7. Sir Dave Brailsford

The greatest coaches of all deliver unprecedented levels of success and that is exactly what Sir Dave Brailsford, two times winner of BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award has done for British Cycling and Team Sky.

In its 76-year history British cycling had only won one gold medal so when Sir Dave Brailsford was appointed head of British Cycling in 2002 there weren’t exactly high expectations. In his first Olympic games in 2004 Britain won 4 medals including 2 Gold before winning 7 out of the 10 available gold medals in track cycling in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Sir Dave has also led Team Sky, Britain’s first ever professional cycling team to success in 7 of the 8 editions of the Tour de France between 2012 and 2019. So what has Sir Dave implemented to make Britain such a powerhouse in cycling?

He applied the theory of marginal gains meaning that he broke down every single element of competing in cycling and tried to improve it by 1% as to achieve an aggregate advantage in performance.

In a quest for progression over perfection the floor of the team bus was painted white to spot any impurities that would undermine the maintenance of the bikes. A surgeon was hired to teach the cyclists how to properly wash their hands to avoid illnesses. The cyclists’ pillows and mattresses were shipped out so the athletes could sleep in the same posture every night.

By compounding improvements Sir Dave created a golden era for British Cycling and deserves all the accolades he receives.

Original images author: FGphotographic; Mike Finn

Images amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original images licenses: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BRAILSFORD_Dave.jpg

Lord Bendtner Retires

If you ask me if I’m one of the best strikers in the world, I say ‘yes’ because I believe it” – Nicklaus Bendtner after being quizzed on his standing in world football.

Lord Nicklaus Bendtner from Denmark was a centre-forward for Wolfsburg, Juventus and most famously Arsenal. A lumbering, physically strong player Bendtner was known for his aerial threat and heading ability.

By known I of course mean he was known for missing those chances in addition to missing volleys, tap-ins and the occasional penalty. Lord Bendtner was best known for ridiculous self-assurance, crazy nights out and a Paddy Power celebration that cost him £80,000.

His ‘bad boy’ image preceded even himself after one away day which saw him and a team-mate sneak to the bar the night before a match to talk to some girls. Shortly after they were skinny dipping in the indoor pool which contained a slide and before they knew it they had started their own internal competition. One couple would judge the other on the way down the slide as they tore their skin on the unlubricated slide.

Possibly my favourite memory of Bendtner comes from a game I wish to forget; a 5-1 defeat to Spurs in the Carling Cup semi-final. 4-0 to Spurs after 60 minutes which included a Nicklaus Bendtner own goal and star striker Emannuel Adebayor was subbed on in his place.

Whilst coming on Adebayor let Bendtner know he wasn’t happy that he had to come on and waste his energy by saying “I’m here because you’re playing like s***”.

Have a happy retirement Lord, you always kept us entertained!   

Original images authors: Кирилл Венедиктов; Wonker

Image amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original image licenses: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicklas_Bendtner_2017.jpg

8. Johan Cruyff

The Godfather of total football, Johan Cruyff was one of the very few who was both a World Class footballer in addition to being a world class manager.

Total football was first invented in the 1970’s by the Dutch and implemented best by Cruyff himself who described the footballing philosophy as any player being able to play in any position therefore confusing the opposition in an era where man-marking was quite prominent.

In Cruyff’s teams the first defender was the attacker and the first attacker was the goalie and nobody embodied this more than Johan Cruyff himself. A master on the ball and a pleasure for all fans to watch.

I could go on about his abilities and achievements as a player which includes having a skill, The Cruyff Turn, named after him but this is about his abilities as a coach.

Cruyff was equal measures of magician and authoritarian. There are countless stories of how demanding he could be of his players and coaching staff on the training pitch which led to several altercations with the coaches and powers that be.

When discussing Cruyff’s legacy we can talk about his time at Ajax which was phenomenal, but I can’t look past his time at Barcelona where he developed future talent through the famous La Masia. Winning 11 trophies in his 8 year spell there, including the club’s first ever Champions League trophy.

If there is one thing to epitomise Cruyff’s sides, it is that “playing football is very simple,  but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is”.

Original image author: Nationaal Archief

Image amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original image license: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Feyenood-Ajax_2-3._Johan_Cruyff_(technisch_directeur_Ajax)_(l)_en_Feyenoord_trainer_Israel_voor_de_wedstrijd.jpg

9. José Mourinho

Conniving, egotistic and above all else absolutely brilliant.

When José Mourinho set the footballing world alight when his Porto side defeated Manchester United on their way to winning their second ever Champions League trophy.

José is a tactical genius and although his methods may be out-dated in today’s game, he has dominated in every country he has managed and won trophies at every single club he has managed. Well except for Spurs of course but he’s not a magician.

Mourinho has had many great achievements in his career from defeating a prime Pep Guardiola Barcelona with 10-men of Inter Milan to winning a “treble” at Manchester United. But in my opinion his greatest ever achievement was in 2004/2005 when he coached Chelsea to the tile whilst conceding only 15 goals in 38 games, a post-war record and equalling Preston’s 1889/89 record.

Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles and this Chelsea defence was undoubtedly one of the best rearguards modern day football has ever seen. Cech, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, William Gallas, Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge and Claude Makélélé played their part in a season that saw them lose one game to a Nicholas Anelka penalty against Manchester City.

Combine this with players like Drogba, Duff, Cole, Lampard, Robben and you have a side that was not only air-tight at the back, but such a potent counter-attacking side as well. Mourinho was a genius at identifying the strengths of his squad and instilling the psychological belief in them that they not only could but should defeat every side that was put in front of them.

That is why he is a serial winner and an outstanding manager.

Original images authors: Edgar Jiménez; Ronnie Macdonald

Images amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original images licenses: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Est%C3%A1dio_do_Drag%C3%A3o_(8468978586).jpg

10. Herbert Chapman

When you hear the phrase footballing genius your mind would rightfully jump to Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho or even Johan Cruyff. But prior to the modern day and even before the Second World War there was one man who changed football forever with his superior “WM” formation.

Herbert Chapman’s Huddersfield Town were known mainly for their defensive solidity in the 20’s which led them to back-to-back titles in the 1923-24 and 1924-25 seasons which included a 5-0 win over relegation battling Arsenal in February. The second season was the first time in history a title-winning side had not conceded more than two goals in any match.

So what happens when you can’t beat them? You hire them to replace the manager you sacked and in the summer Arsenal did exactly that.

Chapman arrived at Arsenal with the promise of making them the “Newcastle of the South” (couldn’t see that hitting the right notes nowadays). Chapman signed Sunderland’s all-time record goal-scorer Charlie Buchanan whom he made captain.

But his most remarkable achievement was inventing the WM formation otherwise known as the 3-2-2-3 formation or the modernised 3-4-3. At the time sides would traditionally play a 2-3-5 but with Chapman’s change it allowed the centre half to be responsible for the offside trap whilst the full backs could cover the wings.

He wasn’t the only man to attempt this, however nobody implemented it better than Chapman, combining the defensive advantages with his own beliefs on counter-attacking football with pacy wingers and a rock-solid defence.

I leave you with words seem so obvious to us now, but in the late 30’s turned Arsenal into a super counter-attacking force that dominated the decade:

“The most opportune time for scoring is immediately after repelling an attack, because opponents are then strung out in the wrong half of the field” – Herbert Chapman

Original images authors: Wonker; Ronnie Macdonald

Images amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original image licenses: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emirates_Stadium_2009.jpg

UCL Final: Manchester City vs Chelsea

On Saturday night Chelsea claimed their second Champions League title by overcoming all odds by defeating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 1-0. The Kai Havertz goal just before half time sealed the victory for Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, but how much was down to Manchester City’s setup rather than Chelsea’s brilliance?

Before we dive into that, let’s first (painfully) congratulate Chelsea. Conceding fewer goals in a Champions league campaign than in one home match against West Brom is remarkably impressive. Tuchel’s Chelsea are extremely difficult to beat but also extremely potent on the counter attack despite Werner’s… lack of form let’s say.

So congratulations to Chelsea, but especially Tuchel and Thiago Silva on a superb campaign after losing in last year’s final.

Now to Manchester City who invested hundreds of millions in a side with the sole purpose of winning the Champions League. Now we can hardly say their season is a failure after winning the domestic double but I don’t think we can call it a success either. The one question that keeps coming back to me is what was Pep thinking?

You don’t change a winning side. It’s as simple as that. A side as dominant as Manchester City should have gone to Portugal and tried to play as they had been for the majority of the season.

Instead Pep turned up with one of his brilliant ideas: no defensive midfielder in the starting line-up and an out-of-form Sterling. Bizarre. This isn’t the first time Pep has tinkered to the point of madness with a winning side (His Bayern side going man for man against Messi, Neymar and Suarez spring to mind).

I’m not saying Pep should go, far from it. But that conversation would have been had in the Manchester camp this week and Pep will have to deliver with this squad next season to guarantee his position as manager.

Original image authors: Brian Minkoff-London Pixels; James Boyes; Football Vacancies

Images amended by: Tom Burns / @t.b.creative

Original image licenses: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:N%27Golo_Kante_v_Newcastle.jpg

https:/flickr.com/photos/164947171@N05/46782812714

11. Jill Ellis

Where we are today isn’t good enough to win next year.

That was Jill Ellis on her first day of coaching the Olympic champions and Number 1 ranked Women’s national side, the United States. Without a World Cup win since 1999 and little over a year before the 2015 World Cup Jill Ellis was determined to take the squad to new levels.

Ellis took her team on a gruelling journey to a sweltering and soaking Brazil leading pitches to be underwater or the temperature to be insanely high, all while 10,000 fans booed them every second of the way. After returning from the trip Ellis explained they had to learn to deal with every curveball that was thrown at them. The ability to thrive rather than crumble in adversity is the difference between winning and losing at the highest level.

Mountain tops are small and the air is thin, it is rented space not to be dwelled upon.

Ellis’ USA had won the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship before struggling in the 2016 Summer Olympics. A draw against Colombia before losing against Sweden meant it was the first time the USA had not played for the Gold medal in their history.

Ellis knew from her father that she had to “coach the game, not to keep [her] job”. She suspended her goalkeeper for calling Sweden “cowards” and brought in 11 uncapped players into the side, playing 6 of them meaning regular starters were omitted.

Fans and fellow countrymen were calling for the end of her tenure. But 3 years later in the next World Cup USA defeated France 2-0 to secure consecutive World Cups, the first female side to ever win consecutive World Cups and the first coach, male or female to win consecutive World Cups since Vittorio Pozzo in 1938.

Determination, risk-taking and records… the marks of a great coach.

Original image authors: Lorie Shaull and Rachel.c.king

Images amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original image licenses: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jill_Ellis,_USWNT_coach.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USWNT_Celebrates.jpg

12. Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers in the late 50’s and 60’s. The Packers embodied his beliefs of resilience, hard work and exacting standards, leading them to 5 championships in nine seasons.

Lombardi started his coaching career as an offensive backfield coach for the Giants where he first won the NFL championship, a taste of things to come.

In 1959 Lombardi took over a Packers side that were failing. Their team founder still roamed the sidelines and the Packers hadn’t finished above .500 since 1947. In his first season as coach Green Bay went 7-5, their best win total since 1944 and it wasn’t long before Lombardi totally revamped the side and led them to winning everything in the 1961 and 1962 seasons.

In 1965 the Packers started a run of three consecutive championships bringing Lombardi’s total to 5. The first ever Superbowl saw the Packers dominate Kansas City 35-10 and the second Superbowl wasn’t far different with Green Bay running out 33-14 winners against Oakland.

Lombardi’s military background meant his sides were tough and always well prepared. He was demanding and after 30 minutes of his first session in 1959, former quarterback Bart Starr phoned his wife to say “Honey, we’re going to start winning”. Lombardi’s relentless pursuit of perfection was obvious from day 1.

His ability to be fair and objective whilst striving for perfection was perhaps his best quality as a coach. Starr was unfairly lambasted by Lombardi in one session so he approached him after to admit he had made plenty of mistakes, but if he was to lead his men on the field he couldn’t allow the coach to constantly undermine him in public.

Lombardi apologised and all confrontations were held within that office rather than on the field from that point on. His humility allowed the team to grow.

Like all great coaches Lombardi knew when to seize control and left his role after Superbowl II leaving a legacy that would last forever.

Original images authors: Jim Bowen and Lordmontu.

Images amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original image licenses: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamiedfw/3425524456

Premier League Round-up

Manchester City were confirmed Champions many blue moons ago and the tragic trio were also decided well in advance of the final day. We did have one storyline to cling onto however and that was which two of Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester would make it into the top 4?

Firstly we must congratulate Manchester City on a fabulous season in which we saw Ruben Dias rightfully named as the PFA player of the season.

To be the Golden boot and playmaker winner yet finish the season trophyless is virtually a crime and may well be the reason we have seen Kane play his final game in the whites of Spurs.

After a magical campaign last season, Sheffield United were relegated as one of the worst sides to have ever played in the Prem. They did however muster two more wins than the miserable pair who will inevitably yo-yo into the Championship.

Returning to the race for top 4 and it was in Chelsea and Liverpool’s hands (bar an extraordinary result for Leicester against Spurs). Chelsea played Villa and Liverpool hosted Palace in what proved to be a magnificent evening of football.

After the Allison winner against West Brom and a comfortable victory against Burnley, Liverpool finished the season with a professional display against Palace who bid farewell to managerial veteran Roy Hodgson, thus guaranteeing Liverpool with a surprising third placed finish.

Yes third place because against the odds Aston Villa defeated Tuchel’s Chelsea 2-1 with a superb performance from Bertrand Traore. Having lost the FA cup final and with the UCL final looming this month might be one to forget for Tuchel.

A team who will want to forget this Premier League campaign quickly is Leicester City. Having spent 95% of this season and last in the top 4 they have failed to qualify for the UCL in both campaigns after losing 4-2 at home to Spurs. A tough pill to swallow for a Leicester side that have been so consistent and absolutely brilliant to watch.

But that’s it for another season. Arsenal were abysmal, Southampton lost 9-0 again, Leeds and Bielsa were a joy.

Mark Hughes hasn’t been a Premier League manager in 3 years. Steve Bruce won a manager of the month award and I’m Nuno has finished a spectacular run as manager of Wolves.

I’m not sure how we’re all going to cope over the long, gruelling endless summer. Guess we’ll just have to watch Wales win the Euros…

Original image authors: jpellgen (@1179_jp) and profile

Images amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original image licenses: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpellgen/14813671515

13. Patrick Mouratoglou

Patrick Mouratoglou is a French tennis coach who founded his tennis academy in 1996 and is best known for coaching the queen of tennis herself, Serena Williams.

As a child Patrick was lacking confidence in social situations to the extent that it took him one year to say one word to his psychologist as a child. Patrick claimed that because he never spoke in school he spent most of his time observing and analysing his peers. He could see their interactions and vulnerabilities where others couldn’t and this is his most powerful tool as a coach.

A great coach cannot be afraid to take risks and get fired as long as he has the player’s best interest at heart. Serena had only been coached by her father in her whole career until she was knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round and asked Patrick if she could train at his academy. Serena asked him a few questions about her game and Patrick sensed his opportunity to work with the G.O.A.T. and told Serena:

“You’re an underachiever, you have won 13 Grand Slams which is fantastic but I think you could have 26. You go unprepared to tournaments and you have no plan B so you lose too many matches”.

He wasn’t afraid of being fired.

In Serena’s first match at Wimbledon she arrived late before ignoring Mouratoglou. Patrick refused to accept this and slammed his hand on the bill of her cap before telling her he has 3 rules:

Rule No. 1 – When you come to MY court, you look at me and you say good morning;

Rule No 2 – When I talk to you, you listen to me, look at me and answer me. Is that clear?

Serena’s response?

What’s rule No.3?

His fearlessness in his approach and his ability to take the greatest tennis player under his wing and improve her is why Patrick Mouratoglou is a GREAT coach.

Original image authors: Helsingborgs Dagblad and Jono52795

Images amended by: Tom Burns/ @t.b.creative

Original image licenses: https://www.flickr.com/photos/helsingborgs-dagblad/9329445364