🫶 What we all have in common with elite players

Hey everyone,

I had the pleasure of speaking to Paul Robinson for the pod recently.

It got me thinking…

When footballers become professional and end their career, they're known as the former Premier League defender or whatever team they played for.

But no one talks about the beginning of the journey.

And that is where the love for this game starts.

Every footballer I've interviewed always says the most joy they had was when they played with their friends and it was just for fun.

When you first embrace the game, everything is new. Playing for a team, you're constantly learning. It's like feasting on new experiences, new exchanges, new friends.

It's all massively exciting. You're dreaming of becoming what you become. And that dreaming is part of the fun.

Being in the garden, pretending to be a player, pretending that you're scoring at Wembley, the chase, the dream, the excitement of possibility is what consumes you.

And whether you're Lionel Messi or Dave from Dagenham, that initial experience is the same for everyone.

It's what binds us, it's what brings us together.

We can't ever know what it's like to be Lionel Messi now, but we know what he felt like as a kid when he first played.

That magic was brought back hearing about Paul’s beginnings as a player and where that love started.

The garden. The street. A grassroots team managed by a mate’s Dad.

And now he’s bringing all of his Premier League elite experience and wisdom back into the game as a Dad and as a coach. And gets to experience the game again with the next generation.

They’re the best of times. Let’s not forget it!

🎧️ Do hope you get time to have a listen!

OK - let’s keep going…. some things from the internet that I wanted to share 👇️ 

 ⚡️ Zig-zag drill going in my session plan

Simple ball mastery stuff that’s crystal clear - and easy to set up.

Putting this in my back pocket for the season.

🔦 Leah Williamson’s Mum is my new hero

I love an origin story. Especially if it involves the parents.

And Leah Williamson’s Mum deserves a special shout out for using her car headlights to light up early morning training sessions for Leah.

Lovely story, this. And awesome to see the funding going back into the girls’ game with some proper facilities.

I’ve got so much admiration for the pioneers.

Great story and initiative.

🌶️ The Dribble-in rule comes into play

The FA have brought i the new dribble-in rule and coaches are preparing for the change.

As usual social media brings out the spicy takes. Check the extent of the replies to this post on X

I’ve got my own view on this and will be sharing what I think of the rule and pulling together some of the best responses and resources.

 ⚡️ Another drill for the season ahead

Looking at these coaching videos and the levels of players I see week in week out.

The technique out there is wild.

Football in the future is going to reach insane levels. 📈 

That’s your lot for now. More to come next week!

Thanks for reading 🙏