Gareth and the boys are learning all the time.
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Taylor's planning for the future - and creating a bit of history in the process
Gareth Taylor is already planning ahead for the time he finally hangs up his boots. The 35-year-old striker is currently trying to fire Tranmere into the League One play-offs but is also at the crux of a coaching revolution at Prenton Park. With the help of Geoff Lomax and Jamie Robinson of the PFA coaching staff, Taylor and 11 of his counterparts are creating a bit of history in the North West. Tranmere are the first club to run an 'in-house' Level 3 UEFA coaching Certificate as a raft of players aim for their qualification. Taylor spoke exclusively to givemefootball's Ian Clarkson about why a large chunk of the first team squad has undertaken their coaching badges and what the future holds for the veteran centre forward.
HOW HAVE YOU FOUND THE UEFA LEVEL 3 COACHING CERTIFICATE?
It's been great for the lads. There are ten of us from Tranmere's squad and we also have Gavin Ward from Wrexham and Kenny Irons, who used to play for Tranmere. The PFA have been brilliant as we spoke to them about it and it had never been done before but they have been really flexible. We have had dates penned in that have had to be cancelled with FA Cup replays and rearranged fixtures and they have kept the momentum going with classroom sessions when we can't get out on the training pitch.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LEVEL 3 QUALIFICATION?
It has been fantastic so far. It is really informative and the lads who are delivering the course have put a certain amount of trust in us, which is really useful. On a lot of the sessions you need to break down a lot of the points and I imagine if you were working with 'non-players' you would need to spend more time on that aspect. However, they have trusted our knowledge and technique and given us valuable pointers.
WHICH ASPECTS HAVE YOU REALLY GOT YOUR TEETH INTO?
You have to do phase of plays, functional practices and 8 v 8s out on the training pitch. There is a lot of excellent information and I will take a lot of ideas from it. But, depending on what level you are working at, I wouldn't use some of the sessions. The style of coaching can be different too as we are advised not to 'commentate during sessions but you may feel as though you want to say things to your side when you have your own team. I have to say that Geoff and Jamie are extremely good coaches and I think their style is easy to listen to and they are approachable. The course is excellent and raises a lot of healthy debate and has really improved my organisational skills.
HOW HAVE YOU FOUND WORKING IN THE CLASSROOM ONCE AGAIN?
It has been good fun. For instance, one of the classroom topics we did was to divide into three groups and prepare a coaching plan for a week, month or year. It needed to involve fitness and tactics and the detail you have to include is a real eye opener. Over the years as a player, you turn up and sometimes think 'has the manager planned a session?' However, it isn't as easy as it looks and you have to be on the ball but flexible as well.
HAS YOUR MANAGER RONNIE MOORE BACKED THE INITIATIVE?
The gaffer has been very good and extremely accommodating. He obviously wants us to concentrate on our football with Tranmere but he realises that for one afternoon a week this is beneficial to us. I could imagine that some managers would have a problem with it but he has been absolutely fine.
IS COACHING A CAREER YOU WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW ONCE YOU HAVE RETIRED?
I am 35 now and would definitely like to pursue it. However, lots of players have their qualifications and there are only so many jobs going around so you have to be realistic. If you are a coach then you tend to be a go-between for the players and manager whereas if you are the boss then you have to take a step back. I really believe that man-management is the most important aspect and finding out what makes each player tick. We have watched the Pro Zone statistics during this course and whilst it pints a picture, it doesn't always give a true reflection.
YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PLANS TO RETIRE JUST YET THEN?
I am at Tranmere until the summer and I am happy to still be playing. When I was 24 I had some serious knee problems and had a cruciate operation 14 years ago. They are commonplace now but there was only Paul Gascoigne who had had a high-profile operation then so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. My ambition then was to get to the age of 30 and I would have been happy. However, I am still playing now and enjoying every second so who knows. Maybe the ideal scenario would be to get a player-coach role and that would help me on both counts. However, as I said, I am still enjoying playing football far too much to stop just yet.
