THE LOWDOWN

Conor Walsh
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Jul 7, 2021 • 1h 5min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #30 - THE DREAM FACTORY w/ RYAN BALDI

Ryan Baldi is author of “The Dream Factory; Inside the Make-Or-Break World of Football's Academies”. The book is a journey deep into the heart of English youth football, revealing in gripping detail how home-grown Premier League stars such as Marcus Rashford and Trent Alexander-Arnold are created, and at what cost. Ryan introduces a rich array of characters behind talent production lines at several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City, zooming in on the stories of Alexander-Arnold's unique development, how Rashford's sense of social responsibility was nurtured, and how Phil Foden has become a beacon to City’s young hopefuls. Nonetheless the book also explores the harsh realities of life away from the big academies, yielding unrivalled insight into the machine that manufactures these stars and everything it spits out in the process. Expect to hear more about;- Why some clubs do not see the academy process as viable?- How clubs are increasingly taking an individual stance towards development?- What the process of creating a Marcus Rashford on and off the pitch looks like at Manchester United?- Why support networks like Mason Mount's are all too rare?- The La Masia of the lower leagues- The Phil Foden v Dele pathway- If Ryan believes a World Cup or European Championship win would vindicate the process? Timestamps;00:00 - 12:10 - English Academy System12:11 - 17:25 - Individual Development17:26 - 23:41 - Cultural Architects23:42 - 33:40 - The role of parents33:41 - 43:40 - Breaking tradition43:41 - 47:15 - Foden v Dele pathway47:16 - 53:23 - Fear53:24 - 01:04:43 - Future Solutions
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Jun 30, 2021 • 41min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #29 - NURTURING TALENT FOR THE FUTURE GAME w/ AUSTIN FC'S JUAN DELGADO

Juan Delgado is the Academy Director of Austin FC. As his academy travelled to Dallas for a youth tournament Juan joined me to explain how the project is progressing to date. Juan's experiences at Villarreal, Valencia and Aspire Academy have provided him with tremendous context as to what the future player may look like. In our conversation Juan discusses how we can examine youth development objectively in this increasingly complex era. Moreover we discuss how this process is shaped, refined and adapted to the player's needs. Whether you are building a game model, defining your principles of play or looking for inspiration this is a must listen. Check out below to learn more about;- What does football mean to Juan?- What's the most challenging part of building an academy?- The power of knowing where you want to go.- Bypassing fear in youth development.- Why any philosophy should start with the player?- What does the future game look like?- The influence of Marcelo Bielsa on his beliefs.Timestamps;00:00 - 05:55 - Valencia, Villarreal & Aspire Academy05:56 - 11:07 - Austin FC11:08 - 15:25 - Culture15:26 - 19:43 - Game Model19:44 - 26:07 - The future game26:08 - 32:11 - Principles of Play32:12 - 36:14 - Advice36:15 - 41:01 - Success
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Jun 24, 2021 • 52min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #28 - HOW TO RECRUIT AT THE TOP? w/ DAVID WEBB

There are few people better qualified to give an insight into top flight recruitment than David Webb. Having initially begun his career with sights on an academy manager's role a trip to Germany changed all of this. Not long after David moved into recruitment roles at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur & Bournemouth where he helped achieve a historic promotion to the Premier League. After this unprecedented success David soon moved into the boardroom with spells as technical director at Östersunds and most recently head of football operations at Huddersfield Town. David's story is one of lifelong learning and here he shares many of the lessons behind his success. Listen to learn more about;- What is required of the modern day technical director?- How a trip to Germany caused him to pivot?- What does a high performance environment look like?- What it was like to work daily with Mauricio Pochettino & Eddie Howe?- How to use resource constraints to your advantage?- How to compliment data alongside traditional scouting processes?- Why David is continuously adapting and refining for his next challenge?Timestamps;00:00 - 08:38 - Career path08:39 - 12:33 - Modern Technical Director12:34 - 16:44 - Common recruitment mistakes16:45 - 23:46 - Southampton & Mauricio Pochettino23:47 - 29:48 - Bournemouth & Eddie Howe29:49 - 33:10 - Data33:11 - 41:35 - Huddersfield Town41:36 - 48:28 - The next challenge48:29 - 52:03 - Advice
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Jun 16, 2021 • 50min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #27 - THE RELENTLESS PATH w/ FC CINCINNATI'S LARRY SUNDERLAND

Larry Sunderland is the Director of Player Development at FC Cincinnati. Having worked previously within US youth national team set ups alongside the academies of Chicago Fire & Portland Timbers, Larry knows exactly what it takes to make it as a professional footballer. During our wide ranging conversation we discussed all the internal and external factors which go into shaping young talents. Listen to this episode to learn more about;- The importance of self-regulation in youth development?- How he narrows the gap between what someone is and what they can become?- What it is like to build an academy from the ground up?- Why it is important to look past the low hanging fruits of success?- The psycho-social components of establishing an identity?- Which soft skill must all player's possess if they are to become professional?Timestamps;00:00 - 05:00 - Early beginnings05:01 - 08:58 - Self-Regulation08:59 - 12:55 - “Working in the gap”12:56 - 17:42 - Environment17:43 - 29:37 - Philosophy29:38 - 33:10 - Identity33:11 - 40:26 - Embracing Adversity40:27 - 47:14 - Coach Development47:15 - 49:36 - Legacy
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Jun 8, 2021 • 32min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #26 - AI & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT w/ JOGO'S DAVID DWINGER

David Dwinger is the founder of JOGO; an AI powered platform which aims to make talent development data & technology insightful and accessible to players and coaches all over the world. David has a brilliant seat at the top of the technology revolution that is gripping the football industry. Despite barely being 13 months old JOGO is now working with 65 academies worldwide and are involved with federations such as FIFA. By the end of our discussion I am even more convinced by the validity of David's work and how important a role software such as JOGO can play a role in youth development. Listen to this episode to learn more about;- How artificial intelligence can give you an edge in youth development?- How the football landscape is changing?- The trials and tribulations of establishing a startup.- Why the cognitive aspect of football is radically underappreciated?- How clubs can optimize youth development?JOGO website: https://jogo.ai/JOGO App; https://apps.apple.com/us/app/jogo-ai/id1524472015Timestamps;00:00 - 03:01 - Early beginnings03:02 - 06:38 - Football's changing narrative06:39 - 09:02 - The startup process09:03 - 13:27 - How does it work?13:28 - 15:36 - Player ownership15:37 - 24:40 - Cognitive aspect of football24:41 - 28:26 - JOGO projects28:27 - 31:29 - Advice for launching a startup
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Jun 2, 2021 • 52min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #25 - FOOTBALL'S INFINITE GAME w/ MRKT INSIGHT'S TIM KEECH

Tim Keech is the co-founder of MRKT Insights; a data focused football consultancy who supply data science, technical scouting, and recruitment services to football clubs and ownership groups. 90% of the clubs they have worked with have improved their league finishing position in the subsequent season. Tim joined me recently to explain how clubs can win infinitely and why and how an aligned strategy can springboard your club to success. Listen to this episode to learn more about;- The inefficiencies of football's labour market- Why this summer could increase the chasm between Europe's elite and the chasing pack?- How a multi-club model can save Europe's elite?- How strategy can bridge the revenue gap?- What the due diligence process looks like for acquiring a club?- Implications of Brexit on this summer and beyond?Tim's Twitter; https://twitter.com/SBunching?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorMRKT Insights website: https://mrktinsights.com/Timestamps;00:00 - 08:03 - Intro08:04 - 10:40 - Sustainability catalysts10:41 - 17:28 - Differential models17:29 - 20:40 - Wage Expenditure20:41 - 29:56 - The Ownership process29:57 - 36:04 - Sushi & Chocolate Cake36:05 - 41:46 - Club Partnerships41:47 - 45:22 - Transfer Market45:23 - 51:34 - Elevator Pitch
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May 26, 2021 • 37min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #24 - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL PREVIEW w/ HOLSTEIN KIEL'S CHRISTIAN DOBRICK

We have a special episode this week as we dissect the upcoming Champions League Final clash between Manchester City & Chelsea. An advocate of positional play and an alumni of the Ralf Rangnick coaching school there are few better to preview this intriguing tactical clash than Holstein Kiel U-17 coach Christian Dobrick. Listen to find out more including;- How Pep Guardiola built a collective bigger than any individual?- How Man City regained their rhythm?- Why the half spaces are integral to City's game model?- How Thomas Tuchel has impacted Chelsea?-Why Tuchel is unlike any other Premier League coach?- Why Chelsea fans should be enamoured by Timo Werner?- How undervalued is the role of social competence within top level football?Christian's Twitter; https://twitter.com/chrdob?lang=enChristian's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-dobrick/Timestamps;00:00 - 15:30 - Manchester City15:31 - 33:29 - Chelsea33:30 - 37:18 - Holstein Kiel
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May 18, 2021 • 52min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #23 - DATA & TACTICAL ANALYSIS w/ JOHN MULLER

John Muller is author of the “Space Space Space” newsletter; a weekly publication musing about data and tactical analysis within football. For quite some time now I have followed John's work and there are few better qualified to give a breakdown on the modern state of data and tactical analysis within football. Listen to this episode to hear more about;- How a move to South America and watching Pep's Barcelona fueled a desire to study tactics?- Moving from law into football- Why we are in a new era of data analytics within football?- Preview of the upcoming Champions League Final- Why there is no single path to understanding football?- What is the next frontier of data analytics?John's Twitter; https://twitter.com/johnspacemuller?lang=en“Space Space Space” Newsletter; https://spacespacespaceletter.com/archive/FiveThirtyEight article: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/soccer-is-learning-to-see-the-whole-game/Timestamps;00:00 - 05:50 - Intro05:51 - 09:30 - How to analyse a game?09:31 - 14:15 - Event & Tracking data14:16 - 21:34 - Data analytics within football21:35 - 28:56 - Elbow backs28:57 - 32:51 - Categorising midfielders32:52 - 41:00 - Man City v Chelsea41:01 - 49:21 - Validity of data49:22 - 52:19 - “Learn as much as possible & share what you can”
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May 10, 2021 • 33min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #22 - DEVELOPING ASIAN FOOTBALL w/ FIFA'S ESSAM ALSUHAIBANI

Essam Alsuhaibani is the Regional Development Manager for Asia at FIFA. In this episode Essam speaks to me about his journey to date and why you should pursue your passion. From growing up in Saudi fascinated with the English and Argentinian game, Essam pursued his curiosity. This eventually takes us to the current day where Essam leads a department at FIFA responsible for developing the Asian game. Listen to how multi-facted the day to day really is at FIFA. Furthermore hear more on ;- How football contributed to a cultural shift in Saudi Arabia?- Leaving engineering and a scholarship for football- What the day to day looks like at FIFA?- What is Essam's proudest project to date?- How to get started in the football industry?Essam's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/essam-alsuhaibani-44129422/Timestamps;00:00 - 08:08 - Life in Saudi08:09 - 14:27 - Liverpool14:28 - 18:21 - AFC18:22 - 25:28 - FIFA25:29 - 27:30 - Proudest Project?27:31 - 29:53 - Future of Asian Football29:54 - 32:58 - Advice
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May 3, 2021 • 1h 23min

THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #21 - ALL FOUR CORNERS w/ JASON STEPHENS

Jason Stephens is the co-founder of “Modern Football Group” and is a lecturer in International Football Business at UCFB Wembley. There are few people more qualified than Jason to speak about the global game. The long list of clubs and organisations Jason has worked for includes Charlton, Sao Paulo, Portland Timbers, San Francisco 49ers, Inter Milan, the Cook Islands and Hashtag United. Nevertheless what is it really like to work at these institutions and how did he end up there? Sit back and enjoy this deep dive as Jason pulls back the curtains on his story. We discuss;- How early beginnings shaped his journey- Innovating youth development with Charlton- Getting out of his comfort zone in Brazil- Coaching SF 49ers third choice QB- Bringing street football to Qatar's labour camps- An infamous honeymoon in the Cook Islands- Insights as to why the Super League is not over- His advice for people wishing to embark on their own football journeyJason's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonstephens4sports/“Modern Football Group” LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-football-groupTimestamps;00:00 - 08:27 - Early beginnings08:28 - 18:07 - Brazil18:08 - 22:44 - USA22:45 - 26:25 - Inter Milan26:26 - 34:40 - Qatar34:41 - 42:28 - Cook Islands42:29 - 57:45 - Women's football57:46 - 01:05:20 - UCFB01:05:21 - 01:17:10 - Modern Football Group01:17:11 - 1:23:06 - Elevator pitch

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