Sam's Vision - Part Three

WHEN Bill Beswick was made Steve McClaren's assistant manager at Middlesbrough last summer, the once scorned at field of sports psychology had finally reached the mainstream.

Sports psychology began in North America in the 1970s but the most ground-breaking work in the field is now being pioneered in Europe.

Wanderers' own expert in this area is Mike Forde, a full-time staff member at the Reebok who sits alongside Sam Allardyce during games.

Forde works for Advance Performance who also deal with other sports clubs such as Lancashire CCC, businesses, schools and colleges. The company literature advocates 'turning positive thinking into positive results'.

That is a message that has been taken on board by Allardyce and coach Phil Brown, who originally brought the company in almost three years ago.

"Phil has an interest in all disciplines of sports science and invited us in for a few sessions at Wanderers when he was in temporary charge," says Forde.

"Sam kept things going and after a few months decided to use us on a more structured level.

"We were fortunate because Sam's interest filtered through the whole staff, and a lot of key members of the squad were also willing to give us a chance."

The biggest change that Mike has instigated is the defined system of self-appraisal within the club which helps all the staff to know what is expected of them and how they compare to that ideal.

"One of the first things we looked at was the idea of job responsibility and personal assessment, which applies to the players and coaching staff," says Forde.

"We wanted to clarify these things so that people would know where they stood. For example, the players need to know what is expected of them on and off the pitch, and even what they need to be doing when on and off the ball.

"Everyone reflects on what they can do, and how they have progressed."

That can be done through psychometric tests and discussions, but on a more practical level it also applies to a player's performance on match day.

"We have a set routine during games, which helps the players," says Forde. "I sit with Sam in the directors' box during the first half, and between us we discuss the key things that we went into the game looking for.

"Five minutes before half-time we will agree on the key things that we are going to present in the dressing room.

"At that point I head down to the dressing room and write certain key points on the whiteboard, and sort out the video clips which Sam will be able to show to the players on the large plasma screen."

He adds: "Everyone is constantly monitored on the pitch, and therefore responsibility is unavoidable.

"The words used at half-time and at the end of games are chosen to try and keep players balanced. One of our aims is to help players overcome the highs and lows which are indicative of this profession.

"But for me, it is not just important for the players to be monitored. The old adage is that 'the coaches coach the players, but who coaches the coaches?'

"I feel it is important for all the staff to feel confident in themselves and, particularly, to have faith in their own initiative."

Mike wants to promote change within a club, which in the last ten years, has gone from being a Third Division outfit to a Premiership side with a number of international stars.

Now that he has been with the club so long he is less involved with the players on a day-to-day basis because Allardyce and Brown have incorporated so much of the motivational help into their coaching styles.

He says: "The desire for knowledge and improvement comes from the manager and goes all the way through the staff. We are particularly interested in sports clubs that have achieved beyond their means. Why do Renault Formula 1 team do so well with limited resources? How did New England Patriots win the Superbowl?"

Mike has a key role in helping the team prepare for games as he goes through the emotional and mental make-up of the opposition with the Wanderers squad.

"My job starts on a Monday morning before a Saturday game," he says. "It is a matter of trying to figure out the opposition. What are they like when they go a goal behind? Do they have players that are volatile?

"With the players we try and establish the weak link in the opposition, and then how we can pull that apart."

While league tables do not lie, how does Mike quantify his own success at the club?

"It's difficult to judge because there are so many mitigating factors," he says. "You try to look beyond just the results because success can hide mistakes.

"Winning games is important but so is progression. We look at the environment and facilities that have been created and the level of professionalism at the club now.

"There is something special at Bolton Wanderers and the highest praise I can think of is that some of our senior players, who have been at six or seven clubs, say this is a unique place to be at.

"Our aim is to train players so that they are good enough to leave, but treat them well enough that they never want to."

Advance Performance can also help your sports club, business or school, call 01772 787278.

"We look at the opposition physically, technically, tactically mentally and emotionally.