Player Support Vital

As player development advisor at Everton, my role is to offer the academy players a support network.

Having been here for six years I have dealt with the issues of a number of the current crop of footballers.

I use certain organisational strategies, to help them cope with the demands and pressures they might struggle to deal with - in terms of their lifestyle or a football specific environment.

I don't like using the term psychology, because I don't think it's necessary, I think my job is a more advisory role and I think that is less daunting to players than a 'sports psychologist' role.

At the start of every season, we do some goal setting with the academy players, specific to the football and their in-game performance.

We like at this stage to focus on the here and now - rather than setting long term goals like becoming a first team player.

Maybe for a striker in the academy, they will set themselves the task of scoring in every game or a midfielder's target will be to set-up a number of goals.

I think that psychology is more of a support mechanism for the players. It gives them somebody to talk to, external to the football scene.

I think it's important that the players have that additional member of staff who won't judge them no matter what the issue is. For example, a player might feel that talking to his coach could jeopardise their position in the team.

In that, I try to establish a certain trust with the players and will only speak to them if they approach me.

They could also talk about their performance. But it could also be that they just want to come in and catch up - they even sometimes tell me when things are good.

All in all, I feel that the importance of the players having set goals, as well as somebody to discuss their current issues with, is a vital part of football in today's environment.

Once players have that support mechanism, the rest will fall into place.