Coach Liam

Coach @yfc_2010 ⚽️ Player @HoustonAmateurs ✍ Student @UniWestScotland 📚 (BSc) Sports Coaching & Dev ⚽️ UEFA C Licence Holder

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

@HoustonAmateurs @AfcStratton @GGPAFL @ScotAmFA @scottish_aff @ftscores All the way lads! Well done 👏🏻💪🏻⚽️

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

@HoustonAmateurs @GGPAFL @ftsc0res @scottish_aff Yass houston well in, aw the way 💪🏻⚽️

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

@HoustonAmateurs @stpatricksfpfc @GGPAFL @ftsc0res @scottish_aff Well done lads 👍⚽️

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

Unreal 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[Scotland National Team @ScotlandNT]

McTominay. Shanks. KT. The Mayor.

Proof that last night did happen ⤵️

#FIFAWorldCup | @FIFAWorldCup

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

Legend of a man, RIP Burkey mate 💔

[Houston United @HoustonAmateurs]

Today, we said our last goodbye to our coach and friend Ian Burke. Everyone at Houston is thinking of Ian’s family at this incredibly difficult time. We're so grateful for the support he gave to us over the years as both player & coach and will miss him dearly
Rest easy, Burkey💙

[PositionSpecific @PosSpecific]

Legacy of a Master Coach: Dick Bate and the Modern Centre-Back

The Future Game
For those fortunate enough to have worked with Dick Bate—or even just crossed paths with him—it was clear how deeply passionate he was about football and its continual evolution. He constantly challenged coaches to think more creatively and critically, always with the aim of developing players who could not only succeed in the present, but adapt and thrive in the future.

Dick had a unique ability to take complex ideas and distill them into simple, relatable concepts that players could immediately connect with. His clarity of thought and language was one of his greatest gifts as a coach and educator.

Back in 2013, he shared with us his thoughts on how the role of the centre-back was beginning to change. Looking at the game today, it’s remarkable how accurate—and forward-thinking—his observations were.

Centre-Backs: Defending Implications (Dick Bate, 2014)

✅ Greater capacity for sustained defensive phases
✅ More frequent and split-second decision-making
✅ Increased need for rapid, high-speed directional changes
✅ Ability to quickly calculate ball speed and trajectory
✅ Greater demands on lower-body mobility and range
✅ High requirements for agility, acceleration, deceleration, and explosive power
✅ Enhanced lower-limb and foot speed with more frequent shifts in stride cadence
✅ Quicker defensive reactions to unpredictable attacking patterns
✅ Excellence in 1v1 defending during counter-attacks (e.g. 30–40 yards from goal, often backpedalling or moving laterally at pace)
✅ Increased need to deal with fast, intricate interplay near goal

Above all: Defensive intelligence—the ability to read the game, anticipate danger, and respond decisively

Of course, this isn’t to suggest that centre-backs of the past didn’t possess these qualities. But as Dick predicted, the pace, complexity, and volume of defensive demands have all intensified—and the data bears that out.

Back then, the average centre-back recorded around 40 possessions per game, with a 79% success rate and roughly two touches per possession.
Today, in 2025, those actions have nearly doubled. Modern centre-backs are expected to operate at 88–92% efficiency, often with three or more touches—all while under intense tactical and physical pressure.

One of Dick’s most enduring messages to coaches was simple, yet profound:

“Watch the game—it tells you what you need you need to coach .”

Dick Bate didn’t just coach skills—he coached understanding. His influence continues to live on in the minds and methods of those he mentored. Over a decade later, his insights still resonate as strongly as ever in a game that’s constantly evolving—just as he always knew it would.

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

@_otlfc Would love to join!

[Coach Ray Ostrowski @CoachRayO3313]

Teach the next generation to love & respect the others success. Every1 loves to repost someone’s graphic or video, but far fewer go above & beyond to help, support and push them along the journey. Everyone’s path is different. Support those who help raise the bar for you & yours

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

Pitches r class tbf 👏🏻 need more of them throughout the country 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[GUFC @GlasgowUniFC]

From Garscube to the Gallowgate

GUFC was delighted to welcome @FCBayernEN to our Garscube training pitches yesterday morning ahead of their resounding performance and victory last night in the Champions League.

The team was impressed by the Club’s leading facilities.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🤝🇩🇪

[St Mirren YFC 2010 @yfc_2010]

Looking for 1 or 2 fresh faces to boost our squad⚽️

Top end Div 2 currently heading to Div 1 in the summer ⬆️

Re-posts appreciated for exposure👍

@ERSDALeague @TeamfinderScot1 @ScottishYouthFA

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

👏🏻✅

[Houston United @HoustonAmateurs]

A 2-0 win in the cup puts us into the next round of the @ScotAmFAWest 🏆

Good luck to @WellPhoAFC for the rest of the season⚽️

@ftsc0res @GGPAFL

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

😂

[Scottt Kirkwoodd @2gurlys1kupp]

"Linda! Where's my suit of armour? I'm needing to get milk"

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

Good to be back at it for 2025 👏🏻

[Houston United @HoustonAmateurs]

A good 3-1 win to start the year off on a high against @CarlukeThistle1 , we move onto next week for our fourth round @ScotAmFAWest tie against @WellPhoAFC 🏆⚽️

@scottish_aff @ftsc0res @GGPAFL

[Grassroots @Teamgrassroots_]

Such a sad email we received from a follower who asked for their thoughts to be shared.

Respect, integrity and sportsmanship .....

You guys are spot on, These are the qualities that all involved in grassroots football should adhere to and be proud to do so.

Unfortunately, youth football can be one of the most cutthroat environments I’ve ever come across and those values appear to be impossible for some to establish in themselves. Being an ex dance mum, I have experience of this and can honestly say that the dance world ain’t got nothing on the grassroots football world!

I’m the wife of a man who has dedicated the last 12 years of his life to coaching young boys to become the best they can be. What started as helping out my sons team when he was five years old to today as head coach and chief cheerleader.

Sadly, that journey finished last night. Why? Because after a couple of poor results (oh boy were they poor 🤦‍♀️) another local team decided to ‘offer’ a more attractive option at their team to some of my husband’s team’s most coveted talent. The boys being 15/16 and their pride hurt, took this offer which has resulted in other boys jumping ship and subsequently my husband and the dwindling numbers had no option but to fold as he could see no way forward.

He didn’t go down without a fight and sat up through the night, messaging the parents of anyone he could think of that could kick a ball. He after all had a responsibility to the young men left behind to ensure that they were able to enjoy a game of football at the weekend. Despite his best efforts, it wasn’t to be.

I watched my husband crumble last night, he is broken. He cried. I’ve rarely seen this. He spent his night calling each and everyone of the teams’ parents and the tears weren’t just from my husband. The words of comfort that were offered:
‘my boy wouldn’t be the person he is today without you’
‘Because of you, my boy has met friends for life’

His work doesn’t finish here, I know he will do everything he can to get his boys into new teams should they want to. Why should he bother you ask? Because his values are ‘Respect, integrity and sportsmanship’. His team mean the world to him and always will.

I guess I’m just venting here through hurt and grief. Yes, grief! We lost our football family a last night. We knew it wouldn’t last forever, but to have it taken away so suddenly and brutally, is hard to comprehend. To all the grassroots coaches (like my husband) who just want some kids to enjoy football, I’m proud of you. Your contribution to their lives is something that can never be taken away.

Yours in Sport
Anon

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

Excellent

[Paul Spacey ⚽️ @PaulSpacey]

When Santa Monica beach looks like this, we’ll have arrived 😉

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

@Bekesiii23 Thanks mate 👍

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

Happy Friday 🥳

Super buzzing with this one, another positive step in the journey ⚽️ brilliant experience many thanks to the tutors and fellow course mates, was a pleasure 🤝

So many great takeaways.

#UEFAC #SFA #Coaching #AlwaysLearning

[Houston United @HoustonAmateurs]

A win today against a very good team in @NewFarmLochAFC , we will now play @AlvaAfc in the second round of the Scottish Cup🏆

All the best to New Farm Loch for the rest of the season⚽️

@ScotAmFA @scottish_aff @ftsc0res @GGPAFL

[Houston United @HoustonAmateurs]

Todays Scottish Cup game ended in a draw, boys battled well in the heat but we welcome @NewFarmLochAFC for the replay⚽️

@ScotAmFA @scottish_aff @ftsc0res @GGPAFL

[Coach Liam @liamcly]

Thrilled to win the Best Young Volunteer in the @ScotFAWest!

Absolute pleasure to receive the award in the Hampden Hall of Fame. Great to be recognized for my dedication in my journey so far!

Huge congrats to all other winners, so many inspiring & positive stories to hear ⚽️👏