The art of winning: An interview with Paul Hart

Paul has over three decades of coaching under his belt, so he knows a thing of two about winning. He has helped a lot of talented young players, including Jonathan Woodgate, Harry Kewell and Jermaine Jenas go on to win games and fulfil their true potential. The key to this kind of success is, in his opinion, to have a plan and commit to it, working hard and enjoying the way you play. Something that was borne out during his time coaching at Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, back in the 1990s.

“At Leeds, we had a 10 year plan and I focussed on values, we wanted to create a culture of winning. We were also ruthless. A er winning the FA Youth Cup, when we beat Man Utd in 1993, featuring the Neville brothers, Beckham, Scholes and Butt, we won it again in 1997.”

“We also took some risks. In the 1997 final, we played a diamond formation –this was unheard of back then. We put Harry Kewell at le back to give him defensive qualities - he scored 17 goals that season, so it took attitude as well as talent. Ian Harte was originally a centre forward, we put him at le back and it transformed him.”

But the commitment to winning went way beyond just the skills needed to succeed on the pitch, it was just as important to develop the right kind of skills off the pitch and this has clearly had a lasting influence on the players’ careers.

“I am delighted that the likes of Michael Dawson and Jermaine Jenas have gone on to build successful media careers. I think that what helped these players and others was that we focussed on character. At Forest, when the Duke of Edinburgh opened our education facility, we made sure he spoke to the players, we encouraged players to have a voice.”

It's no surprise then that when asked about his top tips for aspiring young footballers, Paul encourages them to have good manners, say good morning, say please and thank you, as well as not to pull players’ shirts and not to feign injuries. It’s about being a decent human being, not just a decent player.

And what about finances? As a coach, working with young, impressionable players, Paul was mindful to bring in experts to offer up some much needed financial guidance. But the reality is that back in the day, things were very different to how they are now.

“In those days, I checked the players’ bank accounts every month to check there were no payments for Armani or Boss clothes. Some players were buying cars where the insurance cost more than the cars!” he recalls. “I heard a podcast with Michael Dawson, Andy Reid and Jermaine Jenas on it and they still laugh about it now. You just couldn’t do that now!”

Paul found his way into coaching following a career ending injury, while playing centre half for Birmingham City. Interestingly, it was only when his father, a former player himself, became a coach at Manchester City (they lived round the corner from Sir Matt Busby) that Paul really fell in love with the game. As a player, Paul had his debut at Stockport County in 1970, despite his father saying that he was not tough enough to be a footballer and a er a double compound fracture at Birmingham (the worst he’s ever had), it was Brian Clough and Howard Wilkinson who paved the way for his coaching career. Once he had completed all the necessary training, Brian Clough called and said “Centre half (that’s what he called me), if you’re half as good as I keep telling people, you better work for me.” And the rest, as they say, is history.

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS:

What puts a smile on your face? People.

What’s your favourite quote?

Never trust a person that smiles too much.

How do you deal with disappointment?

If you’re in professional sport, you walk hand in hand with disappointment. If we win, I don’t take it too seriously, if we lose I have to get over it – I have to go through a process of what I have done, what could I do better.

What are your three favourite red wines? Crozes-Hermitage, Meursault and Amarone.

Who do you most admire and why?

Andy Murray (he’s got values) and he’s probably not as good as the other three (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) but he’s made himself a truly respected competitor and it’s amazing what he’s done for British tennis.

Best player you’ve played against?

In my first season at Nottingham, we played Liverpool at Anfield in the second game of the season. We lost the game 1-0. A er the game, in the players’ lounge I approached Kenny Dalglish and asked whether it would be possible to introduce my eight year old son, Jamie, to him when we played the return game at the City Ground on New Years’ Eve as it was Jamie’s birthday and he was Kenny’s number one fan.

When the return game came around five months later, not only was Kenny waiting to meet Jamie, he had a card and a signed copy of his latest book for his birthday. What a pleasant surprise. He hadn’t forgotten. It just goes to show the greatest players tend to be the most humble.