The Hale End Documentary provides a peep inside the men shaping the future of the next Arsenal stars. Through Per, the Academy Manager, and Adam Birchall, we get some useful insights into how the men are running the team. Here are a few anecdotes I picked 1/9
Per intimates that #Arsene Wenger signed him to bring leadership into the football club. Current Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta & Per signed as players in 2011, just 3 days after that 8-2 thrashing by #Manchester United. Their leadership is still evident 11 years on 2/9
Per offers his life principles to the Hale End academy; The Four Pillars as he calls them
1. Be a life long learner. Do not get content - be hungry for more (mindset)
2. Be the most efficient mover; Move in the right direction and crucially, move at right timing. (Strategy) 3/9
3. Possess champion mentality: be on the journey, accept that champions lose, miss many shots, face adverse situations.
Constantly ask yourself, how can I learn from these situations?
4. Be an effective team player; if you master the 3 pillars, the 4th will come naturally 4/9
Per says that when he was appointed Academy Manager at Hale End, he learned earlier in his role that he needed to listen, he needed to learn.
He says he had to surround himself with the best possible people to create a world class academy. 5/9
Academy U16 Coach Adam Birchall during one training season tells his players:
“Trust that technique, shoulders, facing the target, head down on contact. Next sound I hear when I lift my head: the net.”
—-> You must create your process and system early on, and trust them. 6/9
Birchall believes in getting Hale End player to concentrate on the process, and trusting that sooner or later, the outcome will take care of itself. 7/9
Final anecdote,
The coach asks the players:
“Don’t take away what the game is. The game is try and score a goal even though the challenge is to try and overload or isolate wide areas.”
—-> Don’t mistake the process for the goal. Always remember what the OBJECTIVE is 8/9
Do the hardwork, and be ready to take advantage when process works.
As Birchall points out to the Hale End players, after executing the strategy, “Play through the middle, through them and go score a goal.”
—-> Then you will be a man my son as Rudyard Kipling would say. 9/9
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