Modern Soccer Coach Podcast
Gary Curneen
Our goal is to bring in-depth content to coaches with a combination of interviews, chats, and personal thoughts on the topics that really matter in the beautiful game and elite-level sport. Enjoy and thanks for listening! - Gary
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 26, 2020 • 47min
Bev Priestman - Dynamics of Tournament Coaching
Gary is joined by England assistant coach, Bev Priestman to discuss her role in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups with Canada and England respectively. Bev talks about...
- Different ways teams structured their training camps
- Achieving the balance of work and play around the hotel
- The dynamics of game management as a staff
- How match reviews and scouting departments work together
- The players of tomorrow and what they will require to excel in tournaments like the World Cup
Coaches: Our MSC Lockdown Series is now available to download. Twenty five webinar presentations will be yours to keep. Each webinar is over one hour long and features a detailed presentation, followed by the live Q&A with the coaches in attendance. Our covered topics include youth and elite player development, sport science, tactical analysis, match preparation, goalkeeping, pressing, and other key specific areas.
GET YOURS NOW:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/product-page/msc-25-lockdown-webinar-series

Oct 4, 2020 • 1h 2min
Drewe Broughton - The Fear Coach
Gary is joined by former professional player and current High Performance Coach, Drewe Broughton. He now works with players, athletes, and business professionals to "manage fear and fulfill potential" and discusses the following:
- How fear holds back players?
- Ways that coaches can help
- Why understanding vulnerability can help coaches
- Ideas that can help coaches through tough times
And much more!
FREE MSC COACH EDUCATION EVENT IN OCTOBER:
Gary Curneen will present a webinar on 'Video Analysis and Player Feedback' on Wednesday, October 14, at 6pm EST (11pm UK time) He will discuss a variety of ways that coaches can improve tactical understanding, deliver individual feedback to players, and engage players in the process of development. I'll also take questions from the coaches in attendance.
LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE. Register below.
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/post/free-online-event-for-coaches-in-october

Sep 27, 2020 • 56min
Jim Magilton - The Liverpool Education
Gary is joined by Irish Football Association elite performance director, Jim Magilton, to discuss his youth experience at Liverpool, and how it helped him continue his playing career in the Premier League, along with the management side of the game with Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers.
He talks about the following:
- Lessons from Liverpool as a youth player
- How Kenny Dalglish told him he was moving on
- The reaction of Liverpool staff when Jim beat them playing for Southampton
- What Graeme Souness was like as a manager
- How the game has changed in youth academies today
And much more!!
Please check out Gary's new blog on UNC and their Pressing system under Anson Dorrance, along with a link to a FREE MSC Webinar about Video Analysis:
https://www.modernsoccercoach.com/post/unc-master-the-pressing-basics-again

Sep 19, 2020 • 57min
Paul McVeigh - Do We REALLY Value Psychology in Our Coaching?
Gary is joined by former Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City player, Paul McVeigh. After his career in the Premier League, Paul moved onto the psychology side of the game and earned a Master's in Sports Psychology. He also wrote 'The Stupid Footballer is Dead' which details his own experiences as a player and takes the reader into the future in terms of how demanding the game is now becoming on the mental side.
Paul questions if psychology has really progressed in the game as much as it should and challenges how coaches are (or maybe are not) implementing it in their environment.
If you enjoy the Podcast, please give us a shoutout on Twitter or Instagram: @GaryCurneen

Aug 26, 2020 • 49min
Matheus Bachi: Inside Brazil National Team Culture
Gary talks with Brazil national team assistant coach, Matheus Bachi, to discuss his role with the national team and get an insight into their culture, environment, and player relationships. Matheus featured heavily in the 'All Or Nothing' documentary on Amazon Prime about the Copa America success, and discusses a variety of different contexts: player relationships, pressure from fans, team-talks, player-coach interactions, and "playing with joy."

Aug 19, 2020 • 44min
Laurie Bell - Improving Coach Communication at Youth Level
Gary is joined by Laurie Bell, a professional player whose career has taken him to England, USA, and Sweden. He also works at Heja and discusses the changing role of communication in the game including the following:
- What makes a coach a great communicator?
- Are we reluctant to praise players today?
- How did coaches challenge him at Manchester City?
- Does the role of coach change in USA and Europe?
- How is technology changing how we communicate?
- Does tomorrow's coach need to be proficient with technology?
And much more!!
This podcast is sponsored by our good friends at Heja. On Heja, you can see exactly who reads the information you send out and, unlike whatsapp or text messages, you can organise training times and details using a separate team calendar within the app that’s easy for everyone to view, meaning those all important dates and times do not get lost in a buzzing group chat.
Heja is actually free-to-use for your whole team, nobody has to pay anything, and so I would recommend you download it now and giving it a go to save yourself some time and get your team better organised and all together this season.
You download Heja for FREE on the link below:
https://go.heja.app/msc

Aug 12, 2020 • 43min
David Webb - Player Recruitment at Youth and Pro Level
Gary is joined by David Webb to discuss recruitment at the professional level. David is the former Head of Football Operations at Huddersfield Town, and has also worked at Bournemouth, Ostersunds FK, Tottenham Hotspurs, Crystal Palace and Southampton.
David discusses the following:
- Working with Mauricio Pochettino and what type of players he was looking for?
- What makes a player stand out at early ages?
- What role does data have in the process?
- Can you measure character and personality?
- How does a coach transition from the pitch to upper level management and working in recruitment?
And much more!

Aug 4, 2020 • 56min
Rhys Carr: Individual Development at Professional Level
Gary is joined by Sheffield United Individual Development Coach, Rhys Carr, who discusses his role, along with the dynamics of player development at the professional level.
Rhys gives his perspective on "exposing the player" to their weaknesses in the development process. At youth level, you often see the best players cruise through training sessions, but Rhys explains how a young defender in the Premier League will find themselves up against the best opposition forward sooner rather than later, and there is no hiding place at that level. So testing and challenging the player in every session if possible, is key.
He also talks about the process around "search-decide-execute" and how he factors that into the planning process for the young players. Player development is a complex process and Rhys gives an outstanding overview of the variables and factors that coaches at all levels need to take into consideration.

Jul 28, 2020 • 28min
Hope Powell - Building an Environment in the Professional Game
Gary is joined by Brighton and Hove Albion manager Hope Powell. She was the coach of the England women's national football team and the Great Britain women's Olympic football team until August 2013. In this interview, she shares her thoughts about the advances in the women's game at the professional level and how this has impacted staffing and creating an elite environment.
We are excited to team up with Duktig Brand for this interview. Duktig Brand offers a variety of soccer-specific waterproof notebooks, planners and accessories for coaches and players. Started by two professional players and coaches, Duktig Brand strives to create tools that are simple and well-designed. Head over to https://www.duktigbrand.com/ and use the discount code MSC for 10% off your order.

Jul 21, 2020 • 1h 2min
Ted Knutson: StatsBomb, Liverpool and the Data Revolution
Gary is joined by StatsBomb founder and CEO Ted Knutson and discusses the role of data and analytics in the game today. Ted gives a great insight into the following:
- How Liverpool have managed to use their data and create a huge competitive advantage.
- Role of data in recruitment
- Is data moving faster than coach education?
- Set-pieces and data
- How does an analyst make an impact in a team environment?
- Will we start seeing more multi-functional coaches in the future?
and much more!
We are excited to team up with Duktig Brand for this interview. Duktig Brand offers a variety of soccer-specific waterproof notebooks, planners and accessories for coaches and players. Started by two professional players and coaches, Duktig Brand strives to create tools that are simple and well-designed. Head over to https://www.duktigbrand.com/ and use the discount code MSC for 10% off your order.


