Thought of the week 5

    In sport there are many things that have a bearing on individual performance and the result of the game or event. While athletes must work rigorously on all aspects in order to prepare themselves for whatever it is they do, the most important aspect for an athlete is confidence. While we can observe and see that top professional athletes possess skill sets that often times seem miraculous, what sets them apart is the confidence they have in their skill set and not the skill set itself.
   From a soccer perspective confidence is key. A player must not only have confidence in themselves, but must also have confidence in the players around them, and the coaches/manager who is in control. In the same manner the coaches and manager must have confidence in one another, and must have full confidence in their players to deliver on the game plan that is set out. At the top level the difference in quality is marginal, and although financial restraints play a major role, the best teams are the teams that possess confidence in abundance.

Teacher and Student- Brian Clough and Martin O'Neill

    Looking at both sides of the coin it becomes even clearer the role of confidence throughout the game. Up until Steve Bruce’s sacking from Sunderland midway through this season, it looked as though Sunderland were set to be relegation contenders. They looked like a team without any real quality, and a team that was well and truly on the decline after what has been a very stable period for the club. Then enters Martin O’Neill, who revives the club almost overnight, taking them from a relegation battle to a stable and solid league position. O’Neill has not changed much in his time at Sunderland, but his strength is breeding confidence into his players. Coming from the Brian Clough school of coaching he has learnt how to take players and teams of average quality and turn them into successful units. It seems that O’Neill has the uncanny ability to get his best from his players, this is what confidence is all about. Under Steve Bruce the players had exactly the same ability, what they did not have was a confidence in themselves, their teammates, and most importantly, the manager.

    At the other side of the spectrum is Manchester United. A team who has been dominant over the past 20 years or so, and truly encompass championship stature throughout the world of soccer. While the opinion of Sir Alex Ferguson is vast, one thing that must be said is that he and his teams are winners, and he knows exactly what needs to be done to get the result. However, one thing that many people misunderstand about Sir Alex is the way he manages. Many view Sir Alex as the archetypal hair dryer manager, shouting and balling at his players in order to get result. While this is within his repertoire, Sir Alex’s finest quality is his ability to give his players confidence. He knows how to manage his players in order to get the best out of them, and most importantly, he manages the individuals as well as the team and club as a whole. The finest case of this is Eric Cantona. The enigmatic Frenchman came to United after an already storied career in which he has already retired once at the tender age of 25 after several serious outbursts over the course of his short career. After winning the title with Leeds United Cantona was seen as too much trouble by the West Yorkshire club and was spotted by Ferguson who was looking for a player of his ability. What Sir Alex was able to do with Cantona was beyond description, and while Cantona still had problems curbing his aggression and outlandishness, Sir Alex always got the best from him on the field. He was able to hone the overly talented Frenchman into a player that went about changing the course of history for the Old Trafford club. Sir Alex’s ability to get the best from his players is an ability that very few possess. In order to have the amount of success that he has achieved you must possess an innate ability to bring out the best in everybody around you. While many think that Sir Alex is a dictator in the world of football, and while he is happy for people to believe this, his players know that he backs them 100%, and this gives them the confidence to perform at the top level week in and week out.

Eric Cantona- Enigmatic to say the least

    It is clear by looking at the many varieties of successful managers that are out there today that there is not one style that works over another. What is clear is that every successful manager knows how to get the best from their players. Players respond to whoever is in charge and will play to the level of the coach or manager. If the coach/manager does not do all they can do and it is clear for the players to see then they will lose confidence in him, themselves and the team. It is the ability of the coach to get the best from players that truly makes the difference in soccer. Look at Real Madrid when they signed the ‘Galacticos’ of Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, and Figo and yet failed to win anything of note. This side was the most expensive side ever assembled up until that time, and yet all the quality did not replicate into results. We can look at FC Barcelona today and say they could well be the best side that has ever played, and I don’ think that is too far from the truth. However, what makes FC Barcelona special today is their confidence in one another, and most importantly the confidence they have in their coach to do all he can to make sure the team is prepared.

    Confidence is not something we can possess all the time, but it is something that we must work on to achieve as often as possible during performance. A great way to achieve this confidence is to prepare well. The better prepared we are for games and practice the more confident we can be to perform, just as the more we study for a test or exam the better we think we will do and the more prepared we feel.

    Ability gives us the opportunity, but confidence is what determines the performance!