Today on the podcast I am joined by Craig Mulholland, Academy Director at Rangers Football Club.

Craig explains that the pandemic has obviously caused many a plan to change in the world of football; but more than that, a stronger culture of introspection and the development of individual players has slowly grown amid the lockdowns.

“Every player,” says Craig, “has an individual plan and an individual path.” His challenge as Head of Academy is now, more than ever, to foster a “you versus you” mentality and find out “what you need to be an expert at. What does a player have? What does a player need? And what journey do they need to go on?”

It’s a theme that reverberates throughout the rest of our conversation. Listen in as Craig goes on to share his excitement for “The Colts” project and the resistance that he continues to face with regards to its implementation. He also touches on his vision for the Academy when he first became Director, how that developed over the years, and why he strongly believes in being unafraid to challenge norms and putting the player as a person first.

TIMESTAMP:

[01:06] Every player’s journey is different

[06:37] A primer on “The Colts” project

[14:08] Craig’s role models as an Academy Director

[18:55] How an Academy Director should relay information to players in a digestible way

[22:05] Raising coaching standards in Scotland

[27:38] Craig’s vision for the Academy when he first became Director

[32:19] Challenging norms

[36:43] Getting young players to accept short-term defeat and focus on long-term success

[40:16] Fighting pressure to rely on tradition at the expense of improving with the times

[43:09] Characteristics of the veteran coach

[48:24] How coaches can connect with young players

Connect with Craig Mulholland:

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Peter MacDonald talking about his journey in the game .

What is success for you as a coach , how do you measure it ?

Growth Mindset 

As a football coach, it’s easy to solely focus on the tactics and strategies that your team will employ in the next game.

It’s also easy in youth sports to overlook players who may not be performing their best or whose skills are overshadowed by their stronger and more inherently talented teammates.

But it isn’t your job to make sure that only a single player shines on the field. Rather, it’s your responsibility to ensure that every member of your team has an opportunity to hone and improve their current abilities.

This is the reason why having a Growth Mindset especially as a coach is important.

In today’s episode, we’ll be talking about the Growth Mindset and the crucial role that it plays in the world of football. 

To add to that, we’ll also be taking a deep dive into the reasons why football coaches today need to develop this attitude, as well as the many benefits that it will bring for their team.

Today on the podcast I am joined by Gary Gibson, Head of Soccer Academies & International Relations at Rangers Football Club in Glasgow.

As a global brand, Rangers F.C. always strives to stay “in the mix” with every other European football club with an international program. Currently, the club is in ten countries: the U.S., Canada, Dubai, Qatar, India, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, and Indonesia.

From tried-and-true coaching camps to a brand new online academy, Rangers F.C. is relentlessly adapting to the new normal in order to give the growing global community access to the same resources and be on the same page with today’s best practices.

“When you have these conversations,” relates Gary, regarding a career built on relationships, “you’re actually showing that you care. This isn’t just about us putting a badge on or taking on another club and saying we have a partnership. It’s much deeper than that. There are so many people involved.”

TIMESTAMP:

[01:10] The international dimension of Rangers Football Club

[04:32] Driving soccer academy relationships globally

[08:00] Launching the online academy

[10:11] Nurturing a relationship with the Indian football market

[14:06] How Gary moved into his current role

[17:33] How Gary got into football and entered the professional sports world

[21:28] Becoming an HND sports coach

[23:52] Getting into the commercial side of football

[25:10] The business of developing people

[26:06] How the commercial side of Rangers F.C. will continue to develop as partnerships grow

[28:24] How to contact Gary or Rangers F.C. for a potential partnership

Connect with Gary Gibson:

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Great to speak to Jim on his journey in the game.

Today on the podcast I am joined by current Crusaders F.C. Centre Half, Aidan Wilson.

Aidan played in a variety of sports as a boy from tennis to football, although always keeping his focus on football the knowledge and skills he gained through the other sports, proved to be an advantage.

Success at sport all comes back to one thing, knowing and mastering the fundamentals Aidan credits this to his time as part of the Rangers FC Pro youth set up.

As we continue on in the interview Aiden shares with us his firsthand experience of making his debut for Rangers at Ibrox and also starting his very own coaching business with the intention of passing on his insights of the game onto future generations of players.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:06] Introduction to Aidan Wilson

[01:20] Getting into football as a kid

[02:34] Transferring skills from other sports to football

[06:32] Joining the Rangers F.C. academy

[08:16] Coaches who have been an influence in your career

[10:01] Mastering the fundamentals

[11:56] Holding the fundamentals while under pressure

[13:01] Making debut for Rangers F.C.

[15:42] Recognizing you had a chance in football

[18:21] The importance of having a support system around you for the journey

[20:31] People see the top but not the work that it took to get there

[30:50] Playing for Crusaders/Starting own coaching business

[35:01] Connect with Aiden

[35:50] Outro

Connect with Aiden Wilson:

· TWITTER

· INSTAGRAM

· LEARN MORE

Find Aiden’s Coaching Pages:

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Connect with Don MacNaughton:

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Today I have the opportunity to speak with “Braveheart” himself, Colin Hendry. Colin is a giant in his own right, with a career spanning over 20 years as a player. Colin began his professional career with Dundee in 1983 as a striker before after cementing himself as an exceptionally effective and impressive center-half. He went on to play for clubs like Blackburn Rovers winning the Premier League and the treble with Glasgow Rangers. Coming from a household with a hard-working father had a big impact on Colin’s approach to both life and football. He showed the gritty working-class characteristics of hard work and never giving up throughout his career.

In this episode, Colin shares with us some of the highlights of his playing career. From the feeling of scoring the winning goal at Wembley in front of tens of thousands of fans including his father who watched him play with pride to the pinnacle of his international playing career came when he captained for Scotland International during the 1998 World Cup.

While he was giving it his all mentally, physically his body was feeling the effects season by season of playing such a physically demanding position. With the total number of operations reaching into the 20s Colin was no longer able to perform at the high level he was used too and as a result, came the end of his playing days a hard path for most professional athletes.

Make sure to stay with us as Colin continues to share his footballing journey.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:06] Introduction to Colin Hendry

[01:23] Influences growing up in Keith

[07:08] Football the only game in town

[08:17] Route into the professional game

[12:57] Playing differences in Dundee vs. Blackburn

[14:34] How it felt walking out into Wembley Stadium

[15:57] Why towns in the north of England have huge football heritage

[19:05] Reflecting on sacrifices made by his family for his playing career

[21:14] Getting the most out of your talent

[24:27] Being a part of the great Blackburn Rovers Premier League Championship team

[25:58] Feeling yourself getting better as a team

[27:11] Playing for your childhood hero

[31:26] Fondest memories of that time

[33:21] Low tech training facilities

[37:35] Highlights of a Scotland career

[39:41] Captaining Scotland in the opening game of World Cup 98 against the mighty Brazil

[42:25] Reaching the end of a golden age in Scottish football

[44:37] Advice for young players who are pursuing football

[46:27] Outro

Connect with Colin Hendry

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Connect with Don MacNaughton:

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· LINKEDIN

In today's episode, we are joined by a true Scottish great in the world of football former Scottish International manager Craig Brown C.B.E. who was Scotland national manager between 1993 and 2001 and led Scotland to both the Euro 96 and World Cup 98 championships becoming the longest-serving Scotland manager.

Craig takes us back to when he was a boy playing football in the park just for the love of playing, not knowing he would grow up to become a professional in the sport and a huge influence in its coaching philosophy.

One of Craig’s favourite memories within the game is playing for the Scotland u15 schoolboy team in consecutive years where he played with two Scottish football legends. Men who later on ended up winning the European cup one as a player and one as a manager.

While playing professionally with the famous Dundee F.C. team under Bob Shankly, Craig and his teammates were encouraged to head to Larg’s to participate in the S.F.A coaching licenses to improve their knowledge of the game.

With his plating experience, educational background, and coaching knowledge he was able to transition into coaching full time impacting the philosophy of coaching within the country before becoming Scotland National team manager.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:39] Introduction to Craig Brown C.B.E

[04:29] Influence Scottish heavy industry had on Scottish football and its coaching philosophy

[10:24] Why Scotland traditionally has produced many good players

[12:56] Did you always want to be a professional football player?

[14:07] When did you see yourself getting a break as a player

[19:42] Making the transition from a player into coaching

[32:29] Learning coaching as a way to gain knowledge of the game

[36:09] Scottish coaching and the new modern approach to the game

[40:10] Having a huge influence in coaching philosophy and approach

[44:21] Working as the Scotland national manager

[51:56] How important is it for a coach to get the buy-in from the players

[54:13] Personal coaching highlights

FIND CRAIG BROWN C.B.E.

· LINKEDIN

· LEARN MORE ABOUT CRAIG

CONNECT WITH DON MACNAUGHTON

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In this episode of the Don MacNaughton Soccer Podcast, we speak with Steven Mackay, the current manager for Brora Rangers F.C. in the Highland League. Steven is a former Scottish professional footballer who began his career in Ross County and made appearances in the Scottish League. He describes how football not only developed his career but also personally making him a stronger person and helped develop his competitive character

Listen in to learn the importance of developing a strong character as a footballer to be able to be able to with stand judgment that comes from fellow players ,coaches and fans. You will also learn what it takes to transition from a player to a manager and the difference in responsibilities for both roles.

What You Will Learn:

· [0:06] Intro

· [0:51] He explains his involvement in the welding industry plus balancing between that role and being a football coach.

· [02:20] Steven describes how he grew up playing football in a place where that’s all they knew how to do.

· [5:00] How he got involved with Ross county at 14 years and the development he experienced there before going full-time at 17 years.

· [7:20] The character development he experienced at Ross county and the progression of the club during his time.

· [9:25] The importance of developing a ‘thick skin’ when you play full-time football.

· [10:44] How he adopted health and fitness habits and the benefits he has witnessed so far.

· [14:22] Steven played in the Highland League and his experiences.

· [16:01] He shares the highlights of his career in Brora Rangers- the loses and the wins.

· [21:32] The challenge of transitioning from a player to a manager.

· [24:01] The role of a part-time football club manager which goes beyond being part-time.

· [27:06] How Steven has formed a relationship of trust and challenging each other with his players.

· [28:39] The ambitions and expectations of Steven for his team in the upcoming season.