David Horrocks

📱 Performance Analysis via mobile phone and role model integration @whitehavenafc under 15s @Mike_Phelan_1 ✅Can the two players connect ✅Can the receiving player create space ✅Will the pass delivered (weight) allow play to flow ✅ Head up and attack the goal

We had over 50 coaches join us at @whitehavenafc last night for our @MP_Coaching_1 Masterclass! ✨ Huge thanks to the team at MP Coaching, and to Whitehaven AFC and their fantastic U13s team 👏

Tonight, we go again with an event at Raydale Park, Gretna, taking place from 6:00pm – 9:00pm! 🔜 Don't miss out - click below to register your place ⬇️ buff.ly/5eWideG

@TheBurnleyWay Bad pass from Fleming & poorly timed run from Foster Foster did the first bit staying blindside of the defender he then needs to check & slow like Kane would the defender then gets into more trouble & keeper would be stranded in no man’s land & goal is then large for foster

A lot was made of this yesterday and it’s the first time seeing it back. It’s a shocking pass, nothing Foster can do with that, and he’s the one getting pelters

Looking forward to meeting and talking to the grassroots community over the next 3 months. To see if we are in your County register to the Mike Phelan Coaching App app.360Player.com/registration/m…

Hi, @AlanPaceBFC. Where have the standards gone? There were more mistakes in the programme today. Obviously we're atrocious on the pitch so rectifying that should take priority. But there are hundreds of Burnley fans who would write for the club with skill, passion and accuracy.

Looking forward to the final session in the @WestRidingFA series. This session will look at timing and connections between players Register here 👇🏻 app.360Player.com/registration/m…

To any young kid reading this… I’ve doubted myself in every league I’ve ever played in. Ryman Prem. Conference South. League Two. League One. Championship… And even right before my first Premier League start last night. That’s not weakness. That’s being human. That’s being alive. When I was growing up, I thought Premier League players were superhuman. Like they never felt doubt. Like they never felt nerves. The truth is…. it’s often the opposite. Social media won’t tell you that sometimes you step out there with no confidence. That’s normal. That’s ok! You now have to then step out there with courage. Confidence feels good. Courage doesn’t. But you do it anyway. Show courage enough times…. You build confidence. Here’s the mindset that’s carried me for 31 years. When it goes well: I worked for it. I earned it. Well done. Watch it back. Get better. When it doesn’t: I know I prepared the best I could. It didn’t go exactly to plan. That’s football. But Well done. Watch it back. Get better. That simple recipe gave me a special moment last night. Leading the team out. Playing alongside a group that fights for every ball. Celebrates tackles. Gives everything for the city of Sunderland. And sharing it with supporters who never gave up, even after four tough seasons in League One. So if you’re a young player feeling doubt… Low confidence… Or like you don’t believe in yourself… You’re not alone. Every player feels it. Confidence isn’t something you’re given. It’s something you build. Bit by bit. Day by day. With courage. With work. With learning. Anything worth building takes time. But that’s what makes it so worthwhile! Thank you @SunderlandAFC ❤️🤍

@WeAreTheFSA He’s been ruled offside as a part of his body (a part that you can’t use in the game of football unless you are the designated goalkeeper & are in your area) is offside So where’s the advantage he’s gained There isn’t one What a contradiction of a rule if ever there was one

Another day where VAR dominates - PL fans can fill in our consultation on it here: surveymonkey.com/r/var-2026

@AdamCrafton_ He’s been ruled offside as a part of his body (a part that you can’t use in the game of football unless you are the designated goalkeeper & are in your area) is offside So where’s the advantage he’s gained There isn’t one What a contradiction of a rule if ever there was one

Who wants this?

We had an amazing time at #IGEM, where David Horrocks and @Mike_Phelan_1 delivered a keynote on what you can learn from sport + how to close the wellbeing gap. Big thanks to Ali Jones for the amazing photos! If you were there and want to chat, drop us a DM. #PEAK4 #Wellbeing

@DanAbrahams77 Not seen the performance, don’t know the sport but have read what you have written Dan & can visualise it across the sports I’ve been in & I can see the athletes and the outcomes . A Well written, realistic analysis that will likely be missed by most but is entirely accurate 👏🏻

Now for some prize BS… At 13, Alysa Liu was the youngest US national champion ever. At 16, she finished 6th at the Olympics. Then she walked. She walked away from her sport…bored and burned out. Now she is a gold medal winner…she’s a gold medal winner after returning to her sport and giving herself the autonomy to make the choices she needed to make. As her coach Phillip DiGuglielmo, puts it: "For many years she was dropped off at the rink. She was told what to do. Now she comes in, and it is all collaborative." And now everyone is getting in a tizzy about the power of intrinsic motivation and autonomy-supportive coaching. Intrinsic motivation is the most powerful form of motivation…and autonomy-supportive coaching is the way to go…blah blah blah… Well…stop! Wait! Hang on… People tend to win (or are successful depending on what success means to them) as a result of complex experiences and stories. They tend to win as a result of multiple approaches. There isn’t one source of success and there isn’t one way to coach. And motivation is a complex part of these complex stories. Let’s examine some facts… Alysa Liu was the youngest U.S. Champion ever. Would it be fair to say she was born with extraordinary athleticism? I think so! Because of this gift (and it is a gift), it’s likely she enjoyed (and enjoys) a ‘through the roof’ sense of self-efficacy around ice skating. Self-efficacy can be a huge influencer on motivation. She returned to skating having gone to College and having engaged in activities that broadened her identity. All very healthy - but not really that influential on landing jumps on ice (but definitely a contributor to her sense of self). She settled back into skating quickly - natural ability plus self-efficacy (plus a host of other tiny factors). Add in the autonomy-supportive environment that her coach helped her build into her training (and something she needed)…and you have a personal recipe for her success. Intrinsic motivation can be an important contributor to gold medal performances. But so can extrinsic motivation…and a host of other motivational aspects along that continuum. Autonomy-supportive coaching is indeed an important and powerful form of coaching…but so are more direct and authoritative forms of coaching. Winning is a result of complex experiences and stories… Also, these athletes are often funded by taxpayers’ money. So not everything is negotiable. Some things are compulsory and non-negotiable. For Alysa Liu to be even considered in a programme I would say she would have to be phenomenally good and she would have to do a lot of things that aren’t inherently enjoyable. Neither are choices! Why do I say all of this? Not to be negative…but to be realistic. We are best served understanding performance rather than weaving feel-good stories. We are best served discussing the complex nature of coaching (and embracing it) rather than kidding ourselves about uni-dimensional narratives about success…

@ground_guru European football is also a bigger factor than people & owners are considering (Forest/Spurs). Building squads that are physically robust, technically & tactically adaptable to win in different settings is difficult & expensive & performance in two domains is a serious challenge

When Sean Dyche was on the TGG Pod, after leaving Burnley in 2022, he spoke of frustration at getting "put in a box" about his playing style. "You get put in a box. It’s very easy to create and then stick with and roll it out. Burnley: back-to-front football. I’m very much more open-minded about what comes next, about playing styles. They presuppose I’ve changed everything for my own way. I haven’t. I’ve looked at the players we’ve got; I’ve looked at the best chance that we can be successful." Subsequent jobs haven't done anything to dispel image of a cautious/ slightly rudimentary style of play though. Ally that with indifferent results and it's a poor mix. Can make mitigations - that Everton and Forest were struggling/ under pressure - but clubs need evidence about a manager's style of play to make informed judgements. And Forest DO have good players, including England internationals, whose international prospects have suffered because of style/ form of the team this season. Interesting to see where he goes next. Undoubtedly someone who can build something meaningful, as he showed at Burnley, where he transformed the club on and off the pitch. trainingground.guru/podcast/sean-d…

@johnaokane Don’t worry John he won’t be getting hurt anytime soon he’s no idea where the danger zone is on a football pitch

They aren't shin pads. We used to use that soft padding for medical reasons for blisters, etc, or bad toe nails in the 90s Seriously wtf are these kids doing ..idiots ✅

@PendleBC any chance you could cut the grass at Edge End / St Paul’s Who in their right mind thought it a good idea to mark this out but not to cut it. This is shin high for 12 year olds you clowns

@Footballbunseki There is a law infringement issue to be considered with these corners. I wonder if you have looked at this? Although not having conducted rigorous analysis I have seen Arsenal players leave the field of play on several occasions in their movement to block and create space

Well, never thought I’d work in a facility like this and never thought I’d have the pleasure of coaching a Brazilian football team. Mustn’t grumble 😉⚽️

@ground_guru @_DanFerrar @susancain Been saying this for years Powerpoints and polished tongues have been getting and are in senior positions all over football and not those who can DO the job in too many cases. The number of times I heard, yes I like candidate A the presentation was outstanding 😬🧐

“I worry there are people in positions of authority because they are good talkers, but they don’t have good ideas. It’s easy to confuse schmoozing ability with talent. We put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking.” @susancain

@TheCaulfieldWay Beautiful picture Michael

Now listen in…and they did. Just one of those magical unexpected moments, outside

Yellow flag going up, All good to go. Happy New Year everyone, may 2026 be yours and don’t be afraid to be a cheeky monkey if that’s what it takes 😉 💪🏼⚽️❤️