So when Nick asked to interview me about mental performance, I could only say yes!

Here is the introduction, and there’s over an hour of great content that I will post over the coming weeks and months.

To find out more about the amazing results that Nick gets go to www.nickgratham.com

Should the pressure being put on BskyB by Ofcom come to fruition, there will undoubtedly be less money in the game in the next five years. Are you willing to wait until that happens before you begin significant reform of how the game is governed and more importantly how it is led?

The focus during this World Cup year should be largely on the progress of the national team and those players who will be striving in the summer to bring the ultimate success for English Football. Instead the media focus is on the fact the sport’s governing body has yet another Chief Executive – along with the accusations and counter accusations that another change brings. While some attention has been given to the wonderful form of the likes of Wayne Rooney and James Milner, many more column inches have been given to the misconduct of various high profile players, including England’s John Terry and Ashley Cole, England U21 international Andy Carroll and several more. While you shouldn’t be expected to be responsible for the private lives of players, governing bodies should be expected to show leadership in their public response to the damage these action causes our national sport.

While I am well aware that there a number of people in the ranks of your organisations who are striving to create change, those of us involved in the game from a business perspective as well as the players, coaches and the public also know the resistance to change is huge. Of course this isn’t just true of English football, but weren’t we the original trailblazers of the game? Isn’t it time to be world leaders again, at least in how we manage, lead and prepare our game for the next decade?

While I have serious doubts as to whether there are enough real leaders in your organisations to create significant change before you are forced to, here is Success In Football’s six point plan to safeguard the current product, as well as improving the standard of the game as a whole.

You are in hugely privileged positions; holding the future of the England’s national sport in your hands. You enjoy the perks and benefits that many others would love to have. It is time to take the responsibility that the position creates.

The Six Point Plan

1. A complete review of the structure of the FA as an organisation. The end product of this restructuring must be a more agile governing body that is able to make decisions in the best interest of the game at an appropriate pace. This by nature will include a significant reduction in the number of committees required to make decisions.

2. A complete revamp of the education available to everyone involved in the game. In reality coaching qualifications have barely changed for at least the last fifteen years. In addition, the fact that each body has its own approach to educating its members shows the current programmes do not deliver what is required. The output must be an integrated development path for players, coaches, managers, officials and even club administrators.

3. An agreement on the areas of control and influence for each of the bodies. While this may be a huge challenge, until there is agreement on what is ‘in scope’ and ‘out of scope’ for each body, the politically driven ‘holding back’ of the game will continue.

4. A shared vision for the future of the game to be agreed by the bodies to ensure that everyone is striving for the same goals. This will be underpinned by performance measurement throughout the governing bodies.

5. Football as a whole to develop a formal approach to learning from other sports and entertainment industries and sectors. While I am sure that Richard Bevan would not admit it publicly, the stark contrast even between cricket and football in England must have been a shock. While there have been some attempts to integrate ideas from other countries and their sports it has been largely haphazard and badly thought through.

6. The safeguarding and development of the sport is put firmly at the heart of the activities of the bodies. The FA, PFA and LMA in particular must hold this to be true in their strategy and operations. This does not mean that financial success is forgone. Instead future rewards and success will be assured.
If you are involved in the game and see this plan as impossible then all the more reason to create pressure for those with the gift of power to take action. In order for the current levels of wealth to continue and for the English game to be re-established as a global leader, significant changes must begin now.

Richard Nugent
Managing Director
Success In Football Ltd.

Messers Wenger and Martinez – both of whom I am a fan of – made strong comments about opposition players that contradicted with what fans, other players and managers could see for themselves on TV.

I know as well as anyone how difficult post match interviews are – after all we train clients to do them well. However when so much emotion is involved these are high profile examples of when taking a more neutral line immediately after the game would benefit everyone involved.

While Wenger has built up more than enough credibility to ensure these comments and the subsequent reaction from Tony Pulis will not have an impact on how he is perceived, I hope it’s a lesson to other managers and players to be sure of the message you want to get across before you the cameras roll.

This pilot was well received and Durham CCC have already secured Richard’s services to lead a session in March.

It’s an exciting development for Success In Football and Richard is grateful for the support of Darren Long from Beswicks Sports – one of the worlds leading Cricket representatives for his help in designing the session.

This was a grade ‘A’ event and it was fantastic to see many top flight managers attending.

Well done to all involved.

It doesn’t take an expert on human psychology to know that Micky Adams outburst after his team’s defeat against Notts County isn’t helpful in the short or long term. Nor is Phil Browns alledged admission that relationships are strained with his players following his comments after their defeat to Liverpool a great shock.

What is clear is that managers must be even more prepared and even more controlled when they go in front of the media after an emotional defeat.

When we coach clients on dealing with the media, we focus on their ability to instantly manage their state. In other words, get yourself calm in an instant before answering the question.

None of the managers highlighted have huge squads or big budgets, they have to work with what they have to get the best from them. They are experienced enough to know that players do go home and listen to radio interviews, watch Sky Sports and get messages from their mates, so why be so publicly negative?

Players do need a kick up the backside, and some more than others, but if you don’t understand how to do it constructively, it’s best not to do it in front of the nation.

One client told me, “I was there on the first day at Newcastle for Dalglish, Gullit and Robson and it was clear from the moment he walked on the pitch that the players had more repect for him than the other two put together. When he spoke there was complete silence, players like Shearer, Speed and Given hanging on every word.”

Local journalists are full of stories about what a gentleman he was, but it is his players who really tell the story of what a great leader he was. It’s clear that he was able to inspire and motivate the great and the not so great to give their all for the cause. All this despite being from a completely different era, despite a less then perfect memory for names, despite the dawning of the age of the teenage millionaires in the game, players played for the gaffa because he made them feel like they wanted to.

If there were more like you I’d be out of a job Sir Bobby and I’l happily find another.

Welcome to the new Success In Football website. Any potential client will be able to get a feel for how we can work together from this new site as well as updates from us such as this one!

We have also included details of our coaching programmes for those who have football related businesses and want to take it to the next level.

Feel free to have a look around and drop us a line with you feedback.