Pen pics of Everton's coaching, science, medicine and analytics staff.

Everton Performance Coach Jack Dowling has raised more than £75,000 for McMillan Cancer Support by running 26 marathons in 26 weeks. He tells TGG about his experiences.

Natasha Patel is Assistant Academy Director at Southampton and one of the most experienced women working in men's professional football. In Episode #64 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, she outlined her journey in football, how analysis has evolved and her experiences on either side of the Atlantic.

RENE MARIC is one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe. At the age of 31, he is Head of Coach Development and Playing Philosophy at Bayern Munich and has worked for Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach. He told the TGG Podcast about his coaching journey and lessons.

JAMES VAUGHAN has been promoted to the new role of Head of Academy Recruitment and Player Pathways at Everton. The 35-year-old, who made 60 appearances for the club as a player, rejoined the Blues as Loans Pathway Manager in September 2022.

RADHI JAIDI became the first Tunisian to play in the Premier League when he joined Sam Allardyce's Bolton in 2004 and he remains a trailblazer as one of the only black Muslim coaches in senior European football. On Episode #61 of the TGG Podcast, Jaidi told us about his journey as a player and coach.

AS manager of League One Reading, Ruben Selles has one of the toughest jobs in the Football League. On Episode #60 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, he explained what it's like to lead the crisis club.

HOW did Everton manage to spend record sums under Farhad Moshiri while getting progressively worse? Former manager Frank Lampard laid out the answer on The Overlap.

BELGIUM'S Union Saint-Gilloise have marked themselves out as one of the smartest and most innovative clubs in Europe. In Episode #59 of the TGG Podcast, their Sporting Director, Chris O'Loughlin, gave insights into how they are managing to upset the established order.

JOEL WALDRON, Everton’s Academy Chief Operating Officer and former Academy Director, has left the club after 12 years.

KEVIN THELWELL has been Director of Football during a tumultuous period at Everton. In Episode #58 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, Thelwell talked about what his role involves, formulating a long-term plan for the club and what the future might hold.

IN an exclusive interview with TGG, Everton Director of Football Kevin Thelwell outlines a plan for the club that finally includes financial prudence and a long-term strategy.

JES BUSTER MADSEN is Head of Research and Development at FC Copenhagen and a world leader in the application of cognitive neuroscience in football. In Episode #57 of the TGG Podcast he explained how and why brain training will be the next big growth area in football.

EVERTON Physical Performance Coach Jack Dowling is running 26 marathons in 26 weeks to fundraise after his older brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

FOR the last decade, Mark Leyland has been one of the foremost analysts in this country - and has gone on to become even more than that. He spoke to TGG about the evolution of his role at Liverpool and Newcastle and his current job as Head of Coaching Methodology at City Football Group.

FOR almost a decade, Sarah Rudd was Vice President of Analytics for StatDNA and Arsenal, making her one of the most senior women in the Premier League. In this episode of the TGG Podcast, she told us about her work with Arsenal, her wider career and her thoughts on the future of analytics.

LIVERPOOL'S influential assistant Pep Lijnders was our guest on Episodes #53 and #54 of the TGG Podcast, giving in-depth insights into his work at the Anfield club.

MANAGER Ian Evatt and Sporting Director Chris Markham are working in tandem to try and restore Bolton Wanderers to their former glories. They outlined their approach in Episode #52 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl.

DELE ALLI has laid bare his addiction to sleeping pills - and the unhealthy relationship that the game as a whole has with them. TGG takes an in-depth look at the issue and asks what can be done about it.

WHEN Irishman Conor Nestor got an unexpected opportunity to manage Svay Rieng in Cambodia, he grabbed it with both hands. He transformed the way they operated, including a complete revamp of their analysis and recruitment. Here he explains what he did and how it helped land the Cambodian league title.

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Graeme Sharp is one of three Everton Board members to have today left their roles.

TRIBUTES have been paid to Everton Academy Recruitment Manager Ian Lavery, who has died following a short illness.

ARSENAL have a fantastic record of producing athletic Academy graduates. In Episode #50 of the TGG Podcast Des Ryan, the club's former Head of Academy Sports Medicine and Athletic Development, explains why and how.

BENFICA are the reigning UEFA Youth League champions and have the most profitable Academy in Europe. Their Technical Director Pedro Marques was our guest on Episode #49 of the TGG Podcast in association with Hudl.

OUR guest on Episode #48 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast is Norwich City's Stuart Webber, who we've often described as the 'purest' example of a Sporting Director in this country.

IN Episode #47 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, Tom Vernon tells us about the origins of Right to Dream, its objectives and what the rest of football can learn from the group.

EVERTON have appointed Tom Kearney and Dan Copnall as their new Assistant Heads of Coaching as they continue to revamp their Academy.

PROFESSOR David Sumpter is a pioneer of the application of data science in football and has worked with leading teams including Ajax, Barcelona, Hammarby and England. In Episode #46 of the TGG Podcast he gives insights into his work and predictions for the future.

LEE SARGESON has left Brighton after almost six years to become Manager of Scouting Operations at Everton.

FORMER MK Dons manager Dan Micciche has been appointed to the new role of Player Development Lead Coach by Everton.

NEW Everton manager Sean Dyche has taken a trio of his former Burnley staff with him to Goodison Park: Ian Woan, Steve Stone and Mark Howard.

EVERTON'S churn of managers during the Farhad Moshiri era has led to an ever-changing staff and mixed messages for players. Here's what they could learn from the likes of Brentford and Brighton in identifying their next boss.

BRENTFORD first-team coach Justin Cochrane tells us about his coaching journey on Episode #45 of the TGG Podcast.

CHARLIE REEVES has been promoted to Senior Lead for Performance Insights by Everton. The club are also still aiming to recruit a Head of Performance Analysis and Insights to lead the department.

SALLY NEEDHAM is the Human Development and Performance Culture Lead at Sheffield United's Academy. On Episode #44 of the TGG Podcast she gives us the lowdown on her unique role.

RUI FARIA is the most successful number two in football history. Here he gives in-depth insights into his time working alongside Jose Mourinho.

EVERTON have appointed former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid practitioner Jack Nayler as their new Head of Sport Science.

CARL DARLINGTON has left the Football Association of Wales (FAW) after 17 years to become Everton’s new Head of Academy Coaching.

FORMER Everton striker James Vaughan has been appointed as the club’s first Loans Pathway Manager. The 34-year-old joins from nearby Tranmere Rovers, where he had been Sporting Director since February.

SEAN DYCHE explains the lessons he has learned throughout his career, from being a trainee under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest to taking unfashionable Burnley into Europe for the first time in 51 years.

STEVEN REID left his role as first-team coach at Nottingham Forest earlier this summer to become a confidence, wellbeing and leadership coach. On Episode #41 of the TGG Podcast he explains the reasons why and gives insights into his two decades as a Premier League player and coach.

DAMIEN COMOLLI tells TGG about the strategies he has employed to restore Toulouse FC to the top table of French football - and how they were honed during three decades in the game.

JOHN EBBRELL has taken up the new position of Player Development Senior Coach at Everton's Academy. The former Toffees midfielder has held the dual role of Head of Academy Coaching and Under-23s assistant at the club since November 2020.

GARETH PROSSER has been appointed as the new Academy Director of Everton. The move reunites him with Director of Football Kevin Thelwell, with whom he worked at both Derby and Wolves.

IN April, Southampton announced that they were launching a “unique” Learning Lab that would embed a “research culture focused on modern Ecological Approaches” in their club and Academy. TGG decided to find out more by welcoming two members of the Learning Lab Board onto our podcast.

EVERTON’S Head of Performance Insights, Paul Graley, has left the club after 13 years.

MICK RATHBONE looks back on four decades as a physio, including being sacked by his best mate David Moyes, an epiphany on a volcano and beating Shinji Kagawa in a running race at Manchester United in his late 50s.

AUSTRALIA assistant Rene Meulensteen was our guest on Episode #38 of the TGG Podcast. He told us about his coaching journey from Holland to Australia via Manchester United and the lessons learned along the way in front of a live audience..

EVERTON have today launched a “thorough and far-reaching” search for a new Academy Director and Under-23s Head Coach.

EVERTON Academy Director and Under-23s manager David Unsworth is leaving the club after nine years to pursue his “career aspirations” of becoming a first-team manager.

ANDREAS GEORGSON gives us insights into individual development coaching, evolving set pieces at the highest level, Malmö's youth development secrets and what it was like to work under Arteta.

THE Training Ground Guru Podcast is celebrating its third birthday. We look back on the 37 episodes we've had so far - and ahead to season four.

DAN PURDY has returned to Everton as Scouting and Operations Manager - just three months after resigning from the same role at the club.

FOR 24 years, Francis Cagigao was one of the most important and influential figures at Arsenal. He tells TGG about his time with the North London club and about his new role, as Director of Football for Chile.

KEVIN THELWELL has been appointed as Everton’s new Director of Football, replacing Marcel Brands, who left in December.

JODY MORRIS explains why he didn't join Frank Lampard's staff at Everton after being his assistant at Derby County and Chelsea.

FORMER Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands is returning to PSV Eindhoven as their Chief Executive Officer.

FRANK LAMPARD has taken three staff with him to Everton - assistant Joe Edwards, first-team coaches Paul Clement and Ashley Cole, and Head of Performance Chris Jones.

BRENTFORD'S journey to the Premier League is a story of innovation, clever use of data and investment in people. We found out more about this from their Director of Football, Phil Giles.

FOUR members of Everton backroom staff have lost their jobs following the sacking of manager Rafa Benitez yesterday.

EVERTON legend Graeme Sharp has been added to the club’s Board as a Non-Executive Director.

MARIELA NISOTAKI is the Head of Emerging Talent at Norwich City - and the only female scout on the circuit in the UK. She told us what her job involves, how she balances data with live eyes and why Norwich are an ambitious club doing things their own way.

EVERTON'S Head of Recruitment and Development, Gretar Steinsson, and Manager of Scouting and Operations, Dan Purdy, have both left the club as bloodletting continues behind the scenes.

In Episode #33 of the TGG Podcast, Chris Ramsey MBE tells us about his role at QPR, his career journey, how he develops coaches and why the game has lost a generation of black leaders.

EVERTON Director of Football Marcel Brands has left the club after three-and-a-half years, with “a strategic review of the football structure" now set to take place.

EVERTON have parted company with Director of Medical Danny Donachie following a review by manager Rafa Benitez.

GREGG BROUGHTON is the Academy Director at Bodø/Glimt, the small club making a big noise in European football. He was our guest on Episode #32 of the TGG Podcast.

FITNESS COACH Cristian Fernandez has left Newcastle United after five years to join Everton.

OWEN EASTWOOD, who has worked with the England men's football team since 2016, shares insights about building an optimum environment for teams and athletes to thrive.

LUKE BORNN, the former Head of Analytics at AS Roma, tells us about his own journey, and that of data science in football.

DAVE ALRED MBE shares the secrets for performing under pressure that he's used with Jonny Wilkinson, Luke Donald, Francesco Molinari and even Gareth Southgate

JAMIE HARLEY has been reunited with manager Rafa Benitez as Head of Sport Science at Everton. The duo worked together at Newcastle United during the Spaniard’s three years in charge of the Magpies.

IN just 20 months, Russell Martin has marked himself out as one of the most interesting and original English managers in the game. He told TGG more about his approach, covering topics including Buddhism, politics, playing without fear, work-life balance and the importance of sticking to Plan A.

RAFA BENITEZ has made the first two appointments to his Everton backroom team, with long-time lieutenants Paco de Miguel and Antonio Gomez returning to work alongside him.

MICHAEL BEALE gives an insight into the training ground methods that helped Rangers land their first title in a decade.

CHELSEA WOMEN manager Emma Hayes on some of the key influences on her career and how they helped to shape her leadership philosophy.

EVERTON have extended the contract of Director of Football Marcel Brands to 2024. We assess how his three years at the club have gone so far.

FRANCESCO MAURI, Everton’s Head of Conditioning, explains why he focuses on intensity instead of volume and how this approach was influenced by Cristiano Ronaldo.

LAURENCE STEWART, the Head of Recruitment for AS Monaco, explains the core principles of the club's transfer strategy.

RENOWNED coach and coach educator Brian Ashton MBE tells TGG the lessons he has learned from five decades in the profession.

AZ ALKMAAR Sport Development Director Marijn Beuker outlines how the club outperform their budget by thinking differently.

EVERTON have revamped their analysis department, with Paul Graley moving into a new Head of Performance Insights role at the club.

EVERTON'S Head of Academy Coaching, Sean Lundon, has left the club after 21 years to work for Italian wearable tracking firm gpexe.

LIVERPOOL legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher tells TGG how he analyses matches and aims to take fans inside the world of the manager's post-match debrief.

UNDER-16s lead Dan Micciche outlines the key principles of Arsenal's Academy and how they go about developing 'Strong Young Gunners.'

BRIGHTON Technical Director Dan Ashworth explains what the role involves and why he believes it’s so important.

DAVID UNSWORTH wants Everton's Academy to become “the best in the world” following a restructure that has taken place over the last few months.

EVERTON assistant Davide Ancelotti was the guest on episode #19 of the TGG Podcast. The 31-year-old talked about growing up with a famous father, gave insights into his role, explained why Dominic Calvert-Lewin was "the best striker we could have" and opened up about his own managerial ambitions.

ASTON VILLA Head of Nutrition Dr Marcus Hannon has carried out the first piece of research into the body composition, physical loading patterns and daily energy expenditure of Academy players - and the results show the need for full-time nutrition support for young players.

Eddie Jones, Tom Vernon, Dave Reddin, Lorraine O'Malley and Karen Bardsley outline what they believe will be the big developments in football in the coming months and years.

LIVERPOOL Academy Manager Alex Inglethorpe takes TGG inside the club's Kirkby training centre and explains the principles that underpin one of the most successful youth programmes in English football.

DR PIPPA GRANGE, the former Head of People and Team Development for the Football Association, tells us about the differences between winning deep and shallow.

MANCHESTER UNITED Academy Manager Nick Cox lays out the key tenets of the club's youth programme, including the belief that there is a higher purpose than just producing professional footballers.

DANNY COWLEY lays out his footballing philosophy, which he described as "old-school values with new methods".

RICHARD BATTLE, Everton's former Head of Football Strategy, gives TGG his thoughts on how data science will develop in the next five years.

TONY STRUDWICK says building relationships is still the most important skill for any practitioner, despite the increasing influence of data and science in football.

EVERTON have confirmed the appointment of five more Italian staff to Carlo Ancelotti’s backroom team.

GÉRARD HOULLIER is the "most underrated" Liverpool manager. according to Jamie Carragher, but he brought the club into the 21st Century and his legacy is still felt to this day,

MIDFIELDER Andre Gomes has thanked Everton Director of Medical Dr John Hollingsworth for the “massive work” he did in treating his serious ankle injury on the pitch at Goodison Park in November.

BLACKBURN have been one of the surprise packages of the Championship season so far - and 35-year-old Stewart Downing has been their talisman. He tells TGG about the astute management of Tony Mowbray and how it's helped prolong his career.

ENGLAND rugby coach Eddie Jones shares insights gleaned from three decades in coaching, ranging from the influence of Pep Guardiola to managing mavericks to tactical periodisation.

DAVIDE ANCELOTTI may be the youngest assistant manager in the Premier League, but he already has a CV few others can match.

MARCO SILVA underperformed badly at Everton, but a lack of clear and consistent thinking at the top is costing them dear.

MLADEN SORMAZ, Head of Football Analytics at Leicester City; Luke Benstead, Head of Performance Analysis and Innovation for Belgium, and Ed Sulley, Director of Customer Solutions for Hudl, discuss the current state of data science in football and where it could be headed.

HEAD OF PERFORMANCE Bruno Mendes is one of five staff to have left Everton along with sacked manager Marco Silva, TGG understands.

PAUL BALSOM, Leicester City’s highly-experienced Head of Performance Innovation, says a rare alchemy has taken the side to heady heights in the Premier League this season.

WYSCOUT founder Matteo Campodonico explains how he came up with the idea for the scouting and analysis platform, how clubs use it and why he believes Big Data will transform the way it is used.

LEEDS UNITED Sporting Director Victor Orta says the club’s recruitment policy is 70% human judgement and 30% data.

LES FERDINAND charts his journey from star player to Director of Football at QPR and laments the fact that bigger clubs are now “stockpiling” young talent.

EVERTON Director of Football Marcel Brands says he is working towards a situation where the club makes only two or three signings in a transfer window - and lets its young players know “there is something possible”.

RHYS LONG, Head of Performance Analysis and Insight for the Football Association, outlines his philosophy in the Training Ground Guru Podcast.

DAVE REDDIN, the Football Association’s Head of Team Strategy and Performance, tells the TGG Podcast that sports science is creating a generation of players with “limited physical capabilities”.

HEAD OF REHAB Matt Taberner has been sacked by Everton after six years at the club.

THIS month we go behind the scenes at the TGG Youth Development Conference in Manchester, with speakers Kris Van Der Haegen, Leigh Bromby and John McGuigan.

DR JOHN HOLLINGSWORTH has been promoted to Director of Medical at Everton following the departure of Dr Aboul Shaheir after four years.

TGG gets a tour of Burnley's Academy, which is on the verge of going from Category 3 to 1 inside three years.

EVERTON won the Premier League 2 title for the second time in three years with a 1-0 win over second-placed Brighton on Monday. But how excited should we get about it?

FORMER Birmingham, Derby and Stoke manager Gary Rowett is joined by his former Head of Performance, Dave Carolan, and Head of Analysis, Joe Carnall, for the first episode of the new Training Ground Guru podcast.

WHY more and more clubs are switching onto the idea of cage football as they seek to revive the spirit of street soccer.

EVERTON will spend 80% more on running their Academy this season than they did three years ago, according to CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale.

EVERTON Head of Academy Recruitment Martin Waldron, who was suspended pending an investigation into tapping up, has left the club to become a football agent.

THE future of Everton’s Academy Head of Recruitment Martin Waldron - father of Academy Director Joel - hangs in the balance after the club was found guilty of tapping up a former Cardiff City schoolboy in 2016.

MATT CONNERY has been sacked as Head of Medical Services at Everton after 17 years at the club.

PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR Ryland Morgans has been sacked by Everton - four weeks after being told he would remain at the club despite the dismissal of Sam Allardyce.

NEW Everton manager Marco Silva has brought his familiar quartet of assistants - Goncalo Pedro, João Pedro Sousa, Hugo Oliveira and Antonis Lemonakis - with him to Goodison.

INCOMING Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands says he is looking for a ‘modern coach’ who will give the club’s Academy players a chance.

THE 56-year-old has been Technical Director at PSV since 2010 and helped them win the Eredivisie in three of the last four seasons.

PSV EINDHOVEN have confirmed that Everton have made approaches for their Technical Director Marcel Brands.

EVERTON Under-18s coach Paul Tait says the club's Academy is at the forefront of a move away from 'sanitised' football towards a more direct style of play.

RYLAND MORGANS has been released as Wales' Head of Performance as new manager Ryan Giggs attempts to bring in Tony Strudwick from Manchester United.

EVERTON legend Joe Royle leaves his role as Professional Development Co-ordinator at the club, while new boss Sam Allardyce is looking to bring in a psychologist.

RYLAND MORGANS, Liverpool’s former Head of Fitness and Science, has been appointed as Performance Director by Everton.

TONY CASCARINO says managers have become football’s most over-rated personnel.

EVERTON named an Academy graduate in their matchday squad for the 1,000th consecutive game on Sunday when Wayne Rooney and Tom Davies were included against Manchester United.

SEAN LUNDON has been promoted to Head of Academy Coaching at Everton.

CHARLIE REEVES was headhunted by Everton, having had a unique dual role as data analyst and energy trader when he was at Forest Green Rovers.

DAVE ADAMS has been appointed First Team Coach at Middlesbrough by new Manager Garry Monk.

WEST BROM won the Premier League fitness title in 2016/17, with the lowest number of significant injuries and days lost to injury.

DAVE ADAMS is doing consultancy work for the Football Association of Wales following his abrupt departure from Everton.

EVERTON’S academy is taking stock after a tumultuous few days that saw the unexpected departure of two senior staff.

DAVE ADAMS has been named Everton’s new Academy Head of Coaching, after leaving the same role at Swansea City.

EVERTON director of football Steve Walsh has given an insight into the scouting overhaul he believes will deliver a top-four place for the Toffees.