What makes a winning coach tick?

By Mark Chaplin in Noordwijk

The above question is exercising the minds of Europe's coach educators at their annual UEFA course in the Dutch North Sea resort of Noordwijk this week.

Successful coaches
The technicians responsible for educating student coaches and keeping qualified coaches up to date with developments in the sector throughout Europe are examining the facets that help drive people like Rafael Benítez, José Mourinho, Marcello Lippi or Guus Hiddink to domestic and European successes.

Different factors
While most people would think this would be a relatively simple area to evaluate - with the sole purpose of coaching and playing in football being to win and enjoy success - it is possible to identify a variety of different factors in the task of nurturing top-quality coaches who, in turn, will foster good footballers and teams.

Roxburgh's verdict
"Of course, it is not possible to be a winner all the time," UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh told the course. "But you have to try, and as the [coach educator's] job is to help others, we have to look at the issue in all of its various facets, because there are an amazing number of elements to the process of winning."

Drive and ambition
Top coaches, Roxburgh said, have a special strength, courage, drive, ambition and even obsession that helps put them on top. They are capable, among other things, of transmitting a winning attitude to players, choosing the appropriate tactical strategies and making the right decisions at the crucial moment. The new Olympique Lyonnais coach Gérard Houllier will examine the characteristics that make a winning coach in a presentation at the course.

Right attitude
Amid any coach's triumphs, there are also defeats and setbacks that tax their self-belief. "It is essential that a coach develops a rebound mentality, that enables him to bounce back when things don't work out how he would wish," Roxburgh explained. "The coach educators have the task of teaching other coaches how to deal with losing, and how to react - because this can often be as important as winning."

Scientific explanation
The course is also looking at whether the role of a youth coach is to win matches or develop players for the future, and one of the many fascinating presentations will see a neurosurgeon, Professor Patrick Georges, examine the mental elements that all come together to turn a coach, and by association their teams, into match and trophy-winners.

Sportsmanship important
Holger Osieck, the head of technical development at football's world governing body FIFA, and a vastly experienced club and national-team coach, stressed to delegates that it was essential not only to instil a winning mentality in coaches and players, but also to prevent such attitudes spilling over, for example, into poor sportsmanship. "We should never forget that winning is not everything - stay modest when you win, but keep a sense of fair play if you lose," he said.

Sprengers' pride
UEFA's role is also to help football in other areas of the world, and technical experts from its sister confederations, CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America) and OFC (Oceania) have been invited to the course. "We are proud of what we have achieved in this sector, and want others to learn from our experiences," said UEFA treasurer and Royal Netherlands Football Association president Mathieu Sprengers.

World Cup action
Delegates in Noordwijk will also watch the Dutch national team in training and preparatory match action as they finetune their plans for their FIFA World Cup qualifying matches at home to Romania on 4 June and in Finland on 8 June.