Build the team.
Raise the level.
My football identity is built around outplaying opponents, outrunning the demands of the game and outfighting them in every contest.
Outplay. Outrun. Outfight.
Find a way through
Recognise where the spare player or favourable contest is. Create and exploit superiority; progress through or around pressure before going over it when the moment demands.
Act again
Sprint to affect the game, recover with urgency and repeat the work when tired. Score the behaviours in training so effort has a clear purpose.
Win the contest
Win individual battles, protect teammates and make the opponent's next action difficult without losing discipline.
Control with
intent.
I want teams that build with purpose, move the opponent and progress through the pitch. We seek to win the ball as high as possible, then act quickly when the advantage appears.
The introductory 1-3-4-3 gives clear relationships and roles, but the shape serves the principles. Players must recognise when to create space, find a spare player, break a line or secure the ball so the next action can succeed.
Training makes these demands visible through representative games, clear scoring and reflection on the decisions behind the outcome.
Principles into decisions.
Find the advantage
Build from the goalkeeper, create space and find the spare player. Progress through or around pressure, break lines and accelerate when an advantage is ready to exploit.
Win it high
Press together to direct play into a trap, contest the next action and regain as high as the situation allows. Keep defensive security behind the press.
React together
After a loss, apply the fury press when a regain is on; otherwise recover shape. After a regain, recognise whether to exploit immediately or secure possession.
Make it visible.
Representative games put players in the decisions they will face on match day. Clear scoring rewards purposeful possession, repeated running and fair, competitive duels. Reflection connects the score to the choices that produced it.
Progress that lasts.
Player pathways
Work across foundation, youth and professional development at Oldham Athletic, contributing to pathways that produced 20 Football League debuts.
Coach development
Supporting coaches through observation, feedback, session design and the practical demands of leading a learning environment.
Football leadership
Head of Coaching and interim academy leadership at Oldham Athletic. Now Academy Director at Bradford Park Avenue, responsible for recruitment and developing the academy football identity.
Lead a
first team.
I am seeking the right first-team head-coach opportunity: a project where clear football ideas, honest relationships and sustained development can help a club progress.
Discuss a football opportunity ↗