'I've told him to be himself' - Charlton Athletic boss Nigel Adkins on advice to Doncaster Rovers manager Andy Butler

Charlton Athletic boss Nigel Adkins has encouraged Andy Butler to make sure he looks after himself as he takes his first steps into EFL management with Doncaster Rovers.
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Adkins was the physio at Scunthorpe United when Butler broke into the first team and later stepped up to manager in the later stages of the defender’s spell at Glanford Park.

And Butler is preparing to go head to head with one of his mentors as Rovers welcome Charlton to the Keepmoat on Friday.

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The two spoke shortly after the 37-year-old was handed the reins at Rovers but there has been radio silence since Adkins himself returned to management a fortnight ago.

Nigel AdkinsNigel Adkins
Nigel Adkins

“He’s got to be himself and do it his way but one of the things we spoke about is that he’s going to get bombarded with all sorts of different things,” Adkins said.

“We talked about how he needs to look after himself with exercise, nutrition and sleep and his well-being in order to deal with the many different situations he’s going to be in.

“It’s totally different from being a player or a coach. There’s so many different things that go on.

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“What a fantastic guy he is, great character, really good person.

“When he was starting out as a youngster I was the physiotherapist at Scunthorpe United and when I was the manager he was one of the key players for us.

“It’s great to see him involved in management now. I know he was doing a lot with Doncaster Belles and playing as well.

“Before I enjoyed here, we’d had a few conversations on the phone, just to be a bit of support for him.

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“I’ll speak to him before and after the game now but I’ve not spoken to him since I’ve joined Charlton.”

The Addicks will leapfrog Rovers in the table with a victory on Friday and put themselves firmly in contention for a play-off place.

But having played more games than the majority of their rivals in the top six, Adkins knows there is little margin for error for his side in the race.

“Teams have played less games than us so there is a disparity in league games at the moment,” he said.

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“You have a rough idea that there are so many points needed to get into the play-offs any way so we know we haven’t got that many games where we can drop points.

“For me it’s all about coming in and working on the process of our performance. If we get our performance right then we give ourselves a better opportunity to win games.”

Striker Conor Washington will be absent for Charlton due to a hamstring injury which kept him out of Northern Ireland commitments during the international window.

Ryan Inniss, Liam Millar and Chris Gunter should all be available for Friday’s game at the Keepmoat.

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In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Liam Hoden, editor.