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THE MAGAZINE OF THE LEAGUE MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

ISSUE 20 £7.50

ON THE UP NIGEL PEARSON MAKING IT TO THE TOP

LEADERSHIP · INSIGHT · INSPIRATION

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FROM THE

EDITOR When author Doug Cooper said, “Variety may be the spice of life, but consistency pays the bills,” he could have been talking about football.

e all want to see stand-out performances, winning local derbies, scoring five or a spot of giant killing, but in order to progress up the table and compete for promotion or titles, those great performances need to be replicated week in, week out. A rare afternoon of genius on the pitch might put some fire under your players, but if it fizzles out the following Saturday it is next to useless. Success is not defined by what we do once in a while, but what we are capable of doing consistently. It takes some seriously hard graft to get good results repeatedly over a season, but if that were the whole of the equation then management would be a simple task. It would be based around gruelling 12-hour training sessions, robotic attention to detail and military discipline. In reality, promotions tend to be the result of a certain buzz, an intangible positive drive and determination that runs through the players’ veins every time they step onto the turf.

The League Managers Association, St. George’s Park, National Football Centre, Newborough Road, Needwood, Burton upon Trent, DE13 9PD The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily those of the League Managers Association, its members, officers or employees. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

“SUCCESS IS NOT DEFINED BY WHAT WE DO ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF DOING CONSISTENTLY” It’s something Russ Wilcox knows only too well, having this season led Scunthorpe to an incredible recordbreaking run of games without defeat. “The players didn’t approach any of the 28 games assuming they would win, but they knew they had a real opportunity each time,” he says. “Even when we didn’t play our very best, the group mentality remained resolute and we were hard to beat.” How did someone with no prior experience of full-time management achieve a feat that no man had managed for 126 years? Find out on page 32. For Nigel Pearson’s Leicester City, who next season will fight it out in the Barclay’s Premier League, promotion was also the result of a strong team mentality. “You have to have people with

abilities that complement your own, allow them to use those skills and trust them to take on responsibilities,” he says in our lead feature on page 14. He also points out that great management means working with what you’ve got. At least 12 managers across the professional leagues will start the next season in a new club, with players they did not choose and who might not fit their ideal playing style or plans for the club. Other managers will find their long-term goals and visions impeded by a lack of resources or pressure to get immediate results. And therein lies the challenge, one that is daunting and thrilling in equal measures. We wish all managers luck in their preparations for the battle ahead.

Editor Alice Hoey alicehoey1@gmail.com Editor for LMA Sue McKellar sue.mckellar@lmasecure.com Editorial contributor for LMA Matthew Amos Publishers Jim Souter jim.souter@lmasecure.com

Art direction Trinorth www.trinorth.co.uk Photography Action Images unless stated Head of business development Tim Munton tim.munton@lmasecure.com Senior Commercial Manager Alex Smith alex.smith@lmasecure.com www.leaguemanagers.com

FROM THE POST ROOM TO THE BOARD ROOM, EVERYONE THINKS THEY CAN BE

THE MANAGER OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK

‘peerless insights’ – Observer ‘a trove of interesting material’ – Independent on Sunday Book of the Week ‘its depth of shared knowledge is huge’ – FourFourTwo

The biggest names in football management reveal the secrets to successful leadership and surviving under pressure Available in paperback, ebook and audiobook Published with the support of the LMA, Barclays and Deloitte

FROM THE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE W

elcome to the 20th edition of the Manager. Another campaign has drawn to a close and once again it did so in dramatic style, with the destiny of several teams decided on the final day. It has been another enthralling season across the four professional leagues of English football and I would like to congratulate everyone involved for their contribution to what makes English football so riveting. As we all know, the football industry is 24/7, so there is little respite. I have no doubt that those working in clubs have already turned their attention to next season’s preparations. While all of the teams that came away from the season with silverware or promotions deserve our congratulations, so do those clubs who met or exceeded expectations by surviving in their respective leagues or finishing higher than last season. These accomplishments often go unnoticed. I’d also like to acknowledge all of the winners at our annual awards dinner, which I am delighted to report was another resounding success this year. These individual awards are especially prestigious given that they are voted for by the managers themselves, those who they compete against, week in and week out throughout the season. I am sure all would agree that there is no better measure of your progress and success than recognition from your peer group, whatever industry you work in.

An unfortunate recurring theme this season is the high volume of manager and coach dismissals at all levels of the game. It is truly alarming that, at the time of going to press, over half of our professional clubs have a manager who has served less than a year with their current club and there are only two managers who have served over five years with their current team. Such statistics are simply unsustainable and very damaging to the clubs and

to the coaching and management profession. Accordingly, the LMA continues to focus its attention on the development of managers and coaches and I am delighted to announce that this summer we are launching a new Diploma in Football Management. In closing, I wish Roy Hodgson and the England team the very best at the World Cup Finals this summer in what is a particularly exciting time for the country.

CONTENTS LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT 6 KICKING OFF News and numbers

10 COLUMN: HOWARD WILKINSON The reality behind ‘losing the dressing room’

13 COLUMN: MIKE CARSON The power and limitations of command

20 PERSPECTIVES: ON MY SIDE How do you get people to join you when you or your organisation are a hard sell? Mick McCarthy and Steven Pressley are among those sharing their insight

30 10 IDEAS: INFLUENCE 38 A HELPING HAND Football’s role in tackling youth unemployment

40 REMARKABLE: CHANGE

GETTING THE NET TO WORK Who you know can prevent what you know going to waste. With Sean Dyche and René Meulensteen

32 IN PROFILE: RUSS WILCOX After a dream season for the Scunthorpe manager, we seek out the secret of his success

41 HOW TO... Set targets

42 NET GAINS They may have other jobs, but the England netball team are anything but unprofessional, says head coach Anna Mayes

HEALTH & WELLBEING 50 HOW LOW IS TOO LOW?

52 PLANE CRAZY

Understanding depression and anxiety

54 HAVE YOU TRIED...MINDFULNESS? 56 THE ESSENTIALS What’s caught our eye this month

60 A CHANGING MOBILE WORLD Trends in smartphone technology

HEADSTRONG: CHANGE YOUR MIND Jeremy Snape on a positive and adaptable mindset

Staying on form when you travel requires some planning, says Dr Dorian Dugmore

COVER STORY: NIGEL PEARSON

The LMA Championship Manager of the Year on leadership, teamwork and the importance of change

PITCH SIDE 64 PRE-TOURNAMENT PERFORMANCE Do prospective international players change how they play, asks Prozone

67 INSIDE THE LMA Activity from the last quarter

70 THE MAIN EVENT Highlights from the LMA Annual Awards 2014

62 HALL OF FAME: JOE FAGAN

72 GOING GLOBAL The FA’s Dan Ashworth on the difference between international and domestic football development

74 PARK LIFE The latest from St George’s Park

76 A TWIN-TRACK APPROACH Competition is at the heart of Norwich City’s player development

78 GOING LIVE BT Sport’s Jamie Hindhaugh on rising to the challenges of creating its state-of-the-art studio

80 JUST A MOMENT 5

Newsbites

KNOWING THE SCORE EMPATHY IS NOT The Know the Score campaign, aimed at raising awareness of bowel cancer, returned this year with the support of the LMA. The campaign is the brainchild of former Millwall, Charlton Athletic and QPR goalkeeper Nicky Johns, whose son Stephen died of bowel cancer at the age of 26. The campaign unites bowel cancer charities with links to the professional game and uses the power of football to raise awareness of bowel cancer signs and symptoms. Current and former players, along with managers and match officials, wore the charity’s official badge, the Star of Hope, at games between 12 and 21 April, while more than 50 teams throughout the country warmed up in campaign T-shirts prior to their league games.

40,000 are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year

7 people will be diagnosed during a football match, 3 of them will die Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy said: “My father died of bowel cancer, but that wasn’t the primary reason for me getting involved. When you’re 25 and playing in the first team you think you’re indestructible – I didn’t think anything was ever going to be wrong with me. It’s difficult to convince people of that age to get things checked out.” For more information visit www.knowthescore.org.uk

BE HERE NOW Five best ways to make employees love their workplace, be proud of their job and trust their management. 1. Pay more attention to newbies Lavishing attention on new employees makes them feel welcomed and valued. 2. Show staff you care Encouraging staff to share their achievements and ideas instils a feeling of pride, while sharing your aims and objectives with them shows them how important their role is. They will also become great ambassadors for your company. 3. Invest in training and development Employees will take more pride in their work, feel that they are

receiving fairer treatment and regard management as more credible and honest. 4. Be flexible Allowing employees the option of flexible hours or home-working helps them achieve a good work-life balance and demonstrates that you trust and appreciate them. 5. Be responsible Committing to sustainability and corporate social responsibility means your talent pool is larger when recruiting.

(From a survey by Vlerick Business School in collaboration with global research institute Great Place to Work)

WEAKNESS How well do you really know your team? Would they feel confident in bringing a problem to you or asking for your help? According to a survey by talent mobility consulting firm Lee Hecht Harrison, empathy is scarce among corporate managers, with 58 per cent failing to show enough understanding towards their staff. According to Kristen Leverone, Senior Vice President of the firm’s Global Talent Development Practice, empathy is fundamental to good management. “It means being able to understand and relate to others’ feelings,” she says. “After all, if a supervisor or manager can’t tune into the feelings of employees, it’s going to be very difficult to motivate or engage them.” Empathy is not sympathy or agreement. It is showing someone that you understand where they are coming from. Try: • Getting to know each one of your people better • Spending more time on one-to-ones • Listening to their problems or concerns and responding with empathy • Providing help and support when they need to overcome a problem or weakness

Newsbites

CHECK UK struggles to cope at work MATE One in three people in the due to depression (Depression Alliance)

MEASURE FOR MEASURE In an experiment on its own workforce, data analytics company the Outside Edge is aiming to highlight how effective data can be in unleashing human potential and finding the ultimate balance between elite performance and happiness. Over three months the firm is using a range of smartphone apps to track every aspect of its people’s lives, from sleep, food, mood, movement, location, alcohol intake and exercise to daily productivity, personal KPIs and happiness. The results are reviewed every fortnight, with staff taking on board expert advice on how to achieve their personal potential. Working on the basis that you can’t

improve what you can’t measure, the firm hopes to gain insight into the multiple factors that lead to success or failure and therefore also how we can improve ourselves. And by publishing the data it is also tapping into people’s natural competitive nature, driving its staff to work harder and smarter. “To define elite performance you must go beyond the results to understand the behaviours and activities that led to this success,” says CEO Rob Symes. “Through data science, the answers to elite performance are within everyone’s grasp. Achieving your potential isn’t about working harder, it’s about machines working harder so you can work smarter.”

What can we learn from world chess champion Magnus Carlsen? Speaking at a press conference after snatching the title from long-time champion Viswanathan Anand last year, the 23-year-old said, “People just crack under pressure. You just have to keep on pushing. If you don’t believe in your capability, no one else will.” Carlsen became a grandmaster at the age of only 13, five years after his first tournament. “You need to be absolutely confident so that you don’t miss opportunities,” he said in interview. “If you’re pessimistic, you see dangers that aren’t there.” He also believes much of his success is down to how he harnesses his thoughts and memories. “Good players use more long-term memory than short-term memory,” he said. “It is intuition that is largely based on past experiences. I believe the world could use some more ‘thinkers’ who are conscious and critical about the consequences of their actions.”

AND NOW FOR THE SCIENCE BIT...

YOU HAD ME AT ‘HELLO’ A

study has found that we form perceptions about people based solely on the sounds of their voices. Psychologists at the University of Glasgow and Princeton, US, asked people to listen to recorded voices and rank them on traits such as dominance, trustworthiness, attractiveness and warmth. Participants made their judgements quickly, after listening for only 300-500msecs, and the traits that they were most attuned to were

trustworthiness and dominance. What’s more, if women alternate the pitch of their voices and men raise their tone they can make themselves sound more trustworthy. The University of Glasgow’s Dr Phil McAleer said of the results: “It is amazing that from such short bursts of speech you can get such a definite impression of a person. And more so that irrespective of whether it is accurate, your impression is the same as other listeners’.”

Infographics

JARGON-BUSTING

If you want to get a message across, demonstrate your credibility and gain the respect of your audience, tell it straight. As these surveys reveal, unnecessary management jargon doesn’t just irritate people, it is confusing and alienating.

Most irritating phrase?

21%

are happy to work with people who

BLUE-SKY THINKING

WHY DO IT?

use business jargon in conversation

67% are turned off by common business jargon

IS IT UPBEAT 95% SAY NO! ? AND MOTIVATIONAL?

50% believe

33% believe

1 in 20 people believe

people use jargon to sound clever

they’re doing it to impress people

business jargon is used ironically

Infographics

>3/4

74%

SOME OF THE BEST

Seagull managing – managers who fly in, dump on you and disappear before you notice Put that idea in the car park with the engine running – we’ll talk about it later Blamestorming – getting together to decide who to blame when it all goes wrong Can it wash its own face? – is it financially viable? Get the moose on the table – time to discuss the really tricky issue

ON THE TELEPHONE (20%)

70%

know the meanings of less than one third of the 10 most common business phrases, including ‘touch base,’ ‘move the needle’ and ‘drill down’ believe those using these phrases also haven’t got a clue

JARGON APPEARS MOST OFTEN: IN MEETINGS (62%)

ON THE SAME PAGE?

think business jargon is not the easiest or quickest way to communicate information

That’s why 38% are reluctant to answer the phone to someone who overuses business jargon

(38%)

...AND WORST

Reach out – contact and discuss Take offline – discuss in private Drill down – look at in more detail Digest – read and think about Push back – re-think it Embrace – work with Cascade – share with

Leadership & Management

HOWARD WILKINSON Things used to be so simple: if you lost enough football matches, you lost your job. Now, from the day a manager starts at a club, and almost every day thereafter, he is fighting to keep his job. The small goldfish bowl in which the manager once lived has become an aquarium.

“IN REALITY, THE PLAYERS’ DEMANDS ON ANY MANAGER ARE VERY SIMPLE AND VERY CLEAR. THEY WANT HIM TO BE COMPETENT AND TO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED TO PERFORM THE JOB EFFECTIVELY”

hese days, the manager’s involvement with the media, voluntary or otherwise, is a 24/7 commitment, compounded most recently by the rise in social media. Lately, this phenomenon has contributed to an explosion in the number of radio phone-ins, which now precede and follow almost every game across the four leagues. Unfortunately, in this genre of media bad news equals good ratings. And, as bad news goes, the default and most damning statement appears to be “the manager has to go, he has lost the dressing room”. In simple terms, the suggestion here is that he has lost the respect and confidence of the players. Is this really occurring as frequently as the media would have us believe? In reality, the players’ demands on any

manager are very simple and very clear. They want him to be competent and to have the knowledge required to perform the job effectively. They need to trust in his ability to make the big decisions and know that he will be honest with them. They want to trust that what he is asking of them is realistic and believe in him and what he stands for. How strongly the players feel about these things will be most clearly visible on the field. It will shine through in everything from their collective belief, organisation and unity to their discipline, consistency, mental resilience, work ethic and lack of fear. When you can see these qualities running through the team, you know the manager has the dressing room. If they are all lacking, the dressing room has indeed been lost but, with managerial tenure continuing to fall,

few get anywhere close to this state of affairs. To really grow and establish these attributes takes a long time, no matter how strong the manager’s CV, and until you have that, the dressing room is not yours to lose. Faced with such accusations, however inaccurate, and the constant visibility afforded by today’s media, how should managers respond? Turning what could become a problem into an opportunity is key to their survival, but attempting to justify yourself or hide is futile. Instead, like José Mourinho, managers must learn to embrace such media claims, work with it, be proactive, positive and, above all, resist any urge to fuel the fire by reacting negatively. The modern manager must see, hear and live with it all, while keeping a steady and positive focus on the job in hand.

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Leadership & Management

CRISIS AND COMMAND Words: Mike Carson

“Warfare Officer, Captain. Take track 42 with birds.” The scene is the operations room of a Royal Navy anti-aircraft destroyer in a war zone. Track 42 has been positively identified as an incoming aircraft with hostile intent. The aircraft has not turned away, despite repeated warnings. The Rules of Engagement allow for a pre-emptive strike to preserve life in the task force, so the captain issues a simple command to the warfare officer. The missile is released. ommand is what is needed in a crisis. Not just the executive order, but a whole way of being. The leader in this situation needs to say, “I know the way. I have a clear sense of what is needed. Stick with me, do as I say and all will be well.” Words alone are not enough. Body language, tone of voice, behaviour – all convey critical messages to everyone involved. Clearly the captain must not instead ask, “Warfare Officer – when you have a moment, would you mind taking this aircraft?” The intent may be the same, but the language is unclear and uninspiring, and gives too much latitude for discussion and debate. Consider also the case where, in the two-to-three days before arrival on station in the war zone, the captain has behaved with insecurity and fear – unclear in his thinking, sharp and critical in his dealings. He begins to lose the confidence of his people, and they begin to ask questions: does he really know what he’s doing? Can we rely on him? Then, at the critical moment when he tries to impose command, are we surprised when the warfare officer just for an instant begins to question his judgment?

Crises occur elsewhere, of course, not only in war zones. Businesses, schools, hospitals, football clubs: we often hear of ‘an organisation in crisis.’ And a crisis is often taken to be a time of danger or great difficulty. But it is also a turning point

“THE CHINESE WORD FOR CRISIS CONSISTS OF TWO CHARACTERS: WEI AND JI, MEANING DANGER AND OPPORTUNITY” or a stepping-off point. Think of a crisis as a crossroads where the choices we make will influence everything downstream of it. How the leader responds in the moment – from the onset to the resolution of the crisis – is critical to the success of the organisation and its people. The leader must be prepared; the time will come for him to exert power and authority with certainty and assurance. This approach comes more naturally to some than to others, but all leaders must prepare for it. It will define them in the eyes of a watching world.

Once the crisis is resolved, the leader must take a vital next step: he must relinquish command and instead lead again in a way that inspires people to follow him into the unknown. Active listening, consensus building, problem solving, strategic thinking and empathy, amongst others, now become his essential tools. The commander who continues to impose his opinion and to deploy an excess of certainty when the crisis is over will quickly lose the support of his people. Finally, we should notice how a crisis may be strategic (a financial crisis at a football club) or much shorter lived (the team is 2-0 down at half time with a key player injured). The leader plays his part in both of these, bringing the words and actions from the depths of his character to inspire perseverance and a turnaround. The Chinese word for crisis consists of two characters: wei and ji, meaning ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity’ respectively. The club in crisis can yet emerge; the team losing at half time can rally to win a famous victory and turn around their whole season. A crisis is not to be feared; the leader who welcomes it as an opportunity to create something new and lasting is a powerful leader indeed.

Leadership & Management

ON THE UP

Leicester City’s Nigel Pearson may refer to himself as a ‘tracksuit manager’, but it’s his abilities as a coach combined with innovative thinking and clearly defined leadership that saw him win the club promotion to the Barclays Premier League and named Sky Bet LMA Championship Manager of the Year. Words: Sue McKellar Photography: Matthew Childs

ome say you should never go back to a club that you have managed previously, but when Nigel Pearson returned to Leicester City in 2011 it was with a fresh pair of eyes. Even since leaving the club the previous year Pearson had gained valuable experience with Hull City, and had honed his approach to leadership, something he says has been constantly evolving since his first move into management. When he first started out in coaching, it took a while before he felt comfortable in his new shoes. “When you’ve been a player for such a long time, it’s difficult to make the transition to management and, in all honesty, I found it tough to live up to other people’s expectations,” says Pearson. “It took me a few years to come to terms with who I was as a leader, which was totally different to how people perceived I was. I saw myself first as a coach who managed, then as a manager who coached. Now I see myself as a

manager and I have a very clear picture of who I am and my style of leadership.” Asked whether perceptions of him as a thinker are accurate, Pearson says, “I’m not an academic, but I am interested in every facet of what makes a great leader, not just in football but in any business. And I relish every facet of management and the challenges the job presents.” EARNING HIS STRIPES Indeed, he believes it is often the biggest challenges and the emotional peaks and troughs of management that are most influential in a manager’s development journey. “Big events and experiences can have a profound impact on your career and, for me, particularly my understanding of the pressure that players and managers face,” he says. “When I took my first management job at Carlisle in 1998 it was like a fast-track course in crisis management. It was an interesting five months, during which I learned a lot.”

Leadership & Management

A BALANCING ACT

While many managers live, eat and breathe football, Pearson says he takes a broader interest in management and believes it is important to have a balance between life inside and outside the beautiful game. “My family home is still in Sheffield and I commute to Leicester by car or train, which gives me good thinking time,” he says. “I love the company of other people and I like to have fun, but I also enjoy time on my own. I need my own space from time to time. It’s important for me to have a clear distinction between work and home-life, but it is a very difficult balance to get right. You can’t always leave your work at the front door.”

CAREER TIMELINE

Another highly insightful time was as assistant manager to Bryan Robson at West Bromwich Albion, when the club avoided relegation on the last day of the season. “My stints as assistant manager have been particularly important in my development,” says Pearson, who after working under Robson went on to assist Glenn Roeder and Sam Allardyce

at Newcastle United. “Working with more experienced managers in this way, especially in high-pressure situations, taught me a great deal, especially about how to assemble or recruit a group of staff and what to expect from them.” Pearson also spent time with The FA working as one of the national coaches, a big part of the job being coach education. It was, he recalls, an unbelievable experience. “As well as being very enjoyable, it made me a better coach and improved my understanding of coaching processes and styles, how to organise tournaments and take care of the finer details. It was a really interesting process and many of the things I learned have stayed with me to this day.” Pearson was 43 before he got his first high-profile managerial job, a rolling contract at Southampton, and even then he didn’t have an easy ride. “It wasn’t a long tenure and I had to firefight,” he says, “but I didn’t take a short-term approach. I never do. Even if I don’t know how long something is likely to last, I can’t think that way.”

2004

1998/99 In his first role as manager, Pearson helped prevent Carlisle from being relegated from the Football League

STYLE AND SUBSTANCE Pearson’s style of leadership today is both “balanced and contemporary” – he has succeeded where many leaders fail in being in control without being controlling. “I think one of my biggest strengths is my ability to delegate,” he says. “Management can be a highly pressurised job and without a good support staff around you it can be quite overwhelming. You need people with abilities that complement your own and then you have to allow them to use those skills and trust them to take on responsibilities.” Pearson is not afraid to be honest with people, and his team are in no doubt as to who is in charge. However, he is no control freak. “I’d like to think that I am liked by my players and that we have a relationship based on respect,” he says. “They know the ground rules; they know when it is time to work and when we can be more light-hearted with one another.” “Sometimes,” he adds, “you have to play a certain role as a leader, but ultimately you must be to true to

1999 Recruited to firstteam coach at Stoke City, where he remained until 2001

MAY 2002 Joined The FA as a National Coach

Pearson became assistant manager to Bryan Robson at West Bromwich Albion, replacing him as caretaker manager two years later

FEBRUARY 2007 Worked as assistant coach to England U21 manager Stuart Pearce

Leadership & Management

yourself. All of the best managers I have worked under as a player and coach have been themselves, warts and all.” When Pearson joins a club his approach is to set things up and running and then focus on ways to improve and stretch himself and his team further. “We do that as a collective,” he says. “I encourage a very positive team culture, not just in terms of the players, but the whole infrastructure that surrounds them. That culture is created as much by the players as the coaching staff.” Important here is that everyone has a very clear picture of what they are working towards and the importance of their roles in achieving that. Pearson says this transparency has been integral to Leicester’s success. EMBRACING CHANGE He also believes in being open to new methods that might help the team adapt, work more effectively and, ultimately, improve performance. “While I don’t encourage conflict, I think it is very healthy to have people around who can challenge your methods or points of

JUNE 2008

FEBRUARY 2008 MAY 2007 Assistant manager at Newcastle United under Sam Allardyce and Glenn Roeder

Appointed manager of Southampton and avoided relegation. He was replaced after three months in charge

In his first season in charge of Leicester City, Pearson achieved a 23-match unbeaten run, promotion back to the Championship and a record points tally for the club. The side’s success continued the following season, finishing in 5th place but missing out in the playoffs that would have resulted in backto-back promotions

JUNE 2010 Pearson left Leicester City to join Hull City where, despite financial problems at the club after their relegation, he achieved a 14-game run of away games without defeat and a respectable 11th place finish

NOVEMBER 2011 Pearson rejoined Leicester City. After narrowly missing out on promotion in his second season in charge, in 2013/14 Leicester were promoted as Champions to the Barclays Premier League after racking up a new club record of 102 points in one season

Leadership & Management

view. To that end, we have daily meetings at the training ground, during which everybody has a chance to have their say on how we work.” He recognises that he and his methods have changed during his time in management and that they will continue to do so. “You have to be prepared to change things if they need to be changed and to evolve as a manager.” Indeed, Pearson and his team are always reassessing their approaches and looking for ways to influence and improve their players’ performance. “Last season, for example, I moved away a little from the coaching side of things, passing more responsibility to Craig Shakespeare and Mike Stowell, which is of course good for their own development,” says Pearson. “We also reviewed how we were feeding information back to the players and introduced a new mentoring system, which has been successful.” The Leicester City manager does, however, recognise that the side

will need to ready itself for more substantial changes as it makes the move into the Barclays Premier League. “We know we’ll have to adapt our mentality, how we process information

and observations and feed them back to the players,” he says. “While we’ve been outstanding in the Championship, the promotion is going to be a whole new challenge for us.”

WORKING WITH WHAT YOU HAVE “We all have an idealistic view of what management is about, our vision and how we want to play our football,” says Pearson, “but we are, to a certain extent, dictated by our circumstances.” “Most managers,” he says, “are rarely afforded the opportunity to execute their philosophies totally unless they have been recruited by a club whose philosophy and playing style is a match.” When any manager joins a club he will inherit a group of players. “Inevitably, there will be some you might not have chosen yourself, but you can’t say so,” he says. “Instead you have to focus on managing those players, while getting your recruitment right.”

And recruitment, he adds, is fundamental to success. “While players have to tick certain boxes from the start and be good enough technically, it’s also your job to ensure any new signings don’t upset the chemistry you’ve built in the dressing room.” He recalls the advice of Howard Wilkinson during his time with The FA: ‘Don’t ever not select a player because he is high maintenance’. “That advice stuck with me. You will never have a team of angels, because you can’t have a team where the players are too similar,” says Pearson. “You want some strong characters and it’s very important that you don’t suppress players’ personalities.”

Leadership & Management

PERSPECTIVES:

ON MY SIDE

You may believe yourself capable of great things, but you’ll never achieve them alone. Getting talented people on side is crucial. But that isn’t always easy, especially if you or the organisation have little form to draw on or the future is uncertain. Will you sell the dream or the challenge?

STEVEN PRESSLEY

MANAGER OF COVENTRY CITY oventry City were struggling when they recruited me as manager, but they were very transparent about the situation at the club. One attraction for me was that the direction they wanted to take the club mirrored many of my own thoughts and indeed my plans at Falkirk, where I had managed previously. Coventry decided they wanted to build the club more around its academy and aim to have a higher percentage of home-grown players in the squad. I was very much prepared for the role, developing young players and working with restricted budgets – during my early years at Falkirk I had to cut the squad budget by 75 per cent in little over a year. In those circumstances, probably the hardest part of the job is attracting players. The best approach is to sell them the club’s philosophy, the type of football you want the team to play and the environment you want to create. A strong team ethic is always going to be attractive to players. I was lucky to inherit some good senior players who we managed to retain, and they

have helped us on what has been a very challenging journey. However, we never make excuses; we never focus on the challenges as a team, talking instead about the solutions. It takes two or three years for a manager to turn a football club around, and it involves everything from changing personnel to the culture and mindset. You still have to get results while you are turning things around, but you know that there will be difficult periods and so you have to focus on maintaining the direction and general progress of the club. When you’re just starting out in management it can be tough getting players’ buy-in to you as a leader. Once you start getting results that buy-in

will come naturally, but first your players need to totally understand you and your methods. Players today want to know the detail about how you are going to do things and what will be required of them. They need to know how they can improve and how the team is going to function, and what their roles and responsibilities are. Then there can be no excuses. After a few games as player/manager at Hearts, Steven Pressley got his first stab at full-time management at Falkirk, where he stayed for three years. He was appointed manager of Coventry City in March 2013. During his first season in charge the club went into administration, resulting in a 10-point deduction.

Leadership & Management

MICK McCARTHY

MANAGER OF IPSWICH TOWN

hen trying to recruit players to a team at any time you have to be convincing in what you are trying to achieve – how you will play them, how the team will play and the ambitions of the club. It is such a competitive industry and players have to believe in you, not just when they sign but afterwards too. That belief and respect can only be maintained by being consistent in your approach and working with your players to continually improve. Belief grows by winning games and you do that by achieving a mutual respect between you and your players and as a group demanding high standards of yourselves. Recruiting players becomes easier as you gain experience as a manager. When, for example, I was recruiting players when I first joined Ipswich, they may have been attracted by my track record of being able to win the Championship twice, taking Sunderland and Wolves into the Barclays Premier League, and decided that they had a good chance of success by working with me. If you are at a club that doesn’t have the resources to offer large financial incentives, you have to have a bit of a reputation or a CV that will be attractive to players. Word of mouth can also come into play. Any player I am looking to sign could ask around to find out what I am like to play for, so they are effectively recruiting me as well. I’d like to think

my past players would say that they’d enjoyed working with me, had learned from me and that I’d always tried to help them improve. Manager of Ipswich Town since November 2012, Mick McCarthy started his management career at

Millwall before taking the top job at the Republic of Ireland, guiding them to the knockout stages of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. During three years at Sunderland and six at Wolverhampton Wanderers he successfully saw both clubs promoted into the Barclays Premier League.

Leadership & Management

MATT JONES

PRINCIPAL OF ARK GLOBE ACADEMY

eing principal of an ARK school is the equivalent of managing in the Barclays Premier League; expectations are high, the challenges are numerous and achieving success is non-negotiable. As arguably the leading academy group in the sector, we have a reputation for successfully turning around schools that for a variety of complex reasons have not delivered results. ARK Globe Academy, of which I am head, is just such a school. When I was appointed, the school’s results had remained largely unchanged for three years, so improving them was a priority. But our expectations also go much further; we aim to prepare our students for university and to be leaders in their community. Raising expectations can prove to be motivational for some staff, but is perceived as daunting or even futile for others, and successfully managing this range of emotions is the responsibility of all leaders within the academy. It is important that all leaders model the way by consistently demonstrating high levels of energy and enthusiasm, alongside a problem-solving attitude, especially when things do not go precisely as planned. Seeking out these types of individuals inside and outside the organisation is very important in ensuring that the change we have

planned for becomes a reality and lasts beyond my time here as principal. I fundamentally believe that people can learn new knowledge and develop new skills much more quickly than they can change a mindset or a set of values. This approach to developing people has a significant impact on our recruitment strategy and it is why I actively develop relationships and network with other like-minded

organisations within education. Through these relationships we are able to access individuals who are aligned to our mission and determined to make a difference. A former professional and semiprofessional footballer and UEFA A coach, Matt Jones has been teaching for nearly 20 years and in senior leadership roles since 2005.

Leadership & Management

KAREN KELLY

FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CLEANHOME

or a franchise operation, having the right people on board is critical. Your franchisees represent your brand across the country to thousands of clients and potential clients, so it’s imperative that they are fully committed to the company and its brand and to the success of their own franchises. Getting the right fit is important, so I don’t focus on selling the franchise. Instead I spend time with potential franchisees, assessing whether they and the company are right for one another. With a strong business case, I don’t believe that there is any need to persuade people to work with us. The success our existing franchisees

are experiencing is testament to the quality of the business model and with solid facts and figures we have practical and indisputable examples to back our claims up. Another reason that people are attracted to Cleanhome and to the management team is the fact that I also run my own franchise. It gives the business a huge amount of credibility and shows that I am happy to put my money where my mouth is! It also shows that we understand the pressures and challenges that they may face and that we are committed to helping them overcome them. With our own experience in the market, we are able to implement training and support that will really benefit our franchisees.

Anybody going into business for themselves is ambitious and they are usually keen to work with organisations that are equally ambitious. As I have held senior positions in corporate organisations such as Virgin and Disney, my franchisees know that they are dealing with someone with a strong business background with respected brands, so my experience in running successful departments in international organisations is invaluable. Previous to establishing the Cleanhome franchise, Karen Kelly worked closely with Richard Branson as Head of UK and Ireland Sales at Virgin Atlantic and as International Sales Director for Budget Rent-A-Car.

Leadership & Management

JOHN FISHER

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FMI

o recruiter would advertise a new post by talking about how the team or the company is struggling. It is second nature for someone to want to join a successful team, otherwise why would they leave the security of their current job? People join organisations where they think they can better use their talents or can earn more money. Everyone knows that the fortunes of most organisations go up and down, so any perceived downturn can be presented as a change in strategy to which they can contribute or improve their careers. Most potential new employees are looking to make a difference, either in their own lives or in the context of their jobs. If you have a great brand or a reputation for innovation or as a good employer that all helps, but most startups don’t. The most important thing is to listen when they explain why they are moving jobs. Your task is to match their expectations during the interview and follow their lead. 95 per cent of UK companies are SMEs, so most people looking for a new job will be assessing relatively unknown companies anyway. Not everyone wants to join a wellknown firm. In fact, some managers may not suit the administrative and political demands of a large employer. I certainly wouldn’t advise going into defence mode. You need to be enthusiastic about your organisation and the plans you have and emphasise how important this particular post is. Trust is all about non-verbal clues rather than what you say, so be honest and straightforward. If you are evasive

and unenthusiastic, turning up late with arms folded, any recruit will pick up on this. The way you conduct the interview will be part of their decision-making process, so don’t inadvertently give them the wrong impression. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We can all be better at tasks when we know the consequences of getting them wrong. The more you practise as a manager the more skilled you will become. Offer to sit in on interviews where perhaps you have no decisionmaking power, just to get some experience. One learning tip is to take an interest in the successful recruit once they have joined, whether they are in your particular team or not, as this helps you to remember if the decision to appoint was correct.

The most important truth about recruitment is that it has to be right for both parties. Cultural fit is an important element of the decision to appoint. Sometimes you have to say to candidates that although they have all the skills and experience required, they would not fit into the organisational culture or the team dynamics of the particular post. Not very scientific, but square pegs never work. The fit has to be mutually beneficial. Sometimes a ‘no’ is the best advice they could be given. John Fisher, who has authored five books, overcame a number of setbacks to build FMI into a successful brand engagement agency. It now works with high profile clients, including Sony, LG, Cadbury and Bentley.

Leadership & Management

GETTING THE NET TO WORK To put your knowledge into practice and gain all-important experience, doors will need to be opened; that’s when who you know can make all the difference.

Leadership & Management

o most people in management, the idea that ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’ is highly flawed. Nobody makes it into the senior echelons of management based on their connections alone. Yet it is true that equipping yourself with the necessary skills and knowledge on paper is not always enough to launch a career and progress it forward. Being in the right place at the right time and having the right connections is often all it takes to get a foot in the door. Once through, it can help you deal with the challenges of management and grow and learn more quickly.

OILING THE COGS Some networking, largely internal to your organisation, is of course essential to do your job effectively. Building and maintaining healthy, open and constructive working relationships with people at all levels, as well as key partners, is part of great leadership. As we move from one organisation, course or job to the next, we tend to pick up friendships and acquaintances like leaves on a wheel, but as we gain some, we lose others and few of them really stick. Sometimes we neglect to maintain relationships or to explore their true potential and we may be reluctant to proactively seek out new ones. But networking, or simply making better use of existing connections, can also be more strategic, helping to expand your personal and professional circles and resulting in a host of knockon benefits. While this can be more of a challenge for some managers, it can also reap considerable rewards. Networking at group industry events and courses can be invaluable in staying abreast of issues in your field of business, says manager René

Meulensteen. “It’s vital to remain in tune with what’s going on in your industry, especially one that is as constantly evolving as football.” It can also be a great opportunity to bounce ideas off people and get a different perspective. “Because other managers and coaches have often faced similar challenges, you can share ideas and experiences. Even if they don’t have the answer, they might know someone who does,” says Meulensteen. “While it’s important to stick to what you believe in, it is also great to have the opportunity to pick the brains of other experienced managers, not only to expand your knowledge, but also to get reassurance.” Burnley manager Sean Dyche agrees that a different point of view can be very valuable. “As a young manager who is still learning and developing, I have a couple of ‘go to’ people who I know I can approach when I need an objective opinion.” he says. FRIEND OF A FRIEND Having a network of people who not only know your expertise and experience, but also feel they have a warm relationship with you puts you ahead in terms of career development, says Stefan Thomas, author of Business Networking for Dummies and a director of 4Networking, a UK-based business networking organisation. “It’s a competitive world and no matter what your skills and qualifications are, they mean nothing unless people know about them,” he says. Many of the opportunities that arise from networking result from personal referrals, such as a recommendation of your abilities and likeability to a potential employer or a tip off of someone who might be great for your team. These kinds of referrals from

GET CONNECTED: 8 TOP TIPS

According to Tony Altham, Managing Director of AdGiftsOnline, skilled networkers are subtle, patient, determined, focused and consistent. They do what they say they will do, when they say they will do it, and they connect people. Altham suggests: Attend events that are most relevant to you and your business Arrive early so you avoid walking into a room full of people who are already in conversation Be confident in your language and actions. People buy certainty and confidence, but turn away from arrogance Talk less and learn more. It is no coincidence that you will also learn more when someone else is talking Become a gatekeeper and go-to contact. Build your strong contact network over time so that other people think of you first when they need help and advice First impressions count, so make yours positive, from your appearance and handshake to your attitude and body language Avoid selling and trying to get a deal on the day. Be a farmer not a hunter Always follow up with the contacts you make

Leadership & Management

SOCIAL NETWORKING MEETS FACE TO FACE While LinkedIn, Google+, Skype, video-conferencing and a host of other technologies can be highly effective networking tools, nothing beats face to face in building deeper, longer-lasting and more productive relationships. “Body language and the simple act of shaking hands just can’t be replicated online,” says Thomas, who believes face to face and online networking work better if they are used together, in particular, to keep relationships alive when there is no face-to-face contact. It’s also important that people remember you not only for what you are good at, but because you were interested in them, he says. “There are huge opportunities in deepening professional relationships by scratching beneath the surface and getting to know people better. People actively broadcast what television programmes they like, which sports teams they support, what their favourite weekend activities are. The ability to get onto their turf and talk about the stuff that interests them is so relevant and yet most people miss it. Differentiate yourself by being interested in your network and what interests them, rather than just broadcasting to them.”

friends and associates are like gold dust, because rather than going in cold, the introduction has already been made, and your or the other party’s credibility and credentials are established in advance. Certainly, having a good network of contacts is vital when considering signing players, says Mick McCarthy. “You can watch them play as many times as you like, but ultimately you are signing a human being and so are taking a chance. Gathering as much information as possible from people who have played or worked with a player can minimise the chances of making a mistake.” “It’s important to have open lines of communication with as many interesting parties as you can,” adds Dyche, “especially when you have limited resources at your disposal. This has been the case with both clubs that I have managed. Having good contacts with other clubs has enabled us to bring in players on loan and has helped alert us to potential signings, for example, players who are coming to the end of their contracts.” While opportunities like these can come directly from someone you have met, they can also emerge indirectly, because once you have established a trusting connection with someone, you have potentially also gained a foothold into their wider network. BOLD MOVES Referrals tend to follow naturally, but there is no harm in speeding up the process by asking if they know of someone or even to be introduced. Thomas suggests using the ‘Columbo Close’, named after the TV detective who would finish each conversation with ‘and just one more thing’ before asking what he really wanted to know. “You could try

Leadership & Management

‘and just one more thing, do you know anyone else I should be talking to?’ or ‘and just one more thing, I understand you also know Joe Bloggs - is it ok if I mention your name when I contact him?’” he says. The more often that you stick your head above the parapet and network among peers, potential partners and employees, the more your profile will be raised and the stronger the reputation and authority that you can build. You are also more likely to get referrals, as you will be the one that pops into people’s heads when they have something to offer. However, it is important to remember that networking is a reciprocal process – an exchange of knowledge, opinions and contacts – and if you bring value to the relationship you are more likely to benefit from it. Sharing your own experiences, views, information and tips will engender other people’s trust in you and you will become known as a knowledgeable, reliable and supportive person. SMALL TALK For all the benefits, regularly pushing yourself to make small talk with people you don’t know well comes easier to some of us than others, but that in itself can make it a valuable learning opportunity. Setting aside what might come of it, the act of face-to-face networking can help to increase your confidence and improve your communication skills. “If you don’t have anyone to talk to, look around and become aware of people’s body language,” says Thomas. “If someone is standing alone and looking like they’re alone – the 21st century way to demonstrate this is to stare furiously at your phone and pretend that you’re responding to important emails – then

why not just go up, extend your hand and say ‘hi’. Often you’ll find that they were waiting for someone to do just that.” One of the easiest ways to break the ice is to ask questions, starting with something broad and then honing in on what you discover the other person is interested in. If you are planning on networking at a particular event, and especially where most people work in a particular field, it pays to do a little homework. Browse the day’s headlines or gen up on topics you think might be of interest to those present so that you are armed with just enough to kickstart a conversation. As well as helping to get you both talking, asking questions on the other person’s work or interests makes them feel like an expert and therefore good about themselves. They are then more likely to reciprocate and want to find out more about you. “It also helps to have thought in advance about what you’ll say when somebody asks the inevitable ‘so what do you do’ or ‘what are you up to these days’,” says Thomas. “Make it concise and relevant and don’t use industry or organisation specific jargon until you know who you’re talking to and whether they speak the same language,” he says. “Again, what is important is not to sell yourself, but to listen to the other person and let them guide the conversation. And don’t try to achieve everything in the first chat.” While many people make the mistake of embarking on networking when they need to achieve something, the longterm approach is far more effective. But while building a strong and lengthy personal grapevine may take time and effort, the fruits are likely to be well worth it.

HOW CONNECTED ARE WE?

1 in 4 don’t currently network at all

28% Percentage of professionals who have found or been referred to a role through a network connection

41% of professionals would like to do more networking, but don’t feel they have enough time (Source: Prof Julia Hobsbawm, Ernst & Young)

Leadership & Management

10 IDEAS:

INFLUENCE THE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN EFFECT

THE TONE AT THE TOP

Research by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business found that CEOs with deeper voices tend to manage larger companies, make more money and be retained for longer. The analysis found a decrease in voice pitch of 22.1Hz equated to an increase in firm size of $440m, which translated into higher compensation of $187,000 a year. “These findings suggest that the effects of a deep voice are salient even for the upper echelons of management,” Professor Venkatachalam said. “It wasn’t clear to us going in that voice pitch would convey any meaningful information about a CEO given the extent to which boards of directors screen CEOs as part of their hiring and compensation decisions.” Professor Bill Mayew added: “Our results advance a relatively new area of research known as biological economics by documenting that a trait known to indicate success in biological competition is also associated with success in the competition for top corporate employment.”

To quote Franklin: “He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged.” The science backs this theory up. Researchers found that people were likely to rate them more positively when they had asked for a favour than when they had not requested anything. And it works both ways; if you do something nice for someone else, they are more likely to want to return the favour.

DEVELOP IDEAS TOGETHER

You need to be able to adapt to other people’s ideas, says Fiona Dent, an associate of executive education at Ashridge Business School. “One way of demonstrating your flexibility is to listen to others’ ideas and identify possible connections to your own – or even adopt new ideas that support your goals and perspective. To link, build and develop ideas together, you need to establish common ground, demonstrate authenticity by regularly asking the other parties for their views and show you are aware of and appreciate their contribution.”

SAY MY NAME

According to Dale Carnegie, the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, using someone’s name can be very powerful. The theory is that when you hear your name it validates your existence, making you feel more positive about the person validating it. Referring to someone in a particular way or giving them a certain title can also change how people see themselves, says Carnegie. For example, if you want to get to know someone better, you might keep referring to them as your ‘friend’ during a conversation.

BE A PARROT

To influence people you have to show that you really understand and empathise with how they are feeling. A great way to demonstrate this is through ‘reflective listening’, where you listen to someone then paraphrase what they said, repeating it back to them. In studies, people were found to be more likely to disclose emotion to therapists when they used reflective listening. Show that you are listening and digesting what someone is saying and they are more likely to afford you the same attention.

Leadership & Management

START SMALL

EXPRESS YOURSELF

Influencing is not just about what you say, but how you say it. Simply expressing the facts will show that you can regurgitate information, but do it with passion and emotion and it will demonstrate your credibility and help to energise those on the receiving end. Let your enthusiasm for the subject shine through, be dynamic, make eye contact and involve and engage your audience. To sound confident, and therefore persuasive, use fluid, fluent speech, avoiding interjections and hesitant phrases such as ‘um’, ‘er’ and ‘like’.

Research supports the idea that once someone has agreed to one request they are more likely to concede to something else later on. Start by getting people’s support or agreement on the small issues or ideas, then work your way up to larger, more important ones. Psychologists suggest waiting a few days for the follow-up request, rather than subjecting people to a barrage of favours or new concepts.

LOOK THE PART

FRAME IT

MIRROR, MIRROR

Many of us use mirroring or mimicry of other people’s behaviour, speech or body language unconsciously when we communicate, but it can be deliberately employed as a tactic to influence opinion. Try nodding throughout the conversation, for example. You may find your companions will start to do the same. Research backs up the idea that imitation is a form of flattery, showing that when someone is mimicked they are much more likely to act favourably and receptively towards the person who copied them. In fact, provided that it is sincere, flattery is a great way to ingratiate yourself with someone and, therefore, make it easier to win them over to your ideas.

Concepts can be framed in a positive or negative light, depending on the words and contexts used and the balance of information given. It is a technique for influencing and persuading much used in the media and politics, where certain facts may be downplayed in favour of others, and more positive words used over those with negative connotations. Ministers opposed to inheritance taxes, for example, may refer to them as ‘death taxes’ in their manifestos, hoping the negative associations of the terminology will have a subtle influence on voters. Likewise, someone who views a product or service favourably might describe it as ‘good value’, whereas a critic would call it ‘cheap’.

10.

“The more professional you look, the more seriously people will take you. And if they remember your appearance – for positive reasons – they’re more likely to think of you and seek out your ideas and opinions,” says Dorie Clark, Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Duke University Fuqua School of Business. “When it comes to the level of professionalism in your attire, you should seek to fit in. If you work at an advertising agency, a more relaxed dress code is fine; if you’re dealing with barristers, you’ll want to up your sartorial game. When, during Facebook’s early days, Mark Zuckerberg insisted on wearing casual clothes to important business meetings where everyone else was in a suit, his choice screamed disrespect: ‘You need to dress up for me, but I don’t need to dress up for you’.”

Leadership & Management

WORTH THE WAIT

Club promotion, 28 matches without defeat and peer recognition. It’s hard to imagine a better start to a management career. Sue McKellar talks to Russ Wilcox about his remarkable first six months in charge. Photos: Nigel Roddis

Leadership & Management

n 29 March 2014, Russ Wilcox led Scunthorpe United to its 24th game without defeat, breaking the record for an unbeaten run at the start of a managerial tenure, which had stood since 1889. The run ended on his 29th game, which ironically despite the loss also sealed the club’s promotion to Sky Bet League One. Given that Wilcox only took the manager’s job last December, his achievements this season are all the more astounding, something recognised by his fellow managers when they voted him Sky Bet League Two Manager of the Year and the LMA when they presented him with a Special Merit Award at the Annual Awards dinner. Wilcox accepted his first full management position after a 15year coaching and management apprenticeship, which covered all four professional divisions. Most of this was at Scunthorpe, where he had also spent a fair part of his 18-year playing career. After initially becoming player-assistant manager to Brian Laws in 1999 and then assistant manager, he followed Laws when he took up managerial posts at Sheffield Wednesday and then Burnley. Wilcox assisted Lee Bradbury at Bournemouth before coming full circle back to Scunthorpe in 2012 to work alongside Laws once again. When Laws lost his job in November 2013, Wilcox took over as caretaker and was perhaps the obvious choice as his replacement. But, despite his 15 years of watching and learning, he was still an unknown quantity in a leadership role. When Scunthorpe’s chairman granted him the opportunity he had been waiting for, he could never have imagined just how well the decision would pay off.

You worked your way up to management through various assistant and caretaker positions, including at

Scunthorpe. Did that help you become the successful manager you are today? Yes, without a doubt. I’ve gained some invaluable insight and experience along the way and that has probably helped the side as a whole and influenced what we’ve been able to achieve this season. It has been a long apprenticeship, but an enjoyable one. I have done all of my coaching badges, including my UEFA Pro Licence and the LMA’s Diploma in Football Management course (now accredited by Liverpool University and based at St George’s Park). When you spend many years as a second in command, you are watching and learning, observing things that you’d implement if you became a manager and also things you might do differently. It’s important that when the opportunity arises to manage that you feel ready. I know I am ready now; I’ve probably felt ready for the last couple of years. Was your transition into management as easy as it appeared to be? It was the difference in the manmanagement side of things that I found most marked when I became a manager. When you’re second in command you are often the go-between, communicating messages between the manager and the players, and you tend to cajole people

into doing what you want. The manager’s role comes with much more responsibility – you have to handle situations and people and your word is final. Everyone is different, so you have to manage them as individuals as well as the group collectively. While we have a group debrief after a game, I also speak to the players individually, which I believe is really important. How influential has your knowledge of Scunthorpe’s culture, processes, team and fans been on your success? Having first-hand knowledge of the club has certainly helped my transition into management. I spent nine years here before going off to work at other clubs, so I know it inside-out. When I came back I saw a change in the club, because I had left on a high and came back when it was at a low point. The fans had been through a tough three years and when I got the opportunity to manage the club naturally it was my goal to turn that around. The fans have been massively supportive and influential throughout the campaign. I’m very conscious of who I am as an individual and my understanding of the club’s culture. Of course, you need a little bit of luck on the way, but I also believe that you earn much of that luck through hard work and by

FOR THE RECORD

Until Russ Wilcox broke it in March 2014, the record for the number of unbeaten games from the start of a managerial reign stood for 126 years. It was last set in 1889 by William Sudell of Preston North End, who managed a run of 23 unbeaten games. Wilcox was given a Special Merit Award by the LMA in recognition of his achievement.

Leadership & Management

you and the players working towards common aims. As well as a great group of players, success requires hard work and togetherness, and that is central to my approach. Have you sought to make gradual changes and did you know from the start where you would make improvements? My initial remit from the chairman was to take charge for two games and I think that actually helped me. I went into the role of caretaker manager fairly relaxed, even though I didn’t know what the future held. I tried to instil self-confidence and self-belief in the players, giving them more ownership and responsibility on the pitch and they embraced that. We won those two games and then the third and things moved quickly after that. Once I was appointed permanently I was able to make further adjustments as I felt necessary. I understand the players put your success partly down to you being the same as a manager as you were a coach. That is probably true. I didn’t want to change my personality or be something I’m not, and I wanted to be open and

Leadership & Management

“I AM MORE THAN PREPARED TO DEAL WITH SUCH SITUATIONS AND MAKE STRONG DECISIONS WHEN NECESSARY” honest with the players. You have to be yourself or the players will see though it. People talk about a manager having to keep his players at arm’s length, but I don’t see it as a problem for a manager to have a good working relationship with his players. The bond I had with them as assistant manager has remained. There are times, of course, when you have to be constructively critical with players and I am comfortable with that. Thankfully, over the past season I haven’t had to show my harder side too often, but that hasn’t always been the case. They certainly saw the other side of me when we played Accrington Stanley away and were 2-0 down at half time. That was a key moment early on in my management career, because the players realised that I am more than prepared to deal with such situations and make strong decisions when necessary. How do you feel about beating that 126-year-old record for an unbeaten run at the start of a managerial career? It was difficult to think about it during the season because our focus was totally on promotion. It was only after the season had finished and I had picked up my awards at the LMA Annual Awards

dinner that I was able to absorb our achievements properly. Aside from being instrumental in earning us promotion to Sky Bet League One, the run undoubtedly brought so much positivity to the club. I am immensely proud of the achievement of the group of players and the club as a whole. It’s been an amazing year, and I look back with so much pride to know I’ve achieved promotion as a player, assistant manager and manager at the same football club. How did you stop the players from becoming complacent? It’s important that everyone remains grounded and you want your players to be respectful of the opposition, but not to fear them. I say ‘be confident, but don’t be arrogant’ because there’s a fine line between the two. It was my job to keep the players level-headed and give them a little jolt now and again if I felt the intensity of their training or their performance was lacking. However, I must say that as a group of players they have managed themselves very well. I have some experienced players who have played at a higher level, players hungry for success and individuals who have been at Scunthorpe for several years and

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who after experiencing darker times with the club have been really excited to embrace and enjoy this season.

each time. Even when we didn’t play our very best, the group mentality remained resolute and we were hard to beat.

Did it add to the pressure that people expected you to keep on winning? I think we were very good at taking the pressure off the players during the 28-match unbeaten run. During our team meetings we would look at the upcoming opposition, but we always made sure that the final focus was on us and how we would play. We knew we were good enough to win every game at that level; there was real belief in the group. The players didn’t approach any of the 28 games assuming they would win, but they knew they had a real opportunity

You seem a very calm character. Do you think that filters through to the players? I think so, yes. There’s a saying that ‘attitude reflects leadership’ and as the leader of the group it is important that I portray what I want from them. I want the players to be excited about coming into training every day, knowing that they’re coming to a good working environment, one that is relaxed but with a clear hard-work ethic. The key to our 28-game unbeaten run has undoubtedly been hard work,

on the training ground and on every matchday. We have some quality players, but so do many football teams. Without a hardworking mentality, however, you will never be successful. Dedication to the team is also vital though. When I was a player, it was always about the team and I knew that sometimes you had to sacrifice yourself a little bit for the good of the group. I’ve seen this approach filter through to the players this season and when I hear them using phrases like ‘game management’ and saying ‘it’s about the group’ in interviews it is great to hear. We all now understand that if we work hard enough for each other we can achieve great things.

A DIFFERENT BALL GAME.

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Leadership & Management

A HELPING HAND

The inspirational power of football can play a valuable part in tackling youth unemployment, says Kirstie Mackey, Head of LifeSkills at Barclays. art of the reason that football is one of the most powerful and influential industries in the world is its ability to inspire. Football is a huge part of millions of childhoods and becoming a top player is the dream of boys and girls all over the world. But with so much power to inspire, is there more the industry can do to give something back to the young people who follow it so passionately? Obviously, not everyone can grow up to be Gareth Bale, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other opportunities for the millions of young people that look up to him. Currently, one in eight young people grow up in homes where no one works, meaning they must look elsewhere for inspiration when it comes to their future careers. This is where businesses, especially one as visible as football, can play a part.

A CORE ROLE Schools are the experts at teaching core skills like literacy and numeracy, but these skills need to be put into context through real-life work experience. Just as a striker won’t be signed if they’ve never hit the back of the net, young people need to have experienced a

working environment if they are to be prepared for a full-time job. That’s why Barclays launched LifeSkills in March 2013. LifeSkills is a curriculumbased education programme that provides free, unbranded resources for teachers. The programme was developed as part of Barclays’ commitment to youth employability and aims to reach one million young people by 2015. The core of the programme is to enable for collaboration between businesses, young people and education providers to create these types of opportunities. That’s something football as an industry is already doing. Clubs know the importance of giving back to the community; LifeSkills just aims to make direct engagement with young people easier. It democratises access for young

people and can give them the chance to experience working at the clubs of their dreams. The programme facilitates this by giving all its business partners access to free advice and support on how to

Leadership & Management

offer young people work experience, traineeships and apprenticeships. OPENING DOORS We are immensely proud of what we have achieved. The feedback from teachers, businesses and young people has been overwhelmingly positive, showing that it was addressing a real need; over 346,030 young people have taken part and more than 815 businesses have registered. What’s more, LifeSkills has given young people the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s most successful leaders in business, media and sports via the LifeSkills Work Experience of a Lifetime competitions. Last summer, we partnered with Facebook to offer five young people (left) the incredible opportunity to fly to Facebook HQ in California and learn the secrets of the team’s success.

During the trip they met with the people who work in the creative, digital and design teams, and learned what it takes to run the biggest social media company in the world. Most recently, Nick, 17, from London, spent the day shadowing Roberto Martinez and his team at Goodison Park. Nick (above) got to see first hand the wide range of vital skills that football managers need to apply on top of what they have learned as a player, including leading and motivating a team and negotiating transfers. These are just some of the skills that clubs can help young people to develop so that they can excel in their chosen professions. What Nick and others who have been inspired by his experience have learned is that there is not just one route into working at a successful football club. There are hundreds of people doing a vast range of jobs to ensure the

beautiful game can take place. From ticket sellers to physios to kit-men, the tapestry that makes up the modern game is huge. Young people simply need access to clubs to see it and access to experiences that will give them the necessary skills to get jobs when they leave education. But there is still a long way to go. Nearly one million young people are currently unemployed in the UK and we need more businesses to get involved to help them. We passionately believe that the future growth of our economy depends on businesses in all industries collaborating with education providers, the government and young people. It will allow the future generations to fulfil their potential. To find out more about this free programme go to barclayslifeskills.com and join us in helping young people achieve their full potential.

Leadership & Management

Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future

JOHN F KENNEDY Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots

VICTOR HUGO

REMARKABLE:

Life is neither static nor unchanging. With no individuality, there can be no change, no adaptation and, in an inherently changing world, any species unable to adapt is also doomed

JEAN M AUEL Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence

OVID

CHANGE In these days of the multinational squad, it is vital to know and understand the different cultures, how people think and do things. As a manager you have to constantly adapt

GERARD HOULLIER

Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts

ARNOLD BENNETT

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW Some changes look negative on the surface, but you will soon realise that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge

ECKHART TOLLE The measure of intelligence is the ability to change

ALBERT EINSTEIN

Leadership & Management

HOW TO

SET TARGETS Carefully considered targets can motivate and drive forward productivity and performance. Here’s our guide to getting it right.

reak it down Your ultimate goal should crystallise your vision for the organisation, whether that be winning the league title or becoming a major player in the market. But to reach that target it needs to be given structure and be broken down into achievable, bitesize pieces. Look at the stages towards achieving your end-point, who should be responsible for each step and when you should expect to see results in each area. Measurable markers Good targets are solid and quantifiable, rather than vague, fluffy statements. ‘I want to get to know my team better’ is a nice statement, but is highly subjective and it would be difficult to tell whether you’d achieved it or made any progress. ‘By September, I want to be having weekly one-to-one sessions with every member of the team’ provides a more measurable goal. Progress can be tracked and you can see how far you’ve come at any one point, identify ways you could be progressing faster and see where any problems lie.

Offer carrots Reward is a crucial element of setting targets, because it builds camaraderie, raises morale and fosters determination among your team. You can’t achieve your targets alone, so constant motivation, specifically tailored to your people, will be essential in achieving them together. Make it personal Giving people individual targets to hit – even if ultimately they contribute to a wider organisational goal – promotes a sense of ownership. It also helps people to see how important their role is to the organisation’s success and to feel appreciated for that contribution. Few things motivate great performance like feeling valued. Get real It is tempting to aim high and see just how far the thrill of a challenge can push people, but over-ambitious goals can do more harm than good. To avoid crippling morale and denting confidence, make sure targets are within reason in terms of timescale and the resources at your disposal.

Look forward A common error in setting forecasts is to base them on past performance. The environment in which you are operating and the talent and resources you have to work with are likely to have changed. If your situation is now more difficult – perhaps your competitors have found their feet or your organisation is undergoing a period of transition – matching last year’s benchmark may be unreasonable. Conversely, if you’re now in a much stronger position, targets based on previous performances could lead to underachievement; your team may be ready for a bigger challenge. There’s also an argument that people may be deterred from trying as hard when they see that it will make next year’s target that much harder. Set a date Without some kind of time marker, targets have little meaning. ‘I’m going to learn to speak Spanish’ is a great goal, but one that invites procrastination. ‘I’m going to be speaking Spanish by Christmas’ is more likely to keep you on track.

Leadership & Management

NET GAINS

Despite her relative youth, Head Coach Anna Mayes has led the England netball squad through its greatest period of international success. With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching, how is she preparing the team, physically and mentally, for the Glasgow showdown?

Words: Natalie Morris

etball in England has seen phenomenal growth in the last few years, and the sport has ridden the wave of growing interest in women’s sport since London 2012. But it took a lot to get to that point. Mayes initially began working with England Netball’s under-21 squad before being appointed head coach in 2011, all while studying to complete her PhD in autoethnography. Since taking on the role, she has made significant changes to the squad’s training programme and overall mentality to ensure they have the best chance of global success. Netball is currently a non-professional sport, but for Mayes the professional

Leadership & Management

may not be professional athletes, but they train as if they are, and ensuring they have quality support around them is vital in maintaining this. We’ve always had good professional attitudes, but I really feel we’ve moved to a performance culture now.

attitude of her players is critical to their success. Despite the athletes juggling studies and full-time careers, their attitude is highly professional, which Mayes believes has given them the edge in recent years. How has the culture of netball changed since you became head coach? There’s been a big shift, particularly in the last few years, around the performance culture in netball. We have been driving this change in attitude forward, from our national academies to our under-21s and development programme, to what we call the ‘podium programme’ – the athletes who we believe can help us achieve medals in international competition. They

How do you create unity within the squad? For me, it’s about having shared experiences, both on and off the court. You need to be aware of what you take from these experiences in terms of learning and moving forward. You can’t underestimate the value of shared experience. Something like our win against Australia in the January series brings the team closer together. But your greatest losses can also help to create unity. Losing really makes you address your contribution to the squad in terms of your individual performance and that of the team. I’d like to think that both our biggest successes and our biggest defeats have helped to unite this group. Off-court experiences are also important. We all took part in a Christmas cake decorating session in December, and when we went on tour to South Africa we took the girls on safari. Those little things matter. How far do you think team-bonding affects their performance on court? I think it’s an important aspect. Getting the right balance is obviously vital – you want a mix of formal and informal

opportunities, as I think it’s important to ensure you’re not stifling the team. They’re generally a very sociable squad and we have a good mix within the group. We have a lot of intense training and they are in each other’s pockets, so we need to mix it up. For example, frequently in Australia we went bowling together, allowing the players to let off steam and grow closer. With netball being a non-professional sport, how do the players meet the demands of being in the national squad? From my perspective, it’s about looking at their time management and gauging what support they need around them. One of the great things England Netball has done is to invest in a Performance Lifestyle Manager to support the athletes. With the recent introduction of Intensive Netball Training Centres (INTCs) – dedicated centres in Bath, Brunel and Manchester, designed to provide highquality daily training environments for our elite athletes – our lifestyle manager has built some great relationships with the key universities and also players’ employers. We want to help manage the players’ expectations and be clear about the non-negotiable sessions. We also categorise our players as either A, B or C. An A-grade player, like captain Pamela Cookey, will be an established athlete coming towards the end of her playing career, with the sport embedded within her professional career. Category B is for athletes currently

Leadership & Management

in education and in a position to move close to an INTC. Bath’s Rosie Allison is a perfect example – she’s doing a biology degree and we’ve got a really good relationship with the university there. Category C is where we want our athletes to be, because it’s netball first. They’re in employment, but with a working placement or work times that fit around their training – Serena Guthrie and Mia Ritchie, who both play for England and Superleague franchise Team Bath, are C-grade athletes as they are teachers with more flexible working hours. In general, it’s almost impossible to have a work-life balance in high-performance sport in any domain, be it athlete, coach or support staff. But we do our best to support our athletes and make our facilities as accessible as possible to a variety of lifestyle situations. How do you keep the players motivated? I think the biggest incentive is actually putting that red England dress on. They’re aiming to be the best England

“THEY’RE AIMING TO BE THE BEST ENGLAND TEAM THERE’S EVER BEEN – AND THAT’S WHERE THE MOTIVATION LIES” team there’s ever been – and that’s where the motivation lies. We also have a fantastic support system to help the players, which ensures that they have the resources to access facilities, support in terms of rent or mortgages, medical insurance, bursaries through sponsorship and several other things that, for example, Olympic athletes would usually have to pay for. How much do you rely on the talent pathways and on young players when you are selecting? The type of athletes we want to come through our system is something we’ve been working on constantly. We’re embedding it in our pathways and I think it is really coming to fruition now.

Look at athletes like Helen Housby, a 19-year-old goal shooter who plays for Superleague franchise Manchester Thunder. She has already been called up to tour with the England senior squad in Australia. She came through a national academy and epitomises the notion of how a shooter should play, which is something we’ve really worked on. We’re all very clear on what targets we expect to hit and how we’re going to do that through our national academies. I think the development element of England Netball is absolutely critical and the quality of the athletes is something that is rapidly developing. It’s the quality that we’re focusing on, not just the numbers.

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Health & Wellbeing

CHANGE YOUR MIND Whether out of choice or forced upon us, change is never easy. But with the right mindset, you can embrace change and ensure it leads to opportunity. Words: Jeremy Snape, Sporting Edge

hen asked to change something that we’re comfortable with or that we have become accomplished at, our initial feelings are often those of resentment, resistance, panic and even anger. We question why we should change and if indeed we can. Why? Because, in the main, we all desire a degree of routine and take comfort from knowing what’s going to happen next. As a coach or manager, you will have developed routines for everything from preparing for games and team meetings to pre-match meals and transport. You will have routines for training, because your players are not keen on change either and want to know what to expect from one day to the next. You will have personal routines particular to the club that you work for or the town in which you are based.

ON REFLECTION It would be easy to think that our ability to deal with change will simply improve with age and experience, but that might not be the case. While gaining experience of coping with setbacks, adversity and criticism can certainly help, as we get older we may actually

crave routine and resist change more. In contrast, in our formative years we coped with change on a regular basis without even thinking about it. Remember how often you changed school, junior team or club, learned new skills, went on loan or changed address or coach, and how little these things bothered you. Now reflect on the many changes in football over the past 10 years and ask whether they have helped or hindered you as a manager or coach. If you were told that you no longer had access to player analysis, online scouting systems, whiteboard technology, improved screening methods for your support staff to determine injury, expert advice on nutrition and rest, or advances in neuroscience, how would you react? Without embracing continuous change – in ourselves, in how, where and with whom we operate – we cannot improve our performance and that of our teams or fulfil our true potential. Change is often a force for good, yet we continue to resist it. THROUGH THE CYCLE We tend to react to change in a cycle of phases. First there is denial, as we fight

Health & Wellbeing

“AS WITH MOST NEW PERCEIVED PROBLEMS OR CHALLENGES PRESENTED TO US, OUR RESPONSE TO CHANGE IS DETERMINED BY OUR MINDSETS” and resist the change. We may find it threatening or irritating and question how it will improve things, especially if they are going ok. Eventually we accept that the change is happening and that we need to adapt accordingly by finding new options, new techniques or a new method. Then, after finding some benefit from testing these new skills, we consciously commit to the change, adapt our mindsets and embrace the opportunities it may bring. Finally, after perfecting the execution of these new skills, we feel back in control and realise that the change was to our benefit. We may even question why we showed such reluctance to change. The change model isn’t a washing machine that spins you around and around; with every cycle you climb to a new level of competence and resilience. The Harvard Business Review called this era of rapid and constant change the ‘new normal’. Just when you think you’ve mastered a new art or process, another innovation or idea arrives and you have to change again. It can be exhausting just thinking about it. If this is our new environment, driven by technology, then we need to look at things differently. Given

that everyone is experiencing these high levels of change, there may be a competitive edge to be found in pacing through the treacle of denial and moving around the model to exploring and testing options. MIND OVER MATTERS As with most new perceived problems or challenges presented to us, our response to change is determined by our mindsets. Only now are we beginning to recognise the power of the mindset. It determines all of our thoughts and behaviours and whether we choose to learn and change. Through decades of research on achievement and success, worldrenowned Stanford University psychologist Professor Carol Dweck has discovered some of the psychological secrets to coping with change and uncertainty. Dweck’s work illustrates how success or failure is not down to talent or ability alone, but whether we approach our goals with a growth or fixed mindset. Dweck has identified the traits of those who believe that their success has come from incremental improvements, learning on a daily basis (growth mindset) and those who think

their success is due to a binary talent, which you either have or you haven’t (fixed mindset). She has identified the traits associated with these two very different mindsets, which are key to our learning and willingness to change. We may resist change because we approach it with the wrong mindset and so become very fixed in our views. The key to Dweck’s work is that those with a growth mindset base their success on perseverance, accepting criticism, being inspired by others and a hunger for learning. Those with a fixed mindset, meanwhile, base their beliefs on thinking or being told they are talented, thereby not persisting when faced with major challenges or setbacks. In other words, they are not willing to learn or change. In football and in business, the mindsets of those at the top are key to their success. When asked if they are still learning, the answer is always yes. They have to learn every day in order to survive in the job. The very fact that you are reading this shows that you are receptive to change. To embrace and accept change, you have to alter your mindset and open it up to continuous learning. Once you have done that the possibilities are endless.

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To book or for further information please call Helen Parker on 01334 474371 or email Helen.Parker@oldcoursehotel.co.uk

Health & Wellbeing

HOW LOW IS TOO LOW?

Management is a rollercoaster ride of emotions – from the highs of celebration to the lows of anxiety and disappointment. When the latter become chronic and prolonged it can have a serious impact on your mental health. Words: Dr Ian Martin, LPP Consulting

tress is par for the course in modern-day management, but understanding and recognising how it is affecting you, physically and mentally, and learning to manage it can have a considerable impact on your ability to cope and sustain your performance over time. Stress can be acute or chronic and, as humans, we are hardwired to cope effectively with the former through what we call the ‘fight or flight response’. This causes a sharpening of the senses, an increased speed of response, the mobilisation of energy through the release of glucose, and increases in heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. If this short-term response is contained and proportionate it

1 IN 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year, mixed anxiety and depression being the most common. (Source: Mental Health Foundation)

can be channelled into improving performance. Hence we hear elite sportspeople talk of the need to be ‘nervous’ or ‘primed’ to produce their best. But when stress becomes chronic it can lead to fatigue, burn-out and eventually mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. TIPPING OVER Anxiety is a subjective feeling of extreme worry, resulting in an inability to relax and physical tension in the body, and an anxious person often experiences marked stress symptoms, all of which can have a detrimental effect on their performance. We all worry in different situations, but what separates unhelpful anxiety from ‘normal’ worry is its impact on functioning and its chronicity. As well as feeling the physical effects of stress, an anxious person might show psychological symptoms, such as a loss of interest or enthusiasm, a more cynical or critical approach to training and performance, reduced motivation, avoidance and increased distractibility. These symptoms can all impair our decision-making and reduce our enjoyment of training and competition. When anxious we are also liable to misinterpret challenging situations, seeing them more as a threat than an opportunity. Thankfully, there are a number of psychological techniques that can be used to contain anxiety, the best approach often being to work with an experienced psychologist. They will use psychological strategies, such as cognitive behavioural or resilience training, which aim to help you stay

focused under pressure, keep the stress in proportion to the situation, and recover effectively from periods of high stress. Relaxation exercises, mindfulness and distraction techniques can also be effective. DEEP IMPACT As well as causing anxiety, chronic stress can trigger depression, which can have a serious impact on physical and mental wellbeing. Other factors influencing someone’s susceptibility to depression include major life events, such as bereavement or the loss of a job, a family history of depression or a history of misusing drugs or alcohol. Physical illness, injury and social isolation can also play a part. There are important differences between clinical depression and feeling low from time to time. Depression is significantly more serious and is characterised in part by its pervasiveness and its impact on our physical and mental health. It requires urgent attention. The effects of depression on mind and body are also far greater, resulting in a disturbance in daily functioning, including impairment of sleep, appetite, energy, sex drive, motivation and concentration. It can also have an impact on immunity, resulting in increased vulnerability to infection. With depression come persistent negative feelings, sometimes in the form of helplessness or hopelessness. You may lose confidence and see your surroundings in a very bleak light and, in its most negative form, depression can distort your thinking to the point of utter futility. This can result in

Health & Wellbeing

BAD DREAMS

Depressed people spend more time in REM sleep – the period during which we work through our problems – and dream around five times more than non-depressed people. As they miss out on restorative deep sleep, they feel more tired.

with depression can have an enormous impact on performance, reducing your commitment to training, diminishing concentration and focus, and affecting decision-making in a negative way.

suicidal thinking, which requires urgent evaluation and treatment. You might lose the capacity to derive enjoyment from anything and some individuals begin to use drugs or alcohol in an attempt to alleviate their symptoms. The fatigue, exhaustion and disengagement that go hand in hand

LIGHT IN THE TUNNEL Depression is a potentially lifethreatening condition and any suspicion that you or a colleague, friend or family member are suffering from the symptoms requires urgent attention. However, with the right support, it is possible to turn things around and get

your life back on track. Start by talking to someone, whether it be a friend or family member, your GP or a mental health professional. They will assess you, provide advice and start treatment if necessary. This might be medical treatment, such as the prescription of antidepressants, mood stabilisers or antipsychotics, or use a range of non-medical approaches, everything from CBT and art therapy to complementary and alternative therapies.

Health & Wellbeing

PLANE CRAZY

Long journeys, time differences, unfamiliar climates – travel can really take its toll on performance. Staying on form requires some preparation, says Dr Dorian Dugmore. hether you’re taking the squad to its next away match, visiting a training academy abroad for inspiration or meeting with prospective staff or players, travel is an unavoidable part of modern management. Learning how to minimise its effects is essential if you are to remain at your best. Some of the effects of travel are relatively simple to remedy. For example, fierce air-conditioning in coaches and trains and the dry air on-board planes can dehydrate the skin and cause dryness in the eyes, nose and mouth. Nasal and eye drops can help here, and while it’s easy to forget to drink water on a long journey, taking liquids throughout the trip is essential. Dehydration can adversely affect concentration, memory and even blood pressure and make you feel more tired.

Then there are the effects of uncomfortable seats, cabin noise and light on your mood, tiredness and alertness. Here, quality neck supports, earplugs, eye masks and white noise recordings or apps can be useful, helping you to fall asleep or simply get comfortable and stay calm and relaxed. Sitting for long periods can hamper digestion, circulation and flexibility, causing swelling in the feet and ankles and, in the worst case, can result in deep vein thrombosis. Performing simple in-seat stretching exercises throughout the journey and taking a walk, at least every hour if possible, can help prevent any problems. By far the biggest physical effects of travel on the body, however, and the most difficult to counter, are those that result from crossing timezones. When you do so, your biological clock

is disrupted, with the normal cycle of day and night either compressed or extended. This can affect your body’s biorhythms and your normal sleepwake cycle. When the body is used to slowing down for the night it is suddenly faced with being in the waking state, which can compromise normal thermoregulation and bodily controls, as its systems need time to re-adjust. The result is a feeling of disorientation, tiredness and confusion. What’s more, the body’s natural production of melatonin from the pineal gland can be compromised, affecting the body’s normal sleep and repair cycle. SOFTEN YOUR LANDING The key to minimising these effects is to gradually shift your sleep/wake cycle to the new time in advance. How you do this will depend on the direction of your

Health & Wellbeing

HEALTH CHECKLIST travel. If you are travelling from east to west, go to bed and get up an hour later each day for three days before your departure. Conversely, for west-to-east trips, move your sleep time an hour earlier each day. The so-called jetlag diet, followed by the US military, may also help. It involves eating high-protein meals whenever you are trying to stay awake and highcarbohydrate meals when you want to sleep, and should be started three days before your departure. As soon as you arrive at your destination, assume local eating and sleeping times to encourage your body clock to acclimatise. Get outside, as sunlight helps to reset the body clock by helping the body to recognise current daytime and night time cycles with their associated biochemical adjustments. DO YOUR HOMEWORK Before you travel, it is worth checking the climatic conditions of your destination – not just the temperature, but also the humidity and air circulation. Our bodies operate under a type of rhythmic behaviour over a 24-hour

period and changes in the environment, such as a different climate, can affect this. Most of us need at least six days to acclimatise and get our mental and physical performance back to its optimum, while players may need longer depending on their sporting demands. Checking the altitude is also important, as when moving to a higher location the body will need significantly longer to adjust. In warm climates, high humidity (water vapour in the air) can cause us to overheat more quickly than in dry heat, especially when there is little air movement. In hot, dry weather, meanwhile, extreme sweating is more likely, with a resulting loss of fluids and salts. Here, ensuring you stay well hydrated, perhaps with added electrolytes and other supplements, is essential. Your pre-departure research should also include the hygiene and water standards of your destination. If advised or if in any doubt upon arrival, drink only bottled water and avoid ice, as this could be contaminated. Clean your teeth using bottled water. Canned and bottled drinks are fine, although for peace of

Have you: Had all the recommended immunisations? Checked with your doctor with regards existing medical conditions or recent surgery/ treatment? Packed all relevant health records and insurance details? Researched the climate of your destination and packed clothing and sun cream accordingly? Checked the hygiene standards of local food and water? Should you take nutritional or digestive aids? Packed for a comfortable journey – a change of clothes, neck support, ear-plugs and mask, eye drops and water spritzer? Adjusted your eating and sleeping times in advance of your trip to counter jetlag? mind you should observe them being opened so you can verify that they were sealed, while beverages using the local water are safe if they have been boiled, such as coffee and tea. Avoid raw meat and fish and be cautious about dairy and milk products.

Health & Wellbeing

HAVE YOU TRIED...

MINDFULNESS? By tuning awareness and attention back to the present, mindfulness meditation can help to combat the effects of stress and enhance performance under pressure.

mid the many pressures of modern life, it’s unsurprising that much of our emotional energy is now spent either worrying about what has happened or thinking about the future. But by learning to focus on the here and now through mindfulness meditation we can deal with our external stressors better and change how they impact on our wellbeing and performance. According to Dr Kate Joseph, LPP Consulting, as well as reducing stress mindfulness meditation has been shown to improve focus and communication and reduce self-criticism and risk of burnout. “In particular, it is being used to help leaders and managers adapt to changing environments, improve decision-making and develop new ways of communicating and responding under pressure,” she says. “Studies also show that regular mindfulness practice can improve physical wellbeing by bolstering the immune system, thereby helping to fight off colds and other illnesses,”

she adds. “There are also impressive findings showing that even short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation.” IN PRACTICE While the traditional image of meditation tends to be one of a lithe young person contorted into the lotus position, Joseph says there is no right time or place to practise mindfulness. “The key is to develop a routine that works for you. Find a time when you will not be disturbed by others and turn off your phone,” she says. “Wear comfortable clothes and sit in a position that you can maintain without fidgeting.” While classes are a great way to learn meditation with others, there are also plenty of websites and apps that offer downloadable exercises and many short meditation practices that can be easily slotted into a busy routine. These include a mini-meditation called the ‘three-minute breathing space’, walking meditations for those who

find it hard to sit still, and imagery exercises for people who prefer to visualise a scene rather than focusing solely on their breathing. “A simple way to build mindfulness into a busy schedule is to become more mindful during everyday activities,” says Joseph. “By paying attention to all five senses, everyday routines that we take for granted can be transformed into rich sensory experiences that take us away from our usual mental habits. For example, the next time you are cleaning your teeth, focus on what the toothpaste looks like when it turns from paste to froth, what it smells, feels and tastes like and what sounds you can hear. “At work, regular breaks should be built into the working day to calm the mind, as even a 10-minute mindful walk can increase productivity,” she says. “Meanwhile, taking three minutes out in a quiet place can help to ground you when you are stressed or anxious and help you to focus your attention on what is important.”

Your best interests ...

... always at the heart of everything we do Working with the League Managers Association and its members Dyke Yaxley, Chartered Accountants, 1 Brassey Road, Old Potts Way, Shrewsbury SY3 7FA T: 01743 241281 F: 01743 235794 E: info@dykeyaxley.co.uk www.dykeyaxley.co.uk

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Pitch Side

THE ESSENTIALS 01 GET A GRIP

Gooeyskins.com

Most of us like to have our smartphones close at hand at all times, but not necessarily in our hands. Yet phones can easily get knocked off tables, arm-rests or the side of a sink or trodden on when on the floor. The solution may come in the form of the aptly named goo.ey. Once securely fixed onto the back of your iPad, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or Galaxy Note, the goo.ey skin enables you to stick the device temporarily onto most flat, glossy surfaces, such as mirrors, glass, metal or marble, leaving you hands-free. The system works using suction to hold the surfaces tightly together at room temperature, so it can be used over and over again. When you’re ready to go, you simply lift the device off using your fingertips.

IT 03 COOL Physicool.co.uk A WINNER 02 EVERYONE’S Giveasyoulive.com Great leaders set the benchmark for behaviour and responsibility, and that includes their commitment to corporate social responsibility. But charities are increasingly realising that they need to make it as easy as possible for organisations to demonstrate that commitment and to donate their time and money. Give as you Live is an easy-to-install browser extension that means charities benefit from your and your employees’ online shopping. Every time you spend online through one of the thousands of stores that have signed up to the scheme, they make a donation to your chosen charity.

Whether you’re preparing to brace the sweltering heat of Brazil or just Britain’s annual two-week heatwave, equip yourself with this handy spray. Physicool’s Rapid Relief Cooling Spray causes evaporation from the deepest layers of the skin first, producing an instant cooling effect that has been shown in clinical tests to last for over an hour. The spray also soothes the pain of insect bites and helps to ease and heal sunburn, with added aloe vera to calm redness and glycerine to moisturise the skin.

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CAM 04 ACTION Buy.garmin.com Whatever you and your team get up to over the summer period, capture the best moments with one of the new, compact, rugged and waterproof cameras hitting the market. Garmin’s new series, including the VIRB and VIRB Elite, are designed to capture highquality photographs and video footage, no matter how fast, rough or wet the activity. As well as taking high-quality, true high-definition (1080p HD) images, the cameras feature 1.4-inch colour displays, can simultaneously capture still photos while recording video footage and have an extended battery life of more than three hours of HD video. The VIRB Elite also includes high-sensitivity GPS, accelerometer, altimeter and WiFi, enabling connectivity to other products, such as Garmin’s GPS and heart rate monitors.

AND SIMPLE 05 PLANE Seatguru.com Seatguru.com is a serious find for any well-prepared traveller, enabling you to see what facilities different planes are equipped with, down to individual seat level. Tap in your flight details and get information on seat pitch and width, amenities such as access to power sockets and entertainment systems and inflight services. With seats and amenities varying between airlines and airplanes, this information can help you book the flight and seat that are best for you. The site also offers expert advice and a useful airport guide, where you can navigate around hubs worldwide, finding maps and information on what facilities there are and where.

PLEASE, TO GO 06 COFFEE Lavazza.com There may be coffee shops on every street these days, but sometimes queuing in a busy cafe or service station can feel like a chore. That’s where the first portable Lavazza capsule coffee machine comes in handy. Plug it into the cigarette lighter socket of your car and the little machine will prepare you an authentic espresso in under two minutes. The portable coffee-maker fits into cup holders and comes in a starter kit, with a carry bag, A Modo Mio coffee capsules and a measuring cup.

Pitch Side

ESSENTIAL READ

Linchpin by Seth Godin “The only way to get what you’re worth is to stand out, to exert emotional labour, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organisations and people care deeply about,” says leading marketer and serial blogger Seth Godin in his bestseller, Linchpin. Godin’s renowned sentiment is about becoming remarkable in a postindustrial revolution world and spreading powerful ideas within a 21st-century connected economy. It focuses on what it means to become truly indispensable and is a personal memo, not to quit your job or be reckless, but to focus in on you, your choices, your future and your potential; to make a huge difference, by challenging compliance and drawing your own map. If remarkable products and services are seen as ‘purple cows’ – unique and differentiated – then Linchpins are the human and organisational equivalent. According to Godin, Linchpins are the essential building blocks of

great organisations: they invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, embrace ambiguity and surf in complexity. They love their work and pour their best selves into it and turn each day into the creation of their art. And, in today’s world, they get the best jobs, have the most freedom and the influence to make things happen. Consistent with Godin’s blogging style, his published work makes easy reading. Linchpin is structured in three logical phases: from the conscious ownership for taking the ‘Decision’, to the steps of ‘Becoming a Linchpin’ and finally a summary of ‘What Linchpins do well’. It’s a provocative read and will challenge you to think about how you and your organisation behave and perhaps to consider how many Linchpins you have actually come across. As Godin says: “Linchpins don’t need authority. It’s not part of the deal. Authority matters only in the factory,

not in your world. Real change rarely comes from the front of the line. It happens from the middle or even the back. Real change happens when someone who cares steps up and takes what feels like a risk. People follow because they want to, not because you can order them to.” And so the question is: are you indispensable? Barry McNeill

PGA TIPS

Stop that top in a bunker Playing from a fairway bunker is never easy, but when the ball has just trickled into the sand and calls for you to stand outside the bunker and six inches above it, it becomes a real test.

omehow you have to lower your golf swing to ensure it enters the sand and doesn’t hit the top of the ball. Do you bend your knees, bend your back more, drop your hands, hold the club further up – or none of the above? Simon Wordsworth, chief executive of the Aspiration Group, fellow of the PGA and R&A qualified referee, says the answer is a little of everything. The bend in your knees is key and this angle should be retained throughout the swing.

Place a little weight on your front foot and stand wider, which will lower your centre of gravity and help you retain your balance throughout the swing. Grip the club at the top of the handle and hold it very lightly. Bend your knees sufficiently at address to get to the ball. Take a couple of practice swings to get a feel for the shot, concentrating on not allowing your knees or hips to rise through impact and the follow-through. Increase the tension in your front knee

and keep this throughout the shot, your finish position will be lower and restricted but the ball should come out safely. Finally, remember that the resultant shot will probably have a little slice spin if you are faced with a long shot or will pop out to the right if faced with a short shot.

Pitch Side

A CHANGING MOBILE WORLD Mobile phone technology is developing faster than any other at the moment. John Shepherd, Managing Director of Sport Mobile Ltd, looks at some of the biggest trends and what’s driving them. martphones are getting bigger, faster and more powerful, with new models released almost every month. These changes are being driven partly by the growth in popularity of smartphones for streaming video content, such as football matches and related clips. This is driving the need for larger screens, faster performance and high-speed networks, and has a number of implications. For instance, the use of data over 3G and now 4G networks can be costly unless you have the right package for your needs. Many users also expect to be able to carry on using them in this way wherever they are in the world, incurring potentially high roaming costs. Many providers of information are creating apps that allow you to access collated information. For example, BBC Sport’s app allows users to check the latest sports news, watch video clips and read related articles. Apps also allow access to modern social applications, such as instant messaging (e.g. Whatsapp) and social media (e.g. Facebook), all of which require always-on data connections, whether through 3G, 4G or a local wireless network. Hardware advances in mobile phones have provided high-quality cameras, often now used in place of digital cameras. Not only can you take high-quality photos, but the cameras can be used to scan barcodes and QR codes that link to products, apps and further information.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE? Technology is moving at a tremendous pace. For example, a Samsung Galaxy S5 is 2,000 times faster and has 1,600 times as much storage as the original desktop PC. Devices are getting larger, while the contained electronics are actually getting smaller; the size of the device is currently limited by the screen size required and the battery life available. Wearable devices are also now starting to appear, such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear watch, which works in conjunction with a mobile phone to provide information and messaging facilities without the phone leaving your pocket. Google is also working on Google Glass, a pair of spectacles that beam information directly into your line of sight.

Sport Mobile ensures its staff and clients are kept up-to-date with the latest technology and services to ensure clients have what is most appropriate for their needs. As the official supplier of mobile phones to the LMA, Sport Mobile can provide special packages for managers, and has many unique bolt-ons to reduce costs on international and roaming calls and data. Sport Mobile can also develop special packages where required, for instance, with the high roaming costs across the rest of the world, a World Cup special is available to allow unlimited roaming calls, texts and data for the duration of the competition. For more information about Sport Mobile, visit www.sportmobile.co.uk or call John Shepherd on 07774 785385.

S#OR9 MO I‚

Pitch Side

The devices shown are the iPhone 5s.

Hall of Fame - In Association with the FA

HALL OF FAME

JOE FAGAN MARCH 1921 – JUNE 2001

An uncomplicated and respected man, Joe Fagan embodied Liverpool’s policy of promoting from within and the spirit of its legendary Boot Room. He spent 27 years at Anfield, where he was immensely popular, first as a coach, then assistant manager and eventually in the top job. In his two years as the club’s manager, from 1983-1985, he achieved an unprecedented treble in his first campaign, reached the European Cup final in his second and remains the last English manager to have won the European Cup. Given the legendary status of the managers either side of him, Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish, Fagan is not afforded the acclaim he deserves. “Joe made an unbelievable contribution to Liverpool Football Club,” said Ronnie Whelan in an interview with the Daily Mirror. “Shanks and Bob rightly get lots of praise, but you don’t hear Joe’s name mentioned as much as it should be. Whether you were Souness or Dalglish or a young kid like me coming into the team at the time, you listened to Joe.” Fagan was born in Liverpool in 1921, but opted to play for Manchester City believing his chances of first-team football to be higher. His playing career was interrupted, however, by WWII, during which he served as a telegraphist for the Royal Navy in Egypt before returning home and finishing his career at City. A spell as player/manager at non-league Nelson followed, before he found himself at Rochdale. It was during his time at Spotland that he was recommended to Liverpool and, in 1958, he returned home, moving into a house just a stone’s throw from Anfield. Then began his Boot Room

apprenticeship. Indeed, it is said that Fagan played a part in forming the legendary room, having decided to leave cases of Guinness among the boots when he had nowhere else for them. Promoted to the role of reserve team manager by Shankly on his arrival at the club, Fagan then became first-team coach in 1971. He instinctively agreed with how the manager trained the players, having tried similar systems during his time in charge at Nelson, and the relationship was an easy one. When Shankly opted to step down in 1974 and Bob Paisley took over, it was logical that Fagan shuffled up to take the role of assistant manager. His period as Paisley’s assistant was a hugely successful one: the club winning 20 trophies in just nine years. In 1983, Fagan made his final move up through the ranks to succeed Paisley as manager. However, he was initially reluctant to take the reins, only doing so because, like Paisley, he felt obliged to. According to Mark Platt in ‘Joe Fagan: Reluctant Champion’, one of the determining factors was Fagan’s desire to save the jobs of his colleagues. Despite the consensus within Anfield to maintain continuity, away from the club others questioned the appointment of someone who, aged 62, had only managed at Nelson. When the Charity Shield was lost to Manchester United in August, people began to make assumptions about Fagan’s capabilities. The mood within the camp was very different, however. Mark Lawrenson says: “When he got the job, I think every single man in the first team squad was desperate for him to be successful. He was following a formidable act in Bob, and I think one or two people outside of

Liverpool thought maybe it was going to be too difficult an act to follow.” Ultimately, Fagan’s critics were made to eat their words. By the end of the season Fagan had made history by becoming the first English manager to win three major honours in one campaign. Fagan’s years in the Boot Room had served him well, giving him a deep understanding of the game as well as an innate trust of how things worked at Liverpool. But it was a tough challenge to replicate his predecessors’ success while putting his own stamp on things. He managed with a simple style, and once said: “Our methods are so easy,

Hall of Fame - In Association with the FA

“HE STEPPED IN, NOT FOR HIMSELF, BUT ON BEHALF OF LIVERPOOL AND HE MANAGED TO DO THE INCREDIBLE TREBLE” sometimes players don’t understand them at first.” He trusted his players to play football and didn’t overload them with knowledge of the opposition or tactical responsibilities. “We tell our defenders to be pessimistic, always anticipating a mistake that might give an opponent a

scoring opportunity,” he explained. “And we tell our forwards to be optimists, always expecting that the ball knocked in will get through to them in a scoring position.” In his second season in charge, Fagan couldn’t replicate the success of his first and Liverpool finished second, behind neighbours Everton. While they

reached the European Cup final, Fagan decided to resign before the match, telling the players they could return to calling him ‘Joe’ instead of ‘boss’ after the match. He had only ever planned to do the job for two years. Ian Rush said of Fagan: “He was very down to earth and didn’t really want the manager’s job. He did it to help the club out because there was no-one ready for the job. He stepped in, not for himself, but on behalf of Liverpool and he managed to do the incredible treble.” Fagan, a Boot Room staple and a Liverpool man through-and-through, was selfless to the end.

Pitch Side

PRE-TOURNAMENT PERFORMANCE

As attention turns to this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Prozone examines whether prospective international players adjust their approach in the final weeks of the domestic season. Post-Tournament Season he data scientists in Prozone’s Performance.Lab have analysed data from eight seasons to highlight the differences between pre- and post-tournament campaigns. The performance information is taken from the six Barclays Premier League clubs to have sent the most players to international tournaments since 2006 – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. By taking England’s 2010 World Cup squad as a case study, Prozone also looked into how managers select international teams and how subtle adaptations in players during pretournament seasons can potentially influence their selection.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE TRENDS One of the most obvious trends in the historical data set is the increase in the number of crosses per game in the final months of pre-tournament seasons. With an average rise from 16 to 19 crosses per game between March and May, this pattern suggests a greater urgency to deliver the ball into dangerous areas during the final phase of the campaign. Similarly, the data highlights an increase in the number of shots off target in the final three months of pretournament campaigns. With an average increase of one extra shot off target per game in May, such a trend is generally indicative of increased attacking intent, as teams jostle for position towards the end of the season. As players go for goal from more difficult positions later in the

Pre-Tournament Season

20.0 19.0 18.0 17.0 16.0 15.0 14.0

Aug

Sep

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Nov

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CROSSES PER GAME Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Tottenham 2006-2014 9.0

8.0

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6.0

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TOTAL SHOTS OFF TARGET PER GAME Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Tottenham 2006-2014 season, another possible explanation is that players in contention for places in international squads are making a more concerted effort to impress as major tournaments draw near.

This shooting trend becomes even more clearly marked when compared with post-tournament seasons. During campaigns that follow major tournaments, shots off target remain

Pitch Side

90%

85%

80%

75%

Aug

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SQUAD UTILISATION % of minutes played by 10 most-appearing outfield players Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Tottenham 2006-2014 constant at 7.4 per game in April and May, a significant difference considering the increase from 7.5 to 8.5 that is seen in pre-tournament years. There are also differences in the way that clubs use their squads in the run-up to major tournaments as compared with other years. For example, during seasons preceding international tournaments we see a significant spike in the number of minutes played by the 10 most frequently selected players at the top six clubs. There are various possible explanations for this particular pattern within the data. It may be the case that players are more determined to play games towards the end of pre-tournament seasons, potentially playing through minor injuries in order to keep themselves in contention for international squad berths. Similarly, with the season finishing earlier in pre-tournament years, there are fewer league games in May, so it is arguably easier for players to recover and avoid injury, thereby making consistency of selection more feasible for managers. SELECTION – A CASE STUDY In the run up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, then-England manager Fabio Capello had a number of key selection dilemmas to resolve. By looking back at the performance data of the players involved, we can better understand the skills that were most important to him in the selection process and how the performances of

the players he chose evolved over the course of the 2009/10 season. Leighton Baines v Stephen Warnock When Ashley Cole sustained an injury towards the end of the 2009/10 season, the question of who would deputise at left-back should the issue have persisted in South Africa became a pressing concern. Baines, the Everton fullback, had evolved into a significant attacking force during the 2009/10 campaign. Making 50 per cent of his passes in the opposition half from March to May 2010, Baines also made 4.6 crosses per game to Warnock’s 3.1. A more conservative fullback, Aston Villa’s Warnock averaged just 41 per cent of his passes in the opposition half and his crossing output fell during the course of the season. However, given Warnock’s strong possession won/lost ratio (and with the 2010 England squad perceived to be weak on the left side of midfield), Capello ultimately favoured the more defensive option as cover for Cole. Michael Carrick v Scott Parker Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry were all certainties for selection ahead of the 2010 World Cup, but Capello was faced with a choice between Michael Carrick and Scott Parker for cover in central midfield. Carrick had come off the back of a consistent season, which had seen him help Manchester United to a creditable second-place finish in the Barclays Premier

League. A relatively conservative presence, Carrick’s possession won/lost ratio was a strong 1.1 for the season, although his attacking entries dropped to 8.1 per game in March to May, down from 11.8 in the period from August to November. A more attacking midfield player, Parker had played a prominent role in West Ham’s survival and had become increasingly offensive-minded as the 2009/10 season progressed. Making 49 per cent of his passes in the opposition half and 3.4 penalty area entries per game by the end of the season, Parker’s form peaked late in the campaign, but Capello favoured the overall consistency and technical reliability of Carrick. Joe Cole Going into South Africa 2010, England were struggling to find a player to play on the left side of midfield. Chelsea’s Joe Cole was widely considered the best fit for the position, but he missed the first two months of the 2009/10 season with injury and was used sparingly by Carlo Ancelotti once he had returned. Despite relatively limited playing time, Cole enhanced his attacking output throughout the season. Averaging 3.5 shots and shot assists per game from October to December, Cole improved to 5.9 between March and May (a shot or shot assist every 26 touches), reaching his seasonal peak in time for World Cup selection. These examples suggest that Capello tended to value conservatism and consistency in players required to fulfil defensive roles, while short-term form was more likely to be rewarded for attacking players. This might also contribute to an explanation of why crosses and shots off target rise during the latter part of the Barclays Premier League season, with players perceiving that they might be more likely to be selected as a result of a temporary improvement in attacking form. The pioneer of performance analysis in football, Prozone works with the game’s elite, providing expert technology and consultancy to create world-leading insights and genuine on-field advantage.

Pitch Side

INSIDE THE LMA

LMA Commercial Partner Anglian enjoyed private dinner events at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford. The former was hosted by David Jones and featured LMA Ambassadors David O’Leary and Steve Coppell. Mark Clemmit hosted the Old Trafford dinner, which was attended by LMA Ambassadors Dougie Freedman (right) and Paul Lambert.

Pitch Side

LMA Ambassador Stuart Pearce was a surprise guest at the UK-wide Budweiser annual sales conference. Pearce took part in a Q&A session focused on his leadership and management experiences in professional football and football management. Photos: Chris Hargreaves/JCH Photography

LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson and LMA Chief Executive Richard Bevan joined FA Chairman Greg Dyke and PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor in northern France to commemorate and honour the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1.

Pitch Side

Over 40 took part in the LMA’s second Leadership Masterclass at St George’s Park. Splitting off into a number of seminar sessions, the event focused on football management and the media, with expert input from LMA partners such as Jeremy Snape (above), special guests and fellow LMA members.

Pitch Side

LMA ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER

WHAT THE WINNERS SAID: LMA Manager of the Year sponsored by Barclays – Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool: “I am very humbled to now be in the company of all previous winners of this award. A massive thank you goes to all the managers who voted.” LMA Special Merit Award – Russ Wilcox, Scunthorpe United: “I think the biggest thing I can say about the players is not

only are they great players but they are great people and I think that has been the key this season.” LMA Service to Football Award – Norman Rimmington, Barnsley: Danny Wilson manager of Barnsley, presented the award, saying: “During 61 years of unbroken service to the football club, Norman Rimmington has been a goalkeeper of distinction, a coach, assistant manager, caretaker

manager, grounds man, physio and kit manager.” Barclays Premier League Manager of the Year – Tony Pulis, Crystal Palace: “It’s been a remarkable year for the club considering they finished sixth in the Championship last season and eleventh in the Barclays Premier League this season – a change of 15 positions. I am sure that doesn’t happen very often in football.”

Pitch Side

Sky Bet Football League Championship Manager of the Year – Nigel Pearson, Leicester City: “I think for us as a club now we have earned the right to try and compete in the Barclays Premier League and we look forward to that.” Sky Bet Football League 1 Joint Managers of the Year – Kenny Jackett, Wolverhampton Wanderers & Russell Slade, Leyton Orient

Kenny Jackett: “I am very proud to get this award. It is a fantastic honour to be standing here amongst such fantastic company. What Russell has achieved this season is remarkable.” Russell Slade: “Kenny had to turn it around at Wolves and give it a new direction. He has turned it around with fantastic management.” Sky Bet Football League 2 Manager of the Year – Russ Wilcox,

Scunthorpe United: “You’re only as good as your experience. I had 13 years as a number two, with highs and lows during that period, but the lows make you stronger and maybe that is why I am standing here now.” Budweiser FA Cup Manager of the Year – Nigel Clough, Sheffield United: “We have an awful lot of pride for what we achieved and the players responded magnificently.”

Pitch Side

GOING GLOBAL A year after making the move from domestic to international football, Dan Ashworth, The FA’s Director of Elite Development, examines the differences between the two. nternational football is neither better nor worse than club development football; it’s just different, in nearly every way. As the national governing body, The FA’s role is to ensure that we play a major part in the development journey of young players through to senior football, both at their clubs and hopefully on to senior international football. International football pits the best players against one another in the best tournaments, and they have the best facilities, as can Champions League U19, U21 League Football, The FA Youth Cup and world tournaments. European competitions and World Cups are unique opportunities. The qualifying campaigns are varied experiences leading to elite rounds and hopefully finals. Technically there’s little difference; just more of the top players who can handle the ball under pressure, move the ball quicker, get it right more often and who are more clinical in both boxes. Tactically though, many of the challenges are different when developing players at international level. Many of the teams we have played in the last 12 months come with a low block, they tend not to press early and will play with a back four or five (or even back seven in one case) that sit in, stay in and are very compact. We often have a lot of the ball, but are really tested in the final third of the pitch, where there are many bodies and not much space.

Transitions are key, as our opposition is very often set up in order to counterattack quickly; in many cases their main attacking strategy is counter-attack, and counter-attack to win set plays. Three key tactical challenges have often been: breaking down deep-lying and compact defences; how to stop the counter-attack (which also presents concentration challenges) and how to counter the counter. The social aspect is also a test. Young players are often put into situations out of their comfort zones, with new team-mates, staff, facilities, ways of training, tactical challenges, new countries, cultures, food and drink and even languages. This can only be a good thing for them. Behaviour on the road also becomes more high profile when you are an England player. Young players need to be open and fast learners to all of this if they are to play at the top level. They need an element of resilience and must be able to handle travel, hotels and time on their own. The senior team could be away for as much as six weeks this summer in Brazil, which is a challenge in itself. Psychologically, there are also many different challenges with concentration, control, referees, coping with pressure, commitment (three games in six days, travel, fatigue, dealing with disappointment), communication (to new team-mates and staff) and the confidence to do the best you can on the world stage.

Finally, the physical demands are also different in tournament football. The intensity of the games themselves is something we are looking at with comparative data, but the main challenge is the number of games in a short period of time; recovery and physical resilience are key. Studies have shown a direct correlation between success at junior level and success at senior level in international football. Countries that win at U17, U19 or U21 level tend to do well at senior level. It makes sense that if as a young player you experience semi-finals, finals, winning, losing and of course penalties along the way, you are more likely to be better equipped to do the same at senior level. As a nation we are very good at getting to the finals, but not so good at getting out of the groups and progressing through the knockout stages. It is important that our young players experience all of this on their pathway through, so we need to ensure we take our best teams and players to these events. That’s where our collaboration and co-operation with the clubs is vital. We must ensure players are released at the right times, and communicate closely to ensure that international football has huge benefits to young players, both on the journey into senior football and hopefully then as part of successful England teams.

Residential Training Camps at St. George’s Park This easily accessible facility, in the heart of England, is the inspirational home for England’s 24 national teams. With 11 outdoor pitches, a full-size indoor 3G pitch, a suite of rehabilitation and sports science areas, an indoor Futsal sports hall and an on-site Hilton hotel, St. George’s Park provides world-class training facilities for all England teams and a host of other clubs and individual players. St. George’s Park has already welcomed over 70 domestic and international clubs. Training Pitches: ã©© ©DSJJ©QGXC©DMMR@?JJ©NGRAFCQ© ã©©$GTC©UGRF©Ǉ©MMBJGEFRGLE©?LB©SLBCP©QMGJ©FC?RGLE ã©©$GTC©L?RSP?J©EP?QQ©NGRAFCQ ã©©$MSP©EP?QQ ǆ©@PC©QRGRAF©NGRAFCQ ã©©%M?JICCNGLE©NP?ARGAC©?LB©RP?GLGLE©?PC? ã©©'LBMMP© %©NGRAF© ©DSJJ©QGXC© K©V© K©"CQQM©' ", © © ǆ©@PC©NGRAF©@SGJR©RM©RFC©$'$ © ©QR?P©QR?LB?PB

Sports Medicine Centre: Perform at St. George’s Park is a world-class sports medicine, rehabilitation and human performance facility. Facilities include strength and conditioning gym, rehabilitation gym, human performance lab, hydrotherapy QSGRC © K©QNPGLR©J?LCQ©?LB©NFWQGMRFCP?NW©PMMKQ For more information or to discuss your individual requirements please call

01283 576200 sgpenquiries@thefa.com

TheFA.com/sgp

Pitch Side

PARK LIFE

3 1. The most recent UEFA Study Visit to be hosted at SGP included delegations from Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland 2. England U21 manager Gareth Southgate during training, ahead of his side’s victory against Wales in the European U21 Championship Qualifiers

3. Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with Roy Hodgson and Steven Gerrard during a visit to St George’s Park

State-of-the-Art Health Screening Perform at St. George’s Park have developed an enhanced performance and lifestyle based assessment for anyone who wants to assess and improve their wellbeing to help manage the pressures of work and life demands. The assessment is born from sport and utilises the world’s leading sports medicine technologies in combination with expert staff to identify and prevent any underlying health issues and help you to live life to the full and perform better. Perform provides health screening for members/partners of The LMA and PGMOL and JCB corporate executives.

The assessment will look at:

» The health of your heart » How you move » How you fuel your body » <eup `ucVq AcL ezNpA`` TtcNqq `NzN`q » Your stress levels and sleep quality To book an appointment or for further information: LMA members, please call Ali Betson on 01283 576363 or email ali.betson@lmasecure.com. For all other enquiries, please call the Perform team on 01283 576326 or email stgeorgespark@spireperform.com

Dr Dorian Dugmore Perform Director of Corporate Wellbeing and Founder of The League Manager Health Screening Programme

www.spireperform.com

@PerformSGP

Pitch Side

A TWIN-TRACK APPROACH While Norwich City have fallen out of the Barclays Premier League, their under 21s remain top flight, having secured a place in next season’s Barclays U21 Premier League. Competition is at the heart of individual player development, says Academy Manager Ricky Martin. t Norwich City we take youth development very seriously. After last year’s FA Youth Cup win we saw this season as an opportunity to focus on the Barclays U21 Premier League. We set key objectives throughout the season for our academy, such as helping a player make his Barclays Premier League debut, and finishing in the top half of the U21s. From day one, we made it clear that these were our goals for the squad and the players were fully on board and very focused on achieving them. And they have. Take Josh Murphy, who was the match-winner in our game against Chelsea 12 months ago. His twin brother, Jacob, also starred in the match, but their careers have taken different, though equally purposeful, directions this season. While Jacob has benefited from going out on loan to Southend United, at the end of April Josh enjoyed the kind of week that would light up the eyes of any young academy hopeful.

Josh came on as a 78th-minute substitute for Neil Adams’ senior team as they battled valiantly against Liverpool at Carrow Road. Two nights later, he scored the winning goal as our U21s beat Wolverhampton Wanderers to clinch that top-half finish. And the following Saturday night he was on the bench as the seniors played away at Manchester United. Josh has effortlessly gone from one to the other, breaking into the firstteam squad while also making the U21 appearances that have kept him sharp and focused. There has never been an issue over Josh switching. We create a culture here at Colney where lads want to develop and if that means getting minutes in an U21 game to prepare for the Barclays Premier League, then ultimately there is no decision to be made. We will decide which players play at which level and we will ensure their development is prioritised. At our academy we are trying to create a kind of conveyor belt. While we

may feel that some players benefit from loan experience, it has not stripped us of the competitive edge that has allowed us to keep pushing for a top-half finish. And, while Jacob is out on loan, another younger player gets an opportunity. In our final U21 matches we had U18 scholars stepping in and playing for us, because next season that’s where we expect them to be playing, week in, week out. A top-half finish in the Barclays U21 Premier League means that our U21s will remain in the top division playing the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. We want to stay there as long as possible. We want to be involved in the best games programme possible, playing against the best teams, home and away, because that is how to test the players. We are preparing our players for what is called the hardest playground in Europe. Next year, 10th would mean relegation, so to be in the top nine means stepping it up again. We want to maintain investment and improve standards, because we think what we do at youth level is important to the future success of Norwich City. I am sure we will have a chance of fulfilling that new key objective, because at this club we have a joined-up approach to how we progress.

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GOING LIVE

Tasked with creating a home for BT Sport, Chief Operating Officer Jamie Hindhaugh relished the challenge of breaking new ground on TV studio design and achieving in only nine months what most broadcasters do in four years. ost people view an incredibly tight and immoveable deadline as a penance. To Hindhaugh it’s a luxury. “You have to get on with it and make decisions, because you simply don’t have time to prevaricate,” he says. “It also means you have to be given a great deal of trust and autonomy, and that is very motivational, especially for someone like me who has experience on this kind of project.” Previously BBC Head of Production for the 2012 Olympics, Hindhaugh, along with Head of BT Sport Simon Green and Senior Executive Producer Grant Best, were given carte blanche on the design and build. Again, he relished the freedom. “We were clear about what we wanted to achieve, which was to deliver live continuity between programmes and channels, and to be a personality led channel,” he says. “But in order to deliver that you need a unique studio space.”

The result is not only the largest TV studio in the UK, but also the only one to house three studios in one, enabling three live shows to take place at the same time in the same space. The studio also benefited from having a shorter development period, points out Hindhaugh. “Because normally the design and build phase is around four years, the technology is already dated by the time the project is completed. For us, what went in was still current, making the studio truly state-of-the-art.” The pressure, he admits, was huge, not only because of the timeframe involved, but because of the expectations. Sports TV is an established market in which new entrants tend to struggle and everyone involved in the build knew they would have to deliver state-of-the-art, reliable technology to be seen as a credible broadcaster. “The credibility of BT Sport

depended on the launch and how it looked on air, and that we stayed on air,” says Hindhaugh. He and his team also felt pressure from within to deliver on their promises. “There’s a pride in broadcasting in delivering the best product, but also BT had put a lot of trust in my team and we wanted to repay that trust,” he says. Hindhaugh’s leadership skills were fundamental to the project’s success in meeting the brief, on deadline. “I am a very positive person and I don’t waste energy worrying about the what-ifs, so while I put in place contingency plans, I don’t ask what if it doesn’t work? I ask how can we make it work?” He says getting everyone’s buy-in to the project was key. “You have to sell a vision. You tell people what we are going to do, not what you want to do, and then give them ownership. We created a fantastic environment and everyone working on it was excited by it,” he says. “We were going to do the biggest channel launch in 20 years, we were going to be on time, and our output was going to be not only different, but very high quality.” Despite his past experience, the tight deadlines and ambitious nature of this project in particular emphasised to Hindhaugh the importance of good governance, transparency and solid leadership. “People knew who was responsible and that they could come to me if they had any concerns. With a project of this size you have to work from within, so you are right in the middle of the team. You show leadership when you need to, but get your hands dirty when you need to.” Indeed, two days before the launch, Hindhaugh was on his hands and knees cleaning the glass floor with everyone else, because it needed to be done. With such high expectations of themselves, a gruelling work ethic, meticulous planning and attention to detail and, above all, great leadership, it is unsurprising that Hindhaugh and his team overdelivered on the brief. And, as he says, “there’s still much more to come”.

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Just A Moment

At 15.05 on 15 April, a crowded Anfield fell silent at a memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. Church bells across Merseyside rang 96 times.

Just A Moment