Coaching Is A Whole Different Ball Game

LAST week wasn’t the greatest for British coaching. Headlines were made by the ‘Dinosaur coaches’ in ‘Jurassic Park’ call of Dutchman Raymond Verhe­ijen after Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie ­suffered a pre-season injury.

The likes of Alan Brazil had their say on the ex-Wales assistant-manager’s view. “I could put on a session, no problem,” claimed the former Scotland, Ipswich and Red Devils striker on talkSPORT, causing me to chuckle as I made my way down the A1 to the University of Hertfordshire.

OK, the baller-turned-broadcaster played at a much higher level than me, so maybe he could.

But the previous day I’d had to put on a 20-minute session teaching the technique and skill of ‘defending effectively 2 v 2′ to a group of 16 peers on the FA’s Level 2 coaching course, and it wasn’t easy, I can tell you.

As I said, not the greatest few days for British coaching…

“What does Stu do for a job?” Rob ‘Scouse’ Munro, our coach educator and former Army, Combined Services and Newmarket Town manager, asked the other lads on the astroturf at the back of the Hertfordshire Sports ­Village in Hatfield.

“He asks questions and talks a lot,” he continued, “and that comes through in the way he delivers his session. But you’ve got to be quick – flash to bang – and get in, make your point and get out. He knows football…”

I sensed a ‘but’, only the 57-year-old Sir Bobby Robson lookalike (or Robin Williams, as one of the boys pointed out as the week went on) was too kind to say it. So I’ll say it for him.

BUT…not how to coach.

In a 14-year career playing Non-League football to the equivalent of today’s Conference South at clubs including Arnold Town, Sutton United, Bracknell and Hitchin, I played well over 600 games and took part in several hundred more training sessions.

I captained most of the teams I played for at one time or another, reached the FA Cup first round with Ware and, as a centre-half who loved a battle, relished going to big Non-League clubs like Aldershot, Salisbury and Dartford to try and upset the odds.

I played under some wonderful managers; former Notts County striker Iain McCulloch, ex-West Ham midfielder Alan Taylor, ex-Luton defender and Scotland Under-21 international Darren Salton and current Concord Rangers coach Glen Alzapiedi among them.

Targets

The thing is, however confident and cocksure you are as a player, this is a different ball game. Information goes in one ear and out of the other as a player. You live for games and you do things intuitively without realising why you do them.

As a reporter, I’ve watched hundreds of games at all levels – especially Conference Premier – and I chat to chairmen, managers and players every day of my life. If John Still rings me up and asks my opinion on a player for Luton, or Paul Fairclough for England C, I give it to them. Confidently.

The evening after my session, I get a call from Mark Clemmit – the TV presenter – asking for ideas and numbers for BT Sport’s Conference launch show. When I’m on screen tomorrow night, I’ll chat easily with Neil Warnock, a Premier League manager I’ve interviewed many times.

As Scouse rightly says, I know the game…BUT I don’t know how to coach it. Yet!

The new National Football Centre at St George’s Park (SGP), Staffordshire, cost £105m and took ten years to build. People think it should change the fortunes of English football at the drop of a cone. It won’t.

The aim is for 750 coach educators like Scouse to be trained at SGP to train new coaches to coach the players.

When I went on a tour of the nearly-completed centre last year, I was staggered by figures that show Germany and Italy had almost 300,000 UEFA B qualified coaches, while we had around 2,000. Spain had 13,000 UEFA A Licence holders. Our figure was nearer 1,000.

The FA’s target is to train 250,000 new coaches by 2018, and this is where people like me come in.

I finished playing five years ago and had been contemplating starting my badges, as people still call them, ever since. I wish I’d started sooner, even when I was still playing, as it I would still have drills fresh in my mind and my fitness to take a full part in the sessions would be there.

As it was, I was reacquainting myself with a football training environment in the five hours-plus we were spending on the pitch each day for a whole week, as well as trying to get my head around coaching and the technical side of the game.

Lads like Paul Somers, the 22-year-old Hillingdon Borough right-back, ex-Hatfield Town player Ryan Richards and Yilmaz Sami – the 19-year-old Enfield Town reserves player who is about to embark on a development contract with Galatasaray in his native Turkey – have got the right idea.

If I’d done it like them, while still playing, I think it might have made me a better player through attaining the knowledge of why I’d do certain things.

Take the Tuesday afternoon session with Colin Reid, the ex-Stevenage coach who started last season on Macclesfield’s staff. Because he knows me and that I played centre-half, Reidy had me demonstrating all of his defensive techniques – from preventing turning and applying pressure when one-on-one, to bringing in cover when two against two and holding up attackers when defending ­outnumbered.

Explanations

Naturally, I pressured the ball when I should have done, as the first defender.

I travelled when the ball was moving to the attacker, angled my approach to show him inside, put the brakes on and kept low, trying to ‘spoil’ or ‘nick’ the ball, then dropped off to the right depth and angle behind my partner when it was passed across to the second forward.

It was stuff I’d do dozens of times in every game I played, but I had never had it broken down and explained to me before about why I did it in that way, so that I could coach it into others.

I tried the following afternoon, and failed miserably compared to Reidy, whose attention to detail was frightening. It was something I’d never had to do before and I don’t mind admitting, I was completely out of my comfort zone.

I might have played at a higher level than the other guys on the course, but most of them, like Bishop’s Stortford junior coach Paul Douglas and former Hendon and Hanwell Town player Martyn ‘Alex’ Francis, are coaching kids’ teams and are used to putting on sessions.

Respect

They have my utmost respect because not only are they doing it for free, as I hope to do when my four-year-old son is old enough to play for a junior side, but they do it largely without recognition from fans only concerned by their first team’s result and table.

I learned a hell of a lot from each of them in the way they confidently spoke in control of the group.

I’d like to think that by the time I led a small-sided 4 v 4 game on the Friday, I was more assured in spotting a chance to step in and demonstrate when and how to dribble (yes, there is a bit of Stanley Matthews in this old centre-half), and to coach the centre-forward in pulling away to creating space for the winger to run into.

As well as the classroom theory on what goes into a session, we would devise drills in groups on aspects of the game from running with the ball to receiving it and turning, then get examples from Scouse himself.

Most would involve the use of names from his beloved Everton – with any mistakes invariably blamed on the hapless (in his opinion)Victor Anichebe!

Banter

Any innuendo or industrial language was prefixed by instructions for Billy Buck – at 16 the youngest on the course – to cover his ears or not tell his dad. Elliott Grover became known as ‘Dubai’ because that’s where he’d flown from to do the course, and we all worried for the ginger haired, fair-skinned 20-year-old in the scorching sun.

Kaizheng Wang, a Chinese ­student known as ‘Jerry’, wore a goalkeeper’s top with ‘Mouse 44′ on the back. Predictably, we ribbed him about why it didn’t say ‘Cat’, but it was all good natured and we helped each other with our drills.

It was that kind of week. A tough learning experience, but also fun with the banter you get in a squad of any sportsmen or women growing as the sun-drenched days passed.

Now I’ve got to find a team or two (or a dozen) with whom to do my 12 hours of coaching before the second of our continuation days in January, ahead of February’s final assessment.

That’s a 35-minute session working on the technique and skill of ‘forward runs without the ball’, before coaching it in a 4 v 4 game.

Can I do it? Well, I’ve got more confidence in my ability to do so than at the start of last week, but if I have any doubt I know who to call.

Now, what’s the number for the ­talkSPORT breakfast show?

DIARY OF THE LEVEL 2 COURSE…

Friday, July 19

Theory session for three hours, with tutor Rob ‘Scouse’ Munro introducing his love of football trivia.

I’ve got to do a first aid and child protection course, as well as an online quiz on the laws of the game before I can pass.

“How would you restart the game if Phil Neville wins a free-kick on the edge of the Everton box, takes a quick one back to Tim Howard, who isn’t watching, and the ball rolls straight into the goal without being touched?”

I’d say goal, but the answer is with a corner kick. I’ve already learned something!

Monday, July 22

Scouse’s question: What are the 22 different ‘second names’ of football clubs in England?

After a couple of hours’ theory indoors, we’re outside going through drills. My group have to coach running with the ball. Others do sessions on creating space, short passing and turning.

In the afternoon, our topic is aerial control and the others get dribbling, ­defending, heading and support play.

Tuesday, July 23

Scouse’s question: How many clubs can you name with their old ground and the new one they’ve moved to?

More drills in the morning followed by Colin Reid’s fascinating defending session in the afternoon.

The 47-year-old former West Ham player and coach is helping out at Aveley at the moment, so I’ll be keeping an eye on their goals against column this term!

Wednesday, July 24

Scouse’s question: Name an England XI with capped players in proper positions who have only four letters in their name?

I’m on my own putting on a 20-minute 2 v 2 defending session. I start confidently, but I know I’m talking too much and need to let the drills flow more freely. You have to intervene, Q&A the players and then demonstrate, but I do it too much.

Thursday, July 25

Scouse’s question: Where’s Stu?

No I haven’t quit. It’s my 35th birthday and I arrive bang on the 9am start time after stopping off to get cakes for the boys.

After more theory on planning and evaluating sessions, it’s back onto the training pitch to finish the lads’ drills.

Friday, July 26

Scouse’s question: Which is the only English club to win more European Cups than national championships?

We’re on our own again coaching one team in a 4 v 4 game. I’m on dribbling and it goes better.

I emphasise that you dribble to stretch the opposition, you develop 1 v 1 situations, you need space behind the defender, how to execute the technique and how the team adjusts behind the ball in case the defender wins it. I’m learning the technical side!

Saturday, July 27

Scouse’s question: Which is the only team in English football with five ‘Rs’ in their name?

We finish off some of the theory tasks in a shortened day and say our farewells – for now. We’re back on October 28 for a continuation day, before being assessed in early 2014.

If you’re an ex-Non-League player – or even current – like me, get on a course. We need to be helping the future generations make English football great again!