“Swapping ideas and methodologies is the best way to improve,” he said. “I think you’ll find most coaches involved in youth development in this country are eager to learn and find new ways to get the best out of their players. And one of the ways of doing that is finding out what others are doing and sharing what you’re doing at places like this.” And this, surely, is the most important thing. If the coaches teaching the next generation of English players the game are as good as they can be, that will ultimately rub off on those they teach.