Leaders in Football

RAFFAELE POLI: FOOTBALL ANALYTICS AND SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT

leaders — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:50:36 +0000

Analytics is both the present and future of professional football. More and more teams are using statistics to make decisions in various areas on and off the field. Since 2005, the academic team of the CIES Football Observatory has embarked on an ambitious research project aiming at unveiling the logics of success at club and national A-team level, with particular emphasis on squad management, player selection and technical scouting.

A recent approach whose results have yet to be fully exploited consists of collecting and analysing historical data to determine the key demographic features of winning teams. The findings for the English Premier League have notably shown that recent champions have never fielded on average more than three new signings per match over the course of their title-winning season. With regard to UEFA’s Champions League, the results indicate that all the recent winning clubs have on average fielded players who were in the first team squad for at least four seasons.

These findings reflect the importance of team cohesion when it comes to performing at the highest level. From a squad management perspective, they also illustrate the necessity for club officials to find the right balance between building social capital by progressively extending the contracts of key squad members and bringing in fresh skills by recruiting new players. This latter aspect raises the crucial issue of technical scouting.

Extensive research has allowed us to determine pitch performance indicators that when aggregated at team level are always positively correlated to results achieved. Taken together, the five indicators developed explain up to 80% of the differences in points between teams at the end of a season.

The philosophy behind their development has consisted of differentiating distinct areas of the game (shooting, chance creation, take on, distribution, recovery) in order to clearly identify the specific strengths and weaknesses of both teams and individual players. This procedure may help clubs to focus on the signing of footballers having the necessary specific competencies to ideally complement squad strengths already available.

The comparative analysis of Manchester United and Manchester City pitch performance for the ongoing season indicates that the only area of play in which the former club clearly overtakes the latter is that of take on. This suggests that Manchester City should give priority to recruiting a powerful and fast player with a technical profile close to that of current Manchester United squad members such as Nani, Ashley Young or Antonio Valencia.

From a purely technical perspective, in the English market, three footballers provide the best guarantee for a successful recruitment: Jermaine Pennant (Stoke City), Matthew Jarvis (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United). Sophisticated statistical procedures also allow the objective comparison of the on-pitch performance of players in different leagues.

The comparative analysis of player performance in the take on area in the big-5 leagues suggests that five other players deserve to be included in the short list of Manchester City’s potential signings: Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique de Marseille), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich), Jefferson Farfán (Schalke 04), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli) and Jefferson Montero (Betis Sevilla).

Of course, financial aspects also come into consideration when it comes to signing a new player. For this reason, the CIES Football Observatory academic team is currently working on the development of a statistical model to estimate the economic worth of players, with many possible concrete applications for forward thinking clubs.

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
ROGAN TAYLOR: THE JOY OF ROY
KEIR RADNEDGE: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
ROGAN TAYLOR: COMMERCIAL COITUS INTERRUPTUS

Raffaele POLI is the Co-Founder and Director of the CIES Football Observatory. He holds a PhD in Human Sciences from the Universities of Neuchâtel (Switzerland) and Franche-Comté (France). As a scientific collaborator at CIES he is in charge of the Observatory’s general management, communication and strategic development.

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.

ROGAN TAYLOR: THE JOY OF ROY

leaders — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:42:26 +0000

There was something refreshingly pleasant about the general reception in England of the appointment of Roy Hodgson as the new national manager. Apart from the Sun newspaper, that is; a tabloid that seems perpetually (to coin a Page Three analogy) to suck from the nipple of the worst kind of national jingoism.

Rupert Murdoch’s daily didn’t wait for England to get beaten by Sweden in a World Cup qualifier to ‘turnipise’ Hodgson. They went for it straight from the whistle (though no whistle has blown yet in a match under his guidance); with a front page headline that focussed on Roy’s so-called ‘speech impediment’ (pronouncing his Rs as Ws) and claiming he looked like “the proverbial rabbit caught in the headlights” at the crowded press conference following the announcement of his new job.

Well, I’m not sure the Sun knows its own ‘Rs’ from its elbow anymore, if it thought that ‘bit of fun’ at someone’s expense goes down well with folks these days, tutored as so many are in the ways of their ex-sister paper, the News of the World, and listening to the headlines from the Leveson Inquiry on an almost daily basis. It was a complete misjudgement of the public mood and, ironically, has had the effect of buying Hodgson some time and sympathy. No doubt he’ll need both.

Regarding Hodgson’s elevation, what I found refreshingly novel about the tone of most other papers and people generally, was that, at long last, there appears to be a much more realistic acceptance in the country of our true prospects in international competition. Let’s face it: we are Europa – not Champions’ League – material.

What do we need with a fancy, eye-wateringly expensive, Italian manager, used to dealing with players of real international pedigree, like the ‘Azuri’ (who actually win trophies at the summit of the game more than once in a century)?

What can managers of the England team really do to change the relentless logic of the past? A soft-spoken guy, almost grand-motherly, with a truly wide experience of the game and an inquiring brain in his head; we haven’t tried that combo before. And if someone’s going to get lucky, why not Roy Hodgson?

I’ve no doubt there were quite a few journalistic noses put out by the fact that their ‘favourite’ didn’t get a look in (even, it appears, an interview) for the job. They’d all been caught ‘Rednapping’ so to speak. How they were looking forward to press-conferences with the ‘great communicator’; our ‘Arry; the guy wiv a propa Landan accent’ and good one-liners. A journos dream for the back page headline.

We seem to have finally grasped that our progress in the Euros will, in all probability, depend on the unpredictable direction of ‘the wind of fate’. We could get a lucky run; a few sympathetic decisions from the refs; a sense of cohesion growing amongst the team and, who knows, we might even make it to the latter stages.

They say the generals Napoleon promoted had one particular characteristic. The most vital element they were selected for was Luck. ‘Bring us a lucky manager’, the English football public might shout. Maybe it’s Hodgson? And with our meagre supply of world-class players, and the rest of our boys’ hearts and heads fully engaged, we just might just go somewhere in the competition.

Roy has certainly demonstrated the decisive Napoleonic requirement so far – he got the job!

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
KEIR RADNEDGE: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
ROGAN TAYLOR: COMMERCIAL COITUS INTERRUPTUS
RAFFAELE POLI: FOOTBALL ANALYTICS AND SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT

Dr Rogan Taylor is the Director of the Football Industry Group at the University of Liverpool. He is also a writer and broadcaster, with five football books and numerous radio and TV contributions. He has acted as a special adviser to The FA, The Premier League and Premier League Clubs.

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.

KEIR RADNEDGE: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

leaders — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:37:33 +0000

Boycotts are a common feature of sports events. Indeed, a Cup or Games or Championship cannot claim significance unless someone, somewhere, believes he or she can utilise the PR aura by threatening to stay away.

This is perverse, if you think about it.

A sports event – such as the imminent Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine – is created, enlivened, enriched only by those who attend it. Not by those who stay away.

The record books note achievements of the winners and even of the losers. At least the losers turn up. Absentees do not earn even a footnote.

Here is the issue exercising the minds of various European Union leaders ahead of Euro 2012: Should I stay or should I go?

If, for example, German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends will that be construed as a vote of confidence in Ukraine’s President Victor Yanukovitch and an abandonment of jailed ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko?

If Merkel, who enjoys her occasional football outings, stays away will she just look like an old sourpuss capitalizing on poor, neutral, innocent sport to suit her own political purpose?

Or, frankly, will anyone notice once the first football has been kicked?

Not all boycotts are about ‘only’ politicians. The most contentious involve politicians winding sportsmen into their schemes.

Hence we had the tit-for-tat American and Soviet boycotts of the Olympics Games in Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984.

What was the outcome? The Games went ahead, crowds cheered, records were broken, reputations were made and the attendant athletes, journalists and fans learned yet again that sport’s greatest power is in cutting through barriers, creating understanding and making the world (minimally) a smaller, potentially happier and safer place.

Thomas Bach made that point in urging Merkel not to boycott Ukraine during Euro 2012. Bach is a lawyer and businessman, vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, leader of the German Olympic sports committee and senior figure in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

He says: “Boycotting major sports events has proved to be unsuccessful and senseless in the past. After the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, not a single Russian soldier withdrew from Afghanistan. Sport is neutral territory. That is the only way it can be a force for unity and the building of bridges rather than walls.

“But, if we say we stand for the rule of law and democracy then we should represent those concepts wherever sport takes us.

“For example, we would not be having this public debate about political and human rights conditions in the host country were it not for the European Championship taking place there. Sport offers a magnificent communications platform.”

Precisely.

If the United States Olympic Committee had not ignored calls for a boycott of the 1936 Berlin Olympics (because of Nazi racist policies) then the great black athlete Jesse Owens would not have been present to make the counter point more dramatically than any boycott.

All well and good…until, of course, one recalls that a sustained sports boycott helped hasten the end of apartheid in South Africa.

As it was then so it is now: boycotts are usually all about freedom.

Hence Merkel is free to play her game and Germany’s footballers are free to play theirs.

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
ROGAN TAYLOR: COMMERCIAL COITUS INTERRUPTUS
RAFFAELE POLI: FOOTBALL ANALYTICS AND SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT
ROGAN TAYLOR: THE JOY OF ROY

Keir Radnedge is one of the foremost observers of international soccer. He has reported at every World Cup since 1966 and is a regular contributor to TV, radio, newspapers and magazines worldwide. He is London-based Editor of SportsFeatures.com and is chairman of the Football Commission of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). Visit www.KeirRadnedge.com for further information. Follow him on Twitter for more sports industry updates.

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.

ROGAN TAYLOR: COMMERCIAL COITUS INTERRUPTUS

leaders — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:32:39 +0000

The two most gripping matches of the season so far for my money were the two Champions League, 2nd leg semis last week. [The City v Utd game this week was tense and fascinating, and came in a close third, but was hardly a ‘great game’.] Yet the narrative drives of both of those matches in Spain were so different from each other.

At the Camp Nou, the game began, as expected, with Barcelona refusing for the most part to give Chelsea a kick. Then ‘Captain Unfantastic’, miles away from play, gratuitously knees Sanchez in the back, and gets himself sent off. You’d think after falling over and missing the penalty that would have won Chelsea their first CL title back in Moscow, 2008, John Terry would have learnt something about screwing up on the big stage. Apparently not.

Consequently, for the following hour or so, the game was played almost entirely in a strip of the pitch about 30metres deep, occupied by the ten remaining Chelsea players, and ten from Barca. The home team only let their opponents out of the defensive lockdown in the final third on condition that Chelsea scored each time. It was a gripping match that will live long in the memory. At last Chelsea got ‘some history’…

The following night at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid v Bayern Munich was a cracker (much better suited to the tastes of the English viewer too); some great players playing end-to-end footie, with the away goals values keeping the whole thing on a knife edge to the (for Real that is) oh so bitter end. Classic Champs League stuff (and not possible of course in a Final where the ‘away’ goals rule cannot work its transformative magic).

Over those two, brief, Iberian evenings, both Spanish clubs – generally thought to be the two best teams in the world right now – got the chop. Many hearts were broken amongst their millions of fans, and many a commercial sponsor (and no doubt a TV exec. or two) wept alongside them, though for very different reasons.

Barcelona v Real Madrid would have been the sexiest Final in the competition’s history – yards deep in tradition, with all that commercial value, and with a Viagra-like potency (other brands are available), it was a sponsor’s joy to behold indeed, at least in prospect. Some sources number the combined total of Real and Barca fans worldwide to be pushing the half billion mark. Imagine: a billion committed eyeballs potentially at your disposal – and the dream crumbles to ashes before your very own pair. There you are, primped and primed, suited and booted, waiting for the two prettiest girls in world football to arrive – and two ‘mingers’ turn up instead.

In the media numbers game, both Bayern and Chelsea aren’t at the same racetrack as the Spanish duo. Bayern is a global brand without doubt, sitting at the top table with the other giants (and Chelsea are bouncing around in the ante-room desperate to join them), but when it comes to ‘sexy’…Well, they just haven’t got it.

Just remember the difference in viewing figures between the, Chelsea v Man Utd, Moscow Final, and last year’s at Wembley between Barcelona and Man Utd (another ‘nice pair’, as those naughty commercial boys might say). The Wembley game won on the TV ratings hands down.

Does the wane in Spain mean they’re going down the drain? Well, hardly; we’ll soon see. A blend of Barcelona + Real Madrid (with a dash of Man City), all dressed up as the Spanish national team, will face another severe test in the Euros this summer. Then we’ll get a better chance to judge.

Those faithful readers (both of you) who regularly scan this column may just recall my Leader of 13th October last year, [‘AT THE SUMMIT, THE ONLY WAY IS DOWN’], about the intense pressures of ‘being the best’ by general consent. I predicted then that Spain may win nothing this season, in either the Champs league or the Euros. Life’s like that. I fancied the Germans for both trophies, with Bayern for the CL.

Get yer money on a German double… It’s always a good bet!

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
KEIR RADNEDGE: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
ROGAN TAYLOR: THE JOY OF ROY
RAFFAELE POLI: FOOTBALL ANALYTICS AND SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT

Dr Rogan Taylor is the Director of the Football Industry Group at the University of Liverpool. He is also a writer and broadcaster, with five football books and numerous radio and TV contributions. He has acted as a special adviser to The FA, The Premier League and Premier League Clubs.

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.

Leaders in Football officially launches for 2012

leaders — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:38:56 +0000

Leaders in Football is proud to officially launch its 5th annual football business summit to be staged at Chelsea FC in the international city of London on 10th and 11th of October 2012.

The event is recognised as the premium annual event in the international football business calendar with an invitation only audience of 1,000 senior level delegates linked to Clubs, Leagues, Associations, Federations and Brands.

The event last year brought together 25 world leaders to debate the key issues facing football in a unique, high level and content rich environment.

This year the organisers have released details of a number of new international panels delivered by the very top people running Asia and USA, a panel of European Club Presidents, debate over governance and financial fair play, and interviews with the owners and players of high profile clubs to discuss the challenges they face.

CEO, James Worrall says “We are incredibly excited to announce the staging of our 5th Leaders in Football event in such an iconic venue and city. We have continued to invest in the quality of the speakers, audience and networking platform and are looking forward to delivering another high profile conference which continues to set the agenda and discuss the big issues in the world of football.”

To register your interest for the event or to learn more about Leaders in Football please contact one of the team on +44 (0) 207 042 8666 or email enquiry@leadersinfootball.com.

KEIR RADNEDGE: THE CARETAKER

leaders — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:06:04 +0000

In these days of economic recession and financial fair play it defies commercial logic that football clubs still hire and fire so freely. Chelsea, however, appear to have found the answer right under their nose almost by accident or without realising it.

The caretaker. More formally known as ‘interim manager’ to offer dignity of status in an image-obsessed era when titles are almost more important than the nature of the job.

Consider: Guus Hiddink, a caretaker, guided Chelsea to FA Cup victory; Avram Grant, a caretaker, took them to within one penalty of winning the Champions League; and now Roberto Di Matteo has brought them to the FA Cup Final and to within one match of the Champions League Final.

Elsewhere Ricardo Sa Pinto has brought Sporting Clube of Lisbon to within one game of the Europa League Final and Stuart Pearce – whatever he may say in public (which, sensibly now, isn’t a lot) – must wonder about Euro 2012 as the clock ticks on with the FA paralysed by fears of upsetting the Premier League run-in.

Think of the money caretakers save. No severance negotiations over contracts with two or three left on them. Just a quick turnover at bargain rates.

No financial legacy long after the latest victim has picked up his trainers and driven out of the training centre gates for the last time.

Internazionale, at one stage, were thought to have had no fewer than five coaches on the payroll: the man in the job and his four, paid-off predecessors. Who knows? They may still be paying lire equivalent into the estate of the late Helenio Herrera and he left the club for the third and last time back in the 1970s.

Those were the days when Brazil were at their World Cup-conquering best under the management of Mario Zagallo. Now Zagallo is considering a caretaker comeback of his own.

Zagallo, despite being 80, is a leading compromise candidate for the role of senior vice-president of the Brazilian football confederation. The vacancy arose after Jose Maria Marin took over the presidency following the long-overdue departure of scandal-enshrouded Ricardo Teixeira.

This is a delicate time for Brazilian football, little more than two years away from its hosting of the 2014 World Cup. A wide array of politicians appear to be doing their level best to evade, as much as they can, the hosting guarantees given so cavalierly to FIFA by the previous government of President Lula.

Nothing and nobody is safe. This also applies to national coach Mano Menezes. Marin has indicated that unless Brazil win gold at London 2012 then Menezes can look for a new job.

In that context, Zagallo has mused that his experience “might be of use” to the national coach in the run-up to 2014. Zagallo did not speculate further about who that coach might be.

Just for the record: no caretaker manager has ever won the World Cup

Yet.

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
ALAN PARDEW: THE MANAGER(INTERVIEW BY THE LMA)
ROGAN TAYLOR: SWISS ROLE MODELS
DELROY ALEXANDER: CALL ME THE LONE RANGER

Keir Radnedge is one of the foremost observers of international soccer. He has reported at every World Cup since 1966 and is a regular contributor to TV, radio, newspapers and magazines worldwide. He is London-based Editor of SportsFeatures.com and is chairman of the Football Commission of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). Visit www.KeirRadnedge.com for further information. Follow him on Twitter for more sports industry updates.

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.

DELROY ALEXANDER: CALL ME THE LONE RANGER

leaders — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:57:17 +0000

As I openly pondered what it would take to put together a bid for ailing Glasgow Rangers with some friends the other day, I was stunned by the laughter ringing in my ears.

My compatriots, all wealthy black businessmen and former sports people, literally laughed me out of the room.

My thought process was simple. I mean, how often does a chance to get hold of one of the most iconic sporting brands in Britain become available at a knock down price. The fanatical fan base packed home crowds and virtually guaranteed European football.

Surely, there’s got to be a way to make that pay for you, hasn’t there?

A good protestant boy like myself could surely be accepted amongst the Billy Boys… oops… I’m not supposed to use that vernacular anymore to describe the club’s fans. I too have to smile at the very thought of being involved in purchasing the club.

Imagining those fanatical fans, that former chairman David Murray once called “ninety minute bigots” – to symbolise the despicable Sectarianism that has coloured so many Glasgow Derbies – seeing the Lone Ranger arrive in the form of a black man.

I can hear it now, the cries of look how low we have sunk, from the fan base. Not only are we in bankruptcy but about to be bought by a wee person of colour. Sounds almost unbelievable but could well be the fate of the club if wealthy Singaporean Billy Ng is successful in getting his hands on what remains a great football brand, despite the current lack of quality in Scottish football.

The ugly face of Sectarianism apart, the laughter of my friends, left me thinking. Has there already been a sea change within the English game that will ultimately see more people of colour involved in the boardroom.

Think of it, Lebron James already has a share in the ownership of my club, Liverpool FC.

Manchester City’s riches come from His Royal Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The UAE member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi is the half brother of the current President of UAE, Emir (ruler) of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It’s no coincidence that Patrick Viera had a new football development executive role created for him at City and to all intents and purposes he has become the face of the club off the pitch.

Arsenal’s board also has a very different hue about it. That most aristocratic of canons now has an American in Stan Kroenke calling the shots and Russian Oligarch Alisher Usmanov and close associate Ardavan Farhad Moshiri, a Persian of Iranian descent, who’s heavily involved.

Indian chicken outfit Venky’s control Blackburn Rovers, compatriot Lakshmi Mittal has a sizeable stake in QPR and Mohamed Al Fayed, that inimitable former intermediary to the Saudi royal family bought the freehold to Fulham for just £6.25m in the summer of 1997.

It’s not only in the top tier where ownership is changing. Vincent Tan and co. are in at Cardiff City, Birmingham City is the preserve of the troubled Carson Yeung and there are many others, not to mention the steady number of new and existing US-based ownership groups.

And let us not forget one of the first wealthy Middle Eastern investors, Bashar and Amar al Khadi, who took over our very own Macclesfield Town in 2003. They caught the fever and were strong supporters of my brother when he managed the club before his passing. Without them in control, I’m not convinced Keith would have been back in the League.

These new owners might not be of African descent, but many of them clearly bring a more international perspective. Dare I say, it won’t be long before rich blacks or even African billionaires such as Aliko Dangote or Patrice Motsepe, get interested in the football money pot.

I’d like to think that the main reason there are not more black people on boards – (we represent about a quarter of the professional playing ranks) – involved in running football clubs is sound economics. Most football clubs lose money, lots of it. But I fear that’s just a lame excuse.

While some boards have women on them, I don’t know of any that currently have a bona fide black Englishman on them. Not one! I hope I’m wrong but I just can’t think of one football club.

I’m hoping that this new breed of ownership sees the benefit in better reflecting a large portion of the current playing staff and a reasonable number of fans.

This new breed of owner might help deal with what some call “subliminal perception”. The idea of selecting candidates in a conscious or subconscious desire to reflect and resemble past successful people, which have all been white in the British game.

An interesting recent article on why there are not more black football managers by Ellis Cashmore and Jamie Cleland highlighted the desire for boardroom change among fans of the game.

Of the 1,000 football fans, including players and ex-players, both white, black and other ethnic minorities, surveyed by the pair some “56 per cent of respondents believed racism operates at the executive levels of football, i.e. the boardroom.”

While some fans accused club owners and directors of deliberate discrimination, most suspected a form of unwitting or institutional racism in which assumptions about black people’s capacities are not analysed or challenged and so continue to circulate.

Let’s hope, these fans of the game were not right when they assume that little will change for people of colour off the field over the next few years.

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
KEIR RADNEDGE: THE CARETAKER
ALAN PARDEW: THE MANAGER(INTERVIEW BY THE LMA)
ROGAN TAYLOR: SWISS ROLE MODELS

Delroy Alexander is the Chairman of the Sacred Sports Foundation, a not for profit charity based in Saint Lucia. He is a seasoned sports administrator and is a former Chicago Tribune senior investigative business reporter and a Pulitzer Prize nominee journalist. Founded by his brother, former Lincoln City and Macclesfield Town manager Keith Alexander, the Sacred Sports Foundation uses sport to work with disadvantaged Caribbean youth. The Foundation has partnered with the St. Lucia Football Association, and secured important grants from the EU, UNESCO and the Australian Government among others.
www.sacredsportsinc.com
chairman@sacredsportsinc.com

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.

ALAN PARDEW: THE MANAGER (INTERVIEW BY THE LMA) PT.2

leaders — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:40:00 +0000

Continued from part one.

At Reading you made it clear that you wanted to deliver a mantra of ‘Team, Flair, Spirit’, and when you joined Newcastle you said you’d bring ‘Drive, Desire and Commitment’. How important is it for a manager to clearly define his brand of management?

“If you are going to put yourself in line for any job as a professional football manager it’s important you put down the foundations of what you represent; what you will and won’t accept from the Board, your players and your staff. If I was a chairman, I think I’d want to hear that type of clarity coming from my manager from the outset and what my manager was going to bring to this football club.

I’ve always gone into interviews and said that I can over-achieve because I believe that I can by creating the environments where I can achieve. Sometimes you are not given the time, issues can arise that affect things. If there’s any advice that I would give a young manager it would be to get the clarity of their vision and ability across from the start. You must convey clearly and concisely the brand of football that you want to play and how you are going to achieve it. My brand of football has always been the same – to try and win the game whatever the odds, within the tactical game plan that we have. This is usually on the front foot and making it very, very difficult for the opponents.”

How do you communicate your vision to a multi-cultural dressing room?

“First of all you have to start with your staff, because if they don’t have the same passion as you to convey the message then you are not going to be able to do it on your own. You need a staff that can take the message forward for you and continue it when you may be away from the training ground, dealing with other club obligations.

If your staff don’t carry it through then there is a lack of continuity and it becomes ‘wishy washy’. If I saw a staff member ignore one of our players using a mobile phone in the treatment room and not dealing with that situation, then that staff member is going to be in trouble with me on that occasion rather than the player. I’m reliant on that staff member to realise the significance of the culture we are building within the club.

“I’m very lucky that I inherited so many good staff at Newcastle United who have completely bought into what we are doing. Delegation is so important for a manager and something that you come to understand and get to work for you better when you are older. So you need to know that you have a staff that you can delegate to. It’s very difficult to delegate when you are younger because you have a tendency to think you alone must always know what’s best and that you have to do it yourself and earn your spurs. In all honesty, it’s the reverse and the more experienced you become the more you learn to delegate to your staff.”

Who would you identify as mentors to you; who helped shape you as a manager?

“Steve Coppell was probably more influential than I’ve given him credit for, because in my formative professional years he was my manager so he subconsciously moulded a lot of things that are in me. The person who really got me into coaching and management in terms of looking at it professionally was Keith Peacock at Charlton, who was Alan Curbishley’s right-hand man for a long while and father of Gavin Peacock, who played for Newcastle United.

I used to have long discussions with him about managing. Players influence you, coaches influence you, and people you watch on the TV influence you. I like to find out things continually about football techniques, methods, and sports science, and make sure that I’m not falling behind in any way. So you have to be very open-minded as a manager. It’s an ongoing process of self-development and if you stop thinking that you can learn then you are in big trouble.”

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
KEIR RADNEDGE: THE CARETAKER
ROGAN TAYLOR: SWISS ROLE MODELS
DELROY ALEXANDER: CALL ME THE LONE RANGER

This interview is included in the latest issue of the League Managers Association’s (LMA) magazine, The Manager. The full online edition is available here The Manager – Issue 11.

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.

ALAN PARDEW: THE MANAGER (INTERVIEW BY THE LMA) PT.1

leaders — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:37:48 +0000

This interview is included in the latest issue of the League Managers Association’s (LMA) magazine, The Manager. The full online edition is available here The Manager – Issue 11.

After Newcastle United’s best start to a Barclays Premier League season in 17 years, manager Alan Pardew sat down with Sue McKellar to discuss life at the helm of one of football’s most iconic clubs.

When Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley arrived in 2007 he revealed a five-year plan to make the North East club self-financing. Raised on a diet of football legends, free flowing football and frequent marquee signings, it was hard for many of the Geordie faithful to visualise how such a financial model could enable them to remain competitive.

Five years on and with a host of clubs, North and South of the border, having entered administration, Newcastle’s plan and the transparency of its objectives is reaping the rewards of its conviction. Tasked with balancing the playing budget off the field while pursuing progress on it, is former Reading, West Ham, Charlton Athletic and Southampton manager Alan Pardew.

Since his appointment in December 2010 Pardew has assembled a side that has ploughed through any fears of ‘second season syndrome’ to sustain a challenge amidst the Barclays Premier League’s upper echelon. The Manager spoke with Alan Pardew to learn how his own career path from non-league footballer to Premier League manager is enabling him to strike just the right balance, and we’re delighted to offer this interview in this week’s The Leader.

You took a non-league football route into professional football as a player, while working as a glazier. In what ways has this route influenced your values and given you an appreciation of good man management?

“It was a very important route because you understand the work place and what the media represents to the working man. When I was a glazier I was reading the newspaper every day and that was my only insight into the football world. When you play in non-league football you meet a cross-section of characters that you don’t meet in professional football. You might have a company chief executive and a dustbin man playing side by side in the same non-league team.

So you come across many characters from different walks of life, whereas in professional football you have football-focused individuals who have based most of their upbringing on football because it was going to be their career from day one. Due to the playing route that I took I’ve experienced diversity of character, so when I come across what may be classed as a ‘difficult or enigmatic character’ in the football world it’s not so much of a problem for me.”

You had two spells as a caretaker-manager at Reading; how important was that glimpse into the reality of management for you?

“My first period as caretaker was brief and a bit of a blur. I was called upon to run the team, which was a significant jump for me because there were some experienced people in front of me. The second period was much more important because it was a chance to actually get the job full-time, which fortunately I took. From my background of being a not so well-known player, it was very important that I got that first chance. When I was reserve team manager I think that Reading recognised that I had qualities that I could possibly take into the role of manager. I was fortunate enough that Reading owner John Madejski gave me that opportunity.”

Out of all the players he managed, Steve Coppell highlighted you as a natural to go into management because you were managing situations while you were playing on the pitch. How conscious were you of that yourself?

“I was a bit like that when I played. I was always disappointed that I wasn’t captain but my playing ability always restricted me from assuming that role. But I still always tried to offer leadership on the pitch. It’s part of my make-up, and I’ve always been a talker. Communication on the pitch is something that I’m good at so I can understand Steve Coppell’s view. I didn’t really ever lose my head on a football pitch and I was always pretty much in a good space to control what was going on. I was always the type of player that offered an opinion to other players at the training ground and the players were always responsive to any advice that I gave them, which was a good sign.”

Under Steve Coppell you scored in the 1990 FA Cup semi-final to knock out Liverpool and earn Crystal Palace a place in the final against Manchester United. How much do you believe that Palace’s achievements shaped your belief that teams with less resources can actually be competitive with the biggest teams in English football?

“I think that it probably has influenced my thinking. Additionally I had some good cup runs with non-league teams. When I was playing for Corinthian Casuals we took Bristol City to a replay, which was probably an even bigger gulf than Crystal Palace and Liverpool at the time. So yes, I have played that underdog role in the past and know that success can be achieved.

At Palace we reached the FA Cup Final that season and finished third in the old First Division the next. A lot of that success came from the work ethic we had as a team and I now generate that in all of my own teams. Under Steve Coppell the emphasis was on the team and he never outwardly showed if it hurt him to lose a big player. Ian Wright broke his leg and didn’t play in the semi-final and we still beat Liverpool.

He never let any disappointment that he may have had on such occasions transfer to the team; there wasn’t a flicker. That is a quality that I took on board and if I lose a good player I think back to Steve and I make sure that I carry that trait through in my management. I believe that approach is very important. The players must understand that it isn’t about the individual, somebody can come in and if they are inspired they too can do the job.”

You are still a young manager and have already experienced highs in your career; promotions with both Reading and West Ham, leading West Ham to the FA Cup Final and winning Southampton’s first trophy since 1976. The emotions of succeeding take care of themselves but how have you dealt with the lows when you have lost a job?

“I believe that it is very important that you don’t get twisted about this game and start taking on board the conspiracy theories of why you have lost your job. You have just got to make sure that you are stronger next time that you go in. You can’t let disappointment hurt you and you’ve got to be resilient.

When a football manager joins a club, he needs to make sure that he is looking at the whole club and that he’s putting down a foundation and a clear vision of where he is going, because that clarity and communication can actually buy you another game. If you don’t do that and you lose four or five consecutive matches there’s a good chance that you are in big trouble. If the club can see you are trying to work with the budget that they have presented you with, trying to inspire people, trying to create a good work ethic at the football club then it might buy you that extra game.”

Newcastle United have a clearly defined five-year vision which they have made public. How beneficial is it for you as manager to have that transparency?

“I do think that the clarity of the budget is important. Some fans may not be entirely happy with the amount we have to spend but at least they know the big picture. When you look at the world economy and where football is at the moment we are seeing really tough times. We’ve seen examples of Portsmouth and Rangers, in Scotland, that show if you overstretch you are going to find yourself in serious trouble and you are putting the club’s future at risk.

At Newcastle we’ve got a good foundation and a good financial model and now the question is whether we can bring success within that model? That’s the challenge that I accepted when I joined the club and so far we are doing well and can hopefully continue to grow as we go along.”

A lot of clubs suffer from ‘second season syndrome’ after promotion to the Barclays Premier League. How have Newcastle United avoided that?

“I experienced ‘second season syndrome’ at West Ham. The first season we had a fantastic time in the Barclays Premier League, reached the FA Cup Final as well, and came close to winning against Liverpool. I went into the second season with almost the same group of players and we didn’t improve the areas that I thought were problematic.

Essentially I believe that you need to make some changes after that first year; if you can you should because the players can suddenly feel that they are Premier League players and you can often see the work rate and commitment go down by five or 10 per cent, which is enough at this level to cause you problems.”

Continues to part two.

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
KEIR RADNEDGE: THE CARETAKER
ROGAN TAYLOR: SWISS ROLE MODELS
DELROY ALEXANDER: CALL ME THE LONE RANGER

This interview is included in the latest issue of the League Managers Association’s (LMA) magazine, The Manager. The full online edition is available here The Manager – Issue 11.

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.

ROGAN TAYLOR: SWISS ROLE MODELS

leaders — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:31:13 +0000

Just after I arrived at my hotel on the shore of Lake Geneva (or Lake Leman as it’s properly called), I wandered out to find lunch. It looked rather nice on the other side of the lake, so at the nearby landing stage, I jumped a small, covered and warm, motor-boat (for free) which chugged across the water, whilst two local music students played a Bach double violin concerto in the stern. Blond girl and black boy weaving magic together on a lake bordered by Alpine mountains. What’s not to like?

Switzerland is a bit special, and a bit weird too, isn’t it? It sits, landlocked, in the heart of Western Europe but it isn’t ‘in’ Europe (ie the EU). It hasn’t fought a war with anybody in nearly two hundred years (and which other western European nation can claim that?); nor has it been occupied by invading armies. Yet wars raged around it almost continuously for much of the time until comparatively recently.

It’s a small country too, with an entire population (seven million plus) just the equivalent of London’s, but it hosts the headquarters of numerous major global organisations; a huge banking business, and a currency which, swiss-frankly, is to die for. And it is home, of course, to the two richest and most powerful football governing bodies in the world.

I was there to attend an event at UEFA HQ organised by my university. It drew together many of the current students on our Football Industry MBA course (Fimba) and also quite a few graduates from the programme over the past ten years and more. I was amazed and gratified to discover that no less than five of our Fimba grads were now working at UEFA (one of whom, Alex Phillips, is the current Head of Strategic Affairs), and another five were at the SportFive agency; some based at their offices in Geneva; buying and selling football media rights and mediating sponsorships all over the place.

As soon as you get off the plane in Switzerland, you feel you’re in a pretty well organised country. There are no queues at the airport. Just before baggage claim, you punch a button in a machine and out comes your free train ticket into central Geneva, and when you arrive at the hotel they give you a free pass to all public transport in the city, each day of your stay (hence the free ferry ride across the big lake). You might presume that the nation’s football works like clockwork too.

In fact, given the presence of both UEFA and FIFA HQs, an innocent abroad might expect Swiss football to be a model of sound organisation and good governance, but it ain’t. The ‘Swiss Super League’ is in deep trouble. The illustrious football bodies are effectively marooned in a local sea of mismanaged finances and dodgy dealings.

Just before Christmas, twice champions, Neuchatel Xamax, were punished by the Swiss FA for ‘irregularities’ in their transfer dealings; then the Club’s licence was revoked in January this year when it failed to produce proper financial guarantees, and a week later it went bankrupt amidst a welter of accusations, including, allegedly, falsifying bank documents (which purportedly included simple errors in spelling and grammar).

Xamax’s chairman, Russian businessman Bulat Chagaev, (who had sacked four team managers in his brief nine month ownership) was subsequently arrested for ‘financial mismanagement’ and currently seeks to defend himself in court.

Even FC Servette, in Geneva itself, almost went down the pan – for the second time a few months back. The 17 times Champions just avoided going bust by the skin of their teeth in February this year, having only emerged from a previous bankruptcy six years earlier.

Another club with a great history, Lausanne, were certain to be relegated but escaped thanks to the collapse of Xamax, and a massive 36 point deduction for FC Sion who (quite blatantly) fielded ineligible players earlier in the season. It’s a mess.

Swiss football is suffering from ‘small country syndrome’ and is far from alone in that. Finding business or ‘community’ models in which comparatively small football clubs (compared to the debt-ridden giants elsewhere) can survive and prosper isn’t easy, as Scotland knows only too well.

It might be tough at the top in UEFA & FIFA – but it looks pretty tough down below too.

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLES:
KEIR RADNEDGE: THE CARETAKER
ALAN PARDEW: THE MANAGER(INTERVIEW BY THE LMA)
DELROY ALEXANDER: CALL ME THE LONE RANGER

Dr Rogan Taylor is the Director of the Football Industry Group at the University of Liverpool. He is also a writer and broadcaster, with five football books and numerous radio and TV contributions. He has acted as a special adviser to The FA, The Premier League and Premier League Clubs.

The views of our regular columnists are independent, and as such do not represent those of Leaders in Football.