The Lowdown

“What is football?”

Marcel Lucassen is the technical director of the UAE FA. Marcel is a firm advocate that better players need better coaches and it is within this lens Marcel views the game. In this episode we speak about coaching and how it has evolved through the lens of his experience in the game. Marcel's evolution as a coach has coincided with him taking top leadership positions at the likes of the DFB, KNVB and Arsenal. Here he takes us through how he has successfully managed to instigate change and ignite new processes within a host of different cultures.

Listen to find out more including;

- How early moments of intrigue led him down the coaching path?

- Innovating and achieving buyin amongst staff.

- Coaching the individual player within the team context.

- What is football?

- Why do football coaches need constant evolvement.

- Leading change at the DFB and raising awareness at Arsenal.

Timestamps;

00:00 - 09:24 - Intro

09:25 - 19:00 - Evolving

19:01 - 28:07 - What is Football?

28:08 - 42:30 - German Football

42:31 - 52:14 - Leadership

52:15 - 1:12:48 - The next evolution

This Sunday, December 18th a date with destiny beckons for Didier Deschamps' French side and Lionel Scaloni's Argentine squad as they compete in the 22nd FIFA World Cup Final. Liam Tharme joins me to preview this titanic clash.

Among what we discussed included;

- Standout trends from this World Cup.

- Responding to Jorge Valdano & Juanma Lillo criticisms of the modern game.

- The reinvention of Antoine Griezmann.

- Lionel Messi and a date with destiny.

- A case for the immortalisation of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Scaloni post Sunday.

- Where the game will be won and lost tactically?

- Our team, young player and player of the tournament.

Liam's Twitter;https://twitter.com/LiamTharmeCoach?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Andre Zanotta is the Chief Soccer Officer & Technical Director of FC Dallas. Having just come off the back of their best finish to a season since 2016 Andre joined me to speak about his own and the club's journey to date. Protecting the long term vision of a club amid the relentless grind of modern day football is no mean feat however it is something which Andre has become accustomed to in his role as Technical Director. Join us as we converse about the insides of Neymar's world breaking transfer, building a high performance unit destined for continental success and the realities of living inside the pressure cooker of two of Brazil's biggest clubs. In the never ending pursuit of continuous growth and learning Andre is certainly playing the infinite game.

Listen to find out more including;

- The realities of being a top flight sporting director.

- Managing expectations in the short and long term.

- Inside Neymar's record breaking transfer to Barcelona.

- How Gremio built a team destined for success?

- How FC Dallas protect their player development pathways?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 02:46 - Intro

02:47 - 12:42 - The Role

12:43 - 22:49 - Santos

22:50 - 28:53 - Neymar Transfer

28:54 - 32:45 - Gremio

32:46 - 44:11 - High Performance

44:12 - 1:02:52 - Pathways

1:02:53 - 1:06:23 - Advice

"Vision as a doorway to performance"

Okkulo use the eyes as the doorway to improve an athlete's economy of movement. Having the vision the turn the marginal gains of athletes into exceptional gains, CEO & Founder Mel O'Connor offers us insight into their work. Learn more as to how Okkulo was shaped in and outside of the lab over a 20 year period with innovation and a willingness to succeed at the forefront. Already operating amid a range of sports including football, basketball, cricket, Mel and I spoke about the technology's functionality and where he sees technology and sport intersecting in the future.

Listen to find out more including;

- How it took 20 years for Mel to realize his calling.

- Teambuilding at the speed of change.

- The relentless pursuit of overcoming obstacles.

- How the technology impacts performance ?

- What has been the major hurdle in entering the football industry?

- Taking on feedback and working in tandem with clubs.

Timestamps;

00:00 - 05:50 - Intro

05:51 - 11:27 - Vision

11:28 - 16:52 - Exceptional Gains

16:53 - 26:40 - Innovation

26:41 - 29:26 - Advice

Okkulo YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@okkuloltd1973

Okkulo Website; https://www.okkulo.com/

Michael Brown is the Head of Performance at FK Bodø/Glimt where he is embarking upon the start of his fourth season at the club. Here he lifts the lid on their fairytale, how one club in the Artic Circle has managed to defy the odds and consistently compete with some of Europe's best. Lifting the lid on what happens behind the scenes, we are offered a glimpse into how strongly knit together the club and community is. Learn how what some may perceive as a weakness has been embraced by the club as a competitive advantage and how alignment and consistency of message has guarded their ascent.

Listen to find out more including;

- Considerations upon taking a new job.

- What unique constraints to High Performance are posed by their location?

- Intricacies behind support staff management.

- Purposeful planning for domestic and continental fixtures.

- What high performance and culture means to Michael?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 03:00 - Intro

03:01 - 10:04 - Bodø/Glimt

10:05 - 19:37 - Adapt & Overcome

19:38 - 27:10 - High Performance

27:11 - 32:51 - Advice

Professor Simon Chadwick is the a Professor of Sport & Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School in Paris. Throughout his career he has studied the impact of geopolitics on the beautiful game. Increasingly over the past decade and as part of his studies he has spent a lot more time outside of Europe exploring regions where there is government involvement and football is used as "nation building". Ahead of the World Cup kickoff Simon joined me to discuss how football has evolved over the last 30 years to the point now where it is now unrecognisable to the game which he found in his youth.

Listen to find out more including;

- Where did football and "nation building" begin?

- Brazil and how football can shape a global narrative.

- Insight into FIFA's navigation through the complexity of a changing world.

- Where is transnational governance headed to combat the hyper-commercialization of football?

- Baking a bigger cake to satisfy the voracious appetite for football.

- Is football beyond repair?

“Recruitment is the most bullet proof way to run a club”.

What does this look like in a football club ? Furthermore who is responsible ?

The Sporting Director role for a long time has held an element of mystique in footballing circles. Better known as the first lieutenant of the ownership, these professionals often go under the radar. Some are masters in player trading others in straight talent arbitrage while often utilizing their exhaustive contacts book to be first in the race for gathering information. In a job where success cannot even be accurately measured find out why paying another £60 million in the hope of certainty may actually be worth it. To bring us through the lay of the land there is no one better than Davide Igono (@undervalu). Listen to find out more including;

- Defining the role of a Sporting Director.

- Why fit & alignment is crucial?

- How the role differs at "player development" clubs such as Dortmund, RB Salzburg & Bilbao?

- Why talent arbitrage is a harder science to master than player trading?

- What sporting directors are doing now to be first in the information race?

- How the position of a sporting director will evolve over the coming years?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 12:05 - Intro

12:06 - 22:55 - Sporting Director

22:56 - 31:30 - Player Development

31:31 - 43:31 - Talent Arbitrage

43:32 - 51:32 - Race for Talent

51:33 - 1:04:58 - Success

1:04:59 - 1:11:40 - Future

1:11:41 - 1:19:34 - Advice

Davide's Twitter; https://twitter.com/undervalu

Davide's Website; https://undervalu.gr8.com/

David Tenney is the High Performance Director for Austin FC and has spent almost two decades in elite performance roles in the MLS and NBA. David has worked for two MLS expansion franchises helping build high performance units alongside working in the NBA and completing a PhD on organizational leadership. In this episode we speak about building the preconditions to adapt at the speed of change, how US soccer has evolved and the future of high performance.

Furthermore what we discussed included;

- The Dutch influence on his football beliefs.

- How David defines high performance?

- Evolving at the speed of change with Seattle Sounders.

- The 80/20 rule when it comes to analysing and application of football data.

- How organisational leadership differs between sports and demographics?

- Inside Austin FC's successful season.

Timestamps;

00:00 - 05:56 - Periodisation

05:57 - 11:52 - Seattle Sounders

11:53 - 20:02 - Building a team

20:03 - 28:00 - NBA

28:01 - 33:21 - Austin FC

33:22 - 36:49 - Advice

David's Twitter; https://twitter.com/davetenney

“If something means everything to you, then you go above and beyond”.

Marc Pugh is one of very few footballers to have played and scored in all top five tiers of English football. From the National League to the Premier League with Bournemouth Marc reached the pinnacle of top flight football. Moving up through the divisions Marc soon discovered the consistent key differentiator was an investment in his own performance.

Embarking down the path of a continuous education and investigating his own curiosities regarding nutrition Marc never stood still and ensured he remained playing at the top. Now in his current guise as “The Foodie Footballer” here he is paying forward the lessons of a career to the next generation.

Furthermore we discussed;

- Secrets behind a successful career in the game?

- The percentages to getting to the top and staying there?

- How exactly recovery is linked to nutrition?

- “Feeling better at 34 than he did at 22”.

- The birth of “The Foodie Footballer”.

- Compound effect in the power of investing in your own performance.

- The one biggest nutrition belief Marc has changed his mind on?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 04:50 - Intro

04:51 - 08:02 - Nutrition

08:03 - 14:52 - Accountability & Routine

14:53 - 21:36 - Foodie Footballer

21:37 - 30:47 - Football Fuel

30:48 - 36:06 - Evolution

36:07 - 39:24 - Advice

Marc's Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/thefoodiefootballer/?hl=en

Marc's Twitter; https://twitter.com/marcpugh7

How do you envisage retirement? Setting off sail into the sunset? Winning the lottery?

For professional athletes that idyllic image can feel far removed and it can be quite a messy process.

And what if it's taken from you overnight?

Gareth Farrelly's life was turned upside down by a serious illness at just 32. Afterwards the former Everton, Aston Villa, Bolton and Ireland international was set down a path all too familiar with those in the footballing world which all made for a inconspicuous exit away from the game several years later.

Being strategic, leveraging lessons learned from challenging times Gareth soon came out the other side. Now Gareth leads a life of purpose in his new identity as a solicitor. Throughout this episode you too will be able to hear the never ending journey of education Gareth is on which permeates through our conversation. It was fascinating and a genuine privilege to hear Gareth's nuanced perspective on the game. Furthermore we discussed;

- A breakdown of the external and internal challenges which footballers face?

- Football as a reflection of society.

- Starting at the bottom of the right ladder.

- The concerted need to think beyond 'low resolution' in footballing circles.

- Why we need to ask ourselves is the view worth the climb?

- The fantastic work of Player 4 Player.

Timestamps;

00:00 - 03:43 - Early Years

03:44 - 10:52 - The Industry

10:53 - 24:28 - Retirement

24:29 - 27:35 - Law

27:36 - 31:08 - Values

31:09 - 38:49 - Player 4 Player

38:50 - 41:09 - Future

41:10 - 45:07 - Advice

Gareth's Twitter;https://twitter.com/garethfarrelly1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor