The Mind Room

Series 2 - Episode 1: Pre-season preview

After a summer break, the Beat The Press podcast is back to discuss how pressure affects football performance. In the first episode of the new series, we look at the psychological support Premier League clubs are providing for their players, reflect on the key themes from Series 1 (including mental health, on-pitch psychology and the role of neuroscience in football) and give you a taste of what's to come in Series 2.  

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Former West Ham and Southampton player care specialist, Hugo Scheckter, joins us to talk about the social media abuse he's seen Premier League stars suffer, how he supported West Ham's first-team squad during COVID and the future of the player care profession.

Running order: 
Part 1: Introduction - remembering Steffen Iversen (00:14)  
Part 2: Interview - a discussion with Hugo Scheckter (03:41)
Part 3: Final thoughts - reflections on our interview with Hugo Scheckter (58:49) 

Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/

Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow

Trabzonspor's Head of Sports Science, Malcolm Harkness, joins us to discuss his time in Turkey and the 'psychological coding' project he helped run in his previous role at Chelsea.  

Running order: 

Part 1: Introduction - dressing room songs, from Adele to Apache (00:14)  
Part 2: Interview - a discussion with Malcolm Harkness (04:35)
Part 3: Final thoughts - reflections on our interview with Malcolm Harkness (51:26) 

Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/

Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow

Former AC Milan and Chelsea psychologist, Dr Bruno Demichelis, drops by for the second half of a two-part episode, looking at his time at Stamford Bridge. 

Bruno talks to us about the sports science and cognitive support he provided for Carlo Ancelotti's double-winning squad. 

Drawing on stories involving a host of Chelsea stars, from John Terry and Didier Drogba to Petr Cech and Frank Lampard, Bruno gives us the inside track on the most successful season in the club's history. 

Running order: 
Part 1: Introduction - from Clarence Seedorf to John Terry (00:14)  
Part 2: Interview - a discussion with Dr Bruno Demichelis (04:16)
Part 3: Final thoughts - reflections on our interview with Dr Bruno Demichelis (48:23) 

Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/

Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow

AC Milan's former Scientific Coordinator, Dr Bruno Demichelis, drops by to discuss the 'Mind Room', Italian football's first psychology laboratory. 

Bruno talks to us about the role the 'Mind Room' played in Milan's success during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. 

Drawing on stories involving a host of Milan legends, from Franco Baresi and Roberto Baggio to Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso, Bruno gives us the inside track on Milan's pioneering sports science and psychology setup. 

This is the first half of a two-part episode. Part 2 - covering Bruno's spell at Chelsea, working alongside Carlo Ancelotti during the London club's 09-10 double-winning season, will be released shortly.   

Running order: 
Part 1: Introduction - swapping Spurs in the 90s for Paolo Rossi (00:14)  
Part 2: Interview - a discussion with Dr Bruno Demichelis (04:50)
Part 3: Final thoughts - reflections on our interview with Dr Bruno Demichelis (68:33) 

Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/

Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow

Southampton's former Head of Sports Science and the man credited with introducing futsal to the UK, Simon Clifford, stops by for a fascinating discussion about the psychological characteristics of the 'perfect footballer'.

Simon talks to us about the players he's worked with, including Juninho, Gareth Bale and Micah Richards, who display some of the mental attributes you might expect to find in the 'player of tomorrow'.

He also explains what it was like to manage Socrates, during his spell at Garforth Town, and tells us about his latest venture, Integer Football.   

Running order: 
Part 1: Introduction - Socrates' spell at Garforth Town (00:14)  
Part 2: Interview - a discussion with Simon Clifford (04:06)
Part 3: Final thoughts - reflections on our interview with Simon Clifford (48:30) 

Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/

Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow

Nick Littlehales, aka 'The Sport Sleep Coach', drops by for a discussion about the impact of sleep on players' performance. 

We talk about Nick's career, spanning spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea and England, discuss the role that sleep coaching can play in improving performance and look at the effect of COVID-19 on fatigue in football.  

Running order: 
Part 1: Introduction - sleeping through the international break (00:14)  
Part 2: Interview - a discussion with Nick Littlehales (05:28)
Part 3: Final thoughts - reflections on our interview with Nick Littlehales (48:40) 

Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/

Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow

Renowned academic Professor Marc Jones joins us for a discussion about the impact of stress on performance, as we continue to look at how footballers, coaches and the people around them respond to pressure.

We talk about Marc's work with academy players, the potentially positive role that fear of failure can play in motivating athletes, the impact of the absence of crowds on performance, how players respond to ‘in game’ setbacks and psychology’s evolving role within football.   

Running order: 
Part 1: Introduction - fever pitch in Fantasy Football (00:14)  
Part 2: Interview - a discussion with Professor Marc Jones (03:25)
Part 3: Final thoughts - reflections on our interview with Professor Marc Jones (46:43) 

Read 'The Mind Room', The Football Psychology Show sister newsletter: https://themindroom.substack.com/

Get in touch and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soccerpsychshow

London City Lionesses manager Lisa Fallon drops by to talk about the role of leadership in football.

Drawing on her experience of being the first woman to manage a men's football team in Ireland and her spell as part of the Northern Ireland backroom team during Euro 2016, Lisa talks to us about handling pressure at different levels of the game.

She also discusses the support needed for players recovering from injury, helping her squad through COVID and mentoring the next generation of football coaches.    

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Former Charlton chief executive Peter Varney stops by for a chat on the latest episode of the Beat The Press podcast.

We talk about the pressure facing clubs and players during the summer transfer window and the possible impact of the salary cap on teams in League One and League Two.

Pete also tells us about the secrets behind his success during his two stints at The Valley and speaks about about the changes he'd make to scrutinise potential football club owners more effectively.

Finally, we discuss possible Parliamentary intervention in football and hear Pete's view on the ongoing takeover talk surrounding Charlton. 

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