabilities of shooting from there and it was just something I looked at.
“I’d watched a couple of their games previously and it was there, so I tried it and very fortunately for me, it came off.
“But I’ve tried it plenty of other times and it’d never come off!
“It’s hard to beat [as the best goal of my career]. Importance-wise, I look at the goal I scored at Wembley for Blackpool.
“But to score that type of goal in the Premier League was very, very good.”
That is a memory that Adam will keep forever now his playing days are over and he puts his full focus into being on the touchline.
His passion for management is clear and he has been seeking constant advice from the best in the business to improve his knowledge.
And he was even invited to the legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson’s office to get some tips.
“I was on a course with the LMA and speaking to people there,” Adam explained. “I just wanted to find out what the top managers would do.
“I wrote an email to Sir Alex Ferguson to his PA, asking if it was possible to have a chat.
“He invited me round to his office to have a coffee and I spent two hours with him there and it was such a brilliant learning experience.
“He told me about how he went from Aberdeen to Manchester United, to dealing with big players and making big decisions.
“So just picking his brains in terms of what we have to do. It was a great experience.”
Adam is now putting that priceless advice into action as he aims to lead Fleetwood back up the Football League pyramid.
Their season has begun with a win and a draw as well as progression in the Carabao Cup by knocking out Championship side West Brom.
So they are looking set for a great campaign and that is no surprise, as they have a manager who knows how to do it on the pitch and is giving their all to learn about things off it.
