What It Takes To Become a Professional Football Player

UKFT Head Coach Ian Whyte, former Sheffield Utd, Derby County, Wolves, Notts Forrest, Scunthorpe Utd & Portsmouth youth coach sat down last Friday to talk about the new and refined recruitment method that will be used at all UKFT trials this year…

UKFT: Even though every player is different, trends tend to develop over time. Could you talk about the three most common reasons you cannot recommend a player for a further trial with a professional club?

Ian Whyte: The first would be attitude. Even if they do all the right things, this career is so demanding that if they aren’t totally into it and in love with football, they don’t have a chance. Their ability may be enough to get them an opportunity, but their attitude will not allow them to make the most of it.

The second would a lack of pace athletically – they don’t have to be big lads but they have to be quick. The game is getting faster and faster, particularly without the ball. If you’re playing for Arsenal and you’re counterattacking, if you can’t break from one end of the pitch to the other in six seconds, you’re not going to play at that level. A half a yard of pace is the difference between being a good decent championship player and playing in the premiership. Pace, over distances short and long, is really important.

The third would be technical ability. There was a boy that stood out recently at a trial in Queen Park Rangers training ground. He always seemed to have time on the ball and the reason he had time on the ball was because his first touch gave him the time.

“If they aren’t totally into it and in love with football, they don’t have a chance.”

Could you go a little deeper into those three traits? When you mention attitude for example, what else goes into that apart from enthusiasm?

When I say attitude, they’ve got to display a love for the game. If they don’t love the game, they’re not going to focus.

I’m looking for players that can mix easily with others and fit in, because if they can’t, that’s going to be a problem for them. That’s something that happens in football. Even if you stay at the same club your whole career, your teammates will constantly change and so will the coaching staff.

I’m looking at very simple things, from the first practice; do they get involved in the practice and with other players in the group? I’m looking for people that fit in easily on the day, because that will be the situation when they go into a club.

“A half a yard of pace is the difference between being a good decent championship player and playing in the premiership”

If we’re doing simple things like get into fours or get into two groups of eight, I’m looking for people that help organise those situations for me as I change and rotate the practice. That’s important. So whatever I ask them to do, I want them to do things properly. They should understand that if they do things properly they will be more likely to catch my attention.

I work them at a high tempo, and that tests their mental toughness. By that I mean if a player makes a mistake, does he go into a shell or does he stick at it and come through it?

When I start off a keep ball session it will be messy, but by the end of the allotted time, the whole group will have improved because they’re getting used to the tempo and sorting things out. The ones who catch my eye will be the ones who sort things out quicker.

Could you give an example where a player has impressed you with their technical ability?

There was a boy that stood out at the last trial in QPR’s training ground. First of all, he always seemed to have time on the ball and the reason for that was because his first touch was exceptional within the group and gave him that extra second.

When he received the ball, he was always aware of the space around him – he could let the ball run across his body and play out the other side of the field because he knew the time and space allowed him to do that.

Other times the ball came into him, and the situation had changed because someone had gone to close him down, so he was able to receive the ball under pressure and protect it. His first touch would usually move him away from trouble and into space.

“If a player makes a mistake, does he go into a shell or does he stick at it and come through it?”

So let’s say a player has all three traits – pace, technical ability and a great attitude. What’s the next step in your thought process?

Let’s say there’s a boy who has done well within the group on the day: I have to ask myself, how would he compare to an 18 year old in a top academy – obviously, I would be able to compare having worked in academies at Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth and places like that.

The academy director will be thinking like this – if we take him into the academy, we’re looking at him as a potential first team player. How would he affect the first team?

1) Will he stop goals?

2) Will he make goals?

3) Will he score goals?

Generally we want him to be able to do at least two of those things. You do get the odd player that will contribute in all areas – but it’s very rare that one of those areas is enough.

That’s a simple template, and that’s still being used at a club that’s seen as one of the top youth developers in the country – Crewe Alexandria.

Could you go through some of the expectations you have for each position, in terms of those three things you want them to do?

For a goalkeeper, he’s there to stop goals. But goalkeepers now have the ability to make goals through their use of the ball. There have been some recent premier league games where the keeper has made goals by catching a ball at a corner and accurately kicking the ball behind the defence to a striker.

You do get some cases where a goalie can come up for a corner and score a goal, but that doesn’t happen very often!

With a centre back, you definitely want him to stop goals. If he’s not any good at stopping goals, he’s not going to be able to fulfil that position. Secondly, will he score goals? Centre backs are usually pretty dominant in the air, so a centre back could stop goals at one end of the field and score goals from set pieces at the other end of the field.

It could be that a centre back will stop goals, with his positioning, reading of the game and interception of the play, but he would make goals by starting off the play and being able to play through pressure with his first pass, long or short.

“You do get the odd player that will contribute in all areas – but it’s very rare that one of those areas is enough.”

For a full back, you’d be asking yourself: He’d probably stop goals with 1v1 defending and blocking crosses, and he’d make goals by getting forward and giving you width and penetration down the flanks to produce a cross.

So if there’s a midfield player, it’s the same situation: you want him to probably be making goals and scoring goals.

If you were working with Lionel Messi as a youth player, you would obviously know he could play. You can use that simple template: He probably won’t stop many goals, but he’ll definitely make and score goals, which he continues to do.

Once I decide a player has all the traits we’re looking for, I recommend him to head of player placement Tony Awor.

That’s brilliant Ian, thanks for your time!

Not at all.

Who is Ian Whyte? Ian is a UEFA Qualified Coach with 25 Years coaching experience at 9 pro clubs. Ian has developed, and coached numerous International players through his time as a youth coach at Sheffield Utd, Derby County, Wolves, Notts Forrest, Scunthorpe Utd & Portsmouth.

So, to all the players coming to the October trials, ask yourself, will you stop goals, make goals or score goals? Remember that Ian and the other coaches are looking for you to contribute in at least two of those areas!

See the latest trial dates HERE.

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