Chesterfield 'culture' up the there with the 'best', says coach

Every club has had them, including Chesterfield, but not this current group. They are very likeable and they want to do well. They chat to fans, sign autographs, pose for pictures, go out of their way to perform acts of kindness and get involved in community projects. As well as that, they are very talented footballers.

The word ‘culture’ gets thrown about a lot in football, but it certainly applies to the Spireites. There is something really special building. At this rate, their pictures will be on the walls inside the SMH Group Stadium, they will be the ones stopped in the street in years to come, they will be the ones invited back to the club for an anniversary dinner.

“We have got a really good culture at the club,” assistant manager Danny Webb said. “It is hard to explain it if you are not behind the scenes how they carry themselves. Yes, they are going to have bad games and make mistakes but if they continue that culture, that mentality of doing things right, then that can only be good for the football club.”

Led by manager Paul Cook, with experienced heads like Tom Naylor, Michael Jacobs and Will Grigg in the dressing room, it is hard to imagine that standards will slip or that complacency will set in this season. They are in a very strong position going into 2024.

Webb has been involved in football all his life and this group is doing things he has never seen before. They have made a big impression on him, ‘Without a shadow of a doubt’, he says, they are right up there with the best.

He said: “Playing or coaching this is a really good set of people first and foremost and a really good team. The manager has brought his style to the team which is so easy on the eye, attractive to watch and the players have all bought into it. They are all learning and developing and I think the results reflect that. I think it is a stable group. There are no massive spikes in emotions or moods. There is no one within that group that you think if they have a bad day, whether it be personality or performance, that it is going to upset the rest of the dressing room. That is the first time I have found that in my career and that is down to loads of things like the recruitment, the manager, hopefully us as staff for guiding them and ultimately down to the players themselves.”