The Crucial Value of a Coaching Manager

The Crucial Value of a Coaching Manager

For too long, Tottenham Hotspur have fallen into the trap of hiring managers and sometimes head coaches that don't for me fall into the bracket of brilliant coaches.

I'd better explain that, but before I do, it was excellent to see some points I raised in my last article being spoken about by Ange Postecoglou in this week's press conference ahead of the Fulham game.

6 things Spurs fans can learn from Ange Postecoglou's Aston Villa press conference

Managers manage, coaches coach.

Yes, they do both, but, to improve a team it is better to have a high-quality coach, than a high-quality manager.

A manager tends to need a team bought for him and can only shop at the top end of the market. 

Fine if you have an unlimited budget, but not so good if you have a budget you have to work to.

I have advanced this theory before, but Conte and Mourinho have subsequently, rather proved my point. 

The main attribute any manager can bring is the capacity to actually coach and enhance the players currently at the club.

We seem to have that in Ange Postecoglou who has turned failures under Conte into quality players now.

The value of our players is on the rise instead of the decline.

That means when a player wants to leave, the top clubs will be interested and they will be easier to sell than the constant deadwood reducing in value and on too high wages to move anywhere else.

The very best managers, in my view, are teachers and developers of talent first and foremost. 

They implement a clear playing philosophy and tactical system that gets the best out of their squad. 

A system is not going to suit every player.

The Postecoglou system for instance, requires quick centre-backs to play higher up the pitch but still snuff out attacks with their pace or early aggression. 

It takes man-management that motivates an individual to want to improve themselves, which will in turn, improve their decision-making skill, technique and implementation of their role within a system.

This coaching acumen, as opposed to general management acumen,  is invaluable on several counts. 

Initially, it enhances overall performance and results from the pitch as the team understands the managers requirements better. 

But furthermore, it increases the worth and marketability of the individual players. 

While they grow into better all-around players under a quality coach's tutelage, their value in the transfer market increase - which is vital to sustainability.

Like it or not, the players you want to stay at the club will not always stay at the club and if they don't, they need to have risen in value and thus become easier to sell.

The fact of life is most players do not want to take a pay cut to move to a smaller club just to play football.

If you have to sell, then you want the money in our accounts, as that helps meet sustainability target (which are merely accounting figures) and be able to have room for manoeuvre in the transfer market.

Managers who rely on their reputation or man-management skills struggle to oversee significant player improvement. 

We loyal Spurs fans can name many players Antonio Conte failed to improve, indeed he made them worse.

Players stagnate, regress, decrease in value and become difficult to sell.

The most sustainable club model nurtures and improves talent from within, creating a production line of invaluable assets. 

For that, a coaching manager with a clear playing philosophy and coaching process is essential.

Ange Postecoglou is a prime example of this managerial mould. 

During his highly successful stint at Celtic, he overhauled the clubs style, as he has at every club he has managed, through diligent coaching and trust in young players. 

He has had a thorough grounding where he has had to do it all himself. When a club has no money you have no choice but to develop coaching skills or depart.

Multiple Celtic players saw their transfer values skyrocket as Postecoglou moulded them into valuable assets that could be sold to richer clubs. 

Today at Tottenham, he aims to implement the same improvement, not just of players, but off-the-field to, in player evaluation and recruitment for instance.

Let me give you a little insight into the head of Daniel Levy.

He has a winning mentality.

That means he expects everyone else to have a winning mentality, trying to win is not enough and that means off-the-field staff as well as the players on the pitch, the coaching staff and the manager.

He will receive assurances from managers he has hired that their vision can be implemented with the club's budget and to the club's youth sustainability model.

However they haven't been able to, they haven't been good enough is the bottom line.

First and foremost, like it or not, the club HAD to be built into a financial powerhouse.

Spurs are still £250m a year away, we need around another 46% income on top of our current revenue to join Barcelona and Real Madrid, which is the publicly stated aim.

When it transpires a manager can not perform at the level required, it's time to find one that can, which you will never know until you employ them.

Someone employed you and you're not the best, most highly motivated employee, are you and yet you got the job because of your interview and your potential!

Hiring a manager who prioitises coaching in his management style is both a competitive and financial decision. 

It offers the best of on-field success, while steadily enhancing the club's talent pool and developing sellable assets. 

The utopia is the cycle of winning on the pitch and a sustainable club off it.

Transfers in and out play a vital role within that.

A lack of transfer income will catch up with you and drag you down.

The wrong managerial fit for the club raises the danger of the club lacking an identity, regressing despite big-name signings and struggling to recover financial investments in players.

In today's game, prioritizing coaching acumen could be the smartest policy for any ambitious club.

THBN

COYS