Jermain Defoe has spoken about the lessons he has learnt since taking on his first senior managerial appointment at Woking.
The former Sunderland and Portsmouth striker was appointed by the National League club last month after replacing Neal Ardley, and got off to a strong start with just one loss, to FC Halifax Town on the final day, being the only blot on his resume.
Defoe Speaks On Challenges
Now, with the summer ahead of him, Defoe faces a big task in building upon the Cardinals’ 10th-place finish in the fifth tier.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football about his role and experience in management so far, the 43-year-old said:
“It’s been amazing. I’ve enjoyed it, it’s something I’ve worked towards in terms of doing the badges, the two years at Tottenham in the academy, Stevie [Gerrard] gave me a role at Rangers, a year and a half as a player-coach, so being exposed to that was really good for me.
“Paul Bracewell’s been amazing with me, one of the big things I’ve learnt to be honest is the in-game management, knowing when to change it, whether that’s subs or personnel or the formation. But I’ve enjoyed it.
“I remember Eddie Howe saying to me years ago, ‘There’s no switch off as a manager’. At the time, I probably couldn’t understand it, but now, I remember we played against Gateshead away, the night before the game I thought in my head, ‘This is the team’.
“I woke up in the morning and I wrote down three teams. I gave it to Brace [Paul Bracewell] and I said ‘What do you think?’. But I’ve enjoyed everything, picking the team, getting back on the grass, yeah, it’s been good.”
A message from your Manager @iamjermaindefoe ahead of next season! 🎟️
Keep an eye out for him on MNF tonight as well. 👀 pic.twitter.com/RX0Qn1Sy2U
— Woking Football Club (@wokingfc) May 11, 2026
More Lessons To Come
With just six games under his belt so far, Jermain Defoe has only just begun his journey into management and is already seeing the challenges it brings.
The striker has already had some great teachers and support figures in his path to this point, whether being under Eddie Howe at Bournemouth or with Steven Gerrard during his success at Rangers, and now leans on former Fulham head Paul Bracewell, who he has been alongside in the Spurs academy setup.
📝 Woking Star Set For Contract Talks as Retained List Confirmed
✏️ @CalTalksNL
To find the full list of those offered new deals and whether they can lodge a play-off push next season – click the article below ⬇️#WokingFC🔴⚪️ https://t.co/89jY8Q4kqr
— National League Lowdown (@NLLowdown) May 8, 2026
The coming months will be the big test of whether the 43-year-old will sink or swim, facing a massive job of shaping a team through transfers over the summer in order to build upon a respectable mid-table finish.
His tenure has already seen some successes with their demolitions of Morecambe and a resurgent Gateshead side, but will now have to find an ample replacement to the outgoing Oliver Sanderson as he heads back to Harrogate Town.
