Four Top Tips For Effective Communication For Football Managers
Alan Shearer’s The New Newcastle Boss: What Are The Key Psychological Areas To His Potential Success? 4 Top Tips To Effective Communication For Football Managers.
By James Beale C.Psychol
Football has lagged somewhat behind sports like golf and cricket in terms of its uptake of sport psychology techniques. While there are a number of people working in football as sport psychologists it is nowhere near the number that people expect. It is very often left to the managers to become the psychologist for the team and managers have had different levels of success within this. There are a number of examples of managers doing this well and poorly.
The former England manager Sven Goran Erricson was very clear on role clarity. The Manchester United Manager Alex Ferguson would appear to a good motivator. Recent news suggests that former England player and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has taken the reigns at Newcastle United F.C shortly. So what would help him from a psychological side.
The following tips are meant for managers or anyone who is communicating messages in a performance environment:
1. Focus on the positive as well as the negatives:
a. Managers in football have tended to like ‘the hairdryer’ way of communicating, or what I have heard called the seagull method of management (come in crap on everyone and leave people wondering what just happened) there might be some occasions when this is useful. However, while you do want to communicate to players the side of things that needs improving you also want to communicate the things that are going well (there is almost always something that is working). This will help keep spirits high and give a message of what you like to see.
2. Be constructive with the criticism:
a. All to often managers scream about what is going badly without stating how it could be done to their satisfaction. Comments like ‘there are just 2 shit teams out there boys! For crying out loud up it!’ are often said but rarely maximise the usefulness of the short time managers have with their players. Perhaps add some technical advice in there too, e.g. you are not shooting, try and get at least 10 shots on target this half, or we are loosing shape and that is why we are being opened up so easily, followed by names of those that you would like to see keep shape.
3. Role clarity:
a. Often when a new manger comes in they say are very clear on what they want from each player. This is really good. When Erricson picked left back Chris Powell to play for England he reported after the game that the manager made the step up in class painless as he knew exactly what his role was and what he was not to do. Once you stop saying exactly what you want in each game from each player there is likely to be some confusion. Keep doing it, regardless of how gut wrenching it may seem!
4. Listen to the players:
a. The Brian Clough model of my way or the high way works in some cases (and there is absolutely no refuting that it worked and worked very well for him). However, for most of us this will not work. To build relationships and respect from players it is often important to players that they feel as though they have been listened to. After all they experience the game and can often provide with a good insight. A word of warning: In any dressing room there will be a pecking order and those that are willing to speak. You may be missing out only listening to players at the top of the pecking order or those that shout loudest. Find a way of getting the honest view of the quieter member this can be even more valuable in some cases!
I am sure that there other factors that are just as important and encourage you to add to this and comment on what you think about the tips. I am also sure that Shearer will do all of the 4 things mentioned above and believe that he has the character to lead Newcastle to the success that they so passionately desire (albeit perhaps not this season or the next season!).
By James Beale C.Psychol
Total Performance Consultants Sport Psychologists
By James Beale C.Psychol
Football has lagged somewhat behind sports like golf and cricket in terms of its uptake of sport psychology techniques. While there are a number of people working in football as sport psychologists it is nowhere near the number that people expect. It is very often left to the managers to become the psychologist for the team and managers have had different levels of success within this. There are a number of examples of managers doing this well and poorly.
The former England manager Sven Goran Erricson was very clear on role clarity. The Manchester United Manager Alex Ferguson would appear to a good motivator. Recent news suggests that former England player and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has taken the reigns at Newcastle United F.C shortly. So what would help him from a psychological side.
The following tips are meant for managers or anyone who is communicating messages in a performance environment:
1. Focus on the positive as well as the negatives:
a. Managers in football have tended to like ‘the hairdryer’ way of communicating, or what I have heard called the seagull method of management (come in crap on everyone and leave people wondering what just happened) there might be some occasions when this is useful. However, while you do want to communicate to players the side of things that needs improving you also want to communicate the things that are going well (there is almost always something that is working). This will help keep spirits high and give a message of what you like to see.
2. Be constructive with the criticism:
a. All to often managers scream about what is going badly without stating how it could be done to their satisfaction. Comments like ‘there are just 2 shit teams out there boys! For crying out loud up it!’ are often said but rarely maximise the usefulness of the short time managers have with their players. Perhaps add some technical advice in there too, e.g. you are not shooting, try and get at least 10 shots on target this half, or we are loosing shape and that is why we are being opened up so easily, followed by names of those that you would like to see keep shape.
3. Role clarity:
a. Often when a new manger comes in they say are very clear on what they want from each player. This is really good. When Erricson picked left back Chris Powell to play for England he reported after the game that the manager made the step up in class painless as he knew exactly what his role was and what he was not to do. Once you stop saying exactly what you want in each game from each player there is likely to be some confusion. Keep doing it, regardless of how gut wrenching it may seem!
4. Listen to the players:
a. The Brian Clough model of my way or the high way works in some cases (and there is absolutely no refuting that it worked and worked very well for him). However, for most of us this will not work. To build relationships and respect from players it is often important to players that they feel as though they have been listened to. After all they experience the game and can often provide with a good insight. A word of warning: In any dressing room there will be a pecking order and those that are willing to speak. You may be missing out only listening to players at the top of the pecking order or those that shout loudest. Find a way of getting the honest view of the quieter member this can be even more valuable in some cases!
I am sure that there other factors that are just as important and encourage you to add to this and comment on what you think about the tips. I am also sure that Shearer will do all of the 4 things mentioned above and believe that he has the character to lead Newcastle to the success that they so passionately desire (albeit perhaps not this season or the next season!).
By James Beale C.Psychol
Total Performance Consultants Sport Psychologists
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Comments
Keith
Keith Irving
iStadia
Would love to hear back and start some debate!
James Beale C.Psychol
07985414942
Total Performance Consulting - Sport Psychologists
If he ends up in the job for the longer term he'll need to convince the players (as well as media and fans) that he has a long-term vision for the club.
--
Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
I would just like to mention, and it appears Shearer is attempting to increase this, that I believe morale/confidence is one of this biggest factors in a players performance.
How many times has a player, in a man-of-the-match interview, come out and said "I'm really enjoying my football at the moment"?
And personally, as a player myself, I believe my confidence has a huge impact on my own performance.
With Newcastle sitting in the bottom 3, added to the torid season the club has had on and off the pitch, confidence is rock-bottom, as to be expected. I think if Shearer is going to keep the club up, he simply needs to (somehow) improve the confidence levels of every single player, get them to relax and just play the football that each one of them is capable of playing, as any starting XI at Newcastle is without doubt premiership material.
Thanks for the comments and for sorry for the delayed response.
I know what you mean about confidence in the players and I suppose what I was saying was that if those 4 things are done then confidence should come naturally.
I am rooting for 'The Toon' to get out of the mess that you are in right now and actually even after last night (when I thought you were quite lucky to get a point) I still think that you will pull something off.
I notice today that Shearer is talking about confidence. I hear Chris Waddle talking about the players not taking chances and football pundits saying it is the players and not the management.
There is one factor that Shearer does not appear to be doing that I mention above though. Role clarity! I watched the game against Spurs and the system was changed 3 times. I appreciate that if something is not working then you need to change but such big changes under times of high pressure would be suggested by the sport psychology literature to be a negative thing. The players are well aware of the desperation of the situation and as such need simple messages. I don't think that changing position 3 times of some players is a simple message.
I also noticed last night that those in the know where happy with the number of chances but dissappointed with the execution. I think this again comes back to role clarity. Owens chance was a good one but Viduka was there and he looked to me as though he was not sure if he should be taking it or not (I don't mean that he didn't know, just that he was not as certain of what to do as normal, i.e. he hessitated) and Viduka did look as though he wanted it. Playing with 3 up front for what I think is the first time this season is again an issue of role clarity.
I do think that Shearer has the potential to be a great manager and sincerely hope that he keeps you guys up. However, one change I would make is this issue of role clarity. Make sure that every player is aware of what is expected of them over the 90 minutes. Rant over!!
Good luck for the rest of the season. If you talk about desire then what better game than Liverpool away for Owen to show that he is still the main man. Think about the atmosphere for the remaining games if you were to pull that off. I hope you win.
JB
James Beale C.Psychol
07985414942
Total Performance Consulting - Sport Psychologists
the use of sports psychology is obviously important and could play a crucial role in determining if Newcastle United do indeed stay up. However, the problems with Newcastle are very deep rooted and starts with the Owner. When the Owner of Newcastle starts to sit with the fans and acts like the normal "JOE" then problems do start. Over the course of this season they have become a comedy club and a classic soap opera.
This brings me onto Alan Shearer, the man has nothing to lose and will stay a legend regardless of their present plight. However, his appointment is measured by desperation and nothing else. It was an appointment to appease the fans. That is one of the many problems with Newcastle, there is a delusional fantasy that this club is on the same wavelength as Manchester United and Liverpool.
Newcastle are broke and with another defeat or dropped points against Middlesbrough they will be dead and buried. With regards to sport psychology we need to be focused on such issues as leadership, self-belief, confidence amongst many others. But to take the point on these three it is clear that Newcastle are low in all departments.
The way forward for Newcastle is simple. If they stay up, then they need to get rid of deadwood and players who are on high wages. They need to rebuild. They need to look at the whole structure of the club and assess what impact they can make. Newcastle must take smaller steps to get to the glory trail. At the present they are thinking like the big four, but in theory the practice like the lower regions of the Championship