THE LOWDOWN

"All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town". - Leonard TolstoyToday's guest is one of football's expert storytellers. Throughout time Guillem Balague has shared the stories of many of football's greats, expertly sharing insights and humanizing the person behind the performer.So it was about time I figured to turn the tables on Guillem and ask him to share his story.What was originally meant to be a conversation about Lionel Messi turned into an intimate story about Guillem's move to Liverpool as a young student, the early days of Revista De La Liga, the emotions which sustain his love for the game and so much more.The first of five big episodes recorded in Miami and one which is not to be missed.Listen to find out more including;- The inspiration behind taking over at Biggleswade? - The story as to how Revista De La Liga came to life?- His relationship with David Beckham alongside unique insight into the early days at Real Madrid.- How Guillem broke the news of Messi moving to Inter Miami.- Behind the scenes of Argentina's World Cup Win and how Messi evolved as a leader in Qatar.- Who does Messi turn to in his lowest moments?- How breaking the Fernando Torres move to Chelsea changed Guillem's relationship with social media forever?Timestamps;00:00 - 09:00 - UK Early Days09:01 - 14:07 - Emotion14:08 - 19:48 - Biggleswade19:49 - 30:48 - Revista De La Liga30:49 - 36:42 - Beckham36:43 - 1:01:30 - Messi1:01:31 - 1:06:30 - Social Media1:06:31 - 1:08:21 - AdviceGuillem's Book; https://www.amazon.co.uk/Messi-must-read-biography-champion-Balagues/dp/1399619136/ref=asc_df_1399619136/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=658789276035&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4549027146112015269&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006524&hvtargid=pla-2197207796556&psc=1&mcid=68ef9cc52c083a86941091bee9d2d85a&th=1&psc=1Get in touch;Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=enYouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPodEmail: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

"Football is conquering the world at an unstoppable speed and at the moment there is a dysfunction between the audience and practice in some countries." - Arsene Wenger.The man who's role it is to minimize that gap is today's guest; Matthew Clement who is also the FIFA Training Centre Manager. From the conceptualisation of a new football language to overseeing the development of FIFA's new competency framework it has been an eventful time in charge for Matthew. A combination of the most ardent fan's passion and the curiosity and drive of a top coach, Matthew strikes me as the perfect fit to "oversee the strategic development of technology and content for FIFA's global education".Reminiscing about the last male and female World Cup's in the last year, modern trends with respect to playing styles, unique age profiles and how youth development is being challenged to evolve, it is clearly an exciting time to be playing a part in the development of the World's game.Listen to find out more including;- Moving from the path of specialist to the generalist and why it proved to be the fitting apprenticeship?- Taking the call from Arsene Wenger to join FIFA.- What a healthy relationship looks like between technology and coaching?- Where Arsene Wenger thinks the future of football is going to develop?- Understanding how coaches can make better decisions and FIFA's plans to enhance the psychological development of coaches.- Excitement internally over the impending Club World Cup and a potential matchup between Diniz' Fluminense and Guardiola's Man City.Get in touch;Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=enYouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPodEmail: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

"Football is not just about a result, it is a way of living."On December 2nd Juan Roman Riquelme will run against Andres Ibarra for the Boca Juniors presidency. Today's guest Gustav Salvestrini is a Boca Socio and member also of Ibarra's party. Ibarra's campaign push centres around the need to commercialise Boca, modernise revenue structures and return Boca to one of the top 5 clubs in World Football.Listen to find out more including;- The cultural significance of Boca Juniors within the community.- What distinguishes Argentine football from the rest of world football?- How club elections are ran in Argentina?- "Passion y Gestion" and plans to revolutionalise Boca from a new stadium to it's internationalisation.- How the recent appointment of Javier Milei as President may potentially impact the Boca elections?Timestamps;00:00 - 02:17 - Intro02:18 - 07:07 - Boca Juniors07:08 - 11:19 - Elections11:20 - 17:15 - "Passion y Gestion"17:16 - 22:51 - Milei Get in touch;Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=enYouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPodEmail: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

“You want to be a builder...”Mark Cartwright is the Sporting Director of Huddersfield Town. Mapping out his pathway from player to agent and now the current day, he joined us to distill some of his most pertinent learnings to date.Navigating change, working across every facet of the organisation Mark has learned to adapt and evolve quickly across his time at Stoke City, USL and now Huddersfield. Learn as how to Mark built out his own pathway, how he continually humbles himself, principles for winning in the boardroom and how he envisages his field changing.Listen to find out more including; - How comparable are the skillsets of Agent & Sporting Director?- Embarking upon a career path that did not even exist.- "You don't have to be an expert in every field but you have to have knowledge."- Modernising Stoke City's recruitment process and what "Premier League ready" looks like?- Mark's process for identifying and navigating bottlenecks.- Influencing thought process at the USL with 40+ clubs to manage.- How will the modern Sporting Director have to evolve their skillset?Timestamps;00:00 - 02:54 - Intro 02:55 - 07:07 - Agent 07:08 - 10:20 - Gaining an edge 10:21 - 14:20 - Stoke City 14:21 - 19:36 - Evaluate & Adapt19:37 - 32:28 - USL32:29 - 35:31 - Huddersfield Town35:32 - 38:00 - Evolution38:01 - 40:39 - Advice Get in touch;Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=enYouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPodEmail: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

David Garcia is the founder of "It's Just a Sport".One's coaching journey will pull and drag you a thousand different ways. In many a different direction and amid a war of attention what football stands out most to you? Furthermore how do you create a methodology and bring this to life? After a while searching down the path less trodden David Garcia has alchemised plenty of lessons inspiring thousands of coaches. In his current work as an "experience architect" David is passionate about how we as coaches can gather tools to be our best selves in front of players.Via a period of studying positional play in Spain and a few other adventures in between we learn here about the moment where it all clicked for David along his coaching journey. Furthermore we unpack as how David came to be so passionate about coach development, the broader tangible impact a game model has, how technology and youth development can work hand in hand and so much more.Listen to find out more including;- Why he created "It's just a sport"?  - Authenticity of self in light of the growing "homogenisation" of football.- Why the new wave of rule breaking coaches will emerge from those who delve deeper into enhancing connections between players and game model? - Play as a form of transcending oneself.- Coach burnout and how to stave off it's threat?- Integrating technology which enhances the game experience of young players.Timestamps;00:00 - 03:18 - Intro03:19 - 06:23 - Coaching06:24 - 10:38 - Community & Curiosity10:39 - 17:36 - Positional Play17:37 - 25:47 - Game Model25:48 - 30:50 - Authenticity 30:51 - 37:07 - Character Development37:08 - 43:07 - Coach Wellbeing43:08 - 51:57 - Evolution51:58 - 54:53 - AdviceDavid's LinkedIn; https://twitter.com/IJaSport?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorIt's Just a Sport; https://www.itsjustasport.com/Get in touch;Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=enYouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPodEmail: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

"Take care of the game and the business will take care of itself."I for one cannot wait to attend this year's SoccerEx in Miami. To preview this year's offering, CEO Patrick McCreanor joined the show. From it's debut event in Wembley right through to a landmark 50th convention in it's adopted city of Miami SoccerEx has cemented itself as the world's largest football business event. As over 600 clubs from all around the world embark on the Magic City we chart through the rise of one of football's most prestigious brands.Listen to find out more including;- The origins of SoccerEx.- What makes Miami the full package as a host city?- Post 2026 what does football in North America look and feel like?- The efforts taken to grow the brand and modernise it's existing offering.- Who is on the agenda for 2023? And what panels and discussions can we look forward to?Timestamps;00:00 - 01:32 - Intro01:33 - 03:43 - Origins03:44 - 05:20 - Miami05:21 - 10:28 - Legacy10:29 - 15:38 - Evolution15:39 - 18:41 - The Agenda18:42 - 19:42 - AdviceSoccerEx; https://soccerex.com/Patrick's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-mccreanor-24a16058/Get in touch;Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=enYouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPodEmail: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

"The objective is to win but at what cost...."Jonathon O'Neill is the co-founder of HeadCoach.Turning potential into performance HeadCoach is an app which allows you to master your mental, emotional and social skillsets. At a time where coaches and players bandwith have never been as stretched the app seeks to optimize and enhance your ability to reflect, realign and refocus.A tool which we must constantly develop, there is no arrival point or time at which we master EQ. Integrating the game of sport within the game of life indeed there is no separation between performance and wellbeing. Through a range of features varying from a habit tracker to a wellness journal the app seeks to minimize that gap.Learn more as to why coaches should be concerned with EQ, the distinction between confidence and competence, the flipside of the Dunning-Kruger effect, why coach burnout is on the rise and so much more.Listen to find out more including;- What does scalability look for coaches who are already overloaded?- Managing competition and cooperation within sport.- Distinguishing between "d needs" and "b needs" and understanding how this impacts your EQ strategy.- The intersection between the "Dunning-Kruger effect" and Imposter Syndrome.- What does a healthy relationship with technology look and feel like?- Coach development sitting at the top of the ultimate self-actualisation.Timestamps;00:00 - 05:54 - HeadCoach05:55 - 10:23 - Chimp Empire10:24 - 19:04 - Cooperation19:05 - 30:25 - Team Development30:26 - 45:59 - Confidence v Competence46:00 - 53:47 - Wellbeing53:48 - 57:35 - Coaching57:36 - 1:03:26 - Evolution1:03:27 - 1:07:42 - Technology1:07:43 - 1:15:01 - AdviceHeadCoach App; https://www.headcoach.app/Jonathon's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-o-neill-3b0a95b9/Transcend book; https://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Self-Actualization-Scott-Barry-Kaufman/dp/0143131206Get in touch;Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=enYouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPodEmail: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

"There is always a next step..." Darren Powell's mantra for player development is too something which he holds close to his heart. Now the Director of Player Development for Inter Miami Darren is responsible for overseeing the transition of players from their MLS Next side into the professional game. Understandably and not entirely an exact science, Darren and Inter Miami have received plaudits galore for their shrewd judgment in the ascent of as many as 6 homegrowns to the pro ranks recently. Listen to find out more including; - College soccer as a character building experience. - Creating a player's IPP through understanding their motivational trigger points. - How Darren envisages the composition of MLS squads will evolve? - Understanding the not so exacts science as to when to accelerate a player's pathway? - What Darren learned by studying how the greats get to top in their chosen field? Timestamps; 00:00 - 04:44 - Intro 04:45 - 11:06 - USA 11:07 - 18:01 - Inter Miami 18:02 - 26:43 - Modern Player 26:44 - 28:27 -Advice

"Adapt or else...." Yiannis Tsalatsidis is the Technical Director & First Team Coach of FC London. In this specially recorded podcast Yiannis takes us on quite the football journey through his lens over the course of 2 hours. Empowered by a duty to develop beyond the regular realm Yiannis' work can best be described as player centred. Armed by this mission, it is with this very unique and compelling picture of the future we frame Yiannis' journey and explore the evolution of the future game. Firmly embedded in the development of tomorrow's player what trends in the modern game does Yiannis observe which will have monumental impacts in shaping the game going forward? Learn as to how this has been influenced from wide ranging references such as Zidane to rhythm in music and his study of complex adaptive systems. However before one goes forward one must return to the roots. Listen to find out more including; - What influences the type of football Yiannis likes? - Character development, embedded in talent identification and it's foundation in developing players. - Creating a culture of curiosity and aligning a player development model across a whole club from mini's to adults. - Seeing situations as energy and how that influences interactions with players. - How top managers are working to implement micro adaptations into their model? - IPP work beyond the field in raising self and situational awareness. - The critical performance window in which we are missing in talent development? - Solving the accessibility issue of football and the wide ranging impacts this will have on the growth of the game worldwide. Get in touch; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1... Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=en YouTube; / @thelowdownpod Email: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

Ravi Ramineni is the co-founder and CEO of src | ftbl. He has also been at the forefront of the football analytics boom over the last decade.A former employee of Bing and Microsoft Ravi played a huge role in the success of the Seattle Sounders organisation rapidly ascending from analyst to VP in the organisation.In his own words the journey has been “a steep learning curve” and here Ravi reflects on what brought him here to the present day. From leaving building data pipelines out of a Starbucks or leading a multi million dollar sporting department Ravi has taken the long road. With football at the source and Ravi is still adamant that we are still at the infancy of the football analytics boom.Here there are insights galore for everyone.Listen to find out more including;- Ray Hudson, dial ins and the early days forging a career in football- Building data pipelines and early days working on GPS data at Starbucks.- Understanding what skill sets are “low supply & high demand”.- Founding SRC FTBL and what he believes the knock on impact this will have for the worldwide analytics culture?- The ideal coach - analyst relationship.- Quantifying your game model and the significance this has throughout the organisation.Get in touch;Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwalsh95?lang=enYouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPodEmail: cwalsh95@outlook.ie