Over the course of his career, Tommy Smith has been an ever-present figure in the Championship, played over 300 games in England’s professional leagues and the MLS, and won 50 caps for the All Whites. Below, the MK Dons defender reflects on his journey to senior football, and the qualities that have helped him to thrive in an array of professional environments. In This Article The Drive to Succeed The challenges of professional football are huge, yet most players never even make it that far….
Championship
In this Masterclass Discussion, PDP Editor Dave Wright hosts Brentford FC first team analyst, Zaheer Shah. Zaheer has worked his way through the Brentford Academy and since 2017 has been working with the B Team and now as a first team analyst. Zaheer shares his experiences, the benefits of analysis, how to effectively use video and much more in another comprehensive conversation on coaching and player development. Image Source: depositphotos.com
In this Masterclass Discussion we are joined by Sean Reed, former first team coach at Fulham FC. Sean shares some crucial lessons from his coaching journey so far, which has taken him from the academy game to first team. Sean’s extensive experience has made him a wealth of knowledge. Some of the key topics we discussed were: Image Source: depositphotos.com
We discuss coach innovation and development philosophy with Stuart English, Head of Coaching at the Brentford FC Academy, and one of most exciting young coaches in the game. PDP: Why is it important that long-term player development programmes have a clear philosophy? SE: A clear philosophy is of paramount importance within a long-term development programme because it allows the players, parents and coaches to have a shared understanding of the planned pathway ahead. It makes sure that everybody involved is aware of the demands and…