Pen pics of Tottenham's coaching, science, medicine and analytics staff.
Pen pics of Tottenham's coaching, science, medicine and analytics staff.
Tottenham Under-21s beat Sunderland 3-1 to become Premier League 2 champions for the first time - plus a round-up from the rest of the elite youth competitions.
Tottenham are advertising for five key roles as they look to build world-class scouting and insights departments.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has responded to Eric Dier’s assertion that he “really doesn't do any tactical work” in training.
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.
NATHAN GARDINER has returned to Tottenham as Head of Sports Science. The appointment marks a return to the club he served for 15 years to October 2020.
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.
TOTTENHAM Technical Director Johan Lange says he and manager Ange Postecoglou are “aligned” to a club game model and methodology that will survive even if they leave.
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.
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.
FORMER Tottenham Academy Manager Dean Rastrick has joined the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC) as a Leadership and Management Auditor.
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.
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.
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.
ANGE POSTECOGLOU expects Tottenham to appoint a new Sporting Director soon - and says he is in favour of the role.
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.
ANGE POSTECOGLOU will have been irked by suggestions he was copying tactics, because he has always prided himself on being original. In an illuminating interview with Hudl, he outlined his philosophy and how it was formed.
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.
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.
ANGE POSTECOGLOU has named his assistants at Tottenham and - perhaps uniquely - none of them have been on his staff before.
FORMER Manchester City Under-23 boss Simon Davies has been promoted from Head of Methodology to replace Dean Rastrick as Academy Director at Tottenham.
ACADEMY MANAGER Dean Rastrick has left Tottenham after 13 years “to pursue new challenges and opportunities.”
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.
FABIO PARATICI has resigned as Tottenham’s Managing Director of Football after losing his appeal against a 30-month ban from football.
SCOTT MUNN has been appointed Chief Football Officer at Tottenham and will “take charge of all footballing departments.”
FABIO PARATICI, Tottenham’s Managing Director of Football, is forced to step down from his role after FIFA extended a ban imposed on him in Italy.
HEAD COACH Antonio Conte has departed Tottenham along with his brother Gianluca, but the rest of the Italian’s staff have remained at the club.
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.
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.
FABIO PARATICI, Tottenham’s Managing Director of Football, has been banned from working in Italian football for 30 months, with a request that the ban be “extended to UEFA and FIFA activities.”
TOTTENHAM manager Antonio Conte says the deaths of three close football friends within the last four months have led to “important reflections” and a realisation of the need to “give more time to your family and friends and also to yourself.”
BRENTFORD first-team coach Justin Cochrane tells us about his coaching journey on Episode #45 of the TGG Podcast.
GIAN PIERO VENTRONE’S son, Ivan, visited Tottenham’s training ground yesterday (December 6th) to see the Evergreen Oak tree that has been planted near the first-team pitches in memory of his late father.
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.
TOTTENHAM fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone has died suddenly at the age of 61, the club has announced.
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.
GIANNI VIO has been appointed as Tottenham’s first ever set piece coach. The Italian, 69, is a pioneer of the role and was the first specialist set piece coach in English football during his time with Brentford in 2015/16.
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.
FORMER Everton Head of Recruitment Gretar Steinsson has been appointed Performance Director at Tottenham, with Rangers Head of Scouting Andy Scoulding as Assistant.
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.
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..
TOTTENHAM Head of Recruitment Brian Carey has left the club after six years. Carey initially joined Spurs as Senior Scout for the North West of England, before his role was expanded to Europe and then Head of Recruitment.
SERGE AURIER says Jose Mourinho and his staff did not pay enough attention to “the person behind the player” during their time in charge of Tottenham.
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.
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.
TOTTENHAM’S Technical Performance Director, Steve Hitchen, has left the club after five years. The 45-year-old initially worked for the club as a scout from 2005 to 2010 before returning in February 2017 as Chief Scout.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TOTTENHAM have revealed the six staff who will work with new Head Coach Antonio Conte, including Ryan Mason, who took caretaker charge of the team last season.
TOTTENHAM have sacked Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo along with his coaching staff of Ian Cathro, Rui Barbosa and Antonio Dias.
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.
BRAIN injury charity Headway has described guidance on heading in training as “unclear and ill thought out” after Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo admitted he had been ignoring the advice.
LUKE BORNN, the former Head of Analytics at AS Roma, tells us about his own journey, and that of data science in football.
TOTTENHAM are advertising for their first Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Manager to “drive workforce awareness and development about mental health and embed it into all aspects of the business.”
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
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.
NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO has named his backroom staff at Tottenham, with trio Ian Cathro, Rui Barbosa and Antonio Dias reunited with him from Wolves.
MICHAEL BEALE gives an insight into the training ground methods that helped Rangers land their first title in a decade.
ITALIAN Fabio Paratici has joined Tottenham as Managing Director, Football, as the club return to the Sporting Director model they jettisoned in September 2015.
CHELSEA WOMEN manager Emma Hayes on some of the key influences on her career and how they helped to shape her leadership philosophy.
TOTTENHAM'S team got older under Jose Mourinho and youngsters had fewer opportunities, but was it all his fault?
JOSE MOURINHO has been sacked by Tottenham along with the four assistants who arrived with him at the club in November 2019 - assistant Joao Sacramento, goalkeeper coach Nuno Santos, fitness coach Carlos Lalin and tactical analyst Giovanni Cerra.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TOTTENHAM have appointed Trevor Birch as Director of Football Operations and given him a place on a new four-person ‘Football Board’.
FORMER Tottenham captain Ledley King has been appointed as one of Jose Mourinho’s assistants at the club.
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".
LONDON MAYOR Sadiq Khan has criticised Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho and some of his players for training in a public park despite the coronavirus lockdown.
TONY STRUDWICK says building relationships is still the most important skill for any practitioner, despite the increasing influence of data and science in football.
TOTTENHAM will cut the pay of all 550 non-playing directors and employees by 20% in April and May using, “where appropriate”, the Government’s furlough scheme.
JOHN MCDERMOTT is leaving Tottenham after 15 years to take up the new role of Assistant Technical Director at the Football Association.
FORMER Tottenham Director of Football Damien Comolli says Jose Mourinho is not a “culture fit” for the club.
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,
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.
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.
JOSE MOURINHO has chosen long-time lieutenants Carlos Lalin, Giovanni Cerra and Ricardo Formoshino to join him at Tottenham, with Joao Sacramento and Nuno Santos coming in from Lille to work with him for the first time.
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.
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”.
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.
TGG gets a tour of Burnley's Academy, which is on the verge of going from Category 3 to 1 inside three years.
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.
BY making 12 signings in a single summer transfer window, Fulham were always setting themselves up to struggle.
HEAD PHYSIO Geoff Scott says Tottenham invested in two speciality mattresses for every member of the squad following the intervention of one sleep-savvy player.
TOTTENHAM assistant Jesus Perez has described manager Mauricio Pochettino’s philosophy as “risk with knowledge”.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR may not have added to their squad this summer, but the completion of their Player Lodge could make a difference on and off the pitch.
JUSTIN COCHRANE thanked Chris Ramsey for inspiring him to become a coach after landing the England Under-15 job.
PAUL MITCHELL has been appointed Head of Recruitment and Development at RB Leipzig after the club endured an "unacceptable" January transfer window.
TOTTENHAM fitness and reconditioning coach Anton McElhone has been named Head of Fitness at the New England Revolution.
TOTTENHAM’S ex-nutritionist has revealed how the club monitors body composition and says players are in ‘serious trouble’ if they put on even a ‘tiny bit’ of fat.
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN has highlighted the role Dennis Bergkamp played in his development when he was at Ajax.
How effective is your team's Academy? A new study has ranked the 86 Category 1-3 clubs in terms of productivity for England-qualified players.
SEBASTIANO POCHETTINO, 22, is the youngest first-team sport scientist in the Premier League, having been promoted to the role by Spurs in the summer.
NO-ONE was banging the drum for Harry Kane before he made his Spurs debut in 2014, which tells us there are very few 'dead certs' until young players are given a chance.
JONNY NORTHEAST, Swansea City's Head of Sports Science, is leaving the club after seven years.
SCOTT PARKER is the latest top player to take an Under-18s coaching job after being named in the role by former club Tottenham.
WEST BROM won the Premier League fitness title in 2016/17, with the lowest number of significant injuries and days lost to injury.
LIVERPOOL and Tottenham are taking a “risk too far” with their players by flying them thousands of miles to play friendlies this week, says the MD of one of Fifa’s medical centres of excellence.
FOOTBALL has lost one its “brightest young coaches” following the sudden death of Ugo Ehiogu - a man who ensured he was as qualified and experienced as possible for a career in management.
US SOCCER's new director of high performance told TGG about his journey from sports science graduate to one of the key jobs in football.