Mirel Radio Transcript
Sat, 10/10 4:38AM • 34:47
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
coach, players, team, game, training, coaching, improve, speak, information, national, exercise, respect, day, club, romania, question, morale, discuss, romanian, playing
SPEAKERS
Mirel Radoi, Paul Barnett
00:00
Always
Paul Barnett 00:00
pops up. And Miro Can I just want to make sure my Australian accent is correct. Is it middel? ratboy?
00:10
Yes.
Paul Barnett 00:13
Okay. Give me one seconds murielle red boy. Good morning, and welcome to the great coaches podcast.
Mirel Radoi 00:25
Thank you very much.
Paul Barnett 00:26
I want to start with a really simple question. Can you tell me where you are in the world today, and what you've been up to this morning.
Mirel Radoi 00:34
We are usually in doc is working because we have next week games with the national team. So we have to work, we have to finish the list of the players. And we have to manage the things with the COVID-19. Now because some of the players that are in the country that is difficult to came in Romania. So we have to speak with the government and all the person that they can take care for players to travel easier and to be here in Romania to enjoy the national team.
Paul Barnett 01:00
Fantastic. All right, well, I'm gonna get into the interview. And I'd like to start by, by talking about your experience, I was trying to count the number of countries that you have played football in and I got, I got to at least 35, and then I sort of stopped. So my guess is you have seen a lot of coaches up close through your playing experience and your coaching experience. So my first question is, what is it you think the great coaches do differently?
Mirel Radoi 01:30
Yeah, it's true that I've traveled a lot, I have a lot of coaches with much experience in football in real life. And I think what I learned from them, and they have a common things that it's about passion. And everyone, even when I was playing even now when I'm coaching, like travel to see the other coaches when they are training, or they have meeting with the staff, how they are planning, everybody, everybody, everyone speaking about passion, if you don't have a passion, it's better to stay away, give the chance for another young coach that he wants to be a good coach, then it's also about trust. And when I'm speaking about trust, it's first of all, it's the trust between you and your stuff. If something is wrong between you and your stuff, for sure, there will be problem between you and your team. So for me, those two things, the passion and the trust, we cannot discuss we cannot negotiate. Even when I choose the the team members and the team members of my staff, they should know that without passion and trust, you cannot be part of our staff.[PB1]
Paul Barnett 02:41
morale, how have you gone about developing trust? Is there some exercises or ways that you found effective to start it quickly?
Mirel Radoi 02:52
durmitor exercise just we am the kind of the men that I tried to take the things in the life and the people the way out there. Like me, I am the owners guy. So when I start the discussion with the with the people that I don't know, but I want to work with me, I start to be honest with them. And I tell them the story, what's happened with my career as a football player in my career as a coach, what was the bad things in this career, what was the good things and sharing with them, the two of my career as a player and as a coach, the people start to be open, and they try to speak, you know, frankly, we too, and then you can be or not a relation between you and the other person, when you see that the people they're not sharing something to you. He will be a question mark between you and that person when you see that the people start to be open. And basically frankly, we do that's mean, you are in the good, good way.
Paul Barnett 03:50
I'd like to talk about some of the I want definitely talk about the good things you've done. But I wanted to take a step back, actually and talk about 2015. Because straight after you retired, you return to your old club as head coach. And then shortly after you were fired. But you didn't let this stop you. You kept going. And we'll talk about that in a minute. But I'd like to just take a deep breath and say, Did you ever doubt yourself in 20,000 in 2015? And if so, how did you deal with that?
Mirel Radoi 04:19
Yeah, it was difficult for me to deal with that. Why? Because just I think of my career as a player. And I need time to realize that just I was finished as a player and I start as a coach. So between those two career it's a huge difference that in that time I didn't believe can be so big gap. And sometimes I behave in the front of the players. Like I was one of them like we was colleagues, partners, teammates. So in the end of the day, I was the coach. I okay, sometimes you can be a very good friend of the players but in the end of the day you decide you have the final decision, you are not only friend of them, you have sometimes like the boss and you have to behave like that[PB2] . And I think my relation with them was more like we was player than the coach. And then also all the things that they achieve as a player, all the information, I tried to expose them, like my new philosophy as a coach. And there was a lot of information in my head. But there was nothing very great for them, there was too many information that I shared with them during in one session 90 minutes. So sometimes, when I see them in the game, I can realize that they have in depth like they have too many information from my side. And they have nothing to do with the game, the fault, it's all on my shoulders.
Paul Barnett 05:50
So what advice would you have now for other players who are transitioning into being a coach very quickly after retiring,
Mirel Radoi 05:59
or to start taking all the information from the school for the coaching license to wait at least one year, because when we finish our career as a football player, we have a lot of information, but we don't have in the way that should have a coach. We think that one, I don't know one exercise if for direction is for the technical part, Indian one coach, you have only one to say for for both of them, you can introduce the physical part of the technical part in one exercise. So in this time, when your finger carrier will decide to quit, it's better to start already to improve information and go direct for Coach license. It's difficult to have this short, very short period to pass from one career to the other without to achieve the things that you need to achieve as a coach, not as a player. So for me, it's easier to say now anyone in that time, that was my mistake. But after I tried to realize exactly what was our mistakes, me as a coach, and as every member of the stuff, and we try to think about, and we find the way that we should be as a coach, then I go to study more, because I said, Okay, I'm not enough to be a good coach, the coach is not enough, I have to improve myself, I have to achieve more information, I have to behave as a coach, not only as a friend with the players, and this was for me, you know, more ambition, and I motivate myself, that he was the club that they will give everything and I try to give everything but in the end, I the way that I work is not the same way with the players or the same way with the clubs. So everybody will suffer better, I quit now and do some changes in the team that maybe other stuff will come in. They were doing more with the players than what we do now. And they will in the end of the day, they should improve something club, coach and players and was wrong for everybody. And I decided to make a big step back and give the chance for which
Paul Barnett 08:25
you were appointed manager of the remaining under 21. national team in 2018. And you lead them straightaway to the semi finals of the UI for championship. What was some of the first things you did when you took over that team
Mirel Radoi 08:41
was something like I think that missing in Romanian football now the the confidence the players still in Romania, they get talent, the they start to be since last four or five years to be more professional every day. And I feel them that they are not so confident during of the games. And I what I do, I took all the game that was playing in the last two years, with the last three coaches in the under 21. And I see for any game there was even was official or friendly. You can see some of the bear they can give more for the team as a quality, individual quality, but they are not doing why. And I find for me was very important because they don't have too much confidence in themselves. So I have to push this way and I try to first thing was I'm thinking I was I have to hire a sports psychology, a guy who can be we need help for the player. And we try to have this meeting around 10 minutes before every session that we have on the national team. But this was the thing that we improve very quickly with the with underfunding. Do you want to be able to feel more confident during the trainings and during the games, and he was the key for them?[PB3]
Paul Barnett 10:08
I'd like to talk about the psychologist, actually, because you've now been appointed into the national national coach, and you brought in a psychologist as well. And you said that they have the same status as anyone else on the team, which is a very, very big comment to make, I think. But what is the difference you're hoping this psychologist is going to make to the national team?
Mirel Radoi 10:30
here now, it's a good question. We have something more work on the on the big national team. Now, we try with the small things that sometimes I don't know maybe the people they are seeing in the movie or the thinking there, they will not help they will not improve the player for the national team. Before to go in the camp, me and my staff, we discussed about some points that should about the players, then we should put some words that they will be mentioned in every discussion that the member of the staff that let's do our speaking doc for those two games that they will come now we speak about discipline, in any discussion that I have individual or the group. As a coach, every time this word will be mentioned discipline will post on the word the the place, we'll take the lunch, the breakfast, the dinner, the word you will be their discipline will make training, they will be exercise that they will involve the discipline word. So we try with this method that for some of the coaches or some of the people they are thinking, it's easier, but they will help the player they will improve, they will start to getting the new message from the new stuff. It's like everything you want to do is like a training, you will be better only if you train if you train, it's for me is the same way. If you are trying to give them the information, step by step, in the end, they will achieve what you want.[PB4]
Paul Barnett 12:09
You also talk a lot about respect. And when you took over the national team, you know you said quote, in order to be respected, you must first respect others and be decent. Why? Why is respect so important to you and your coaching style.
Mirel Radoi 12:24
Because when we are speaking about respect, everybody should know that I don't care if one of the players the youngest one, it's 18. And the oldest one can be the captain of the team, it's 36. It can be his father, the respect he has to be first from the one with the youngest because our parents and teacher in the school they are learning that still you are young, seven year old, you have to say hello everybody, well, you're in the supermarket you are in the cinema in the theater, whatever, you have to say hello for everyone. So we started to educate from the youngest one that should give respect, you cannot be respected if you don't give respect from others. So when we speak for when you think about the respect, first thing that they should know, it's whatever who eats inside one room, you have to go there and say hello. From there, we start to speak about respect. Respect for me is not only that, while our teacher or our parents learning, respect, it's to respect your enemy, you cannot go inside of the game and kick one of your opponent without the ball, you cannot go with the elbow, you cannot go to punch someone. It's also doubt in our philosophy, it's also about respect. It's also about respect. [PB5] If someone won through your fan, I don't know your game is not going the way that you want. And you will shouting against you. You cannot go to him to shout as well. If you want that your fan to claim you because you are playing very good, you have to make something more maybe it's not enough what to do in the field. Also these things it's about respect. If you want to be respected, about from your stuff from your coach, from your colleagues, from your fans, from your opponent, you have to have all these things when we speak about about respect.
Paul Barnett 14:23
So you've talked about respect, we've talked about discipline, are there other elements of your coaching philosophy that are that are important?
Mirel Radoi 14:32
Yeah, it's the relation with the place. I'm trying to be not on your coach. I'm playing sometimes because I'm I'm thinking what's happening Romanian, sometimes, especially with the younger football players. They go to the school and maybe they have one bad day. They are not improving nothing. I don't know. They didn't make the homework and the teacher. Start to A lot of gooey then they came at home. And pet, they will ask what you do today to the school and said, Look, I didn't make nothing in my history in the math, nothing. Even the parents, they will start to work with him, while you go to the school, you have to improve every day you have to make your own home. Then afternoon, they will go to the training session. And the coach, she will start to speak, we have to do this, we have to do this. And maybe during the training, the same player that he argued with his teacher, any parents, who will make some mistakes in the code set why you came today, if you are not, if you are not paying attention in the order training session. And that keeps you was you know, once we the teacher, second with the parents, third can be with a coach, I'm not so sure that that guy who will continue it football. And I try to speak with my colleagues. First, when our players they come to training, we have to discuss with them How was your day. So we will not be only coach you will be his teacher, his friend, his father, his mentor sometimes, so we have to speak with them about every problem that they can face. And for this reason, not that I helped myself, I help players and in the end, you will help your performance as a coach and as a team. Because the players, they see that Oh, the coach, he cares about me what I did today in the school, what I do with my parents, with my girlfriend, whatever. And this was and I think even now, this is one of my big advantage that I go with the players. And I try to help them every day, even if they are leaving from the national team. I call them how it's your day what you do. In the end of the week, be careful, I saw that you run a lot in doing of the game though spend your time in the nightclub go at home, they care. I know that I'm not his coach in the club. But I have to take care because later you will be with me in the national team in you have to understand that I trust him and he can trust me.[PB6]
Paul Barnett 17:16
Before you coach the Romanian team, you were the captain of the Romanian team. So I'd like to ask you what are the best ways for a coach to work with team leaders.
Mirel Radoi 17:31
I was the one that I didn't like to argue with the coaches, I tried to find my way to argue with my teammates. Why? Because I didn't have I didn't get a lot of talents. What I do I do throughout the world working working working every day. So I have to explain them that most of them in our team they get more talent than me. But they cannot improve in the few years what I achieve in one maybe why because there was some times there was lazy in the training, they don't care about the program. So I tell them as a captain of the team and one of the leaders you should follow me if you don't follow me you will not follow the group. If you're not follow the group, you will not follow the team and then you'll be easy for the coach to decide for you to be out of the team and you lose everything you lose the performance individual as a group the relation with your friends because in the end we are friends so you will go for another team and everybody will ask why did you leave the team because you get talent you are a very good player Something is wrong and it's not about the pure quality is not about the coach is not about the team. It's about yourself.[PB7]
18:55
So I tried
Mirel Radoi 18:56
to explain them that nothing he can be proved without without hard work. Even you can get talent as I dunno as messy even makes you work every single day in the training.
Paul Barnett 19:12
What about the coach? What's the what advice Have you got out there for coaches on working with their captain
Mirel Radoi 19:20
to try to understand them. When especially the leader they said everyone he told me look as a coach, you have to try to understand them. Because in one team you can find not only the captain you can find the group of the leaders can be 345 players. First thing you have to learn them because sometimes maybe you can go in to speak you in front of them with a high voice well for most of them, they will be bothering. They will not be open with you. They will think that you came in that room. Like a boss, not as a coach, not as a friend of them as a boss.
20:05
And then
Mirel Radoi 20:06
they will be a distance between you and them. If they want to cooperate with you, they don't know if they will come or not to you, because they see you that you try to manage to be selfless and boats
Paul Barnett 20:19
around you come across as being very direct and very clear in your communication. And I'm sure that's a that's a benefit. You're coaching a national team. But it's also not always the best way to give feedback. So are there any ways that you've found more effective at giving feedback to players?
Mirel Radoi 20:42
No, I'm trying to give them by every each session, what's happened after we finish the session, I'm going to my room because we record the recession. And I try to look for what was good for that day for that training and what was wrong. And when I tried to speak what was wrong in a training, I never go in front of them. Because one of them maybe accept the critics with a group. The other one, maybe they will be shamed, they will feel in the bad situation in front of his colleagues. And I tried the worst things to go into tell them individual. We have even some protocol that we prepare with the national team, by every session, we have five questions for the player that they should fill up and answer how was your training? hours the intensity? How did you feel what we have to improve? I want to know them opinion. In the end of the day, it's like a feedback from us, which is not that we have only the physical reports, the technical, the tactical psychology reports, we need to have also from them sighs with these five question, what was good, what was wrong? This is not that if I get some negative results will change everything? No, because the training there, by the way, some things that will always with the national team, they have some rules that everybody will respect. But we have another opinion. So we start to question ourselves, if we can change this thing, or maybe we can improve these things, maybe we can the level of the interest, you can give a little bit lower or the tech, the technical part, we have to improve or we have to be more balanced on the tactical things. And we start to think about the feedback of the players.[PB8]
Paul Barnett 22:41
Can you give me an example of something you changed as a result of feedback from the players?
Mirel Radoi 22:48
Yeah, it was the game. Our first game in under 21, in the European qualification was against Portugal. And because the portugal is very strong team with a player like Joe failing that was then mixed here was 400 and something million to political Madrid, we start to make our homework and the law was a lot of data that we have to give to the players a lot of information. And in that time, we said we have to be prepared for everything what's gonna happen in the game, we have planned a plan B planes. And after the first training that we have the first session, we have this in question. Everybody in the tactical part, there was saying that there was too many information from our site from outside, we think that is good to have many information. During the game, they will face the problem, they will remember from the training, how they behave. And when I see from 23 players, that everyone say there was too many information from the tactical view. Then I get my stuff. Every evening, we discussed about the session of the review. And I tell him here we have a big question mark. Here was today was too much. And then second day, we go from what we plan before to do. We take out maybe 50% from the information, and this was helping a lot. This also it's regarding the before question with the feedback of the player. Help us a lot. In the end, we meet with Portugal.
Paul Barnett 24:36
Fantastic, great result. Congratulations. Um, could I talk about in any team, there are often negative influences, and it happens all the time. How have you managed to deal with the situations where you've had negative influences within the team.
Mirel Radoi 24:56
Now they are like the player that they are not happy when you see the first delay They are not, then they are going the bench some of them they are not playing they are only seduction. So they feel embarrassed, why am I calling play I'm not playing today and they start to behave next day on the training, you can see that they are not giving hundred percent they're like upset. What I do, I tried to speak with them one by one, and I explained them. One thing, if you are was unhappy that you are not playing from 22 players, I have only 11 choices, and three substitution. Sometimes maybe I am the guy who choose wrong, but you as a player, how you can prove me that I was wrong.
25:43
It's only one week.
Mirel Radoi 25:45
Next day on the training, you have to give more what you've given them before. If you're going during the game, you have to go inside a you have to do more than the player that we place, we have to give an assist, you have to give more effort, you have to score other ways. If you will not bring something good during the game or next day on the training, you show me that I was right to keep you on the bench or outside from the from the squad. If you come inside of the game, and you decide one game, you will show me that I was wrong against you. And that Mobileye next game to put you in the team?
Paul Barnett 26:25
And you tell them that before the team's announced or after the team is announced?
Mirel Radoi 26:29
No. First I explained them for me the player who during the bench, they are more important from the player would they start the game Why? Because during of the game, you already get your information before the game. But you will get the information also during the game you see your opponent, how he's behaved during of the situation that we discussed before you have more information that the player when they start the game. So when you go you already you know the information from the stuff and you know already life from your opponent.
Paul Barnett 26:59
That's a great answer. Morel, what a fantastic insight. Thank you. I would like to just ask you about your learning. And when you come across, you talked before about your advice being go get your coaching license. But of course, your education doesn't stop there, it continues, always continues, have there been any resources, books, television shows anything, particularly during COVID that you found useful as a resource to help you with coaching
Mirel Radoi 27:28
a lot and I try any information that I can take on the internet, on the books, whatever coach, I will go for one week to follow him to see the training to see everything, I try to get all the information that I have from any source, any source because now if you open the internet, you are writing football, for sure they will appear thousand information, we cannot say that I cannot have that information. This year, it's only excuse now, in the moment that you open the internet, you will find everything. You cannot say that I didn't know how to press I didn't know how to defend you cannot. It's it's only excuse because we have a lot of information. If we if we get these excuses that we don't have the information, how was the coach 20 or 30 years ago without any online information, how they can improve themselves and they have these results. It's embarrassing for us to say I didn't find nothing,
Paul Barnett 28:29
you got some examples of things like that you found particularly interesting.
Mirel Radoi 28:34
Yes, I find other a coaching plan to club something very interesting, the way how he tried to, to manage all his exercise during the train, that it can be a progression only by physical part, you have to be all the things in one way. Before we was learning that. First when we started we start the exercise for the training, we have to go step by step to improve our physical parts as a player to be easier to don't get injured. But at the same time, what they see in globe and now also in Word EULA that they are going with the information from every parts physical, tactical and technical. They are going all these three steps progressively, when they will finish in the F from the last exercise then against 1011 against 11, nine against nine whatever the players they will get all the information that they receive in any exercise they should improve in the last one. What you achieved in the last in the first floor. You have to put in the fifth one so all the information that we get in the first four exercise in the last last one the good you should see that and this for me was very interesting thing because I was thinking I wasn't Read Only for the physical part, not also the other things. And now I see that you can go step by step with all of them at the same time.
Paul Barnett 30:11
You've been very generous with your time. I know you've got to get back to the team, because they're coming into into quarantine, so locked in with you tomorrow. So just one final question. And I know it's a, it's a strange one to ask someone that's still so young in their coaching journey. But I want to ask you, what is the legacy that you want to leave as a coach?
Mirel Radoi 30:29
I know that if the president and then the technical director, they would hit me now, they said, You're a crazy one, the legacy that they want to leave behind, it's that the player they improve something during our staying with the national team, I care more even if I lose one game, I'm not afraid about his own. I wanted the player enjoy. I'm the coach that I like the philosophy just to play and enjoy. If you're going the pitch, without enjoying, it's better to stay close to me in the bench. were enjoying more than the players. If you're not going to enjoy with a passion to play, it's better to stay with me[PB9] . So always I blamed it to the place for the club team or national team. I tell them like that, guys. If you are going the pitch and you are not enjoying better we go and we see a movie, we're going to cinema and we will enjoy a lot you have to enjoy is not the result is the way how you play the way how you go in the field. I don't want to see the player that always I don't know there is we received the goal. And I see that all the players with a head down. Now you have to smile. Why? Because you have to get your power from inside to show your opponent I don't care today. If you score just for one more time, I will smile because I will know in the end of the game. Our goal in doing this game.
Paul Barnett 32:00
It's a great answer. Thank you so much for sharing with it. As with morale, it's been wonderful chatting with you today. Best of luck for the journey ahead with the team. I am looking forward to toasting the team success as they move forward. So congratulations, and thanks. Thanks for your time.
Mirel Radoi 32:15
Thank you very much. Thank you for inviting me in anytime. I'm happy to discuss.
Paul Barnett 32:22
morale, you are awesome. Thank you so much. I
32:24
want to play for you.
32:28
Wait, no problem,
Paul Barnett 32:29
you've got such a good style, I should have asked you who was your big influence whose there must have been something
Mirel Radoi 32:36
that was working a lot of luck with him, even he Romanians, our postman, although now it's coaching China. And he was understanding me a lot not as a sports guy, as a normal person he behave we need like, I feel that I can trust him and tell him everything. And he's his big advantage with relation of the player and I was thinking, I have to behave the same the player they should trust me, I don't care if we lose the game today, maybe tomorrow or next week, next month, but players they should feel confident within trusting with the with the coach and this was bigger by that I can get from him. And all the time when I face a problem, I quote him, I say this, what you will advise me what you will do will be in my position and said I can be in your position. But I can tell you when I faced this problem, how I solve it. But sometimes you have to knows everything about your player to know the way you will behave with them how we will discuss with them.
Paul Barnett 33:43
Yeah, it sounds odd. I've never I've never heard of him but I'm going to look him up now and find out about him. In fact, if you could, if you would be happy to introduce me to him. I would love to interview him as well because it sounds like if he's if he's influenced you and you're about to change Romanian football, you know for sure
Mirel Radoi 34:00
because it's a open guy and it's one of our greatest. The great authors of Romania now we have also another's as Marcelo chesco and he Sandra's one which is cool but for me because mean yours and it is one of the best coaches that I ever wore.
Paul Barnett 34:18
I think you've got a great season a great path ahead of you and I just can't wait to see you succeed. So I will be in the stands I'm sure when we're traveling again watching you play and I wish you all the best and it was great chatting with you today.
Mirel Radoi 34:33
From my side as well. Thank you so much.
Paul Barnett 34:35
Take care of your good luck with the girls too. Good luck with your kids.
34:38
Thank you Bye