Pen pics of Leeds United's backroom staff.

Natasha Patel is Assistant Academy Director at Southampton and one of the most experienced women working in men's professional football. In Episode #64 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, she outlined her journey in football, how analysis has evolved and her experiences on either side of the Atlantic.

RENE MARIC is one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe. At the age of 31, he is Head of Coach Development and Playing Philosophy at Bayern Munich and has worked for Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach. He told the TGG Podcast about his coaching journey and lessons.

RADHI JAIDI became the first Tunisian to play in the Premier League when he joined Sam Allardyce's Bolton in 2004 and he remains a trailblazer as one of the only black Muslim coaches in senior European football. On Episode #61 of the TGG Podcast, Jaidi told us about his journey as a player and coach.

LIVERPOOL’S Martin Diggle has been appointed as the new Academy Manager at Leeds United. Diggle has worked for Liverpool for almost five years as their Head of Coach Development, supporting the coaches across their Academy.

JORDAN MILES has left Aberdeen after seven months to become the new Head of Recruitment at Leeds United.

AS manager of League One Reading, Ruben Selles has one of the toughest jobs in the Football League. On Episode #60 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, he explained what it's like to lead the crisis club.

BELGIUM'S Union Saint-Gilloise have marked themselves out as one of the smartest and most innovative clubs in Europe. In Episode #59 of the TGG Podcast, their Sporting Director, Chris O'Loughlin, gave insights into how they are managing to upset the established order.

KEVIN THELWELL has been Director of Football during a tumultuous period at Everton. In Episode #58 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, Thelwell talked about what his role involves, formulating a long-term plan for the club and what the future might hold.

JES BUSTER MADSEN is Head of Research and Development at FC Copenhagen and a world leader in the application of cognitive neuroscience in football. In Episode #57 of the TGG Podcast he explained how and why brain training will be the next big growth area in football.

FOR the last decade, Mark Leyland has been one of the foremost analysts in this country - and has gone on to become even more than that. He spoke to TGG about the evolution of his role at Liverpool and Newcastle and his current job as Head of Coaching Methodology at City Football Group.

FOR almost a decade, Sarah Rudd was Vice President of Analytics for StatDNA and Arsenal, making her one of the most senior women in the Premier League. In this episode of the TGG Podcast, she told us about her work with Arsenal, her wider career and her thoughts on the future of analytics.

LIVERPOOL'S influential assistant Pep Lijnders was our guest on Episodes #53 and #54 of the TGG Podcast, giving in-depth insights into his work at the Anfield club.

MANAGER Ian Evatt and Sporting Director Chris Markham are working in tandem to try and restore Bolton Wanderers to their former glories. They outlined their approach in Episode #52 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl.

GRETAR STEINSSON has been appointed Technical Director at Leeds United, while Adam Underwood takes on the new title of Head of Football Operations.

WHEN Irishman Conor Nestor got an unexpected opportunity to manage Svay Rieng in Cambodia, he grabbed it with both hands. He transformed the way they operated, including a complete revamp of their analysis and recruitment. Here he explains what he did and how it helped land the Cambodian league title.

DANIEL FARKE has brought four of his former Norwich City staff with him to Leeds United. The German, who was appointed last week, enjoyed the most successful spell of his managerial career at Carrow Road.

NICK HAMMOND has been appointed interim football advisor at Leeds United - the same job he did at Newcastle United last year.

ARSENAL have a fantastic record of producing athletic Academy graduates. In Episode #50 of the TGG Podcast Des Ryan, the club's former Head of Academy Sports Medicine and Athletic Development, explains why and how.

LYNDON TOMLINSON is leaving his role as Head of National Recruitment for the 12s to 16s at Leeds United to join the investment group FMCF.

BENFICA are the reigning UEFA Youth League champions and have the most profitable Academy in Europe. Their Technical Director Pedro Marques was our guest on Episode #49 of the TGG Podcast in association with Hudl.

VICTOR ORTA has left his role as Director of Football at Leeds United by mutual consent after six years.

OUR guest on Episode #48 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast is Norwich City's Stuart Webber, who we've often described as the 'purest' example of a Sporting Director in this country.

IN Episode #47 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, Tom Vernon tells us about the origins of Right to Dream, its objectives and what the rest of football can learn from the group.

LEEDS UNITED have announced Javi Gracia’s assistants, with Michael Skubala remaining in the first-team set-up following two matches as interim Head Coach.

PROFESSOR David Sumpter is a pioneer of the application of data science in football and has worked with leading teams including Ajax, Barcelona, Hammarby and England. In Episode #46 of the TGG Podcast he gives insights into his work and predictions for the future.

CHRIS ARMAS has joined Leeds United, meaning Jesse Marsch now has two members of Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United staff from last season as his assistants.

ENGLISH football needs to seriously consider the B team model, because top young players are simply not getting enough exposure to senior football, Leeds United Academy Manager Adam Underwood has told TGG.

LEEDS UNITED Academy Manager Adam Underwood tells TGG why so many of the club's players and staff have gone on to prominent senior roles and picks out three key themes: investment, opportunity and alignment.

BRENTFORD first-team coach Justin Cochrane tells us about his coaching journey on Episode #45 of the TGG Podcast.

MARK JACKSON has left Leeds United after seven years to become Head Coach of League One side MK Dons.

SALLY NEEDHAM is the Human Development and Performance Culture Lead at Sheffield United's Academy. On Episode #44 of the TGG Podcast she gives us the lowdown on her unique role.

RUI FARIA is the most successful number two in football history. Here he gives in-depth insights into his time working alongside Jose Mourinho.

SEAN DYCHE explains the lessons he has learned throughout his career, from being a trainee under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest to taking unfashionable Burnley into Europe for the first time in 51 years.

STEVEN REID left his role as first-team coach at Nottingham Forest earlier this summer to become a confidence, wellbeing and leadership coach. On Episode #41 of the TGG Podcast he explains the reasons why and gives insights into his two decades as a Premier League player and coach.

AUSTRIAN René Maric has been appointed as the new Assistant Head Coach of Leeds United.

FORMER England futsal Head Coach Michael Skubala has been appointed Under-21s boss at Leeds United. He replaces Mark Jackson, who was promoted to the first-team set-up under Jesse Marsch last season

EWAN SHARP, who was a coach-analyst under Ralf Rangnick at Manchester last season, has been appointed as Jesse Marsch's assistant at Leeds United.

DAMIEN COMOLLI tells TGG about the strategies he has employed to restore Toulouse FC to the top table of French football - and how they were honed during three decades in the game.

IN April, Southampton announced that they were launching a “unique” Learning Lab that would embed a “research culture focused on modern Ecological Approaches” in their club and Academy. TGG decided to find out more by welcoming two members of the Learning Lab Board onto our podcast.

AUSTRALIA assistant Rene Meulensteen was our guest on Episode #38 of the TGG Podcast. He told us about his coaching journey from Holland to Australia via Manchester United and the lessons learned along the way in front of a live audience..

LEEDS UNITED manager Jesse Marsch says his team have the worst injury record in the Premier League because they were “over-trained” by his predecessor Marcelo Bielsa.

ANDREAS GEORGSON gives us insights into individual development coaching, evolving set pieces at the highest level, Malmö's youth development secrets and what it was like to work under Arteta.

THE Training Ground Guru Podcast is celebrating its third birthday. We look back on the 37 episodes we've had so far - and ahead to season four.

LEEDS UNITED Director of Football Victor Orta has made a passionate defence of the club’s policy of operating with a slimmed-down squad and suggested it will continue in future.

FOR 24 years, Francis Cagigao was one of the most important and influential figures at Arsenal. He tells TGG about his time with the North London club and about his new role, as Director of Football for Chile.

NEW Head Coach Jesse Marsch has announced his backroom staff at Leeds United, with Franz Schiemer, Cameron Toshack and Mark Jackson joining as his assistants.

JESSE MARSCH'S appointment as Leeds United manager is testament to Red Bull's coach development programme and pathway - and he's not the only coach in the Premier League to have benefitted.

FOUR of Marcelo Bielsa's assistants have exited Leeds United following the sacking of the Argentine manager yesterday.

BRENTFORD'S journey to the Premier League is a story of innovation, clever use of data and investment in people. We found out more about this from their Director of Football, Phil Giles.

MARIELA NISOTAKI is the Head of Emerging Talent at Norwich City - and the only female scout on the circuit in the UK. She told us what her job involves, how she balances data with live eyes and why Norwich are an ambitious club doing things their own way.

In Episode #33 of the TGG Podcast, Chris Ramsey MBE tells us about his role at QPR, his career journey, how he develops coaches and why the game has lost a generation of black leaders.

GREGG BROUGHTON is the Academy Director at Bodø/Glimt, the small club making a big noise in European football. He was our guest on Episode #32 of the TGG Podcast.

OWEN EASTWOOD, who has worked with the England men's football team since 2016, shares insights about building an optimum environment for teams and athletes to thrive.

LUKE BORNN, the former Head of Analytics at AS Roma, tells us about his own journey, and that of data science in football.

DAVE ALRED MBE shares the secrets for performing under pressure that he's used with Jonny Wilkinson, Luke Donald, Francesco Molinari and even Gareth Southgate

FORMER Bolton and Middlesbrough defender Andrew Taylor has joined Leeds United as their second ever loans manager. He was previously first-team coach at League One Sunderland.

IN just 20 months, Russell Martin has marked himself out as one of the most interesting and original English managers in the game. He told TGG more about his approach, covering topics including Buddhism, politics, playing without fear, work-life balance and the importance of sticking to Plan A.

MICHAEL BEALE gives an insight into the training ground methods that helped Rangers land their first title in a decade.

CHELSEA WOMEN manager Emma Hayes on some of the key influences on her career and how they helped to shape her leadership philosophy.

MORE than half of Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team squad have played for their Under-23s so far this season in something of a return to the old reserve team model.

LAURENCE STEWART, the Head of Recruitment for AS Monaco, explains the core principles of the club's transfer strategy.

RENOWNED coach and coach educator Brian Ashton MBE tells TGG the lessons he has learned from five decades in the profession.

AZ ALKMAAR Sport Development Director Marijn Beuker outlines how the club outperform their budget by thinking differently.

LIVERPOOL legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher tells TGG how he analyses matches and aims to take fans inside the world of the manager's post-match debrief.

UNDER-16s lead Dan Micciche outlines the key principles of Arsenal's Academy and how they go about developing 'Strong Young Gunners.'

BRIGHTON Technical Director Dan Ashworth explains what the role involves and why he believes it’s so important.

LEEDS UNITED have by far the highest sprint output in Europe this season, according to data from tracking provider SkillCorner.

EVERTON assistant Davide Ancelotti was the guest on episode #19 of the TGG Podcast. The 31-year-old talked about growing up with a famous father, gave insights into his role, explained why Dominic Calvert-Lewin was "the best striker we could have" and opened up about his own managerial ambitions.

Eddie Jones, Tom Vernon, Dave Reddin, Lorraine O'Malley and Karen Bardsley outline what they believe will be the big developments in football in the coming months and years.

LEEDS UNITED have promoted Under-18s Head Coach Mark Jackson to take charge of the U23s for their first season in Premier League 2.

LIVERPOOL Academy Manager Alex Inglethorpe takes TGG inside the club's Kirkby training centre and explains the principles that underpin one of the most successful youth programmes in English football.

DR PIPPA GRANGE, the former Head of People and Team Development for the Football Association, tells us about the differences between winning deep and shallow.

LEEDS UNITED have been awarded Category One Academy status on what has been described as a “landmark” day for the club.

THE six clubs bidding to move up an Academy category are set to discover their fates within the next few weeks.

MANCHESTER UNITED Academy Manager Nick Cox lays out the key tenets of the club's youth programme, including the belief that there is a higher purpose than just producing professional footballers.

DANNY COWLEY lays out his footballing philosophy, which he described as "old-school values with new methods".

TONY STRUDWICK says building relationships is still the most important skill for any practitioner, despite the increasing influence of data and science in football.

LEEDS UNITED’S players, coaching staff and senior management have volunteered to take a wage deferral for the “foreseeable future” to ensure that all 272 full-time staff at the club can continue to be paid.

BURNLEY, Crystal Palace and Leeds United will almost certainly have to wait another season to be elevated to Category 1 status, as all audits have been delayed indefinitely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

GÉRARD HOULLIER is the "most underrated" Liverpool manager. according to Jamie Carragher, but he brought the club into the 21st Century and his legacy is still felt to this day,

BLACKBURN have been one of the surprise packages of the Championship season so far - and 35-year-old Stewart Downing has been their talisman. He tells TGG about the astute management of Tony Mowbray and how it's helped prolong his career.

ENGLAND rugby coach Eddie Jones shares insights gleaned from three decades in coaching, ranging from the influence of Pep Guardiola to managing mavericks to tactical periodisation.

MLADEN SORMAZ, Head of Football Analytics at Leicester City; Luke Benstead, Head of Performance Analysis and Innovation for Belgium, and Ed Sulley, Director of Customer Solutions for Hudl, discuss the current state of data science in football and where it could be headed.

PAUL BALSOM, Leicester City’s highly-experienced Head of Performance Innovation, says a rare alchemy has taken the side to heady heights in the Premier League this season.

WYSCOUT founder Matteo Campodonico explains how he came up with the idea for the scouting and analysis platform, how clubs use it and why he believes Big Data will transform the way it is used.

SPORTING DIRECTOR Victor Orta reveals how he convinced Marcelo Bielsa to come to Yorkshire and outlines the impact that the Argentine has had at Elland Road.

LEEDS UNITED Sporting Director Victor Orta says the club’s recruitment policy is 70% human judgement and 30% data.

LES FERDINAND charts his journey from star player to Director of Football at QPR and laments the fact that bigger clubs are now “stockpiling” young talent.

RHYS LONG, Head of Performance Analysis and Insight for the Football Association, outlines his philosophy in the Training Ground Guru Podcast.

DAVE REDDIN, the Football Association’s Head of Team Strategy and Performance, tells the TGG Podcast that sports science is creating a generation of players with “limited physical capabilities”.

THIS month we go behind the scenes at the TGG Youth Development Conference in Manchester, with speakers Kris Van Der Haegen, Leigh Bromby and John McGuigan.

TGG gets a tour of Burnley's Academy, which is on the verge of going from Category 3 to 1 inside three years.

FORMER Stoke and Derby manager Gary Rowett says he admires Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa for “thinking outside the box” and “pushing the envelope”.

FORMER Birmingham, Derby and Stoke manager Gary Rowett is joined by his former Head of Performance, Dave Carolan, and Head of Analysis, Joe Carnall, for the first episode of the new Training Ground Guru podcast.

LEEDS manager Marcelo Bielsa says "what makes you important when you win is the same thing that makes you useless when you lose" as far as the media is concerned.

FORMER Leeds United manager Paul Heckingbottom says he's been most intrigued by what the team do WITHOUT the ball under his successor Marcelo Bielsa this season.

ROB PRICE, Leeds United’s new Head of Medicine and Performance, says he will be looking to “push boundaries” this season.

ANDER HERRERA was a key figure in a remarkable season for Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao in 2011/12. He gave a brilliant insight into the beautiful, brutal world of the new Leeds manager.

JED DAVIES uncovers the coaching secrets of new Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa.

LEEDS UNITED have sacked Head of Sport Science Nathan Winder, first-team coach Jamie Clapham and performance analyst Alex Bailey following the firing of manager Paul Heckingbottom, while set piece specialist Gianni Vio has not had his contract renewed.

LEEDS UNITED Director of Football Victor Orta insists he has never signed a player without the approval of the manager.

NATHAN WINDER, the new Leeds United Head of Sport Science, got a team on a small budget to punch well above its weight at Barnsley.

THE FA laid down exactly what it means to be an England international in 2014 - and many clubs are now following suit.

LEEDS UNITED are looking for their first full-time nutritionist as they continue to beef up their backroom team under new owner Andrea Radrizzani.

LEEDS UNITED have added Italian set piece coach Gianni Vio to their staff.

PAUL BUTLER, Leeds United’s new assistant manager, is unusual in being a senior coach with no experience of playing pro football.

LEEDS UNITED have appointed Gaby Ruiz to the newly-created role of Head of European Recruitment.

NEIL REDFEARN was sure he was watching a future England captain as 17-year-old Lewis Cook cajoled his weary team-mates during a 4-1 defeat by Ipswich in December 2014.

LEEDS UNITED have announced Spaniard Victor Orta as their new Director of Football.

CLAUDIO RANIERI says he has not been approached by Leeds United about their vacant manager's job.

VICTOR ORTA is set to join Leeds United as their new technical director as Middlesbrough continue a complete clear-out of their backroom staff.

Ex-England striker Alan Smith reveals the truth about his acrimonious exit from Leeds, the injury that almost ended his career and why he is relishing every moment with Notts County.

NEIL REDFEARN achieved a lifelong dream by taking charge of his boyhood club. His season in charge of Leeds was memorable, though often for the wrong reasons.