The mentality of a winner

By Mark Chaplin in Noordwijk

Be mentally tough. Resist stress. Communicate and have a clear vision. Bounce back in adversity. Be yourself. And be a winner in life. These are some of the key qualities that a coach must possess to rise above the crowd and make it in football.

Winning mentality
The 15th UEFA Course for Coach Educators in Noordwijk, near Amsterdam closed with a variety of final thoughts on what makes a successful coach, and how those who train coaches should try and instil the winning mentality in their students.

Positive attitude
Coaches will enjoy triumph and defeat in their careers, UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh told delegates in closing the event. But if they can cultivate the mentality of a winner and leader, adopt a constantly positive attitude and show the courage to take tough decisions, they will more often as not come out on top.

Mental toughness
"The top coaches are totally focused," Roxburgh said. "They are often obsessed by detail and curious to learn. They are tough mentally - they can put their ideas across - they can make the difficult decisions, and they can make their players winners.

'Clear head'
"You have to have faith in the players and people around you," he added. "You have to try and keep a clear head." The ability to keep bouncing back is a "must". "When you've gone three games without a win, and you're under pressure from all sides. Have you got the guts to keep going? Winners will keep coming back even in the toughest crisis situations," Roxburgh reflected.

Personal qualities
"It's our job to instil our students with the knowledge of these qualities," Roxburgh told the men responsible for training the coaches within UEFA's 52 member associations. The educators should also bear in mind that it is not just famous names who become good coaches. The success of José Mourinho and Arrigo Sacchi showed that it was possible for people with little or no major playing experience to be top-class coaches because of other qualities.

Stress resistance
Professor Patrick Georges, a management expert and active neurosurgeon, said it was essential that coaches made every effort to resist stress, through lifestyle choices, proper nutrition, constant professional planning and good personal organisation. Coaches who were prone to stress, he said, risked being less effective decision-makers.

Striving for victory
The theme of the week has been 'winning' - the winning mentality in coaches, who can also transmit this to their teams. Royal Netherlands Football Association coach Bert van Lingen, who has gathered vast experience in club football and with the Dutch national team, said that coach educators had to work to a policy whereby students were taught that winning in football was fundamental.

Youth development
However, Van Lingen drew a distinction between the adult and junior games. At the latter level, he explained, more consideration had to be given to the sporting and individual development of young players for the future, rather than simply just winning matches.

Learning ABC
Turning to today's top players, the course also examined the "ABC of A Winning Mind" - Attitude, Behaviour and Confidence. To succeed, players such as Steven Gerrard and Paolo Maldini must have determination, pride and ambition. They have to be resilient in overcoming setbacks and can often lead by example in the field.

Training viewed
On Thursday morning, the delegation traveled to the De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam to watch the Dutch national team in a training session for their two forthcoming FIFA World Cup matches, at home to Romania on Saturday and away to Finland next Wednesday.