A time to reflect

24 hours on from our game at Everton and I'm looking back and forward at the same time. I feel as if I need to take a good look at my coaching style, and see what improvements I can make. I have found this season challenging at times as I don't feel as if I have enjoyed it as much as in previous years, (I've been with them for 3 years now). In my defence I think that working night shifts hasn't helped as I've been more irritable. The boys are also a year older, there are more of them, ( now 11) and definitely more difficult to handle. That said I think I've lowered my standards a touch and I want to correct that immediately. But I still believe that coaching young footballers, and trying to keep control WHILST explaining things clearly is the most difficult thing I do in my life.

Working in a Bail Hostel, surrounded by medium to high risk offenders is, by comparison, easy. Although I must remain vigilant at all times, and keep looking for indications of a change in risk, by and large it is straightforward. Standing in the middle of up to a dozen young boys, each of them demanding attention, requires a patience and calmness that I know I lack at times. I am also aware that, at times, unnecessarily, I give myself a hard time over the standard of coaching and instruction that I provide. All of the boys seem to enjoy their involvement, and I receive no complaints form their parents. But it just hasn't felt right for a whole and I know the problem lies within me. I've recently asked my dad to start helping me out and I'm hopeful this will prove to be useful. Already I have come to realise that I will have to bite my tongue at times, (he can really get under my skin almost without trying). But it could be just the help I need to get the team back to where they belong, and for me to find that inner satisfaction that I used to enjoy.