• 2 years ago
This week we bring you a special interview with Sheffield Wednesday assistant coach Chris Powell.
Transcript
00:00 Welcome to the latest episode of Everything But The Prem.
00:04 A lot of league football was paused this week because of the international break.
00:08 So today we're bringing you something a little bit different.
00:11 We know you love the analysis and the opinions of the best of National World Football writers,
00:15 but what about the men and the women that make it all happen every week?
00:19 Kicking off a brand new feature and one we'll bring you a lot more of throughout the season,
00:23 we have an in-depth interview with a highly respected coach in Chris Powell
00:27 and there's plenty for us to go on.
00:30 Over 600 appearances as a player and showing the leadership qualities
00:33 has suggested it was natural that he would move into coaching.
00:37 Chris has managed at Charlton, Huddersfield and Southend,
00:40 as well as having coached at Derby, Leicester, Tottenham and with England.
00:45 Nowadays you'll find him on the sidelines of Sheffield Wednesday
00:48 after being brought in by new boss Danny Rowe as a first team coach at Hillsborough.
00:53 Recently Sheffield star Drew Cran sat down with Chris to discuss how he came to be at Wednesday,
00:59 his coaching philosophy, working with some of England's brightest and best young talents
01:04 alongside Gareth Southgate and the part he played in helping Ted Lasso
01:09 in one of the biggest TV success stories of the past decade.
01:13 This is Everything But The Prem.
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02:19 I want different people in charge.
02:20 That's the game, you know, and I suppose you're angry
02:25 at the start, but as you get older and wiser
02:27 you kind of go a bit immune to it.
02:29 It happens, it's almost like death and taxes,
02:33 I suppose, that it's going to happen.
02:35 So I think what you got to do is be remembered,
02:39 leave a bit of a legacy if you can.
02:41 And I managed at Charlton Huddersfield, South End.
02:46 And you learn from a lot of those things,
02:50 whether they were good, bad or indifferent.
02:53 But then I'm a football man.
02:55 I've been assistant twice at Derby, over in Holland.
03:00 And I was in the academy, I suppose, the last three years.
03:07 I like football, I love football.
03:08 I like to develop people, whether they're coaches,
03:11 whether they're players, whether they're young players.
03:14 I like people to improve.
03:17 I like to lend my experience.
03:18 Can I create a good environment, a good learning environment?
03:23 I like to look out for people, staff and players.
03:27 And I love the game.
03:29 So I understand, you know, some people are built
03:32 to just be a manager.
03:34 Don't think I'm going to manage anymore.
03:36 Highly unlikely.
03:37 I suppose you never say never, but I suppose now
03:42 I don't really enjoy that side of things.
03:44 What I'd like to do, especially with someone like Danny
03:46 coming over, that was one of the draws.
03:50 He wanted someone who knew the championship
03:53 and managed there and knows sort of the British game
03:57 to help him.
03:59 You know, coaching skills are transferable,
04:02 regardless of what country you're in.
04:03 And I've seen that straight away with Danny,
04:06 with Henrik, with Sasha.
04:07 But quite clearly, sometimes you need an understanding
04:12 of your position, of traditions, of what the do's and don'ts,
04:16 maybe what the players would like,
04:18 maybe what they might not like, what will work
04:20 and make it a more tighter ship.
04:25 And I think we're getting that.
04:28 So I'm happy being in the game,
04:33 whether I'm watching, coaching, managing, advising,
04:38 the game is for me.
04:39 And I'm quite happy in the role I'm doing right now.
04:43 - In this job specifically, obviously Danny never played
04:46 at a career club, in fact he's only a year older than me.
04:50 But are you almost like a conduit in this setup?
04:54 Because you played at the top level
04:57 and you've got a lot of players here who have played
04:59 either in the Premier League or Championship or whatever.
05:02 Are you almost like a conduit between the manager
05:04 and the players?
05:05 - There's a bit of that.
05:06 Yeah, there's definitely a bit of that.
05:08 Obviously, because I've worked the last three years
05:13 with England, that obviously helps me get a buy-in really
05:18 from other players.
05:20 I think having Tom over with us, he knows the club,
05:24 he knows how it works, he knows a lot of the boys,
05:27 that helps again.
05:28 But then also, you look at Danny's experiences,
05:33 they're really good.
05:35 Bayern Munich, Germany, Southampton.
05:37 So yeah, I mean, those guys are exceptional.
05:42 But you want these guys here at Sheffield Wednesday
05:45 to aspire, especially young ones.
05:48 You want them to aspire to as high as they can get to.
05:51 Equally, the experienced players leave a legacy,
05:57 because your career goes by in a flash, really does.
06:01 I mean, I played for 24 years, till I was 40.
06:06 But it kind of just passed me by, thinking back now.
06:10 And I just want these guys to enjoy their careers,
06:14 enjoy what's in front of them,
06:16 because you feel like you can play forever, but you don't.
06:21 So actually, what's important is that you understand
06:24 that the time is now.
06:27 You know, at Sheffield Wednesday,
06:29 I spoke to the players after Plymouth,
06:33 and I just said to them, "Actually, if you think about it,
06:38 we have a chance to show people
06:42 that actually, where we are now, we can move forward.
06:46 And wouldn't it be great if you look back
06:49 in a few years' time, that you achieved something
06:52 when everyone thought you'd written off?"
06:55 It's gonna be hard.
06:56 We're gonna get punches in the stomach
06:59 along the rest of the season.
07:01 We really will.
07:03 And we might not get out of where we are.
07:06 That's a fact.
07:07 But actually, go out fighting,
07:10 go out showing people you care.
07:12 And I see that in this group.
07:16 I sense it in this group, that they can do that.
07:18 Will we need a bit of luck along the way?
07:21 Absolutely.
07:22 Will we need things to go our way at times?
07:25 Yeah.
07:27 Will things go against us?
07:29 Yeah.
07:30 But I think, I think actually,
07:35 what made me actually turn was the fans after Plymouth
07:40 and during the second half.
07:43 I was sitting there, I was thinking,
07:44 they're singing their heads off.
07:45 And we're losing 3-0.
07:47 So actually, the belief is,
07:49 this is our club, we're proud of our club.
07:51 Doesn't matter what happens.
07:53 So actually, why don't we use that to our advantage?
07:56 Why don't we use the energy from the fans
08:00 and give them the energy from the field
08:02 and sometimes off it?
08:04 And I think that can be a driving force
08:07 for us going forward.
08:08 It really can.
08:09 Won't be easy.
08:10 There's some really good teams in this league
08:12 that have spent good money,
08:14 got squads that are almost built for the Premier League.
08:18 We know where we're at.
08:19 We understand it.
08:21 But we're going to get on with it.
08:22 Simple.
08:23 That's a fact.
08:24 And we'll be ready each and every game.
08:26 - Yeah, you mentioned the fans there.
08:27 You mentioned that you had, obviously,
08:29 experience with Nigel Pearson.
08:31 I'm sure there's a few former Wednesday players
08:33 and stuff that you've known over the years.
08:35 Did you get in touch with any of them
08:37 before you came through and asked a few questions?
08:39 - Yeah, I spoke to Nig.
08:41 I spoke to Nig.
08:42 He still lives in the area.
08:43 He gave me a real good insight
08:47 into the area, into the people.
08:52 He said I can stop there if I want every now and then.
08:56 But no, I mean, I've kind of known
09:01 about Sheffield and how proud the city is.
09:05 But I got a good insight into the place.
09:11 But the people I know that played here
09:15 played here many years ago.
09:16 So I was thinking that might not help me.
09:18 But I did a bit of homework
09:21 and I'm glad that I've made the decision.
09:26 - Going back to that crossfire incident,
09:29 did you think that you were, when you were alive,
09:31 you think, "Oh, I'm gonna get a bit of stick for that"?
09:33 - Oh, I knew straight away.
09:36 And obviously, I know the fans don't want to hear it,
09:39 but we stopped Sheffield derby in the quarterfinal
09:43 'cause we played Sheffield United next round and lost,
09:47 which wasn't great.
09:50 But we kind of knew that there was,
09:54 you know, everyone wanted the Sheffield derby
09:56 and I get it.
09:57 And I think we played on a Saturday,
10:01 beat QPR, Charlton, then travelled here to Sunday.
10:04 And it was a Monday night.
10:06 And a lot of the Charlton fans got stopped on the motorway
10:09 and missed quite a lot of the game.
10:12 And they got in at the end.
10:14 And I suppose we just got, well, I got carried away.
10:18 Great picture, whoever took that picture,
10:20 I've got to say, great, 'cause they caught me.
10:21 I didn't stay up there long.
10:22 It looks like I'm up there and, you know,
10:25 got sort of doing pull-ups and whatever,
10:29 but I was up there briefly.
10:31 I lost the moment, I suppose.
10:33 There's nothing wrong with that.
10:34 If your team's won and you got to enjoy the moment.
10:37 Yeah, definitely.
10:39 Like we did last Sunday,
10:40 and let's hope we've got many more to come.
10:43 - And you've seen Hillsborough in full flow.
10:45 Knowing that history of the club,
10:47 that Hillsborough, you know when Danny makes that call
10:50 and says, "Look, I might be going to Sheffield,
10:52 "where did you want to come to, mate?"
10:53 Does that play a big part in your decision?
10:55 - Yeah, yeah.
10:57 Regardless of position we're in,
11:00 I think you always look at the stature of a football club
11:05 and what it means to the people.
11:09 You know the support's going to be there.
11:11 I mean, it's even taken me back a little bit, you know.
11:16 Seeing 29,000, I know it's local derbies,
11:19 so maybe there's a few more away fans,
11:23 but I didn't see too many blue suits, spare.
11:27 And I'm thinking, well, imagine you just get it just right.
11:32 You just imagine, I know the fans must always think that,
11:35 but we've got to think that.
11:38 We can't think any other way other than positive
11:40 and being the best.
11:43 - Join us after the break, where Joe will talk to Chris Pyle
11:46 about his time working on American Hideo Ted Lasso.
11:51 Welcome back to Everything But The Prem.
12:09 We join back with Joe Cran alongside Chris Pyle
12:12 as he discusses his time working in TV and in coaching.
12:16 You've worked with some of the best English players
12:19 that we've seen in decades.
12:21 - Yeah.
12:22 - What do you take from them?
12:23 You have Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham,
12:26 when you transfer from that to Chelsea after Wednesday,
12:29 what sort of lessons do you take from work
12:31 with those characters?
12:32 - It's a good question, 'cause it's quite hard
12:35 to sort of have them alongside each other,
12:39 'cause quite obviously they are the cream.
12:42 - As well.
12:43 - You know, Jude Bellingham goes from Madrid
12:45 as if he's just gone to his local Sunday team.
12:48 I mean, it's uncanny what he's doing,
12:51 but it doesn't surprise me and a lot of people
12:54 that work with him because we just know his understanding
12:58 of the game, he's very well balanced.
13:00 He's been brought up brilliantly, both personally,
13:04 you know, family, and at Birmingham and Dortmund.
13:09 I suppose all you can ever say to our guys is,
13:14 why don't you strive to be like that?
13:16 Be as good as you can be.
13:19 Behaviors on and off the field are massive.
13:21 The way you treat people is massive.
13:25 The way you play and interact with your teammates,
13:30 with the staff is huge.
13:33 You know, why don't you develop a learning?
13:35 Because actually, you know,
13:37 we've got some good young players here.
13:39 Why don't you strive to be in the high leagues?
13:43 Why not?
13:43 You know, because if you don't set the bar high,
13:48 you'll never reach it, you know?
13:50 So you don't have to out, sort of be outspoken about it,
13:55 but I think it's about behaviors
13:58 and it's about what they do day in, day out
14:03 is the big thing that really sets the tone
14:08 and raises the bar.
14:09 These guys are at the top level every day
14:13 in everything they do,
14:15 whether it's the gym, whether it's training,
14:17 whether it's, you know, being around the place.
14:22 It's a high level every single day, you know,
14:27 and they don't come off it.
14:28 That's why they're at the level they're at.
14:30 And you want our players to have that psyche,
14:35 you know, be the best you can be in everything you do,
14:41 in everything you do.
14:42 - In that element, it's about control and control,
14:45 isn't it?
14:45 You're gonna have bad games.
14:46 You're gonna have days where it doesn't quite fall for you.
14:49 - Great.
14:50 - If you're doing all those things
14:51 that you can control right,
14:52 then you obviously stand a better chance.
14:54 - Yeah.
14:55 - Speaking to Danny, he's mentioned a few times
14:57 about his non-negotiables,
15:00 the things that he says,
15:01 this is how we work, we answer what's happening.
15:05 Can you give us an idea of sort of the,
15:08 if you're not, you know, trade secrets and that,
15:09 but you know, like the things that Danny's come in
15:12 and said, this is the way that I work
15:13 and there's no shuffling on.
15:15 - Well, he wasn't happy today with training.
15:17 He made that quite clear to the boys.
15:20 And I think they know now that he,
15:22 you know, the intensity that he wants
15:25 is something they're gonna have to get used to.
15:27 You know, you can see it coming in.
15:29 You can.
15:30 You've seen the workload,
15:32 the Watford game, Plymouth game, Rotherham.
15:36 You see already it's increasing.
15:39 They understand, they don't do it,
15:40 they might not play.
15:42 You know, he's been very clear,
15:44 we've got to do the work.
15:45 And if this is what I demand,
15:48 it's what you've got to do.
15:49 We've got to drive it to support coaches and staff,
15:53 to keep driving the boys.
15:56 It will be tough for them.
15:57 You know, I've seen a few tongues hanging out already,
16:01 but they'll benefit from it.
16:03 That's the big thing.
16:05 If their mentality changes
16:07 and their body language says,
16:09 we/I can do this,
16:11 then all of a sudden that's gonna benefit the team.
16:14 - I think most people are really, really impressed
16:17 with the speed at which people have bought into it.
16:20 - Yeah.
16:21 - For you in particular,
16:23 like I say, you've worked with some great managers,
16:25 you've had a player in your post career as well.
16:30 How impressed have you been with Danny?
16:32 - Oh, I think straight away,
16:37 when we met, he had clips of what he wanted to show the boys
16:43 and, you know, I was involved with him saying,
16:46 yeah, that'd be a really good clip to show.
16:48 'Cause he said, this is what I want.
16:50 And I said, oh, they can do it.
16:52 And, you know, everyone learns different ways,
16:54 visually or out on the pitch.
16:57 And if they get it when you speak, when you show,
17:01 and when you show them out on the grass,
17:03 then they'll get it, you know?
17:05 And we've done it again and again,
17:07 it's been repetitive,
17:09 but the message is getting through.
17:13 And I think for me, as I said to you,
17:16 I spoke after Plymouth,
17:19 I basically said, guys, about the details.
17:22 So the top level, they get the details right,
17:24 99.9% of the time.
17:26 And that could be the difference between winning and losing,
17:32 getting a point or three or none.
17:35 And I think that's where we're at now.
17:36 The details that the boys took on for Watford,
17:40 even though it was only a few days,
17:42 again, after that, debriefing, learning for Plymouth.
17:45 Like you said, there's details that game,
17:48 because actually we dominated the game for the first half an hour,
17:51 and it was our mistakes, details.
17:55 But then you get the details right,
17:57 more often than not, on Sunday, get a result.
18:01 It's no coincidence.
18:02 So actually, the boys are asking questions,
18:05 which is good, because they want to learn,
18:07 they want to grasp what Danny, what Henrik,
18:10 and the rest of the staff want.
18:13 And I think that can make a massive difference
18:16 for us moving forward.
18:18 - I wanted to ask you a little bit about Ted Lasso.
18:20 - You would.
18:21 (laughing)
18:22 - I had to, I had to.
18:23 As a genuine fan of the show.
18:25 (laughing)
18:26 But just with Ted Lasso, how did that all come about?
18:29 - Bizarre.
18:30 And everyone asks me.
18:32 I actually did an interview yesterday from home.
18:36 No, on Monday, from the New York Times.
18:39 I mean, bizarre.
18:41 - It's a bit of a step down to me, unfortunately.
18:43 (laughing)
18:44 - Very cool, Sheffield star and New York Times.
18:47 - Yeah, we're obviously talking about the same brand.
18:49 - Yeah, yeah.
18:49 So, I got a call in 2020.
18:56 I'd just left Ardau Den Haag, 'cause of lockdown.
19:00 So I was out in Holland.
19:01 Got home, obviously lockdown happened.
19:04 And then I got a phone call from Rob Wadsworth,
19:08 who is an agent, he's in digital sports marketing.
19:14 Someone I've dealt with over the years.
19:16 And he just said,
19:17 "I've had a script land on my desk.
19:23 It's about an American football coach
19:27 taking over a Premier League team."
19:30 Straight away I said, "Well that won't work, will it?
19:33 That just won't work."
19:34 And he said, "They've asked me to get someone
19:36 to coach the players, or the extras,
19:41 you can't call them extras now,
19:42 they're support actors, essays."
19:44 Yeah, love, yeah.
19:46 Anyway, so I said, "Well, I'm not doing anything."
19:51 At that point, I wasn't working with England or Spurs.
19:56 So I went along and basically what they wanted
20:01 was a bit of realism to sort of the practices
20:04 that were going on, either that was in the scripts
20:07 or in the background.
20:09 And they just said, "We just want it to look
20:11 as if this would happen at a Premier League team."
20:14 So I was like a coaching advisor, really.
20:16 And I'd go in maybe twice a week whenever they needed me
20:21 and they were filming those scenes.
20:24 And then what happened was I did a game on Sky
20:29 as a pundit, can't even remember what game,
20:33 maybe Charlton game or Leicester, I really don't know.
20:36 And one of the production team saw me
20:40 and they said, "That's the guy who comes in
20:43 and like coaches the players."
20:45 And I said, "Yeah."
20:46 They said, "Oh, he's pretty good."
20:49 So whoever that was, thank you.
20:50 Because then they said, "Oh, we've got a space,
20:52 we've got a commentator,
20:54 we need a co-commentator/pundit.
20:57 Would you wanna do it?"
20:59 And I said, "Well, if you're gonna pay me, yeah."
21:03 And of course they said, "Yeah, we'll do it."
21:07 And so they hooked me up with Arlo
21:09 who is a professional commentator.
21:11 He doesn't live golf now, but he was doing,
21:13 I think NBC football, Premier League coverage in America.
21:17 And I became an actor.
21:21 Scripts, trailer, believe it or not, bizarre.
21:26 So I'll tell you a quick story.
21:28 When I was a coaching advisor,
21:30 they would just put me to one side and we'd eat last,
21:34 we'd get, you know, everything we got dealt with last.
21:38 The next day when I came in as co-commentator,
21:41 they took my suits, they took, they gave me my food.
21:46 It was like, sort of there and there.
21:50 - Did you have a night after that?
21:51 'Cause things that had to be in your trailer
21:53 when you got there at work.
21:54 - No, it wasn't that bad.
21:55 But I mean, it was a great experience.
22:00 And basically, we had to learn our lines for season one,
22:07 which is quite tough.
22:08 But then for season two and three,
22:12 they would all put like auto cues out of the way.
22:16 So we wouldn't have to sort of rehearse,
22:18 we'd just get there.
22:19 You sort of rehearse the lines
22:22 because they don't want to film you
22:24 staring at the auto cues.
22:25 So you sort of look away.
22:26 And they were so helpful to me and Arna.
22:31 And obviously it blew up.
22:32 I mean, season one, if you look at season one
22:36 and the balls and the kit,
22:38 it's not like how it was in season two and three,
22:41 because I think they weren't sure
22:43 if it was going to be a success.
22:45 For me, it was all about timing.
22:48 'Cause it was lockdown, so people were at home
22:51 and they wanted to feel good.
22:53 And the show is a feel good show about relationships.
22:56 Football was just the vehicle for it.
22:59 - It's not really about football, is it?
23:00 - No, but everyone thinks it is.
23:02 But it was just there,
23:04 but actually it was about love, relationships,
23:07 bouncing back, resilience, being away from home,
23:12 understanding other people, other cultures.
23:15 There was a love triangle in it.
23:18 I mean, it was just bizarre.
23:20 - Thanks to Chris Pyle for his time
23:25 and to Joe Cran for that brilliant interview.
23:27 That's us for this week on Everything But The Prem.
23:30 We'll be back next week with the latest analysis
23:32 on events in the EFL and beyond,
23:35 as we head into one of the most crucial stages of the season
23:38 before the madness of the festive season kicks in.
23:41 There are some huge matches this weekend
23:42 and we'll cover the best of them right here.
23:45 I've been Chris Holt,
23:46 and this has been Everything But The Prem.
23:49 (upbeat music)
23:51 (upbeat music)
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