Dave Challinor said he thought Pep Guardiola’s first message was a wind-up when the Manchester City manager got in touch to ask for advice about Leyton Orient before the FA Cup tie with the League One club. Challinor said the two spoke for about 10 minutes, and that he had no idea Guardiola would later turn up at Stockport County.
The Stockport manager said Guardiola had already accepted an invitation from owner Mark Stott to watch a game at Edgeley Park in April, when Stockport lost 2-1 to Port Vale. Challinor said some of his players almost acted as if they knew the City manager was there, adding: “I didn't know he was coming.”
The exchange underlined how deeply Guardiola has cut through the English game, in Challinor’s view, from the top of the Premier League down into the lower leagues. Challinor said Guardiola has influenced “every single manager within British football,” and pointed to the spread of teams playing out from the back in non-league football, a pattern he said would not have been seen 15 to 20 years ago.
Guardiola and Challinor were put in touch through Stott, who owns Stockport County and invited the Manchester City manager to Edgeley Park. Challinor said he had studied Guardiola’s teams during his Pro Licence work and had analysed City’s Champions League ties against FC Copenhagen in the 2023/24 season, so the call came from someone whose methods he had already examined closely.
That did not stop the Stockport boss from being caught off guard when the first message arrived. “He phoned and asked for some advice, which, when I got the first message, I thought someone was on the wind-up,” Challinor said. He later described Guardiola as someone who has thrown himself into English football and the pyramid system, but said he had not followed up directly, despite knowing where he often stays in Manchester. “I’ve stayed at City Suites a few times and know where he is, but no, I haven't and that's probably down to me just because of the way I am,” he said.
Challinor said he plans to send Guardiola a farewell message once both men’s busy weeks ease, though he is not sure whether it will reach him. “Most certainly I'll message him, whether he gets it or replies, I'm not too sure,” he said. The contact may have begun with surprise, but it has left an unmistakable mark on a manager who knows better than most how rare it is for a figure of Guardiola’s standing to ask the lower leagues for advice.
