After a break from podcasting and interviews, I’m back — and with big news!
This week, I’ll be sitting down with none other than Michael Beale — former Rangers, Sunderland, QPR manager, and ex-assistant to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq.
Got questions for Michael? Drop them below!
Had some thinking today and I’ve decided my top 3 candidates
1: Luis Enrique
2: Julian Nagelsmann
3: Francesco Farioli
I put the space as Enrique is miles ahead
Two years ago I interviewed Tom Cleverley and I still look back on it as one of the highlights of my journey so far.
At the time, I probably did not fully realise how valuable that conversation would become.
As young coaches, and many will relate to this, we spend a lot of time watching, studying and analysing game models and tactical ideas from around the world.
But leadership is what stays with you.
Looking back at that interview now, and at Tom’s time at Watford and Plymouth Argyle, three things stand out far more clearly than they did back then.
Connection with supporters
Watford fans connected with Tom. Not just because of who he was as a player, but because of how he represented the club. He was human, relatable, and genuinely connected to the city and the supporters. You can see those same values at Plymouth.
Honesty
When we spoke, Tom talked about the managers he learned from. Sir Alex Ferguson for obvious reasons, but also Marco Silva and Louis van Gaal. Even without playing regularly under Van Gaal, Tom respected his honesty and ability to have difficult conversations. That always stuck with me.
Desire
You feel it straight away. The long days, early starts, late nights, and relentless workload. Sitting in the office when it is still dark outside and starting again. This is the reality of coaching at the highest level.
I am genuinely delighted to see Tom starting to turn things around at Plymouth Argyle. For me, he is one of the best young coaches in the UK and with time and backing, I believe he has a big future in the game.
Which young coaches do you think have a great future ahead of them?
https://t.co/YrhornLGkY
6 months ago today, I launched One2One Dubai.
Each month, I take a moment to reflect on the journey so far.
The truth is, I love coaching.
Finishing school, stepping onto the pitch, taking the balls out of the bag, and seeing a player arrive…
That feeling is simply unbeatable.
The hardest part hasn’t been the coaching.
It’s been everything behind the scenes:
Admin
Marketing
Planning
Balancing school, sessions, and still having time to switch off.
Building something at 18 isn’t just about passion.
It’s about learning, adapting, and staying consistent.
One of my former coaches once told me:
“You might arrive tired from life…
But the players give you the energy back.”
I’ve found that to be completely true.
5 lessons from my first 6 months:
Players feel your energy, lead with it.
Parents + players + coach = one team.
Development as people matters as much as development as players.
Clarity always beats complication.
Smile.
Thank you to everyone who’s supported this journey so far.
It’s time to talk about Morecambe FC.
(I’m not a Morecambe fan, by the way.)
This club and its fanbase have been through far more than any should have to in recent years. I’m not going to dwell on the Bond Group era. That was well documented across the country and widely accepted as shambolic ownership that pushed the club to the brink.
What matters is the now.
Under Panjab Warriors this season, the football has gone backwards and the numbers are damning.
Morecambe are currently in the relegation places in the National League, averaging well under a point per game. They have lost well over half of their league matches, conceded over two goals per game, and sit among the worst defensive records in the division.
At home, where survival is usually built, they have won only a handful of games all season. Long winless runs have become normal. Performances have dropped as games go on, with a high percentage of goals conceded after half-time, pointing to coaching, fitness, and game management issues.
This isn’t bad luck.
This is regression.
Off the pitch, standards remain unclear and accountability is still missing.
I watched the fans’ forum last week where CEO Ropinder Singh took questions. I have genuinely never seen a senior club figure appear so out of touch with their own supporters. Fans raised legitimate concerns and were met with deflection, contradictions, and statements that simply did not align with what people are seeing week after week. That is not leadership. It was shameless.
The problems at Morecambe are not isolated to results. They are structural:
Decision-making
Leadership and management
Coaching direction
Squad investment
Recruitment strategy
Communication with fans
Media and transparency
Integrity
All of it.
Morecambe fans have already shown resilience that most clubs never have to. They’ve backed their team through financial chaos, uncertainty, and embarrassment. They should not now be expected to stay silent while standards continue to slide.
This is not just a Morecambe issue.
This is a football issue.
If this can happen again here, it can happen anywhere.
More football fans need to speak up, get behind Morecambe supporters, and demand better governance and real action now, not when another club is pushed to the edge.
#MorecambeFC
I’ve been thinking recently maybe we’ve made coaching too complicated.
Every session I see online now looks like a science project. Cones everywhere, fancy terminology, endless detail.
But when you’re actually on the pitch, working with players, it’s simple.
Can they understand what you’re asking?
Can they make the right decision under pressure?
Can they leave the session feeling clearer, not more confused?
That’s what coaching is. Not overloading players, just helping them play better football.
The best sessions I’ve delivered haven’t been the most detailed they’ve been the clearest.
The ones where players just got it.
Maybe that’s where the game is going wrong. We’ve traded simplicity for complexity and forgotten that the game itself teaches best.
Michael Carrick’s tougher than some of the headlines suggest. Tough enough to leave home at 15 for West Ham, move into digs with a bunch of Aussies, go out on loan to Swindon and Birmingham, fight his way up the professional ladder, argue with Daniel Levy in protracted departure from Spurs to Manchester United....
....take Roy Keane’s old 16 shirt at United, convert his penalty in the 2008 CL final shootout, deal with many challengers to his position at United, win 18 trophies, play 34 times for England in the era of Gerrard, Lampard etc (and should have played more, especially at 2006)....
....work his way out of a depression in 2009 (only 4 people knew what he was going through), play again after a heart scare in 2017, take interim charge in 2021 man-managing characters like Ronaldo, Fernandes and Rashford and leading them to two wins and a draw in his three games in charge.
This doesn't guarantee success in his current assignment. It's a really tough job given the imbalanced squad, the mood, the tensions between fan and board, and challenging imminent fixtures against City and Arsenal. But just because he's a polite, respectful individual, slightly "reserved" by his own admission, doesn’t mean Michael Carrick lacks resilience. And many of the experiences he's been through could help in man-management of United's players. Good luck to him. He's a sensible short-term caretaker solution while United look for a long-term manager in the summer.
Just watched João Gomes open up about his stammer on TNT and it really resonated with me.
A few years ago, I remember Luke Ayling speaking about his stammer too. I was 14 at the time, and I was genuinely scared. I felt like my voice didn’t need to be heard, and that it would always hold me back.
That interview changed something in me.
It inspired me to start a podcast, own my voice, and stop shrinking away from who I was. Ever since then, I haven’t looked back.
It takes real strength and vulnerability for anyone to speak openly about a disability, especially one that people don’t always see or understand. Not all challenges are visible, and many are carried quietly, but everyone deserves a voice and a platform to be heard.
To anyone reading this who has a stammer, or anything they feel is “wrong” with them, please hear this:
It isn’t a weakness. It’s your superpower.
Do not let the voice in your head convince you otherwise.
Authenticity always wins.
Thank you, João.
Launching the One2One Podcast.
It links in with the private coaching business I’ve built and I’ll be interviewing managers and coaches from across the world.
First episode is tomorrow with Matthew Taylor former Exeter City captain, promotion winning manager with Exeter (2021–22), and he’s also managed Rotherham United and Bristol Rovers with over 350 games managed in the EFL.
Any questions you want me to ask him? 👇
#ECFC #RUFC #UTG
"Sporting directors hold significant power, but when a club is struggling, you rarely hear from them. Jason Wilcox gave three interviews after Manchester United won three games in a row in October. Since then, United have won three games in thirteen, sacked their manager just three months into a supposed three year commitment, made no meaningful commitment in January, and not once have you heard from Wilcox publicly."
Hi all, my name’s Edward Lynch. I’m an 18 year old student based in Dubai.
This is my new X account, where I’ll be sharing my thoughts on coaching, leadership, and anything and everything to do with football.
When I was 14, I started a football podcast after growing up with a stammer, using it as a way to challenge myself. Through that podcast, I was lucky enough to interview people like Denis Irwin, Tom Cleverley, Rubén Sellés, Mark Warburton, and others.
Since then, I’ve gone on to found a private football coaching business in Dubai, working directly with young players.
I have big aspirations to work in football long term, and I’d love it if you followed along on the journey. Have a great Thursday 😃
Manchester United hiring a back 3 coach and then telling him to play a back 4 is exactly what is wrong with modern football leadership.
If sporting directors have the power and authority, why are they not the ones in the media room every Friday morning, doing TNT and Sky sit downs, and being accountable when it crashes?
My thoughts below.https://t.co/sK2dSbzz3r
🚨 | It’s time for the Manchester United fanbase online and The 1958 fan group to unite, finally.
I urge everyone to read this message, share the content, and to support their campaign on February 1st.
United have been DESTROYED by this ownership model. #UnitedIsBroken
How Michael Carrick went from Barbados holiday to becoming Manchester United interim manager:
▪️ The meeting where he impressed club bosses
▪️ Ferguson’s backing
▪️ Concerns Solskjaer was retrograde move
▪️ Why Holland is joining
▪️ Wilcox told squad that Champions League qualification is target
The inside story of another turbulent week at Old Trafford.
📝 @mjcritchley & more
🔗 https://t.co/0MQCkhLeGA
I love this appointment as interim.
It’s screams calmness and stability. The players will buy into it straight away. Carrick’s got a good pedigree as a coach and I feel he’ll do very good job over the next months.
Onward ❤️
🚨 - Roberto De Zerbi has MANY admirers at Man Utd.
United are keen to appoint a head coach with Premier League experience and De Zerbi made a good impression during his two seasons in charge at Brighton. [@ChrisWheelerDM, @NathSalt1]
"Michael Carrick is a 13 year old boy who's already been tipped as one of this country's footballing stars." ⚽️
1995 BBC profile of the new United manager. 👀