In today’s episode, I have the opportunity to speak with Stephen McManus. Stephan is a current Celtic Reserve team coach and has played with the club as well as Middlesbrough and Motherwell. From a young age, he always loved football and would play in the street though often would be with older mates. Because of the age and size difference between the boys, this was a limitation but in the end, it massively improved skills and awareness. Having to work twice as hard Stephen developed some great principles and would hold him in good stead throughout his career these include; discipline, sacrifice, dedication, resilience, and ability to problem solve amongst many others.
As we go on Stephen shares his thoughts on building relationships with teammates and coaches as well as his experience playing with Celtic.
Continue to follow as we go in-depth for this episode!
TIMESTAMPS
[00:06] Introduction to Stephen McManus
[01:41] Getting into football as a boy
[03:06] Playing with older mates
[07:06] Realizing you want to be a pro player
[10:52] What was it like being a part of the Celtic youth set up
[12:44] The importance of having a strong influence to help you develop
[16:04] Trusting your parents through teenage years
[19:49] Having resilience as a player
[20:52] Discipline in preparation
[24:42] Being a problem solver
[25:51] Coaches that influenced you
[28:42] Highlights from playing days
[31:14] Taking nothing for granted
[32:54] Setting short term goals for yourself
[39:06] Building relationships with teammates and coaches
[41:44] Making the transition from player to coach
[49:07] Advice for young players
[50:08] Outro
Connect with Stephen McManus:
Connect with Don MacNaughton:
· WEBSITE
· PODCAST
