Episode 1. Graeme Jones on the Sports Bench

In the first episode of the Sports Bench Podcast, host Marc Millar sits down with Graeme Jones, joint assistant manager at Newcastle United, to reflect on a remarkable career in football. From early struggles and a record-breaking season at Wigan to coaching alongside Roberto Martínez at Swansea, Everton and with Belgium’s golden generation, Graeme shares stories from inside some of football’s biggest moments - including an FA Cup win, a World Cup bronze medal and a European silver medal. He also opens up about the realities of management at Luton Town, his coaching philosophy and what it means to work at his boyhood club, Newcastle. A candid and inspiring conversation filled with lessons on resilience, adaptability and the mindset required to succeed at the highest level in sport. Chapters (00:00:00) - Sports Bench Podcast(00:01:53) - Graham Jones(00:06:43) - Adam Ferguson on His Turn to Coaching(00:11:29) - Graham Jones on his early coaching experiences(00:19:27) - Graham Jones on Everton's nervousness(00:23:28) - Belgium vs England(00:27:23) - Australia's World Cup(00:33:13) - Belgium's players on the World Cup(00:35:04) - Gareth Southgate on his appointment as England Coach(00:40:56) - Germany vs France(00:41:07) - Graham Hill on the England and Newcastle jobs(00:45:14) - What did you learn about yourself during your time as a manager(00:49:54) - What was the biggest challenge you faced as a manager?(00:52:38) - Have the game changed for the better?(00:58:04) - Graham Jones on his coaching