THE LOWDOWN

Michael Brown is the Head of Performance at FK Bodø/Glimt where he is embarking upon the start of his fourth season at the club. Here he lifts the lid on their fairytale, how one club in the Artic Circle has managed to defy the odds and consistently compete with some of Europe's best. Lifting the lid on what happens behind the scenes, we are offered a glimpse into how strongly knit together the club and community is. Learn how what some may perceive as a weakness has been embraced by the club as a competitive advantage and how alignment and consistency of message has guarded their ascent.Listen to find out more including;- Considerations upon taking a new job.- What unique constraints to High Performance are posed by their location?- Intricacies behind support staff management.- Purposeful planning for domestic and continental fixtures.- What high performance and culture means to Michael?Timestamps;00:00 - 03:00 - Intro03:01 - 10:04 - Bodø/Glimt10:05 - 19:37 - Adapt & Overcome19:38 - 27:10 - High Performance27:11 - 32:51 - Advice

Professor Simon Chadwick is the a Professor of Sport & Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School in Paris. Throughout his career he has studied the impact of geopolitics on the beautiful game. Increasingly over the past decade and as part of his studies he has spent a lot more time outside of Europe exploring regions where there is government involvement and football is used as "nation building". Ahead of the World Cup kickoff Simon joined me to discuss how football has evolved over the last 30 years to the point now where it is now unrecognisable to the game which he found in his youth.Listen to find out more including;- Where did football and "nation building" begin?- Brazil and how football can shape a global narrative.- Insight into FIFA's navigation through the complexity of a changing world.- Where is transnational governance headed to combat the hyper-commercialization of football?- Baking a bigger cake to satisfy the voracious appetite for football.- Is football beyond repair?

“Recruitment is the most bullet proof way to run a club”.What does this look like in a football club ? Furthermore who is responsible ?The Sporting Director role for a long time has held an element of mystique in footballing circles. Better known as the first lieutenant of the ownership, these professionals often go under the radar. Some are masters in player trading others in straight talent arbitrage while often utilizing their exhaustive contacts book to be first in the race for gathering information. In a job where success cannot even be accurately measured find out why paying another £60 million in the hope of certainty may actually be worth it. To bring us through the lay of the land there is no one better than Davide Igono (@undervalu). Listen to find out more including;- Defining the role of a Sporting Director.- Why fit & alignment is crucial?- How the role differs at "player development" clubs such as Dortmund, RB Salzburg & Bilbao?- Why talent arbitrage is a harder science to master than player trading?- What sporting directors are doing now to be first in the information race?- How the position of a sporting director will evolve over the coming years?Timestamps;00:00 - 12:05 - Intro12:06 - 22:55 - Sporting Director22:56 - 31:30 - Player Development31:31 - 43:31 - Talent Arbitrage43:32 - 51:32 - Race for Talent51:33 - 1:04:58 - Success1:04:59 - 1:11:40 - Future1:11:41 - 1:19:34 - AdviceDavide's Twitter; https://twitter.com/undervaluDavide's Website; https://undervalu.gr8.com/

David Tenney is the High Performance Director for Austin FC and has spent almost two decades in elite performance roles in the MLS and NBA. David has worked for two MLS expansion franchises helping build high performance units alongside working in the NBA and completing a PhD on organizational leadership. In this episode we speak about building the preconditions to adapt at the speed of change, how US soccer has evolved and the future of high performance.Furthermore what we discussed included;- The Dutch influence on his football beliefs.- How David defines high performance?- Evolving at the speed of change with Seattle Sounders.- The 80/20 rule when it comes to analysing and application of football data.- How organisational leadership differs between sports and demographics?- Inside Austin FC's successful season.Timestamps;00:00 - 05:56 - Periodisation05:57 - 11:52 - Seattle Sounders11:53 - 20:02 - Building a team20:03 - 28:00 - NBA28:01 - 33:21 - Austin FC33:22 - 36:49 - AdviceDavid's Twitter; https://twitter.com/davetenney

“If something means everything to you, then you go above and beyond”.Marc Pugh is one of very few footballers to have played and scored in all top five tiers of English football. From the National League to the Premier League with Bournemouth Marc reached the pinnacle of top flight football. Moving up through the divisions Marc soon discovered the consistent key differentiator was an investment in his own performance.Embarking down the path of a continuous education and investigating his own curiosities regarding nutrition Marc never stood still and ensured he remained playing at the top. Now in his current guise as “The Foodie Footballer” here he is paying forward the lessons of a career to the next generation.Furthermore we discussed;- Secrets behind a successful career in the game?- The percentages to getting to the top and staying there?- How exactly recovery is linked to nutrition?- “Feeling better at 34 than he did at 22”.- The birth of “The Foodie Footballer”.- Compound effect in the power of investing in your own performance.- The one biggest nutrition belief Marc has changed his mind on?Timestamps;00:00 - 04:50 - Intro04:51 - 08:02 - Nutrition08:03 - 14:52 - Accountability & Routine14:53 - 21:36 - Foodie Footballer21:37 - 30:47 - Football Fuel30:48 - 36:06 - Evolution36:07 - 39:24 - AdviceMarc's Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/thefoodiefootballer/?hl=enMarc's Twitter; https://twitter.com/marcpugh7

How do you envisage retirement? Setting off sail into the sunset? Winning the lottery?For professional athletes that idyllic image can feel far removed and it can be quite a messy process.And what if it's taken from you overnight?Gareth Farrelly's life was turned upside down by a serious illness at just 32. Afterwards the former Everton, Aston Villa, Bolton and Ireland international was set down a path all too familiar with those in the footballing world which all made for a inconspicuous exit away from the game several years later.Being strategic, leveraging lessons learned from challenging times Gareth soon came out the other side. Now Gareth leads a life of purpose in his new identity as a solicitor. Throughout this episode you too will be able to hear the never ending journey of education Gareth is on which permeates through our conversation. It was fascinating and a genuine privilege to hear Gareth's nuanced perspective on the game. Furthermore we discussed;- A breakdown of the external and internal challenges which footballers face?- Football as a reflection of society.- Starting at the bottom of the right ladder.- The concerted need to think beyond 'low resolution' in footballing circles.- Why we need to ask ourselves is the view worth the climb?- The fantastic work of Player 4 Player.Timestamps;00:00 - 03:43 - Early Years03:44 - 10:52 - The Industry10:53 - 24:28 - Retirement24:29 - 27:35 - Law27:36 - 31:08 - Values31:09 - 38:49 - Player 4 Player38:50 - 41:09 - Future41:10 - 45:07 - AdviceGareth's Twitter;https://twitter.com/garethfarrelly1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Recently I was delighted to be joined by The Athletic's Liam Tharme to breakdown the current Premier League campaign. From changes in the dugout to on the field, the narrowing quality gap and the ever evolving nature of the game there are no shortage of talking points. Listen to learn out why there has been a huge dropoff in the number of throughballs, which new manager has already conceded his philosophy for the greater good and so much more. We also discussed;- What Chelsea fans can expect to see of Graham Potter?- How soon should a managerial reign be evaluated?- How have Man City have adapted to Erling Haaland?- Why Liverpool have stagnated?- Has the quality gap ever been as narrower in the Premier League?- Who is most likely to break into the top 6?- The trends which characterise the evolution of football.Timestamps;00:00 - 03:31 - Intro03:32 - 09:08 - Potter09:09 - 14:55 - Ten Hag14:56 - 19:34 - Man City & Haaland19:35 - 23:30 - Liverpool23:31 - 29:11 - Quality Gap29:12 - 35:20 - Evolution of Football35:21 - 40:36 - Death of the Throughball40:37 - 43:35 - World Cup43:36 - 45:14 - AdviceLiam's Twitter;https://twitter.com/LiamTharmeCoach?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

“Creativity is to find the rule and break it”.Recently appointed as Kansas City's head of coaching, Gerard Jones has leveraged curiosity as a force multiplier in his career to date. Traversing continents in the search of knowledge and experiences to help shape the future player and coach. The mixture of an innate passion for the game alongside surrounding himself with the best ensured success was inevitable. In the midst of Gerard's persistent quest to educate and improve himself and those around him I was delighted to share in his accompany for an hour dissecting many facets of the game including;- Translating curiosity into actionable insights which inform your coaching.- The lengths and extents to which Gerard went to build a career in the game?- Detailing the shift in coaching profiles coming through the game?- Sensemaking in a VUCA world.- What does the future game look like?- Why is “Football coaching is an art underpinned by science”?Timestamps;00:00 - 14:50 - Intro14:51 - 25:38 - Pracademic25:39 - 37:10 - Player Development37:11 - 47:08 - Cultural Considerations47:09 - 53:46 - Innovation53:47 - 1:00:20 - US v UK?1:00:21 - 1:01:48 - AdviceUlearnably ; https://ulearnbly.com/get-appGerard's Twitter; https://twitter.com/GerardJones?refsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

“You cannot see something right or wrong, there are observations of tactical patterns, it's about being more effective than the other side in the way you want to play.”Max Bergmann of Hallescher FC made headlines earlier this year becoming one of the youngest coaches ever to manage a coach in German football history at 24 years old. Here he discusses his (young) career to date detailing how he found his passion for football in the form of analysis. Taking on multiple responsibilities has only supercharged his development in the game. Beginning as a writer for Total Football Analysis Max produced outstanding tactical content whilst in the same process educating himself and others. Fascinating listen with a coach I am sure we will continue to hear more of in the coming years.Listen to find out more including;- Building integrity as a young coach.- Creating tactical content to educate self and others.- What Max looks for in analyzing a game?- Maximizing out on roles and responsibilities in the third division.- Why there is a continuous pipeline of young German coaches?- Overcoming stereotypes in professional football.Max' Twitter; https://twitter.com/maxbergmnn?lang=en

“If I don't take that opportunity, someone else will”.Andy Parslow is the first team set piece coach at Swansea City. At the time of recording he was just after completing his final season with AFC Wimbledon. Rising through the academy pathway Andy has made a career out of his passion, rising to the challenge in the stomping ground of the EFL. As the topic of set pieces continues to populate football speak, Andy has been recognised as of one of the finest in the UK. Here in this episode he shares with us his whole process from achieving buyin, design & implementation to the feedback cycle. With grand ambitions he has been sure not to skip steps along the way. A path worth trailblazing and now Andy returns to share some of the lessons of his journey thus far.Listen to find out more including;- Where his passion and curiosity for set pieces originated?- How Andy defines his role and responsibility?- The topic of unpaid internships.- How AFC Wimbledon became the UK's top set piece scorers in 2021?- Preparation & Analysis in a condensed EFL season.- Why principles > pre set routines?- The importance of player freedom in designing & implementing set pieces.Timestamps;00:00 - 02:30 - Intro02:31 - 05:40 - Internships05:41 - 10:03 - AFC Wimbledon10:04 - 20:27 - Set Pieces20:28 - 23:40 - Feedback Process23:41 - 27:45 - Future27:46 - 29:21 - Advice