Our guest on Episode #73 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks, is Rob Mackenzie.
Rob is the Head of Scouting at Tottenham and has worked for the Europa League champions for two years.
Prior to Spurs, he was Head of Recruitment at Aston Villa and at Leuven in Belgium, and Head of Technical Scouting at Leicester City, helping to lay the foundations for their Premier League triumph.
In this episode Rob gave us the inside track on Tottenham's scouting operation and gave insights into his two decades in the game.
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Tom Heaton: Leading Manchester United's new era
Our guest on Episode #72 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks, is Manchester United and England goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
Tom is playing his 21st season as a professional and is a member of United's new five-man leadership team, along with Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mozraoui.
In this Episode he told us what it's like behind the scenes at United, about establishing himself at Burnley under Sean Dyche, about his experiences with England and his ambitions for the future.
SHOW NOTES =>
01:30: What the non-internationals do during the international break.
02:28: Thoughts on new Carrington training ground.
03:16: Can facilities be too nice and spoil players?
04:19: Being part of the new leadership team at the club.
05:11: Being inspired - but not weighed down - by the past.
06:35: What's the culture like behind the scenes?
07:49: Staying focused on the long-term plan.
08:54: First impressions of new goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
09:23: Does he coach the other keepers?
09:49: Joining United as an 11-year-old.
11:43: Influence of Sir Alex Ferguson.
12:37: His six loans as a United player. Positive experience and 'real' football.
15:21: Returning to United in 2021. Has it gone as planned?
18:12: Finding a home at Burnley (2013 to 2019). Playing under Sean Dyche. Defensive detail and organisation. Goalkeeper factory under Billy Mercer and Craig Mawson.
23:36: Evolution of role of the goalkeeper.
26:40: Which goalkeepers do you admire?
27:45: How long will you carry on playing?
28:37: What do you plan to do when you finish playing?
30:35: Going to the Euros with England as a training goalkeeper.
32:45: Thoughts on the Sporting Director role. Have done the UEFA Football Management Course.
34:01: Sean Dyche or Sir Alex Ferguson as a hybrid manager-Sporting Director.
35:06: Hopes for the rest of the season with Man Utd. Optimistic?
35:49: Looking ahead to appearance at TGG Live 2025 at Old Trafford on October 8th.
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Nick Montgomery: Tottenham triumph & career in coaching
Our guest on Episode #71 of the TGG Podcast is Nick Montgomery, Ange Postecoglou's Assistant at Nottingham Forest.
The duo worked together at Tottenham last season, helping the North London side win their first piece of silverware in 17 years, when they claimed the Europa League.
Montgomery has worked in football for almost three decades, as a player, coach and manager, and in England, Scotland and Australia.
This episode was recorded a day before Montgomery joined Forest, but he talked about what it’s like to work with Postecoglou, about their struggles and triumphs last season and why some of the narratives about the Australian are incorrect.
SHOW NOTES =>
01:50: What he's been doing since Spurs sacking
04:44: Winning the Europa League
06:26: Why so many injuries?
09:30: Injuries gave young players an opportunity. What is was like to work with Archie Gray & Lucas Bergval. Why it's a younger game now.
14:54: Set pieces - Tottenham didn't neglect them. We're much better at them than people gave them credit for. Whether you need a dedicated Set Piece Coach or not.
24:41: Narrative about Postecoglou's style of play. Why you need a big squad to rotate. Difference between principles, philosophies and tactics.
30:16: Career as a player. Working with Neil Warnock. How he treated everyone differently. Game was more aggressive and macho when he was playing. Doesn't know why apprentices cleaning the pros' boots has gone out of the game. Dangers of social media. Example of Brennan Johnson coming off Instagram.
39:24: Moving to Australia as a player with Central Coast Mariners. Player to Academy Manager to Head Coach. Winning first league title for the club.
41:37: How he got to know Postecoglou.
43:27: Merits of taking your own staff to a club v having a new staff, as Postecoglou has.
45:08: Joining Hibernian as Manager. Why tenure only lasted one season.
49:13: Can Postecoglou achieve big things as a Manager in future?
51:47: When Postecoglou said he always wins things in his second season. How was that for the players and staff?
55:14: Ambitions for rest of his career.
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Simon Wilson: Driving success with strategy at Man City & Stockport
Our guest on Episode #70 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks Intelligence, is Simon Wilson.
Simon is the Chief Executive of Stockport County and one of the most experienced football leaders in the UK.
At Southampton, he was only the second full-time performance analyst in the country, before joining Manchester City in 2006.
His time there coincided with the new ownership of Sheikh Mansour and a period of complete transformation. Simon played a key role in this, first as Head of Analysis, then Strategy and Performance Manager and finally as Director of Football Services for the entire City Football Group.
In this latter role, Simon designed, built and delivered the club's global multi-club operation.
After a short spell as Chief Football Officer at Sunderland, Simon joined Stockport County in 2020 and has masterminded their climb through the divisions. In February 2025, he was promoted from Director of Football to Chief Executive.
In this Episode, Simon told us about his career journey, about his pivotal work at Manchester City and about Stockport's seven-year plan.
SHOW NOTES =>
02:27: Reflections on Stockport's summer transfer window.
03:21: Getting over last season's play-off semi-final defeat.
05:06: The club's seven-year plan.
07:45: What it's like working with Stockport owner Mark Stott.
08:53: How does the new squad compare to last season's?
09:45: The strength of this season's League One.
11:39: Simon discusses his time working at Sunderland.
16:24: How did Simon first get involved in football?
19:51: His first jobs with clubs - first at Preston and then Southampton.
21:19: Being only the second full-time Performance Analyst in the UK.
22:14: Working with Sir Clive Woodward.
23:25: Joining Manchester City.
25:27: Sheikh Mansour taking over at City.
29:08: Simon Pearce and Brian Marwood's involvement at the Etihad.
31:35: Becoming Director of Football Services for the City Football Group.
36:01: The difference between an entertainment club and a talent club in the multi-club model.
36:57: Are smaller clubs in a multi-club model servicing the bigger clubs?
39:44: Players moving between clubs in the group.
40:19: Economies of scale and sharing of data between the group's clubs.
41:47: Why Simon left Manchester City.
43:38: The current state of the game.
45:54: Moving from Sporting Director to CEO - how it's going.
47:13: What does the future hold for Simon?
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Luke Bornn: Toulouse, Teamworks & making a difference with data
Our guest on Episode #69 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks, is Luke Bornn.
Luke has been one of the leading figures in sports analytics for more than a decade. After working as an Assistant Professor at Harvard University, he became Head of Analytics at Roma and then with the Sacramento Kings.
In 2020 he co-founded Zelus Analytics, a sports intelligence platform providing data-driven insights to top teams, including Toulouse & AZ Alkmaar.
In 2024, Zelus was acquired by Teamworks and became Teamworks Intelligence. Luke spoke about what he's been doing since we last spoke on the pod in 2021, about his groundbreaking work with Toulouse and about the future of sports analytics.
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode and if you do, please give us a follow via your preferred podcast provider.
SHOW NOTES =>
02:21: What's been happening since you were last on the pod (in July 2021?)
04:36: What was your day-to-day involvement with Toulouse FC? What was the influence of data? Focusing on what matters.
11:31: Why data can help you to make better decisions. Why it's difficult to make long-term assessments in football.
15:31: Why English football overstates the importance of the Head Coach and why it's difficult to identify the coaches who genuinely make a difference.
18:55: Why Toulouse chose NOT to have a defined style of play. Benefits of 'zagging when others are zigging.'
24:50: Involvement with AZ Alkmaar. Why they are the best-run club in Europe over the course of the last decade. How they 'placed strategic bets' and won. 'Making the main thing the main thing.' How 10 to 15 decisions a season drive 95% of the value.
31:06: Role of Billy Beane, star of Moneyball and investor in Zelus Analytics.
31:52: Sale of Zelus to Teamworks and how they can add value for clubs.
36:25: Why clubs need to decide what they want from analytics. Should ultimately be about making better decisions. Importance of being aligned and why performance and analytics shouldn't be separate departments. 'If you're not improving decisions, you're not doing anything.'
40:04: Teamworks Intelligence and what it can bring to clubs/ federations.
42:30: Future of analytics - and for Luke personally.
Welcome to the Training Ground Guru Podcast. In every episode we bring you insights from the teams behind the teams in professional football. Thank you for listening.
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