Since there was no game this weekend, we thought it would be a good time to sit down with our new reserves coach and fire off some questions at him!
You spent the past few years coaching our junior sides at CCFC, what made you decide to go for the role as Reserve Coach?
I took the reserve team coach role because I saw it as a natural progression within CCFC. I always look to take myself out of my comfort zone and embrace new challenges. CCFC is a relatively new club and had an outstanding season last year, my intentions are to add to this momentum, raise our expectations and standards and drive the club forward.
Besides the age and height, do you find a lot of differences in coaching a men's side versus a junior side?
The juxtaposition is enormous. Youth coaching is almost entirely based on acquiring the skill set to control the ball and developing the 'soccer minds' ability to make the correct decisions instantly. This comprehension and capability is the foundation of a well educated player. Coaching this in youth training incorporates a lot of hidden learning and setting out problems in exercise and challenging the players to solve them. The coaching of senior players functions on the assumption they possess these physical and mental characteristics. From that premise we apply the formation, tactics, winning mentality and team spirit drawn from our own footballing knowledge and philosophy. We work to rectify the errors of our previous game and prepare for our next fixture.
How do you feel your style of coaching compliments that of head Coach Bates?
The reserve team needs to be competitive, playing and understanding Bate's system with the players trying to force their way into the the Firsts. I want my players to show the desire and determination to give Bates tough decisions to make each week. Both Bates and I ended our playing days as centre backs, possibly leaving us as defensively minded players and coaches who like our teams to work hard, press the opposition and retain possession with attacking intent, not just for the sake of passing sideways. This similar vision of how we like to see football played should underpin the two squads.
How do you feel about the squad as the season is just starting?
We have had a great influx of new players to supplement and offer competition for starting positions to the squad of 2016 but sadly saw a few injuries leading up to the first match. Promotion presents CCFC with a new challenge of establishing ourselves in the league. I believe with the right mindset and endeavour from players and staff we can have a successful season and maybe even repeat or better last seasons accomplishments.
