The Lowdown

"Control the controllables to survive, influence the uncontrollables to thrive."
Today I am delighted to be joined by Olympic gold winning coach Mehdi Kordi. Despite never riding competitively Mehdi went on to win an incredible six Olympic gold medals as coach.
Here he shares with us his journey which took him from researching CPR techniques in Space to an Olympic podium. A great episode on what truly moves the needle in elite sport and what happens when winning is all that counts.
Listen to find out more including;
- Why leadership conversations get sanitized?
- Transitioning from Sports Scientist to Head Coach and what buyin looked like?
- Is "What It Takes To Win" still relevant?
- What Mehdi learned from leading the People's Republic of Derbados?
- How to lead athletes more powerful than ever who also communicate less than ever?
Get in touch;
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/
YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod
Email: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

Today I am delighted to be joined by esteemed football executive Adrian Bevington.
In today's episode we cover Adrian's 10 lessons in leadership from building sporting departments throughout his career. Drawing on his experience working at the FA, FAW, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough we delve into what it truly takes to work at the top.
Listen to find out more including;
- What does operational excellence look like?
- The logistical demands of a World Cup and how change is navigated.
- Inside the appointment of Gareth Southgate as England manager.
- What macro / micro leadership looks like for Adrian?
- Adrian's current work in M&A with Revolution Sports Investment.
Get in touch;
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/
YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod
Email: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

Today I am delighted to be joined by Red Bull Bragantino Academy Director; Victor Passeri. I have been fortunate to get to know Victor as part of this years MBA cohort with the ASD.
This episode provides brilliant insight into technical leadership within a Brazilian context. From an early apprenticeship at FC Porto and Palmeiras Victor explains how he’s able to apply a generalist’s frame to his day to day work within the Academy.
Listen to find out more including;
- How different roles shaped his understanding of leadership?
- Finding a competitive edge in South American scouting
- What adaptability looks like within the Red Bull methodology ?
- What player evaluation looks like in their environment ?
- Decision making in player pathway management.
Get in touch;
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/
YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod
Email: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

Today we celebrate the 200th episode of The Lowdown with a special World Cup episode with David Garcia & Bernat Mosquera. With 106 games down and fresh from watching Brazil v Japan we review the action thus far,
Listen to find out more including;
- Has the move to a 48 team competition made for a better watch?
- Why we all see Colombia as potential dark horses?
- The mid block and attacking transition strategies that are defining this World Cup.
- How the favorites approach squad usage and what that means for building rhythm throughout the tournament?
- The difference between progression and danger and where teams fall short.
- Why the sudden increase in set piece goals in this year's World Cup?
David's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-garcia-a043794b/
Bernat's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernat-mosquera/
Get in touch;
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/
YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod
Email: cwalsh95@outlook.ie

In this episode, we sit down with Oliver Denhardt to explore his journey from the early days of performance analysis and scouting to helping shape the future of football intelligence. Having worked within leading environments including AFC Ajax and FC Copenhagen, Oliver shares the lessons he learned from talent identification, recruitment processes, and understanding what separates elite decision-making from the rest of the industry.
We also dive into the growth of Eyeball, a platform now covering thousands of clubs across dozens of countries, and discuss how technology is changing scouting, recruitment, and football operations. From video scoring and market expertise to the democratization of data and analysis, Oliver provides a fascinating perspective on where clubs can still create competitive advantages and what problems football will need to solve next.
Listen to find out more including;
- What were the biggest lessons Oliver learned from his time at Ajax and FC Copenhagen?
- What Oliver sees as the biggest challenges facing clubs in recruitment and analysis?
- Why has Eyeball been able to scale successfully across so many countries and clubs?
- Why succeeding in a new market requires an extreme level of focus and specialization?
- What are the biggest mistakes clubs make when trying to adapt to new technology?
Get in touch;
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conorwalsh1995/
YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@TheLowdownPod
Email: cwalsh95@outlook.ie