Rob is joined by a football legend, once deemed the ‘hardest man in football', Denis Smith to talk about his long-standing football career. Together, they discuss how hard work pays off in professional sport, how to play to your strengths and how community plays an important part in football.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- In life and professional sport, you have got to prioritize your career aspirations. You can't always have what you want in life but you have got to try and achieve what you want in life. It is fine to say you want to do something, but are you prepared to make the sacrifices?
- If you are wanting to play a professional sport for a living, you have got to get all the details perfect as well as being prepared to work hard at your sport as it has become a job for you rather than just a hobby.
- The blessing of having a life as a player in football means that you have to know what you're good at to do a good job for your team and manager. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses and make the best of the skills that you have. Don't try to be somebody you're not.
- You are working alongside the community when you're working within a football team. You cannot close your mind to anybody with views. You want people to share their views with you so that you can take it all in and decide what is right or not. You must listen to people.
BEST MOMENTS
“At nine or ten you made life-changing decisions.”
“I believed in myself and I continued to believe in myself.”
“Whenever I've been a manager I have always been part of the community.”
ABOUT THE GUEST
Denis Smith is of a rare breed. Someone who was virtually a one-club legend for his home town club Stoke City playing over 400 games in a career that earned him the label as ‘The hardest man in football'. He later went on to become a member of another illustrious club. That of the 1000 club for managers who have managed over one thousand first-class games, joining the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson. He is still currently active in the game with amongst other things serving his local community and club being a well-loved media personality.
ABOUT THE HOST
Rob Ryles is a UEFA licensed coach with a League Managers Association qualification and a science and medicine background. He has worked in the football industry in Europe, the USA, and Africa; at International, Premiership, League, Non-League and grassroots levels with both World Cup and European Championship experience.
Rob Ryles prides himself on having a forward-thinking and progressive approach to the game built through his own experience as well as lessons learned from several highly successful managers and coaches.
The Leader Manager Coach Podcast is where we take a deep dive examining knowledge, philosophies, wisdom and insight to help you lead, manage and coach in football, sport and life.
CONTACT METHOD
https://www.robryles.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMPYDVzZVnA
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertryles/?originalSubdomain=uk
LEARN MORE HERE Football, coach: https://www.patreon.com/robryles
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