How US approach rubbed off on Big Sam

[Guest Knightrider]

How US approach rubbed off on Big Sam

 

May 28 2007

 

By Lee Ryder, The Evening Chronicle

 

 

Never before at Newcastle United has the backroom team attracted so much attention.

 

But with new manager Sam Allardyce keen to get the very best out of his new squad at St James' Park, it appears the Magpies are about to step into a whole new space-age era when it comes to off-pitch techniques.

 

In years gone by what went on in the dug-out has been very much secondary to what happens on the field and the days of fans in the old Milburn paddock knocking on the back of Ossie Ardiles' dug-out to encourage substitutions now seem light years away.

 

At Bolton, Allardyce's backroom team grew from five to 28 covering coaching, medicine, sports science, performance analysis and administrative support between 1999 and 2007.

 

Allardyce is expected to bring with him to Newcastle a head of sport science and medicine and a strength and conditioning coach for starters.

 

His two main men in that field at Wanderers were Hartlepool-born Mark Taylor and Mark Howard as well as performance director Mike Forde - all of whom have been tipped to rejoin Allardyce at St James'.

 

Allardyce's big interest in performance and fitness analysis is already well documented in the football world but it all stems from his days playing in the United States.

 

In 1983 the former defender had a stint with Tampa Bay Rowdies, who were former members of the now defunct North American Soccer League.

 

Allardyce was fascinated by the off-field scientific approach to football and has already underlined how he intends to implement an injury-prevention scheme at St James' Park.

 

His ideas echo that of professional sports teams in the NFL, the NBA and the NHL in the US, with most clubs having a vast array of staff in the background supporting their playing rosters and squeezing every last piece of potential from their stars.

 

That news will be music to the ears of Toon fans who have continually seen their heroes miss week after week of Premiership action.

 

His theory is simple. Instead of having a player who, for example, is earning £50,000 a week sitting in the stands injured, it is better to employ a specialist working alongside him who earns, say, £40,000 per annum to keep prevent such injuries.

 

The longer that player spends off the pitch and on the sidelines, the more money is wasted. Therefore the salary of a performance or fitness analyst becomes a drop in the ocean in the big picture.

 

It is something that isn't uncommon across the Atlantic.

 

Toon chairman Freddy Shepherd has already stated that if the team from the Reebok Stadium can afford a 28-strong backroom staff, then so can Newcastle United.

 

In the US NFL it is common to have around 20-25 backroom staff to support the players meaning each individual player can get extra support if they need it.

 

Former Newcastle player Robbie Elliott, who played under Big Sam at Bolton, has already hailed the ideas of Allardyce, while his ex-Wallsend Boys' Club colleague Lee Clark says he is looking forward to some exciting new ideas at Gallowgate.

 

Elliott said: "It is great to know that if you have a specific problem there is somebody around to solve it."

 

The three wise men who Big Sam could turn to...

 

Mark Taylor

Head of Sport Science and Medicine

 

Currently Head of Sport Science at Bolton, Taylor hails from Hartlepool.

 

The 42-year-old played for Pools at the beginning of his professional career and has already worked for Blackburn, Crewe and Blackpool in a medical capacity.

 

Taylor arrived at Bolton early in the Big Sam era and quickly become one of Allardyce's main men amongst his 28 strong backroom staff.

 

Allardyce could well see Taylor as one of the main figures on Tyneside to finally rid the club of the extensive injury problems that dogged both Graeme Souness and Glenn Roeder, ultimately costing them their jobs.

 

Mike Forde

Performance Director

 

The 31-year-old is Wanderers' performance director and is another who Allardyce was keen to bring on board.

 

Forde's job basically involves a continual journey around the globe for innovations that may improve the football club.

 

But that doesn't extend only to football clubs or sports teams.

 

Forde has thrown his search for knowledge wide open and even visited Saatchi and Saatchi, the advertising agency in New York, to pick up new strategies to stay ahead of the game!

 

No matter what business Forde visits, his main aim is to sound them out on inside secrets from everything from scouting, psychology to people-management.

 

His travels have also included visits to dozens of NFL and NBA teams in the US to investigate their infrastructure.

 

When Allardyce arrived at Bolton the club he inherited a team with a out-of-date training ground and an average Championship side. By the end of his reign teams like the LA Lakers were visiting the Reebok Stadium to see what the secret of their success was, with some of that pulling power masterminded by Forde.

 

Mark Howard

Strength and Conditioning Coach

 

He joined the club in 2000-2001 as the club aimed to look into their medical approach to sports injuries and fitness techniques.

 

He works closely with players in overseeing the regular season workout programmes, pre-game warm-ups, post-match warm-downs and generally getting players in peak playing condition throughout the season.

 

Prozone: The technology Sam puts so much faith in

 

At the Reebok Stadium, Big Sam's special IT suite allowed him to call up passages of play on request in the dressing room at half time.

 

He could replay those incidents during the interval and use the 15 minutes break as a chance to exploit the opposition while they are in the opposite dressing room sucking oranges.

 

Prozone offers on-pitch analysis and England boss Steve McClaren is also a fan of the system.

 

Bolton were one of the first teams in the Premiership to adopt the player-tracking service which offers detailed data of every move, kick or spit that happens during a game.

 

Bolton performance guru Forde says: "Any club can have ProZone but some use it better than others.

 

"We have a fantastically talented analysis team who, on matchday, are wired up and give constant feedback.

 

"The future of sport is real-time science."

 

Source

[Dokko]

Like it.

 

The club is growing up finally and accepting 3 coaches with no qualifications between them just isn't good enough.

[GeordieDazzler]

Read this yesterday, Great read.

[Guest Knightrider]

This is why I've been banging on about Sam for ages on here and why I am delighted we finally have him. He is the most forward thinking innovative manager in the game and will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of perfection and success.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I can remember seeing a mini documentary about Bolton's back room staff once (maybe on Football Focus?), but I was really impressed by Big and Little Sam and their modern approach - something we are in dire need of

[Guest teepee]

good news - certainly a massive burst foward compared to the backroom staff employed over the last couple of years

[merlin]

The injury/unfit-for-selection problems at SJP have been a total disgrace for years - think back to the fiascos involving Marcelino, Dyer, Bobby's famous signing from Wimbledon(7m, SO famous I can't even remember his name..!!)etc etc.

The difference in available hours between ours and Bolton's players tell you that Sam's backroom MUST have been doing something right, although I strongly suspect that some of the players mentioned were swinging the lead.

 

It is a huge relief to see the Club being dragged into the 21st Century in that aspect of the game, and we must hope that the unprofessionalism that has dogged the club for years is swept from every corner of it -

the fans deserve nothing less.

[Guest Knightrider]

What is tragic is that Sam has been working with these methods since 1999, 8 years later we are just looking into them and have some catching up to do. Good things come to those who wait though

[Parky]

What is tragic is that Sam has been working with these methods since 1999, 8 years later we are just looking into them and have some catching up to do. Good things come to those who wait though

 

Nah we just need 'propa players'.

[beardsleymagic]

Has Sam managed to get any of these blokes on board yet?

[Guest Invicta_Toon]

What is tragic is that Sam has been working with these methods since 1999, 8 years later we are just looking into them and have some catching up to do. Good things come to those who wait though

 

the sad thing is you honestly believe fat sam is the only bloke with this approach

 

 

 

[Cajun]

What is tragic is that Sam has been working with these methods since 1999, 8 years later we are just looking into them and have some catching up to do. Good things come to those who wait though

 

the sad thing is you honestly believe fat sam is the only bloke with this approach

 

 

 

 

Said thing is you don't realise our last two managers had Dick and Dom as their backroom staff!

[Shak]

Be hilarious if we signed Offensive and Defensive Co-Ordinators. 

 

Great article though and this is my favourite aspect of the Allardyce appointment. Regardless of whether we do well on the pitch, you do feel that he will really modernise everything about how we are run behind the scenes.

[Guest justin99.]

No wonder Sam had to be so stringent in the transfer market.

 

All the money was spent on his 28 staff!

[Guest gggg]

No wonder Sam had to be so stringent in the transfer market.

 

All the money was spent on his 28 staff!

 

We could afford to employ 52 of em with Dyer's wages alone.

[Guest justin99.]

Probably had 50 odd people working on his injuries the past few seasons!

[Guest Invicta_Toon]

I love the way Fat Sam looks at the American approach of employing 25 backroom staff to look after 80+ players, and somehow translates that to 28 staff to look after 30 odd players

[Guest Gemmill]

I love the way you think you know more than a bloke who's put together a pretty successful setup at a fairly unfashionable football club.

[Guest alex]

I love the way Fat Sam looks at the American approach of employing 25 backroom staff to look after 80+ players, and somehow translates that to 28 staff to look after 30 odd players

If you only look at the players to backroom staff ratio it doesn't I suppose.

[ChezGiven]

Remember that player called The Fridge?

 

I reckon he needed people running round after him just to prevent him from eating himself to death.

[Guest alex]

Remember that player called The Fridge?

 

I reckon he needed people running round after him just to prevent him from eating himself to death.

William Perry iirc.

[Guest Invicta_Toon]

Mark Viduka

[ChezGiven]

Mark Viduka

 

[The College Dropout]

I love the way Fat Sam looks at the American approach of employing 25 backroom staff to look after 80+ players, and somehow translates that to 28 staff to look after 30 odd players

 

I never knew the NBA had squads of over 80+ players.

[BlueStar]

Any suggestions Terry Mac and Lee Clark's new titles?

 

Knob Joke Co-ordinator and Head of Geordification Development?