Sol Campbell not letting Macclesfield’s off-field problems stop him
Macclesfield boss Sol Campbell insisted he is focusing only on matters on the pitch amid continued off-field turmoil.The Silkmen are due back in court next week to answer a winding-up petition that was adjourned from July after being taken over by six players who played for the club last season.The group took on the cause over unpaid wages, with Campbell also not receiving his salary for the final months of last season.Sol Campbell kept Macclesfield up against the odds last season (Richard Sellers/PA)The former England defender declined to reveal whether that remains the situation but hinted it does, telling PA: Im not going to go into that.Of course I want to get paid. Ive got a contract and thats the situation. Im just going to work and work and work until we get it right on the field and then well go again.Campbell was speaking from the final of the Bet Regret Cup, part of the UKs largest safer gambling campaign. Teams from across the UK battled it out throughout the summer, culminating in the national final at Powerleague Shoreditch on August 4.Having waited a long time for a first opportunity in management, the 44-year-old is prepared to put up with the situation and try to make the best of it.I was with @BeGambleAware yesterday at @PowerleagueUK Shoreditch for another cup final in my career the #BetRegret CupSafer gambling in football is an important issue, so very pleased to be helping raise awareness of #BetRegret pic.twitter.com/jE1DaxGnTR Sol Campbell (@SolManOfficial) August 5, 2019He brought in 11 players over the summer via free transfers and loans, and said: Whatever Im given, Ive just got to make it work.Were not the only team in this kind of scenario.My job as a manager is to try to hold it together and win games and move it forward as best as I can.The only thing I can try to control is at team level, picking the side and training, making sure trainings professional, making sure all the other things are done properly and nothings compromised.Thats the kind of things I can control and thats the kind of things I love to do, to improve players. Its not like I havent seen big challenges before. Sometimes youve got to submit to it and say I cant do anything about it. The only thing I can do is help the players who are training, who are fit, prepare for the next game and try to win the next game.Campbell has already achieved notable success having saved the Silkmen from relegation last season after taking over what appeared a hopeless cause when he was appointed last November.They seem likely to struggle again and began the new season with a narrow loss to Exeter, but Campbell saw it as a positive start.It was a good game for us, he said. We had some good chances but the game was almost done and we got done by a ricochet of balls. Sometimes it happens like that and you just have to take it on the chin and learn from it. FULL-TIME: Ryan Bowmans late strike is the difference between the two sides on the opening day of the season. pic.twitter.com/jW7isX8DWb Macclesfield Town (@thesilkmen) August 3, 2019Its a long old season so weve just got to stay focused and make sure when we get our chances we convert them. Its challenging, weve got the smallest budget in the league, so weve just got to work harder.Campbell has been an outspoken critic of the lack of managerial opportunities given to black and ethnic minority candidates and is determined to keep showcasing his abilities.For me its all about opportunities, he said. What Im focusing on is working hard every day, showing my work ethic and my knowledge. Thats what I want people to see. The will to win, the will to improve.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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