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During his time on the UEFA Pro Licence course, Fulham's new manager, Scott Parker, discussed his coaching and leadership philosophy.
How would you summarise your own coaching/management philosophy?I believe in managing people. I believe in creating an environment and culture that people want to come to work in. If you create that then I think you have every opportunity to be successful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying what happens on the training field isn’t important, because of course it is – but my personal thoughts are of creating good people and creating an environment.
What are the most important lessons you have learned from the coaches and managers you have worked with?I’ve experienced a vast number of managers in my career - some unbelievably good managers - but each one has been very different, with their own strengths and weaknesses.
When I look back, and I reflect a lot on this, I think back to the things that the best coaches and managers did. There is a common trait about the best managers and coaches and that’s their man-management and organisational skills.
Looking back over your playing career, what types of coaching sessions engaged you the most?The best sessions are player-led and you come off the training field still engaged. That’s partly down to the coaches and the way they put their messages across – but, ultimately, it’s when you have the right players who are engaged and willing to learn and want to do well.
The best sessions happen when you have a group of players who want to go out onto the training field and want to be successful.
Certainly the really good teams I have been in are player driven: the players drive the session and don’t accept things that aren’t right and don’t accept individuals who aren’t doing things right.
What are the ingredients of a player-centred environment?For people to thrive and to get the best out of people, the environment has to be right. It happened to me as a player. I’ve been at clubs where the environment hasn’t been right and I’ve not been engaged.
Whereas there are other clubs I’ve played at where I’ve thrived. It was because I enjoyed going to work in the environment and I was improving and everybody had the same expectations and expected a lot from each other.
It’s not just football. It’s the same way in which I view bringing up my kids, I view developing a culture at a football club in the same way as bringing up a family. If the home is a good place for the kids to come back to they are going to thrive, be happy, and do well at school. It’s the same as being a manager and managing your team.
Have you ever challenged a coach during a session?I’ve never challenged a coach in front of the rest of the team, but being the team captain at most of my clubs there have always been conversations with the coach. I have always asked questions as to whether we could do certain things better.
Similarly, I’ve always challenged other players throughout my career. Not in an aggressive way, but sometimes to explain to players that something isn’t acceptable and then to talk about different ways we can improve.
Ultimately, I think that comes back down to the culture that you try and set. The more players you’ve got like that the more the culture is player driven and the easier it is to challenge and improve.
Looking back on your career, how have you helped yourself improve as a player?Early on in my career I was always looking to improve technically and tactically and to have a better awareness of certain aspects of my game: can I use my left-foot more, can I head the ball better and those type of things.
As I’ve developed the area of improvement and focus has definitely been more psychological. It’s been more about how my mind is working. Am I getting disappointed with things? Am I feeling down on a Monday after a bad performance? How am I dealing with things?
It’s been a massive swing. Up until 26/27 I was really trying to nail down the game and have a real understanding of tactics and where I want players to be and an understanding of where I have to be on the pitch.
But after that it has definitely been psychological. Looking back on my career, it is that side of things that have defined me in a way: when to keep a cool head and how to stay strong when you’ve got 30,000 booing you or getting at you or if you’ve just let out three stray passes and you’re getting disappointed with yourself.
As a young boy, I don’t think you have the capability at times to deal with that, but of course there are some out there that have.
On both the technical and psychological aspects of your game did you work with others to help you improve?
I’ve worked with a sports psychologist for five or six years now, which is definitely a side of the game that has helped me massively. I think it was always a little bit taboo before that. You were maybe viewed as weak if you needed psychological support.
Early on in my career I worked hard on my technical abilities. I worked with the coaches that I had and I put extra work in on the training field to work and refine my game. The extra work definitely improved me.
I’ve always sought extra help from others. I think when the day comes and you just do it your own way you’re going to be struggling. I’ll have the same approach as a coach or manager. The more you can bring expertise from different fields and learn from them then the better you’re going to be.
What has been the most important piece of advice or guidance you have been given in your playing career?
At fourteen I had two years away from home at Lilleshall [The FA’s national school, before club academies were launched]. I had to leave home and move north and boarded. It was massively important for me.
The one thing that was imprinted in me at Lilleshall was to work hard and graft. I definitely believe that you have to be willing to work hard and make sacrifices.
I think that’s linked to the way I’ve played the game. If anybody looks back over my career, if you had to find words to describe me – working hard and graft would definitely be in there. Hard work was definitely instilled in us at Lilleshall from a young age.
What else was it about Lilleshall that made it such an important experience?
When people ask me what were the defining moments in my career Lilleshall was 1000% not just the making of me as a player, but it was the making of me as a person. It gave me guidelines, structure and it taught me how to handle myself. I’m not sure where I would be if I hadn’t gone.
What was your footballing journey before Lilleshall?
I was probably one of the best boys at a young age [in grassroots and schools football] at 9/10/11/12. I was signed by Charlton at nine. It was a school of excellence set-up back then, so we only went in for one session a week and then you played for your local Sunday team. Then I went to Lilleshall, did very well, came back to Charlton and played youth team and reserve team football.
When I came back to Charlton I stuttered along a little bit. At Lilleshall I had a lot of structure and there was always routine.
When I went back into the club environment I found it quite hard really and struggled a little bit. For three or four years I was probably stuttering along and it was only when I went on loan to Norwich [aged 20] that the penny dropped for me. I thought I really need to make a stamp on this and go and do well.
When I hear people speak about me they say that Norwich was the making of me. I suppose I knew it was my opportunity and I knew I had to take it.
What was so important about the loan at Norwich?
It was the experience of playing first-team football. At Charlton I’d made my debut at sixteen and then only made the odd appearance. I’d never really felt the importance of a game and of three points and how it was. When I was on loan at Norwich I was playing week in, week out, and realised what it was about. I came back from Norwich and thrived from there.
Scott Parker is the manager of Fulham FC. Article image courtesy of Javier Garcia/BPI/REX.