Training Ground Guru Podcast

Our guest on Episode #69 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks, is Luke Bornn.    Luke has been one of the leading figures in sports analytics for more than a decade. After working as an Assistant Professor at Harvard University, he became Head of Analytics at Roma and then with the Sacramento Kings. In 2020 he co-founded Zelus Analytics, a sports intelligence platform providing data-driven insights to top teams, including Toulouse & AZ Alkmaar. In 2024, Zelus was acquired by Teamworks and became Teamworks Intelligence. Luke spoke about what he's been doing since we last spoke on the pod in 2021, about his groundbreaking work with Toulouse and about the future of sports analytics. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode and if you do, please give us a follow via your preferred podcast provider.

Tracking data has transformed the way clubs analyse the game. This cornucopia of information is shaped and analysed by data scientists to create valuable insights for coaches, managers, Heads of Recruitment, Sporting Directors and more. But how much do you know about tracking data? Ie what it is, how it's collected, how it's analysed (and by whom), and how different departments and personnel use it? This episode of the TGG Podcast sets out to answer those questions and more.  Our guests are: Michael D'Auria: The Executive Vice President of Partnerships, Sports and Technology for Genius Sports, the official tracking data provider for the Premier League. Michael has been at the cutting edge of tracking data provision for more than a decade, having previously been Chief Commercial Officer for Second Spectrum. Dominic Jordan: Chief Data Officer for Twelve Football and the former Director of Data at Manchester United. Dominic 'builds great teams to help great companies become leaner, greener and better equipped to succeed in a data-rich world.' SHOW NOTES => MICHAEL D'AURIA 02:03: Michael defines tracking data. 06:00: Relaying the data to teams and users after matches. 07:17: How tracking data revolutionised data science. 08:20: The origins of tracking data. 08:50: The first time football started to use it. 09:23: Capturing the data at Premier League and Championship matches. 11:56: Positioning tracking cameras inside a stadium. 12:40: Methods of passing data to coaching staff during a match. 14:05: A club data scientist's job on a matchday. 14:45: The software used to present the live data. 16:00: What managers and coaches see on their tablets during a game. 18:53: Liverpool's use of data over the years. 19:48: Tracking data's ways of assessing a player. 22:34: Hopes for sharing data between worldwide leagues. 24:10: Mesh tracking explained. 30:05: Liverpool's views on early tracking data. 31:24: The future of data science staff at football clubs. 32:32: Does use of data lead to success? DOMINIC JORDAN 37:13: The difference between event data and tracking data. 38:58: Rise in the number of data staff at clubs. 42:04: Different kinds of tracking. 44:55: How clubs use tracking data. 49:02: Getting tracking data to clubs during a match. 51:07: Tracking data workflows. 56:49: Managers' views on the use of data.

Our guest on Episode #67 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Genius Sports, is Andrew Nestor. Andrew is the Sporting Director of West Brom, working under new owner Shilen Patel. When the duo arrived in February 2024, the club's finances were in a "perilous" position. Since then, they have focused on rejuvenating the squad, while being mindful of profit and sustainability rules.  Speaking the morning after West Brom's last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Bristol City, Nestor told us about his role as Sporting Director, his strategy at the Championship club and how he cut his teeth in football as owner, CEO and General Manager of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the US.  

It's great to be back for Season 6 of the TGG Podcast - and with a new sponsor, Genius Sports. Our first guest of the new season is Vitor Matos, the former Head of Elite Development at Liverpool. During five seasons at Anfield, Vitor helped to nurture a new generation of talent and deliver a number of trophies. Since leaving Liverpool at the end of last season, he has been Assistant to Pep Lijnders at Red Bull Salzburg. In this episode, Vitor told us what it was like to work alongside Jurgen Klopp, the key components of development, how Curtis Jones can lead the new generation at Liverpool and how Arne Slot has made subtle changes this season.  SHOW NOTES => 02:10: What he's been doing since leaving Red Bull Salzburg in December 2024. Reflections on that period now. 04:36: Jurgen Klopp coming in as Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull but periods didn't overlap. Parallels between Red Bull clubs and Liverpool. 06:33: How he started in coaching. Mourinho as an inspiration.  08:02: Meeting Pep Lijnders for the first time. 09:40: Influence of Professor Vitor Frade/ studying under him at University of Porto. 11:56: Why is Portuguese coaching so strong? Why is there a paucity of top English coaches?  16:49: How the move to Liverpool came about.  23:18: Manager and club committed to youth development and giving opportunities.  24:40: Development of Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah. Considering whether to loan players out or not. 35:33: Who should we be looking out for in the next generation of young players at Liverpool? 36:29: What was it like working with Jurgen Klopp and what makes him so special? Could you have stayed on when he left? 39:23: Transition of Arne Slot into the club. Tactical changes. Transformation of Ryan Gravenberch. 45:25: Ambitions for the future. 48:24: Favourite training exercises.    

Our guest on this episode of the TGG Podcast is Robbie Savage.  As a player, Robbie made 346 Premier League appearances and captained four clubs. After retiring he became a household name as a TV and radio pundit and appeared on Strictly in 2011. Now he's pursuing a different career, as a Manager, with Macclesfield in the Northern Premier League. Robbie told us why he'd turned to coaching, about his approach to leadership and about his lofty ambitions as a Manager. SHOW NOTES => 02:07: Wishing he'd gone into coaching earlier. How move from Director of Football came about. 06:44: Coaching badges? Starts A Licence next year and then hopefully Pro. Need your badges. Sees coaching as a vocation and ambition to reach the top. 10:58: Engaging with fans. Pitching in. Change in relationship with players when you become Manager. Treat them like he would treat his son.  13:40: Change in man management since he was a player. Becoming less visibly emotional. Calmer. Use of video analysis. Macclesfield expected to win every week.  18:43: Style of play. Preferred formation. Players win matches, not tactics.  24:40: Behaviour on the touchline? Setting the mood or calm and composed? Heart rate going high in technical area.  27:55: Change in style of play in non-league. Guardiola influence. Wants his team to get the ball forward quickly when possible. Not keen on playing out from the back.  32:36: Assistant wears a GoPro because of abuse from fans. Doesn't get paid at the moment. Could change when they go full-time.  38:15: Approach has changed on 606 phone-in. More understanding of Managers. Important to have consistency of messaging as a pundit or Manager. Has had offers as a Manager at bigger clubs.  44:15: Released at Manchester United. Make or break. Coached a team at Macclesfield made up of players who had been released and had great success. Callum West went to Burnley and now at Barnsley.  49:21: Do the Academies prepare players well enough? James Edmondson from Blackburn. Difference between Academy and senior football. Strength of the pyramid.  54:16: Different than he seemed as a player. Pantomime character. More than 350 Premier League games and captained four clubs. Keeps a book about all matches and what the Managers said.   

Our guest on Episode #66 of the TGG Podcast is Paul Fernie. Paul is Sporting Director of SV Darmstadt in Germany. He grew up in Hull and worked in analysis roles in England before the opportunity came to join Wiesbaden. He progressed from Head of Recruitment to Sporting Director and led the club from promotion to Bundesliga 2. Paul told us how the Sporting Director role works in Germany, what it was like to work under Graham Potter and Paul Mitchell and why more English staff should give it a go abroad. 

Our guest on Episode #65 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Danny Röhl. Danny led Sheffield Wednesday to one of English football's great escapes last season. When he took over in October, the club were seven points adrift of safety with no wins in 10. By the end of the campaign they were three points clear of relegation. In this episode Danny told us how that remarkable metamorphosis was achieved and charted his meteoric rise as a coach, from RB Leipzig to Southampton, Bayern Munich, Germany and now Sheffield Wednesday, as a manager in his own right.  SHOW NOTES => 02:11: Currently in Leipzig. Family have stayed there while he worked in Sheffield. About to work for ITV as a pundit at the Euros. 05:04: Now looking ahead to next season. Had offers from other clubs but journey not finished at Sheffield Wednesday. Need to improve the club and the squad. 08:15: Reflections on his first season in charge. Wanted an increase in intensity, while being mindful of injuries. Was always positive and believed in the players - something he learnt from Hansi Flick. 13:15: How did he win the players over so quickly? Laid out a plan for how they could be successful: pressing, counterpressing and improving ball possession. Developing players off the pitch as well as on it. "A good coach can change a game; a great coach can change a life." 19:07: Having different personalities and qualities in coaching team. He sets the plan and strategy for the week, but they get ownership of their area. 21:34: Influence of RB Leipzig on his playing philosophy. How this developed during his career. "I am not a manager to cross my fingers and wait."  27:20: Has principles and habits, but decision-making is down to the players and he builds this into his training sessions. Risk and reward in the final third. 29:17: Why did you take the Sheffield Wednesday job? Potential. 32:03: Start of coaching career at RB Leipzig as a coach-analyst. Why this dual role is important. "You cannot be just a tactical engineer on the laptop." 38:51: 6-0 defeat by Ipswich in March - took the decision to be proactive and take risks.  40:16: Ambitions for the future.  42:12: Is the owner fully behind the project? "We dream of the Premier League."

Our guest on Episode #64 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Natasha Patel. Natasha is Assistant Academy Director at Southampton and one of the most experienced women working in men's professional football.  From 2011 to 2019 she was Academy Analyst and then Head of Performance Analysis at Southampton, before leaving to become Head of Performance Analysis at New York Red Bulls for the next three-and-a-half years.

Here is Part 2 of our interview with Bayern Munich Head of Coach Development and Playing Philosophy Rene Maric. In this second half, Rene told us how he kickstarted his career with the tactics blog Spielverlagerung, about coaching Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund, and about his brief spell as assistant at Leeds United. 

Our guest on Episode #62 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is René Marić. The Austrian is one of the most interesting and highly-rated young coaches in European football. He made his name by founding the cult tactics blog Spielverlagerung and went on to become Assistant Manager at Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and Leeds United. Now he's Head of Coach Development and Playing Philosophy at Bayern Munich. In Part 1 of this Episode, René told us about the 'Bayern Munich way', why the Academy is fundamental to the club, the importance of 'game insight', the relative age effect, raising the Academy entry age to 11 and liaising with manager Thomas Tuchel. SHOW NOTES => 02:41: Role as Head of Coaching and Playing Philosophy explained. The 'Red thread' that runs through the club. 08:36: What is the 'Bayern Munich Way' of playing? 11:55: Now the Head Coach of the U19s and Youth League team too! How has that been? 16:25: How important is the Academy at 'FC Hollywood'?  19:42: 'Game insight' and why legend Thomas Müller and young pretender Alex Pavlović are great exponents of this. 28:38: Relative age effect and why Real Sociedad are outliers in this area. 33:28: Raising age of entry to the Academy to 11 years old. 37:00: Transition to the first team and liaising with Thomas Tuchel. 39:05: Structure of the Academy/ different age groups.

Our guest on Episode #61 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Radhi Jaidi. Radhi is a true legend of Tunisian football, having played 105 times for his country and won every trophy there was to win at club level there. Fans in England will know him best from his time at Bolton Wanderers, where he played under Sam Allardyce and helped them qualify for Europe.  Since 2018 he's been a coach, working with Southampton U23s, Hartford Athletic in the USL, Esperance in Tunisia and now Cercle Brugge in Belgium, where he's assistant. Radhi told me about his tough upbringing, his best memories from Bolton and his experiences and ambitions as a coach.  SHOW NOTES => 02:05: Working as assistant at Cercle Brugge since 2023. Second spell at the club. 04:30: Same ownership as Monaco. How this impacts what happens at Cercle. Recently had a training camp in Monaco. 07:48: Why he chose Cercle. Background in youth development. Balance between development and results. 13:17: Importance of relationship building. 15:26: Duties as assistant manager. Main duties are as defensive coach, especially with the centre-backs. 16:45: Growing up in Tunisia.  21:26: Rare in having gone direct from Africa to the Premier League. 34:09: 15 different nationalities at one stage but gelled together. Importance of Tuesday team meal and being fined for missing his first one! 43:00: Childhood. Father died when Radhi was 11 and he had to grow up fast.  44:43: Are young players too pampered today? 50:30: Differences between the generations. Generation of young players have a big problem with distraction. Malcolm Frame, psychologist at Southampton, had a good mnemonic, the 4 As: Accept, Assess, Adapt, Apply. Generations and environment might change, but core values shouldn't. 55:31: Ambitions for the future - "the ultimate is to succeed with a European team as a Head Coach. I still have the ambition, the desire, the energy, the obsession to make it." Unconscious bias. "The day I get the opportunity I am going to explode." 57:53: Importance of his Muslim faith.     

Our guest on Episode #60 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Reading manager Ruben Selles. The highly-rated coach gained plaudits for the way he managed Southampton for the second half of last season and there were high hopes when he took over at Reading in the summer. However, an ongoing financial crisis has plunged the very future of the club into doubt. In this episode the Spaniard gives us insights into the challenges he and his players have faced, while also looking back on his career to date and ahead to the future. 

Our guest on Episode #59 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Chris O'Loughlin. Chris is the Sporting Director of Union Saint Gilloise, one of the most innovative and interesting clubs in the whole of Europe. Despite having a stadium with a capacity of just 9,400, and a budget that's dwarfed by the biggest clubs, they are top of the table in Belgium.      Chris told us how the club scout for character and how they use data to punch way above their weight. 

Our guest on Episode #58 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Everton Director of Football Kevin Thelwell. Kevin tells Simon Austin about his role at the club, their four strategic pillars, his relationship with manager Sean Dyche and much more.  SHOW NOTES=> 01:50: Team going in the right direction. 02:44: Sporting Director role explained. 03:30: Why did Everton choose you? 04:20: Are your KPIs different to those of Marcel Brands? Huge spending to balancing the books. 07:37: Ambitions now. "Everyone wants to get Everton back to where we believe it belongs". Previously an inverse relationship between spending and improving team performance. 10:00: How did you put together the strategy? Staff working groups. 12:09: Four strategic pillars: who we are; how we play; how we support; staff development. 13:34: Learnings from previous role as Head of Sport at New York Red Bulls. "The clearer you are, the better you are and the easier it is." 14:27: Style of play. "They want to see this dogs of war piece but they also want to see this school of science bit they had in the 60s and 70s." 21:30: Is Sean Dyche the right person to develop this style? "If you look at Sean at Burnley, Sean at Everton, he has already evolved. The data tells us that, the naked eye tells us that." xG difference as the most important metric in identifying longer-term form of the team. 25:48: Style of play running through the teams, from seniors to Academy. 27:06: Was balance right between winning trophies at Academy level and developing players? Importance of loans. Example of Jarrad Branthwaite. 34:49: Recruitment - collaboration between Director of Football and manager. 38:25: Influence of the Data Insights department. Charlie Reeves. Dyche engaged. Review of team's progress using data every six to eight weeks. 42:38: Wider club challenges. Potential of 12-point deduction/ uncertainty over ownership.

Our guest on Episode #57 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Jes Buster Madsen. Jes is Head of Research and Development for FC Copenhagen in Denmark and is leading the way in the application of cognitive neuroscience in football.  SHOW NOTES=> 01:31: What role of Head of Research & Development involves. How he got the role.  09:10: How he persuaded Academy Director Sune Smith-Nielsen to give him the job at FC Copenhagen. 12:37: Importance of application of ecological psychology in football.  15:50: What does perception actually mean and what does it involve? 21:12: Importance of visual cues. "The biggest sensory system in the brain - and the one that takes up the most space by far - is the visual system." 23:27: Working memory: the ability to remember information temporarily. Pattern recognition. Implications in scanning. 26:32: Has your work impacted/ changed coaching practice at FC Copenhagen? Has it influenced and improved the players? 29:02: What is 'game intelligence'? 34:06: How you can tell a player's position from their brain scan. Importance of simplicity: "Neuroscience is complex and when something is complex, people try to find the most complex solution. I think the other way round - when something is complex, we should find the most simple solution and work from there." 37:07: Everything in the brain can be trained. The brain is neuroplastic and can change. 38:28: Future of neuroscience in football.

Our guest on Episode #56 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Mark Leyland.  Mark is one of the foremost analysts in this country and has become much more than that. He started his career in the Academy at Everton and went on to work for Burnley, Liverpool and Newcastle. Mark is one of the few backroom staff to be name-checked by managers. Eddie Howe described him as 'integral' and said 'we love him to bits,' while Jurgen Klopp said he had played 'a big part' in Liverpool's success. Mark was a Post-Match Analyst for Liverpool, evolved into a Coach-Analyst at Newcastle and is now Head of Coaching Methodology for City Football Group.  Simon Austin spoke to Mark in front of a live audience at Hudl's UK Football Conference at Loughborough University. SHOW NOTES=> 02:14: Starting to work in football. Analysing games on VHS with Dave Raven. Intern with Everton. Early lessons. 09:45: Delivering feedback in a constructive way. Importance of relationships. Working with young players. 11:53: Elite players employing their own analysts.  13:17: First team football with Burnley. Working with Eddie Howe and then Sean Dyche. Help of Harrison Kingston. 18:08: Working at Liverpool. Evolution of the analyst role. Elite development group and focus on individual development. 20:46: Divock Origi embracing analysis. Has his own analyst and Wyscout account. 22:05: Working in tandem with the data science department at Liverpool. Players more used to working with data now. 25:41: Working closely with the coaches at Liverpool/ spending more time on the training pitch. 28:54: Even including the ball boys in analysis at Liverpool, leading to famous winner against Barcelona in the Champions League semis. 30:31: Joining Newcastle/ how the Coach-Analyst title came about. Will it become more prevalent in future? 37:16: Switch to City Football Group/ how it came about/ pressures of being in a first-team environment and difficulty of getting a work-life balance in football. 42:09: What does Head of Coaching Methodology involve? 44:38: Personal ambitions for the future?

Our guest on Episode #55 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Sarah Rudd. For almost a decade, Sarah was Vice President of Analytics for StatDNA and Arsenal, making her one of the most senior women in the whole of European football. She's now founded her own analytics company, SRC FTBL, along with husband Ravi Ramineni. In this episode, Sarah told us about her work at Arsenal, her wider career and her thoughts on the future of analytics. SHOW NOTES=> 01:40: New venture SRC FTBL along with husband Ravi Ramineni 06:25: Why it can be difficult to sustain a cutting-edge analytics department. Secrecy in the industry/ lack of sharing. 08:38: Arsenal acquisition of StatDNA in 2012. Arsene Wenger questioning but supportive. Scope of work increases post-acquisition. Work in performance sphere with Mikhail Zhilkin. Getting trust and buy-in. 17:36: Coaching change with Unai Emery. Getting the 'dosage' right. Liaison with coaching staff.  22:06: Data v human eyes in scouting/ recruitment at Arsenal. Ben Knapper and Mark Curtis moving into scouting/ recruitment roles.  25:16: Leaving StatDNA and Arsenal.  26:34: Did you feel like a pioneer for women in football? Were there ever any issues because of being a woman in a male-dominated world? 32:28: Which are the top clubs for data science in the Premier League? Importance of proprietary data. 33:50: How can clubs better leverage tracking data? 36:15: Data scientists getting a break in football through Twitter. Sarah's break into football/ advice from Mike Forde. Gap between social media and club analytics. 43:15: Future of analytics and artificial intelligence/ ChatGPT.  

Episode #54 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is with Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders. The Dutchman sat down with Simon Austin at the AXA Training Centre for an exclusive interview. In Part 2, he looked back on his career, gave insights into his time with Liverpool and reflected on his special relationship with Jurgen Klopp. This has been an interview we've wanted to do for a long time, so we hope you enjoy it! SHOW NOTES=> 01:37: Starting in football and coaching in Holland. 09:11: Working with Vitor Frade at Porto. 10:15: Importance of youth at Porto. Transferring idea of the talent group to Liverpool. Academy must match standard of scouting and recruitment. Need for a unified approach and for first-team manager to be aware of club's young players. Need for an 'inside pathway'. 15:24: Move to Liverpool in 2014. Doing Pro Licence in Wales. 20:00: Progression of coaches/ analysts as well as players at Liverpool. 21:39: Moving from Academy to first team at Liverpool. Why #6 and #10 are the most 'stressed' positions. 26:17: Strong relationship with Mike Gordon/ how he offered to pay for his father's hospital treatment. 27:52: First meeting with Jurgen Klopp. Returning after season as manager of Nijmegen in Holland. Told "I feel we can conquer the world together." 33:50: Why he and Klopp work so well together. 35:08: Highlights of his time at Liverpool. So proud of Trent Alexander-Arnold. What makes Klopp so special.  

Episode #53 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is with Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders. The Dutchman sat down with Simon Austin at the AXA Training Centre to talk about his career, his approach to coaching and his book Intensity.  This has been an interview we've wanted to do for a long time, so we hope you enjoy it! SHOW NOTES=> 02:03: Pre-season preparations and reflections. Camp in Germany.  05:37: Training exercises with different colour bibs. 10:10: Counter pressing and why it's so important for Liverpool. Makes the difference between winning and losing. "As Jurgen says, counter pressing isn't a proposal, it's a law. That's what makes us us." 12:41: Background to Trent Alexander-Arnold moving inside to midfield last season. “The big big change last year was the moment when we found balance, when we put Trent to the inside and Cody (Gakpo) went to the 9, to become the extra player. The team became compact again, together again.” 16:08: Roberto Firming “was the one who connected everything, who made us us, who was like the soul of the team. He was the one who made even not a good build-up a good one. That's how Sadio and Mo could be Sadio and Mo.” 19:13: “The difference between a good and top team is the quality of your top three, your piano players.” 20:30: Did team lack intensity last season?  22:53: New season without James Milner and Jordan Henderson. By the boot room there is a clock that Milner used to police. Now Linjnders has put up a sign: “Standards are made by the ones who need to live them.” 27:12: Use of rondos. Competition and street football. Identity game. “You need to earn the right to attack more, by defending top. That principle is present in each exercise. The 30% we don't have the ball, that's where we should be different from all other teams in the league.” 30:32: Building street pitch at the training ground to train offensive aggression. ‘Melwood Arena.' “You need to create exercises where they feel that the better you attack the less you have to defend and when you defend really well you can attack much more.” 35:17: Creating a set piece pitch.  37:03: Football is about honour. You want to be the best you can be. How identity game builds on this. “I try to play with the honour of the players a lot… they train with a knife between their teeth.”

Episode #51 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, in association with Hudl, features two guests: Bolton manager Ian Evatt and his Sporting Director Chris Markham. Simon Austin sat down with the duo at the club's Toughsheet Community Stadium ahead of the new season. It's rare to get a manager and Sporting Director speaking together like this, so we hope you enjoy it…   SHOW NOTES => 1:53: Having a blank canvas when they arrived at the club. 5:35: Setting a game identity, which then helps with recruitment. 9:58: Establishing this identity at Barrow, where it became known as futbol club de Barrow! 13:45: Pressing strategy and splitting the pitch into five zones. 16:00: Scouting process. Allying data and video. Chris being a data translator. 21:50: Ian seeing a big part of his role as a manager being to develop players. 'Re-recruiting players every day.' Looking for hungry players. 24:02: Scouting for character/ psychology. Young players having a problem dealing with adversity/ not being resilient. Mental health and wellbeing. 26:35: Treating people as individuals/ realising they are motivated by different things. How to give feedback. Young players want detail. B team.  33:36: Progression of the game. Playing in Premier League with Blackpool and not doing opposition analysis/ having any out-of-possession strategy. 37:16: How a manager should behave on the touchline.  40:16: Loans. Why big clubs want to send their players to Bolton. Difficult for big clubs to develop young centre backs. James Trafford. 48:11: Academy/ developing their own players. Having a genuine B team.  53:09: Using Hudl and Wyscout for the B team and first team. Having an analysis culture. 54:43: Chris's work on penalties at the Football Association. 56:28: Chris: ambitions for Bolton in next few seasons. 57:17: Ian: personal ambitions. Wanting to become the first manager to take one club from League Two to the Premier League. 

Our guest on Episode #51 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Conor Nestor.  Conor is the new coach of Hyderabad in the Indian Super League. He arrives from Svay Rieng in Cambodia, who he led to the 2019 league title. The Irishman told us about his fascinating career journey and about how he has used analysis to gain an advantage. 

Our guest on Episode #50 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Des Ryan.  Des is Director of Coaching and Performance at Setanta College and was Head of Sports Medicine and Athletic Development at Arsenal Academy from 2013 to 2021. During his time with the Gunners he helped to develop 'Strong Young Gunners' like Bukayo Saka.  SHOW NOTES => 02:01: Darcy Norman praise. Always being an outsider. How move to Arsenal came about.  07:24: Differences between athletic development in football and rugby union.  09:41: Strong doesn't mean big. Lots of misconceptions about strength and conditioning work in football.  13:02: Skepticism/ hesitancy about gym work when he arrived at Arsenal. In vast majority of cases the training age was low. 18:30: What athletic development looks like through the different ages in the Academy. 21:15: No truth in 'old wive's tale' that weights can hamper growth. 24:15: Strong Young Gunners philosophy at Arsenal. Four pillars. Creating the most challenging and caring environment for development in the world.  28:06: Arriving in England and finding that players went home at 2pm. That changed so they were working full days. 29:37: Letter from Hector Bellerin to himself, now on the wall at the Academy.  31:31: Publishing 'The Arsenal Way of Physically Developing Players.' Arrow. Speed training. Different to straight line track sprinting. Arsenal have a tradition of producing athletic players. 38:17: Bukayo Saka. 'He was a very good example of Arsenal development' 42:57: Work with Setanta College. 45:40: Looking ahead to presenting at TGG's Youth Development Webinar on June 6th.  

Our guest on Episode #49 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Pedro Marques, the Technical Director of Benfica's Academy. There's a strong case for saying that Benfica have the top Academy in Europe. They are the reigning UEFA Youth League champions (having beaten RB Salzburg 6-0 in the 2022 final), have the most profitable Academy in Europe (according to the CIES) and have recent graduates including Ruben Dias, Joao Felix and Bernardo Silva. SHOW NOTES => 02:30: Is there one thing that sets Benfica's Academy apart? 06:07: The importance of the Benfica Campus. Previously it was like "travelling with a house on your back" for players, parents and coaches. 08:56: Balance between being a development club and one that also wins trophies. 11:24: PILLAR ONE of the Benfica Academy = Scouting. 17:04: Admiring the work of Right 2 Dream, especially their character development and commitment to all children. 21:01: Overall there are 520 players in the system - 200 in the regional talent centres, 100 living in Lisbon and 220 living at the Benfica Campus. 26:45: Despite the success with South American players, the focus of the Academy is Portugal. 29:18: PILLAR TWO of the Benfica Academy = Methodology. 30:04: Broad base and diversity of activities at younger ages (futsal, dance, gymnastics, cage football) with more specialism at the older ages. 32:04: Playing model throughout the club. "It's not so much about the system, but principles & ideas - about intensity, taking the initiative, pressing high,regaining quickly & scoring lots of goals." 36:34: PILLAR THREE of the Benfica Academy = Competition. 41:02: PILLAR FOUR of the Benfica Academy = Opportunities. 43:17: Benfica Lab. 45:25: Instead of selling your stars, could you hold onto your best players in future and win the Champions League?

Our guest on Episode #48 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Norwich City Sporting Director Stuart Webber.  SHOW NOTES => 02:04: Rebuilding Norwich's training ground. Appeal of Sporting Director job was producing something sustainable at a club. 08:03: Premier League is the hardest league in the world. Even Brentford and Brighton, in Norwich's peer group, have significant owner investment. 09:56: Arriving at the club in 2017. They were lacking direction/ didn't have a lot to show for seasons in the Premier League. Simplified the plan: style of play/ invest in youth/ develop global scouting.  13:10: Evolving as a person. Change manager v status quo manager. 17:48: Is he the purest form of a Sporting Director?  23:17: Should the Sporting Director be visible and communicate with media/ fanbase? 25:41: Inspired to do the Sporting Director role by Damien Comolli. 35:35: Huddersfield Town. Focusing on foreign players and foreign coaches. 39:02: Would you appoint an English Under-21 coach as a manager? Have done it with German coaches in David Wagner and Daniel Farke. 42:30: Summit Foundation. 45:05: Criticism for mountain climbs/ Summit Foundation. Breakdown of relationship with local newspaper.  56:00: Ambitions for Norwich City. Personal ambitions. Could see a future outside football. 

Our guest on Episode #47 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Tom Vernon, the founder and Group CEO of Right to Dream Group.  => SHOW NOTES: 02:12: What is Right to Dream and its philosophy? 04:46: Start of Right to Dream in 1999. Changing the 'extractive mindset'. Setting up the only residential girls' Academy in Ghana. 12:23: Moving into the USA and plan to buy an MLS club. 16:12: Trying to have a straight pipe rather than a pyramid with youth development. 17:39: Right to Dream recruitment days in Africa. 100,000 kids attend trials every year. 19:33: Appointing Ian Yates as Head of Global Recruitment. "We wanted someone who had been thinking in multiple sports in multiple ways. We want to go to places which are overlooked, where people might believe excellence does not exist." 21:35: Why "entrepreneurship in Africa is as tough as it gets." How he benefitted from white privilege. 23:42: Expelled from school. His own dyslexia. Why football needs to follow lead of other industries and recognise/ promote neurodiversity. 29:30: How the world - and football - are "rigged systems", with a high level of unfairness towards Africa. 34:13: Good book - 'Why I am no longer talking to white people about race.' Ghana's 'year of the return.' African diaspora returning and driving a different narrative. 37:21: Praise for Gareth Southgate "realities of the past and reconstructing the future." "One of the most inspirational stories in the sport in the last 20 years." 38:43: Is Right to Dream 'ultimate socialism'? Is it sometimes difficult to balance this with capitalism of raising finance/ selling players and corporate packages etc? 46:09: Buying FC Nordsjaelland. Reasons why. Developing youth - 14 of the first-team squad have come through the Academies in Ghana and Denmark. 51:50: Other leagues and clubs are taking lessons from what FCN and Right to Dream do, but not so much England.  54:38: Right to Dream's KPIs - social impact, brand equity and football performance.

Our guest on Episode #46 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Professor David Sumpter, who has worked with top teams including Ajax, Barcelona and England. 

In the first instalment of a new series called TGG Extra, Justin Cochrane gives his tips for current and aspiring coaches.

Our guest on Episode #45 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Justin Cochrane. Justin has been first-team coach and Head of Coaching at Brentford since the summer. He was previously Head of Player and Coach Development at Manchester United and has also worked for the Football Association and Tottenham.  => SHOW NOTES: 01:23: What does your job entail (Head of Coaching and first-team coach). 02:42: Differences between working in Academy and first team. 05:30: Innovation at Brentford - and focus on set pieces. 08:26: Thoughts on B team model. How every player is different/ be mindful of this in transition from PDP to first team. 11:19: Coach before player - from age of 17. 17:35: Grassroots football - does it need more investment/ closer links with Academy system? 21:22: Arriving at Tottenham. Influence of Chris Ramsey and John McDermott. 27:45: Joining the FA and England youth teams in 2018. 30:09: How good coaching comes down to content and connection. 34:58: Working with Alejandro Garnacho at Man Utd. 42:07: Value of specialist coaching and the need to constantly up skill yourself. 46:11: Ambitions for the future/ need to live in the moment. 

Our guest on Episode #44 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Sally Needham. Sally is the Human Development and Performance Culture Lead at Sheffield United Academy. 

Our guest on Episode #43 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Rui Faria. Rui was Jose Mourinho's assistant for 17 years, during which time they achieved huge levels of success. They won at least one trophy a season in that time, including league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, as well as two Champions Leagues. In this pod Rui covers a range of subjects, including tactical periodisation, style of play, the use of data, neuroscience and why he still regards Mourinho as #1.   => SHOW NOTES: 01:45: Why hasn't he done any interviews? 03:58: How he got involved in football. 05:42: Tactical periodisation. 11:38: First contact with Jose Mourinho. First meeting in Barcelona. Thinking 'out of the box'. 15:20: "I think we marked an era in football." 21:20: Difficult times early on at Leiria. Meeting of minds. 25:55: Coming into Chelsea. New approach for the players. 'Special One'. What his role as assistant involved. 31:16: Training mental skills and emotional control. Inter v Barca in 2010 Champions League semis as an example. 43:00: Man management. Need to treat everyone as an individual.  49:30: Different styles of play. Need for pragmatism. Making sure young players are prepared for their opportunities. Some players not ready, eg Mo Salah at Chelsea. 58:12: Remembering watching Ronaldo and Messi for the first time, when they were both 16. 1:06:00: Being accused of being a defensive coach. How style of play has evolved in England since they first arrived. 1:13:02: Importance of context when using data. 1:14:40: Defiant about scrapping GPS at Manchester United. How it has become too dominant within sport science. Role of neuroscience. 1:27:24: Stepping down at Manchester United. "I left a job millions would love to be doing." Ambitions for the future.  1:30:16: Would he work with Mourinho again? "They were fantastic unforgettable moments."

On Episode #42 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, we were joined by Sean Dyche. Dyche was manager of Burnley for nine-and-a-half years and transformed their fortunes both on and off the pitch. When he first arrived at the club, in October 2012, they were 14th in the Championship. What followed during his tenure was seven seasons in the Premier League and European football for the first time in 51 years. In this episode Dyche reflects on his time with the Clarets, gives insights into his coaching and leadership style and explains what the future could hold for him.  => SHOW NOTES: 01:23: Life after leaving Burnley in April. Any approaches? 03:47: Start of playing career at Nottingham Forest. Influence of Brian Clough. 6:13: Are leaders born or can those skills be learnt? 9:28: Importance of clarity and simplicity. Don't load players with too much information before kick-off. 11:45: Starting to think about becoming a manager at 26. Career progression after that. 16:30: First managerial job at Watford. Being authentic. Staying tight with the players but they still know who's in charge. 18:34: First impressions of Burnley. Lack of alignment between Board and fans. Gradually get accepted. 22:45: Telling the Board "you need to put a structure in place for the longevity of the club" after Premier League promotion. 28:00: Were you similar to a Sporting Director, as you were looking at longer-term future of the club?  32:54: "Massive strides" with the Academy at Burnley. "Big believer" in the youth system. 35:55: Accusations of "Brexit football." Didn't have the scouting network to find/ sign foreign players.  39:22: Getting "put in a box". Back to front football/ Brexit football.  41:15: How he could manage differently at a different club.  51:45: Sacked at Burnley. How news was delivered and reflections. 55:28: Key thing was not recycling the team two/ three years ago. Recommended bringing new players in but didn't happen. 56:37: Backroom staff. People saying assistants were only there because they were his friends. 1:00:55: Don't put too low a limit on your goals. "Positive realities."    

Episode #41 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is with Steven Reid.  The former midfielder played in the Premier League for Blackburn, West Brom and Burnley and won 23 caps for the Republic of Ireland. Since retiring from playing he has forged a successful career in coaching, working at first-team level with Reading, Crystal Palace, West Brom, Scotland and Nottingham Forest. At the start of July, the 41-year-old announced he was leaving Forest to become a confidence, wellbeing and leadership coach.

Episode #40 of the TGG Podcast is with Damien Comolli, the Chairman and Sporting Director at Toulouse, last season's champions of Ligue 2 in France. Damien is  the former Director of Football at Besiktas, Tottenham, Liverpool and St Etienne.  For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru => SHOW NOTES: 01:25: Toulouse's title win. Righting wrongs. 09:11: Establishing an identity at the club when he arrived. 23:25: Why Toulouse have a Head of Strategy and Culture. Importance of showing vulnerability and admitting mistakes. 37:08: Use of data. Input of Zelus Analytics. Why being data and culture driven is 'the perfect balance'. 50:10: Involvement with Red Bird and why those chose to buy Toulouse. 55:32: Being a pioneer of the Sporting Director role. Early mistrust. Mentor to Michael Edwards etc. 1:05:46: Sacking at Tottenham. Learning from mistakes. Not to be 'big-headed' again!

For this episode we go inside Southampton's innovative new Learning Lab with two of its leadership team - Head of Technical Development Iain Brunnschweiler and Dr Andrew Wilson, a Reader in Psychology at Leeds Beckett University. For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru => SHOW NOTES: 01:15: IAIN BRUNNSCHWEILER - background on his playing and career journey. Youth player at Southampton/ cricket career/ UK Coaching/ back to Saints. 09:23: Learning from top performing organisations in sport, business and the military. Floyd Woodrow and the SAS. 19:10: Technical Development department - what it is, what it does and what his role entails. 26:32: Learning Lab - how it came about, what it does, PhD projects 37:02: Importance of developing relationships; why we over-index on technical skills and under-index on human skills 44:15: DR ANDREW WILSON - career journey 46:15: What is ecological learning? Origins. 1:03:52: Why ecological learning 'radically alters the role of the coach' 1:15:55: Scanning. PhD projects in the Learning Lab 1:27:34: Is the Learning Lab unique in football?

In our first episode in front of a live audience, we spoke to Australia assistant and former Manchester United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen at Batch Bottlestore and Deli in Altrincham. Rene told Simon Austin and Josh Schneider-Weiler about his coaching journey, his one-on-one skills work with the likes of Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo and some of the leadership lessons learned from legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.  For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Welcome to the first episode of season 4 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, in association with Hudl. Our guest is Andreas Georgson, Sports Director for Swedish champions Malmö. He told Josh Schneider-Weiler how the Sky Blues are aiming to outdo richer European rivals in Europe, about his work with Brentford and Arsenal, and why Mikel Arteta is a cut above. For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru => SHOW NOTES: 01:35: Back at Malmö. Why the club is special. 06:37: 'Grandma coaching' - anyone can spot the best player in youth football; spotting the late developers is the key. 12:54: Why Malmö are so good at producing players. 15:50: Andreas's personal journey and career. 20:17: Individual Development Coach. How he got the job at Brentford (and then Arsenal) and what it involved. 28:55: How he came to get a job at Arsenal. Why Mikel Arteta is special. 33:06: Set piece coach. Work at Arsenal. Leading change. 43:26: Still in touch with Arteta and his staff. 'Sky is the limit' for them.

Our guest on Episode #36 of the TGG Podcast was Francis Cagigao, the Director of Football for Chile. He told Josh Schneider-Weiler about his current role and his 24 years with Arsenal, where he was Head of International Scouting. For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru => SHOW NOTES: 0:37: How job with Chile came about/ 12 intense months to start. 5:04: StatDNA at Arsenal and use of data in football. 9:44: Ben Brereton Diaz - how he came to play for Chile and why he's become such an important player. 14:29: Why he left Arsenal after 24 years. "There was not a good feeling between myself and some people at the hierarchy." 18:29: Background/ career as a player and coach. 24:52: How he came to scout for Arsenal/ working with Arsene Wenger. 28:07: Discovering Cesc Fabregas. 35:51: How to scout character. 40:22: Why South America is the Continent with the most talent. 42:40: Ambitions for the future. 

Our guest on Episode #35 of the TGG Podcast was Phil Giles, the Director of Football for Brentford. He told Simon Austin about the club's first season in the Premier League, their use of specialist coaches and why they might reopen their Academy. For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Mariela Nisotaki is Norwich City's Head of Emerging Talent and the only female scout on the circuit in the UK. In Episode #34 of the TGG Podcast, Nisotaki tells Simon Austin how she balances data and human eyes, about Norwich's ambitions and what it's like to be a female pioneer in football recruitment. For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru      

Chris Ramsey is one of the foremost coach educators in the UK. In Episode #33 of the TGG Podcast, he tells Josh Schneider-Weiler about his role as QPR's Technical Director and Head of Coaching, about his four decades in the game and why diversity is important. For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Gregg Broughton is the Academy Manager of Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt, having held the same role with Luton Town and Norwich City. In Episode #32 of the TGG Podcast, Gregg explains how the club do things differently when it comes to youth development - and how living in the moment is key. For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Owen Eastwood is one of the most in-demand performance coaches in world sport. He's worked with Harlequins Rugby, South Africa Cricket and, for the last five years, England football. In Episode #31 of the TGG Podcast, he explains what he does and how it's rooted in ancient cultures. For more information, visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

In this episode, Luke Bornn tells us about his experiences in football and gives insights into the future of data science in the sport. Luke is a former Professor of Statistics at Harvard University, Head of Analytics at AS Roma and Vice President of Strategy and Analytics at the Sacramento Kings. Now he's the founder and chief scientist at Zelus Analytics, which aims to become the world's best sports intelligence platform.  For more information visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

In this episode, Dave Alred gives us his guide to performing under pressure. The performance coach has a CV that's hard to match. He's worked with sports as diverse as cricket, golf and rugby union, and with stars including Jonny Wilkinson, Francesco Molinari and even Gareth Southgate. For more information visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

MK Dons manager Russell Martin tells TGG about the importance of people and purpose, why he won't change his beliefs on style of play and the importance of buddhism to his philosophy. For more information visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Rangers first-team coach Michael Beale tells TGG about working with Steven Gerrard, winning the Scottish title for the first time in a decade and his own managerial ambitions. For more information visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Chelsea Women's manager Emma Hayes talks about her team's quest for the quadruple this season, outlines her leadership philosophy and gives her thoughts on working in the men's game. For more information visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Laurence Stewart, the Head of Recruitment and Development at Monaco, tells TGG about his work with the resurgent French club. For more information visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Former England rugby coach Brian Ashton, who now works for the Premier League as an educator and mentor, tells TGG about the lessons he has learned during five decades in coaching.  For more information visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Marijn Beuker, the Sport Development Director at AZ Alkmaar, explains how the club manages to punch above its weight in the Dutch Eredivisie by doing things differently.  For more information visit trainingground.guru or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru

Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher tells TGG how he analyses matches, gives insight on his use of tech and shares his thoughts on the current Premier League season. For more information visit trainingground.guru  or follow us on Twitter @ground_guru