The Lowdown

Todays guest Alex Clapham is a Tactical Advisor with 777 Partners and founder of Cano Football.

As a young coach Alex repeatedly sought to challenge his worldview taking influences from the outside. It wasn’t enough for Alex to only read and watch from afar, he was soon pulled to embody and live that experience.

That set in motion a journey of discovery forging a coaching career in Mexico and Spain. Promotion campaigns with Vasco de Gama and Genoa reinforced Alex’s belief that football always comes back to feelings and emotions.

A career full of rich experiences, what ensued here was a fascinating conversation as to the future of profile profiles, the battle for control in top flight football and principles for being effective as a set piece coach.

Listen to find out more including;

- The sacrifices early on Alex made to forge a coaching career in Spain.

- Stretching your comfort zone and why you can’t develop without this.

- How significant are the linguistics of football on development?

- Where Alex sits on the positionism v relationism continuum?

- Inside the turbulence and excitement of two promotion pushes in one season.

- How Brazil completely changed Alex’s approach working with players.

- The power of integrating data into your coaching practice.

Timestamps;

00:00 - 11:42 - Spain

11:43 - 17:37- Experiential learning

17:38 - 22:51 - Relationism

22:52 - 32:11 - Perception

32:12 - 38:54 - Vasco de Gama

38:55 - 44:09 - Set Pieces

44:10 - 49:50 - Genoa

49:51 - 1:00:39 - Control

1:00:40- 1:06:45 - Advice

Cano Football; https://www.canofootball.com/

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

"Winning takes talent, to repeat it takes character..."

James Kerr is best known for his book; "Legacy - What the All Blacks can teach us about the business of life". Here James goes deep into the heart of the All Blacks distilling 15 practical lessons for leadership and business.

Working with the All Blacks at a time where they reframed winning, "Legacy" best encapsulates the arc of a team who would go down in history. Champions do extra, they sweep the sheds, they keep a blue head, they are good ancestors.

"He who has the best story wins" and in that fashion we learn of the prominent role storytelling has in building a culture and how you too can similarly utilise this. Where cultures either stagnate or regenerate, character is a requisite for continuing to play the game of life. Fuelled by positive emotion we learn all of this becomes very achievable once we shift our attention from what is this in service of to who.

Listen to find out more including;

- Why is storytelling important?

- How the All Blacks regenerated their culture?

- The All Blacks use of mantras in times of high pressure.

- What tools do leaders need in order to grow a culture?

- In today's digital age how ought training and development be used to accelerate growth in teams?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 03:38 - The End in Mind

03:39 - 10:25 - Stories

10:26 - 22:53 - Culture

22:54 - 32:04 - Character

32:05 - 36:56 - Ownership

36:57 - 46:08 - Pressure

46:09 - 54:25 - Whakapapa

54:26 - 1:02:38 - Ethos

Legacy Book; https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-James-Kerr/dp/147210353X

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

Nice have earned plaudits aplenty this season for their bold, courageous and unrelenting style of football. Led by Francisco Farioli they have a staff who live and breathe these core values on and off the pitch.

Today I was joined by the very special; Jarkko Tuomisto, their goalkeeping coach. The following conversation with Jarkko lends to some fascinating insight as how he ascended to the top of his profession. In his own words, on the road to "climbing the second mountain" Jarkko juggled multiple jobs as a barman, youth worker and musician upon deciding to go all in on his passion.

Applying lessons from all these roles, living on the edge of his craft, success soon became a byproduct. Many people speak of the transformational impact Jarkko has had on players and colleagues alike in Finland, Italy, Qatar, Ecuador and now France. What you got you here won't necessarily get you there and it is within that frame we explore Jarkko's inspirational tale. An episode for the ages.

Listen to find out more including;

- Building coaching stamina and how to fail forward quicker?

- The leap of faith moving to Italy with a backpack.

- How Jarkko's experience as a youth worker helps him break down walls with players?

- Why does "creativity needs boundaries"?

- How Jarkko relates building out from the back to values?

- Why the future goalkeeper needs to be ready for any action?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 06:55 - Intro

06:56 - 13:14 - Coaching Stamina

13:15 - 24:28 - Leap of Faith

24:29 - 37:11 - Ecuador

37:12 - 43:28 - Soft Skills

43:29 - 52:42 - Qatar

52:43 - 1:00:00 - Awareness

1;00:01 - 1:08:12 - Buildup

1:08:13 - 1:14:32 - Advice

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

Today's guest Jon MacKenzie is the face and voice of TIFO Football.

He has been regarded as one of the finest minds on football tactics in recent years. It was fascinating to spend an hour in Jon's company going in depth on his topic of choice.

Here we cover everything from hybrid pressing, Jon's fascination for the out of possession phase, Liverpool's evolution, Michel's new age football at Girona, what makes Xabi Alonso fascinating to study and TIFO's plans going forward.

Listen to find out more including;

- How his studies of philosophy shaped his views on football?

- How Jon's consumption of the game varies from fan to analyst?

- When did Jon start following coaches as opposed to teams?

- Why Relationism v Positionism is not a question of either or?

- An argument for viewing football as one phase.

- Who is leading the tactical evolution and why these evolutions happen in a dialectical manner?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 09:24 - Intro

09:25 - 19:29 - Relationism

19:30 - 30:19 - Analyst v Fan

30:20 - 42:09 - Out of Possession

42:10 - 46:28 - Rest Defence

46:29 - 51:29 - Girona

51:30 - 53:33 - Xabi Alonso

53:34 - 1:00:59 - Evolution

1:01:00 - 1:03:00 - Advice

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

Currently the allure of investing in Premier League football is as strong as ever. This has coincided with a rise of American investment into English football with 50% of Premier League clubs having some form of American investment. To understand this growing trend who better a guest to invite on than one of the leaders responsible for attracting the best talent into the boardrooms and also Head of Capital Investment for the UK government in North America; Richard Albert.

Working to support the deployment of strategic capital to a variety of industries stemming from tech to social sciences and sport Richard's role is encompassing and certainly not for the faint hearted. The nature of private capital investment, the battle for streaming rights and impact of MCO's are all noteworthy topics and part of a rapidly changing investment climate.

Listen to find out more including;

- The multitude of experiences and roles which help shaped Richard's trajectory?

- What foreign investors commonly overlook when investing in UK sport?

- How US investors best generate unrealised value in UK football?

- The fine balance between regulating investment in football and remaining attractive investment wise.

- How investors are factoring the potential creation of a European Super League into their decision making ?

- What changes in investment dynamics Richard is excited to see in the forthcoming years?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 08:57 - Intro

08:58 - 20:02 - The Role

20:03 - 28:30 - Investor's Leverage

28:31 - 37:52 - Decision Making

37:53 - 50:19 - Governance

50:20 - 56:07 - Investment Trends

56:08 - 1:00:27 - Advice

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

"Football needs to go back to the creative players, football is entertainment, if you cannot entertain the spectators what do you got?"

Today's guest is Al-Wasl Head of Youth Development; Michel Mommertz. Meeting Michel time aplenty in Dubai over coffee I thought it was just time to host him and share his wonderful story to date.

Michel doesn't do half measures, the youngest professional footballer still in Dutch history with a fervent love for the game had his playing days curtailed short by injury. Yet this did not stop Michel in his tracks, meeting the infamous Wiel Coerver pre-empted a 20 year relationship of working with one of the most famous developers to grace the sport.

Armed by lessons and experience aplenty Michel joined me on the show to discuss all things coaching, creativity and keeping the joy in development.

Listen to find out more including;

- Meeting Wiel Coerver and the direction in which that shaped Michel's journey.

- What is the "right way" to develop?

- Creativity in coaching and breaking past copy to create.

- Why cultivating the personality is one of the most important parts of development?

- What the future of youth development looks like in Dubai and the Middle East?

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

Today's episode is an enlightening conversation with world respected football journalist Ben Jacobs.

In today's age of bottomless content and ITK's galore it can be often tough to identify the signal amongst the noise. However we have no such problem with today's guest. With a punditry career spanning 15+ years Ben takes us through many of the principles which have fuelled his ascent and enabled him to build reciprocal relationships in the game.

With the added scrutiny of a large social media following, Ben's world can be an often a precarious place at times. So how does he deal with this?

Learn as to how "the work in a transfer window is done before the transfer window", how Ben recovers from setbacks and how his preparation remains his separation.

Listen to find out more including;

- Behind the scenes of a journalist's life in a transfer window.

- Developing genuine relationships within the industry.

- Being an early adopter of the digital age and the advantages which ensued.

- How to be adaptable without sacrificing the end goal?

- Getting the story out versus getting it right.

- Having a solid foundation and maintaining it even during running transfer sagas such as Messi and Mbappe?

Ben Jacobs website; https://www.ben-jacobs.com/

Ben Jacobs X; https://twitter.com/JacobsBen?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

"Put yourself on the path to the career you always wanted"

In today's episode I am joined by Daniel Geey who here details his rise from car parts lawyer to one of the most respected and trusted lawyers in the game. An inspiration to many with his book "Done Deal", he has followed it up with his latest book; "Build the Invisible".

At the top of the iceberg people see only the deals and success. Here we focus on what lays below the water. In his own words Daniel's sheer stubbornness and obsessiveness kept encouraging him to lay the foundations of his football career brick by career necessitating doing the thing nobody else could see, without expecting anything back.

Creating that roadmap and doing that work can be quite a daunting experience. Luckily for us Daniel has reflected and distilled many of the core principles which helped him and you too can follow him on his journey of turning your side hustle into a main job.

Listen to find out more including;

- Principles for sustaining a career in sport.

- How to create the cascading effect in of endless opportunities?

- How to build knowledge and relationships coincidingly?

- Why consistency is the biggest barrier to entry in the sporting industry?

- How identity based outcomes elevated Daniel's habits?

- The power of surrounding yourself with different motivational climates

Timestamps;

00:00 - 03:51 - US v UK

03:52 - 07:39 - Side Hustle

07:40 - 16:10 - Cascading Effect

16:11 - 20:05 - Identity Based

20:06 - 25:13 - Long Term Games

25:14 - 30:01 - Inspiration

30:02 - 33:20 - What's Next?

33:21 - 35:57 - Advice

Daniel;s book; https://www.danielgeey.com/build-the-invisible

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

"If you do the work, know yourself, know your team, then you can grow your team."

Orlando SC have undergone quite the transformation over these past few years and have become known as a perennial title contender in the MLS.

Today's guest David Cosgrave has played a huge part in redefining service excellence for the Florida outfit in their quest to build a top class culture. "Find a Way" has become the motto of the "The Lions". You don't build community by chance and with social cohesion at the heart of the squad with players and staff empowered alike, Orlando earned plaudits this season for achieving a near perfect availability rate of 97%.

The following episode is a superb case study of how one leader leverages "culture as a competitive advantage."

Furthermore learn as to how winning deep begins with happy staff, how HR can be cross pollinated with sporting performance, how you can test your culture today with a "stinky fish" and so much more.

Listen to find out more including;

- The transformative impact which a trophy win can have on a community?

- The influence of Pippa Grange on building out the culture framework in Orlando.

- Why real culture happens underneath the iceberg?

- How David and the club win the "the war for talent"?

- Identifying areas of hidden potential and creating structures for opportunity within it.

- What goes into David's sense making work to reflect on the past season and to plan ahead?

- What brings David joy from the game itself?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 02:01 - Miami

02:02 - 08:17 - Road Warriors

08:18 - 18:52 - Culture

18:53 - 22:58 - Copenhagen

22:59 - 30:44 - "Brain Trust"

30:45 - 43:20 - Winning Deep

43:21 - 52:36 - Self Reflection

52:37 - 57:30 - Mental Models

57:31 - 59:13 - Advice

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]

Just over one month ago Bolton had won 7-0 at home in front of 25,000 people continuing their promotion push to the Championship. It is a far cry to a club just over a few years prior who had just come out of administration, straggled at the bottom of League 2. When a situation is as ground zero where do you even begin?

For the new Sporting Director; Chris Markham it was quite the remit however fear not Wanderers had found a professional very equipped from his time at Huddersfield Town and the FA. A few years later and with an expansive playing style, aligned leadership and savvy recruitment Bolton have rightly earned plaudits on their way to being "a league of one".

I was fortunate Chris joined me today to share more about the old school values and modern methods propelling Bolton up the EFL.

Listen to find out more including;

- The masters on the grass at Huddersfield Town which kickstarted Chris' career?

- What an analysis culture looks like and lessons from heading up the game insights department at the FA?

- The meticulous planning and detail which goes into placing Bolton in a position to thrive and not just survive.

- How Chris and Bolton encourage risk taking not only in players but staff?

- The use of the loan market in Bolton's squad building.

- How has his leadership style had to evolve between managing a department to managing a club?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 09:27 - Huddersfield Town

09:28 - 14:43 - The FA

14:44 - 21:58 - Bolton

21:59 - 24:37 - Innovation

24:38 - 28:46 - Sporting Director

28:47 - 36:49 - Squad Building

36:50 - 43:52 - Leadership

43:53 - 46:00 - Advice

Get in touch;

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/

YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod

Email: [email protected]