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...

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...

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.  SHOW NOTES => 01:44: Reaction to announcement last night (February 21st) that Thomas Tuchel would be stepping down as Bayern Munich manager at the...

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...

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...

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...

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.  SHOW NOTES=> 02:13:...

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:...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 for an exclusive interview. In Part 1, he reflected on pre-season, looked ahead to the 2023/24 campaign and gave insights into his coaching methods. 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:...

Episode #52 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 => 01:53: Having a blank canvas when they arrived at the club. 05:35: Setting a game identity, which then helps...

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...

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...

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/...

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...

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.  => SHOW NOTES: 02:06: How he got started in computer programming/ mathematics and then football. 05:45: Studying behaviour of birds and fish and how this relates to football. Need to look at at least six matches of data to remove randomness. 08:13: Matthew Benham's work on gambling/ modelling of odds was first alliance of...

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...

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.  => SHOW NOTES: 01:57: What is human development? 07:21: Mindfulness room. 16:02: Influence of neuroscience.  26:22: Strengthening the window of tolerance.  28:06: Professional doctorate in elite performance. Research in application. 33:07: Red and green model. 38:54: Being present/ enjoying the moment. 45:22:...