THE LOWDOWN

“The aim of Football Coach Evolution is not to change the world but to develop coaches based on more objective & reliable information”.Raymond Verheijen is the owner of Football Coach Evolution providing a best in class coaching education to coaches all over the world. Having served as an assistant in four World Cups & Euros alongside being mentored by the likes of Louis Van Gaal & Guus Hiddink there are few better equipped to guide the next generation. Utilizing evolutionary knowledge to explain tactical principles & methodology, Raymond has created a universal football language to better equip coaches for the challenges ahead. Yet knowledge is only the starting point and we gain insight as to the challenges faced when we begin to apply this objective knowledge in our respective environments. In this episode which is the longest I have recorded to date I believe there is something here for everyone no matter what level of the game you are involved in. An openness to learn, collaborate and falsify our opinions are the only way we can hope to evolve and further grow the game. Thank you Raymond for a wonderful and thought provoking chat.Listen to find out more including;- Raymond's coaching origin story.- How Raymond turned his biggest disappointment into his biggest opportunity?- Why has there been a “pollution of football language & methodology?”- Top down control v Top down guidance.- Guus Hiddink's mastery in change management.- How to ensure your tactical principles are built on solid foundations?- Can we change the conversation at boardroom level?Timestamps;00:00 - 04:30 - Intro04:31 - 14:51 - Universal Football Language14:52 - 25:37 - Application25:38 - 32:47 - Change Management32:48 - 45:38 - Clarity of Role45:39 - 1:00:22 - Knowledge or Experience?1:00:23 - 1:14:32 - Intelligence or Consciousness?1:14:33 - 1:24:25 - AdviceRaymond's Website; https://www.fcevolution.com/Raymond's new book; https://www.fcevolution.com/winkel/books/tactical-principles/

Owen Eastwood is a performance coach who has worked with organisations such as NATO, South African Cricket and England Rugby. He is probably best known for his role as performance coach within Gareth Southgate's England setup where he has spent the best part of seven years. He has carved out a reputation in elite sport for creating the optimal environment for teams to succeed. Here he brings us on a journey reflecting on his career, the lessons learned and allowing us remarkable access into his work. It's an episode you will listen to again and again. Enjoy.Listen to find out more including;- Why “Belonging” is never an achieved state?- What the art of good storytelling looks like?- The ancient Maori belief Owen uses to maximise a team's performance?- Inside his role within Gareth Southgate's England squad and reflecting upon how the national team culture has changed.- Why being authentic and personal are the two key tools to navigating the future successfully?- Owen's challenge to to each of you listening.Timestamps;00:00 - 06:08 - Intro06:09 - 11:11 - Peer to Peer11:12 - 20:47 - Belonging20:48 - 27:38 - Storytelling27:39 - 34:23 -Whakapapa34:24 - 37:28 - Future37:29 - 40:21 - AdviceOwen's Book; https://www.amazon.co.uk/Belonging-Ancient-Togetherness-Owen-Eastwood/dp/1529415063

“Don't always chase the dream, work hard and things will happen for you”.Willie McNab is the Head of Children's Football at Celtic Football Club. With 20+ years in the game he has accumulated experience coaching at all ends of the spectrum. It was so insightful to hear Willie reflect upon his wide ranging coaching pathway with plenty of anecdotes and lessons to boot. Priding himself on a football philosophy built on beliefs and values, Willie has helped foster a process driven culture within Celtic's academy. A lifelong learner, he speaks fondly of his time being back in the classroom completing a MSc in Performance Coaching and the importance of being inquisitive and asking good questions. An episode not be missed.Listen to find out more including;- A senior coaching debut at 18!- The interviewing tactics of the great Tommy Burns.- Building a philosophy beyond the x's and o's.- Overcoming challenges in the pursuit of creating robust players (and coaches).- Why having a coaching strategy is a better alternative than a pre described coaching style? - What is so unique about the environment and the player/coach relationships at Celtic Football Club?Timestamps;00:00 - 09:36 - Intro09:37 - 14:56 - Reflection & Progress14:57 - 21:53 - Celtic21:54 - 26:50 - Head of Children's Football26:51 - 35:31 - Holistic Development35:32 - 47:50 - Robust players & coaches47:51 - 57:52 - Lifelong Learning57:53 - 59:20 - Advice

Nuno Cardoso is the CEO of Proplayer Group. For a long time he believed that differentiation and strategic collaboration can change the game of football. So much so that Proplayer Group have now bought a seat at the table acquiring Sport Clube Vianense in the Portuguese lower leagues. They have done so amid the backdrop of an unfavourable investment climate and an equally uncertain future. Rather than dismissing conversations about the future game, Nuno and his colleagues are imploring the football community to embrace this era of change. Listen to find out more including;- Fleeing war torn Angola as a young child.- How football is ridden of inefficiencies?- Why bureaucracy is killing the growth potential of Portuguese football?- Inside the process of building a “professional team on an amateur budget”.- Why instead of avoiding conversations about NFT's we should be building strategies!Timestamps;00:00 - 03:40 - Intro03:41 - 09:06 - Angola09:07 - 18:29 - Football's Inefficiencies18:30 - 22:06 - Portugal22:07 - 27:30 - Sport Clube Vianense27:31 - 31:32 - Future of Football31:33 - 40:57 - Tokens & NFT's40:58 - 43:38 - Life as CEO43:39 - 46:38 - AdviceProplayer Group; https://proplayer.pt/

My guest today needs no introduction. Stephen Constantine is a familiar name in coaching circles with a coaching career spanning over 20 years having coached five different countries and numerous clubs on four different continents. As he returns home briefly from his call to adventure he joined me to discuss his career in detail. With countless lessons ranging from team building to adapting to new cultures, amid all the organisational hurdles to navigate in between Stephen has been kind enough to provide some eye opening truths about the beautiful game. Was the route quite as scenic as promised? Nonetheless it is evident that the hunger which took Stephen from Delhi to the Den still remains. What's next? Find out more here including;- How Stephen's childhood influenced his ability to adapt to new surroundings?- Building your game idea from solid foundations.- Asking Michel Platini why he did not become a coach?- The differences in buy in between club and international football.- Why you cannot separate long term development and short term results?- Why consistency is the key to high performance?Timestamps;00:00 - 04:36 - Intro04:37 - 09:35 - Adapting09:36 - 18:22 - Foundations18:23 - 27:43 - India27:44 - 32:45 - Hiring Bias32:46 - 36:46 - Empathy36:47 - 42:36 - Reflections & Progress42:37 - 44:35 - Advice

There are few who know how challenging the role of Sporting Director is better than Mike Rigg. Having worked the role at a number of clubs including Man City, Fulham, QPR and Burnley, Mike is now educating the next generation of the perils and prospects involved alongside his colleagues at the Association of Sporting Directors.Fit & alignment in finding the right job, being able to link the business with the football, managing player recruitment amidst the noise, you can tell it is not easy to go travel this path which often changes. However with a bit of purpose and clarity you might just not only survive but triumph. What we discussed included;- How has the role of Sporting Director evolved over the years?- The three different hats of a Sporting Director.- What Mike's apprenticeship looked like at Blackburn in the pre-data age?- Fit & Alignment in finding positions.- Which two things are important to succeeding in the job?- Playing long term but being judged short term.Timestamps;00:00 - 06:20 - What is the role?06:21 - 11:16 - Apprenticeship11:17 - 20:36 - Fit & Alignment20:37 - 27:06 - Income v Outcome27:07 - 33:12 - Recruitment33:13 - 37:09 - AdviceAssociation of Sporting Directors; https://associationofsportingdirectors.com/

We have a special episode for you this week to preview the 2021/22 Champions League Final between Liverpool & Real Madrid. A date of destiny as Liverpool's quest for a historic treble meets the “last dance” of Real Madrid. Something has to give. Hoffenheim academy coach; Christian Dobrick joined me to dissect where the game will be won & lost. Listen to find out more including;- How Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have evolved?- The “swiss army knife” of Liverpool's attack.- Why Liverpool won't be dragged into the Real Madrid chaos?- The many tactical styles of Carlo Ancelotti.- How Real Madrid continually rise to the occasion?-Why the midfield battle will be crucial to deciding Saturday's clash?Christian's Twitter; https://twitter.com/chrdob?lang=enChristian's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-dobrick/

The name Sean O'Shea is synonymous with Dubai Football. Beginning in the academy scene as many coaches Sean quickly climbed through the ranks, becoming head of football at NAS working under Sheikh Hamdan. Soon Sean was hosting training camps for the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid whilst also privately coaching the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Luke Shaw. Becoming assistant coach at AIK, he was soon scaling the likes of Celtic Park on European nights mixing it up with elite of European football. Having recently left his posting Sean joins me here to reflect on his journey to date and what he's learned throughout all his experiences. Sean's story is full of ambition and a guiding example to many young coaches out there looking to break into the pro game. What we discussed included;- Repurposing his passion for football in the form of coaching.- Goal setting versus doing it for the love of the game?- Stepping outside his comfort zone and getting on the professional ladder in Norway.- Sheikh Hamdan's vision which saw him step away from Huddersfield.- IDP coaching versus being a first team coach?- Considerations and reflections going forward in the future game.Timestamps;00:00 - 09:02 - Intro09:03 - 16:47 - Norway16:48 - 23:52 - Dubai23:53 - 27:38 - IDP Coaching27:39 - 34:20 - AIK34:21 - 42:36 - UEFA Pro42:37 - 46:06 - Advice

There has been a lot of debate surrounding the recent changes by UEFA to FFP and their reformatting of the Champions League. With so much noise and little certainty who better is there than Alex Phillips, former head of governance and compliance at UEFA to give us the inside scoop on what these changes actually mean. Being part of several projects that include the creation of the Deloitte rich list, the European Clubs Association and Supporters Direct, Alex' industry expertise is undisputed. We tackle a whole host of topics in this one including;- Has the European football landscape changed over the years?- Inside the formation of and the purpose behind the European Clubs Association.- In what sense do European clubs need to be protected from themselves?- Can UEFA be both the tournament organiser and regulator?- Why the changes to the Champions League format are nothing more than a “rebadging”?- Alex' proposed regulatory changes in response to the latest from UEFA?Timestamps;00:00 - 07:45 - Intro07:46 - 16:14 - European Football16:15 - 19:51 - ECA19:52 - 26:02 - Proposed changes26:03 - 33:24 - The clubs33:25 - 41:05 - Competitive Balance41:06 - 47:42 - UCL Format Changes47:43 - 50:36 - Advice

Karan Tejwani is the author of the new book; “Glorious Reinvention; The Rebirth of Ajax Amsterdam.”Karan tells the story of how Ajax rediscovered their mojo to compete again with Europe's best. In November 2010, after Ajax's 2-0 loss in the Champions League group stage to Real Madrid, Johan Cruyff wrote a newspaper column criticising his former club. He believed the side were poorly run, had lost their identity and been left behind by modern football. He wanted Ajax to rely on their academy as they once had, and he wanted former Ajax players in high positions calling the shots at the club. This was dubbed “the Glorious Reinvention” - a peaceful coup that would propel Ajax to once more compete with the best. A few years on, with many of the changes in place, the side reached a Europa League final and a Champions League semi-final with an exquisite style of football and methods that Cruyff would have appreciated. Ajax, now run by former club greats such as Edwin van der Sar combined the techniques of old with modern elements. What we discussed included ;- Why Ajax fell behind in the 90's?- The magical figure of Johan Cruyff.- Inside the processes and procedures of a world class academy.- Where does the 2019 Ajax team rank among the pantheon of great European sides?- What can Manchester United fans expect from Eric Ten Hag?- How Ajax will rebuild this summer amid losing key players and staff?Karan's Twitter;https://twitter.com/karan_tejwani26Book; https://www.amazon.co.uk/Glorious-Reinvention-Rebirth-Ajax-Amsterdam/dp/180150069X