ISSPF Soccer Insights

Want to go deeper into soccer science, coaching, and performance? Head to the ISSPF site at www.ISSPF.com, and catch the rest of the ISSPF Soccer Insights Podcasts at www.ISSPF.com/podcasts.Podcast Overview: Steve McClaren on Standards, Culture and Modern CoachingWhat does it really take to build standards, culture and winning behaviours inside elite football environments?In this episode, we sit down with Steve McClaren to explore the realities of coaching, leadership and performance at the highest level of the game.Steve’s career has taken him through some of football’s biggest environments, including Manchester United, England, Middlesbrough, Derby County, FC Twente, Newcastle United and Jamaica. Across that journey, he has worked with elite players, major clubs, national teams and some of the most demanding football cultures in the world.This conversation goes beyond tactics. Steve reflects on the new wave of English coaches, the rise of Liam Rosenior, lessons from working with Wayne Rooney at Derby, and what young coaches need to develop if they want to lead at the highest level.We also explore culture and standards through Steve’s experiences at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, where behaviours were driven every day by the manager and senior players such as Roy Keane. His message is clear: culture is not a slogan. Culture is behaviour.Steve also shares lessons from Middlesbrough, where he built an environment strong enough for major players such as Mark Viduka, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Gaizka Mendieta to come in and thrive, as well as insights from Jamaica on spirit, togetherness and game management.For coaches, practitioners, analysts, sport scientists, psychologists and anyone interested in elite football environments, this episode offers a rare insight into what high-level coaching really demands.What you'll take from this episode:Why modern coaching is about more than tacticsHow elite standards are built and protectedLessons from Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy KeaneWhy culture is really about daily behavioursWhat young English coaches need to develop nextHow authenticity helps coaches build trustLessons from Middlesbrough, Derby and JamaicaWhy spirit, togetherness and game management matter↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓Want more? Visit the ISSPF Journal and grab your free soccer performance journal at www.ISSPF.com/journal.TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 Cold open00:00:20 Intro00:01:40 Welcome to Steve McClaren00:03:35 The new wave of English coaches00:04:15 Wayne Rooney, Liam Rosenior and Derby County00:07:00 Liam Rosenior’s coaching philosophy00:09:25 What makes a great modern coach00:11:30 Jamaica, spirit and togetherness00:14:40 Culture is behaviour00:15:15 Manchester United standards under Sir Alex Ferguson00:16:10 Roy Keane, non-negotiables and complacency00:20:15 Why standards are harder to control in modern football00:23:10 Ten Hag, Ronaldo and Rashford discipline00:24:30 Staff responsibility and player behaviours00:30:00 Why culture takes time to build00:32:10 Recruitment and dressing-room leaders00:35:15 Middlesbrough, Viduka, Hasselbaink and Mendieta00:37:25 The Alen Bokšić story00:43:10 Lessons from Jamaica00:44:20 Alignment with the top00:45:15 Spirit before Xs and Os00:45:45 Game management00:46:45 Final reflections00:49:45 Closing thoughts

Want to go deeper into soccer science, coaching, and performance? Head to the ISSPF site at www.ISSPF.com and catch the rest of the ISSPF Soccer Insights Podcasts at www.ISSPF.com/podcasts.What does it actually take to build a winning environment at the very top of world football?In this episode, we sit down with Darcy Norman, one of the most respected performance practitioners in the game, to explore the people, systems, and processes behind elite performance.Darcy’s journey has taken him through some of the biggest environments in world football, including FC Bayern Munich, AS Roma, the German Men’s National Team, the U.S. Men’s National Team, and now Chicago Fire FC, where he was appointed Director of Performance in December 2024. In that role, he leads medical, physical performance, nutrition, sports psychology, and performance strategy across the First Team, Chicago Fire FC II, and the Academy.This is not just a CV story. It is a deep dive into how high-performing environments are actually built. How do you align coaches, medics, sport scientists, analysts, nutritionists, psychologists, and leadership? How do you create systems that keep players available, developing, and ready to perform? And how do you use data, research, and technology without losing the human element?Darcy has lived inside winning cultures. He was part of the staff that lifted the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany, worked at Bayern during a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double, and was at Roma during their 2017–18 Champions League semi-final run.His message is clear: elite performance is not one department, one method, or one piece of technology. It is a connected system.Across the conversation, Darcy shares lessons on performance leadership, player availability, multidisciplinary working, data, physical development, culture, communication, and the importance of clear mission, vision, and values.For coaches, sport scientists, analysts, fitness coaches, rehab specialists, psychologists, and performance leaders, this episode offers a rare look inside some of the biggest environments in world football.What you’ll take from this episode:How world-class performance cultures are builtWhy people, process, and clarity matterHow to connect medical, physical, tactical, psychological, and analytical supportLessons from Bayern, Roma, Germany, the USMNT, and MLSHow data can support performance without taking overWhy elite environments depend on trust, alignment, and daily habitsWant more? Visit the ISSPF Journal and grab your free soccer performance journal at www.ISSPF.com/journal.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Intro01:30 Meet Darcy Norman01:45 From alpine skiing to performance04:11 Why mindset is the foundation08:12 Arriving at Bayern Munich10:49 Working under Louis van Gaal17:27 Building a system at Roma20:50 Germany vs Italy: two cultures22:49 Supply chain managing human performance26:04 Process over outcome29:42 Why 2014 worked and 2018 didn’t32:27 What a Director of Performance does36:18 What a good day looks like38:51 The World Cup and a humbling reality check42:08 The future: data and principles45:48 Power, efficiency, and a player’s pushback51:31 Losing the forest for the trees54:01 Wrap-up