Curious Coaches Club

Joining me this week is AFC Fylde first team coach, Andy Taylor.  Andy had a successful professional playing career as a left back for a number of clubs including Sheffield United, Blackpool and Walsall.  Having recently retired, he has moved into coaching at both first team and academy level.  We discuss his experiences as a player and coach as well as the art of full back play.

Gerard Jones is an award winning entrepreneur, coach and coach educator.  In this week's episode we discuss his approach to coach education, the influence of Osian Roberts and the importance of building a brand for yourself.

Joining me this week is Blackburn Rovers U16 coach Darragh Tuffy.  Darragh moved over from Ireland to become a scholar and then coach in the academy at Rovers.  He's been coaching at the club for 14 years and has learnt some great lessons upon the way.  We discuss how he got into coaching; how Brian Ashton influenced him as a mentor and what differentiates those that fulfill their potential.

It was my privilege this week to be joined by former Premier League defender Chris Samba.  I discovered more about his amazing journey to the top and the obstacles he overcame to become a top player.  Chris also shared his thoughts on how to maximise strengths and the coaches that influenced his development at key stages of his career.  A must listen for any coach or aspiring player.

This week I'm delighted to be joined by Doncaster Rovers Head of Foundation Phase, Michael Pedley.  We discuss the influence of current England coach Graeme Jones; his advice on how to get into academy coaching and what his club do to offer their players a variety of developmental experiences.

with me this week is Preston North End's Head of Academy Sports Science, Jake Atherton.  I was very fortunate to work with Jake for a number of years and he is one of the top up and coming sports science staff in the country.  This episode is themed around pre-season and I also gather Jake's thoughts on how coaches can work more effectively with S&C staff plus advice around talent identification of young players in relation to elite physical potential.

With us this week is Birmingham City Academy Manager Mike Dodds.  Mike charts his journey from part time academy coach to Cat 1 Academy Manager.  During this period he also worked extensively with Jude Bellingham, supporting him to fulfill his dreams of appearing in Birmingham City's first team and beyond.  Mike provides unique insight into this support explaining how his club helped nurture one of the biggest success stories of recent English youth development.

Simon Wiles is one of the most highly regarded young coaches in professional football.  A former professional footballer, Simon turned to coaching at a young age having had to retire early because of persistent injury.  Simon has built a fantastic reputation at Fleetwood Town developing title winning U18 teams and supporting a number of players through to first team football.  Simon is so well thought of at Fleetwood that he was asked to take the team, when Joey Barton left the club early this year.  We discuss this experience as well as his coaching philosophy and journey to date.

Marlon was once of the most sought after young players in the country as a teenager.  Chased by all the top clubs, he was selected for  the national centre at Lilleshall where he shared a room with a young Jamie Carragher.  We discuss his career, why he might not have fulfilled his potential and the lessons that can be learnt from his journey.

Anthony is Charlton Athletic's U18 coach.  He shares his fascinating journey into this role at one of the most productive academies in the country.  We discuss how he has been influenced by the experience of working with acclaimed Academy Manager, Steve Avory and his experiences to date on the UEFA Pro Licence course with the FAI.

Joining me this week is former Motherwell, Preston North End and Hibernian player Chris Humphrey.  We catch up about his early experiences of football; the coaches who shaped him as a player and how he has found the transition from playing to coaching.

I've had the privilege to coach with Matt in a couple of roles.  He's without doubt one of the very best coaches I've worked with.  Matt is currently Head of Coaching at Preston North End.  I've learnt a lot from him over the years and I'm sure this episode will inspire some thought. 

Effective recruitment is key to any football club.  Martin Carter is Head of Academy Recruitment at Middlesbrough.  He is one of the leading talent identification operators in the country and he shares his thoughts on this fascinating but complex aspect of professional football.  We discuss the key principles he works off when scouting players; the qualities he looks for in players to adapt to the evolving modern game and his key learnings from the journey of Nathan Wood - Boro's youngest ever debutant.

This week's episode features Newcastle United first team coach Ben Dawson.  Ben has had a really interesting career to date including undertaking a football scholarship in America, working for The Football Association as a coach developer and coaching at Newcastle United in various roles including leading the 23s and shaping the academy as a Head of Coaching.  There's loads of great insight and I'm sure you'll take something away to help you in your own role supporting players.

This week's guest is UEFA Pro Licence Holder, Kevin Nicholson.  Kevin was one of the youngest coaches ever to attain the Pro Licence and has enjoyed a fascinating career to date that has seen him coach at a number of professional clubs.  Kevin currently works for the highly regarded company, Double Pass where he supports club, coach and player development all around the world.  We discuss his pathway; his experiences of South American football and his findings from his research project on 'The First 100 Days' in coaching and management.

This week's guest is Stirling Albion Head of Youth Coaching, Niall Marshall.  Niall is highly experienced coach who has had a variety of experiences in grassroots, women and girls elite pathways and coaching pro youth football in Scotland.  We'll be discussing his ideas on connecting with players; learnings from the UEFA A Licence with the Scottish FA and his beliefs on working with players.  Niall's positivity is infectious so if you need a boost and love coaching this is a great listen!

Steve Healy coaches at Premier League club Leicester City.  Alongside working in their Category One academy, Steve is also the Head Coach of the Thai International Academy, a key project of the club's owners.  We discuss how his extensive experience has prepared him for the challenges of this role and how the programme has evolved since it's inception.  We also discuss the influence of Brendan Rodgers at the club and Steve's experience of coaching recent Premier League break through players: Luke Thomas & Sidnei Tavares.  

This week's guest is Lewis Craig.  Lewis is one of the brightest coaches involved in academy football.  Starting at Burnley F.C. where he was a scholar, Lewis has worked at a range of clubs and held full time roles throughout the development pathway.  In this podcast we discuss who influenced his development; lessons learnt from coaching Callum Styles and how helped to develop a title winning U18s team at Salford City from scratch!

For over 20 years Simon Hartley has helped athletes and business people enhance their mental game.  He has worked with gold medalists, world record holders and multiple championship winning teams.  Simon has operated at the highest levels of professional sport, including spells in professional golf, football, tennis, motor sport and with Great British Olympians.

We'll be discussing a range of topics including how to develop mental toughness; what you can do to help an athlete rediscover their confidence and whether or not character is fixed or able to change.

If you are interested in discovering more Simon has a free online programme focused on mental toughness and the five step model in the book, Mqster Mental Toughness.  Please see the link below:

https://be-world-class.com/mental-toughness-in-five-steps/

You could also give Simon a follow on Twitter: @worldclasssimon

This week's guest is current Bradford City Academy Manager, Neil Matthews.  Neil is a former professional footballer who scored 68 goals in 258 appearances in the Football League.  He previously worked at Huddersfield Town where he was an age group coach before progressing to become Lead Youth Phase Coach (U12-16).  Neil left Huddersfield Town in 2017 when they closed their schoolboy programme, moving to Bradford City to become their Head of Academy Coaching.  He then became Bradford City's Academy Manager in September 2019.  Neil is a very humble man with great experience.  In this episode he shares his thoughts on the value of player led coaching, how and why to work closely with parents and insight into what it takes to progress into the first team.

In this week's episode I chat with Paul Holder.  Paul has a wealth of experience of teenagers having initially taught PE in secondary schools before moving on to roles at Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and as a National Coach at The FA.  We discuss his beliefs, influences and when he has got it wrong!  Any time spent listening to Paul is hugely enjoyable and valuable - his ideas will certainly get you thinking.

Burnley U18s coach John Townson shares his pathway into his current role; his experiences of coaching alongside former Burnley captain Michael Duff and how he supported the development of current Burnley first team player, Dwight McNeil.

Paul provides an insight into what he looks for when recruiting players; how he supports their development and discusses his move abroad to join the Norwegian champions - Bodo Glimt.