Players win games, teams win championships
As the , one of the biggest challenges that has faced the respective leaders of each team has been moulding individuals into an effective team where unity and spirit is present in abundance.
Golf is, of course, very different to football in that it is an individual sport except for the occasional Ryder Cup-style tournament.
However, are the challenges faced by and Corey Pavin so different to those that football managers encounter in fostering a positive atmosphere within the dressing room?
The first point of discussion is whether or not this responsibility lies solely with the coaching staff or whether players are responsible for creating their own togetherness.
If you take the view that the manager is the main catalyst for this, then what are their main strategies to try to achieve it?
The team spirit at Dunfermline has impressed new recruit Jack Ross. Photo: SNS
If a manager is allowed to add to his squad then he will seek to attract players who he feels have the necessary characteristics to gel with the players he already has.
In this respect, he will have a certain amount of control in the creation of team spirit.
Conversely, if he has to make do with the squad he inherits then he must attempt to do this in other ways.
A popular method, and one used in many other industries, is "team bonding" days with players going go-karting, paint-balling or golfing, with the emphasis being on spending time together in a relaxed atmosphere.
It is fair to say that if a manager has a playing squad that enjoys socialising together, then it is a positive step towards a united camp.
In my own experience, one of the most beneficial tools at a manager's disposal is pre-season training camps. Undoubtedly, the restricted budgets enforced upon many managers have limited their ability to take players away, but those who are able to do so recognise the importance of such trips.
For example, my first season at St Mirren included an eight-day training stint in Italy where we trained twice a day, ate every meal together and spent any free time together at the pool or in the hotel games room.
Consequently, a strong sense of familiarity and loyalty could begin to grow between the players.
There are of course other situations which can create enormous togetherness within a squad and which have nothing to do with the manager.
One such source of this is when a squad is faced with adversity, such as the possibility of administration, the loss of key players through injury or being written off as no-hopers.
Often in cases like these a clever manager will recognise they can turn a negative into a benefit for their team.
The master of such a technique is probably Jose Mourinho, who has created almost a siege mentality within all his teams and hence united them in a manner conducive to achieving major success.
It is evident that management play a major part in creating and sustaining excellent team spirit but I would also suggest that the players are vital in ensuring it all comes together.
The ability of a manager to choose his captain and vice captain is crucial as these dominant figures within a dressing room will have influence over other members of the squad and be key in ensuring that every individual player is focused on the same goal.
In my short time at I have been hugely impressed by the unity within the squad, and have no doubts the success the management team have had in achieving this will be a major asset for us as the season progresses.
Finally, the use of quotations around dressing room walls is another method aimed at inspiring team spirit. I have seen many during my career with one of the simplest but most appropriate being "players win games, teams win championships".
I was released as a teenager from the Scottish Premier League, had the hardening experiences of junior and part-time football and came back to the top flight with four years at university thrown in! I'm Jack Ross, a defender with Dunfermline and I aim to give you an insight into the life and mind of a professional footballer.
Comment number 1.
At 4th Oct 2010, FFC14ME wrote:Jack, you need to change your profile, you're an SFL bench warmer now!
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Comment number 2.
At 4th Oct 2010, blogcritic wrote:FFC14ME, that's a bit cruel!! Ha! Ha! Maybe Jack's talking about next season...
Another good article Jack. Ignoring the obvious that golf & football are different sports, I think a good Manager has the same skills whatever sport he is competing in - it's how they are applied that changes in any given competition. I was always interested to see how Clive Woodward did at Southampton, it would have been interesting to see if the right skills were transferable from egg-chasing to football.
Does this interest in Managerial psychology mean that you have an interest in coaching in the future? What sort of career path would that take from here, Jack?
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Comment number 3.
At 5th Oct 2010, HotdogSalesman wrote:Hi Jack ..... as a matter of interest, what did you study at Uni?
Good article, and the cliche that "players win games, teams win championships" has been proven time and again.
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Comment number 4.
At 6th Oct 2010, JoC wrote:Great headline and I like the comparisons you've made regarding the Ryder Cup. I'm not really into golf myself and I've never quite understood how the 'team' mentality of the Ryder Cup comes into play in a sport so intrinsictly 'indivual' based?
Are golfers 3 or 4 holes back really able to alter the technical way they approach their game after hearing a 'teammate' a couple of miles away has just holed a putt? I can see in football how a teams' momentum changes by raising the speed of attack or all-out defense but golf's 'one man and a ball' against the elements..he can't even influence his opponents' game without resulting to gamemanship?
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Comment number 5.
At 6th Oct 2010, Rob04 wrote:#4
Are golfers 3 or 4 holes back really able to alter the technical way they approach their game after hearing a 'teammate' a couple of miles away has just holed a putt? I can see in football how a teams' momentum changes by raising the speed of attack or all-out defense but golf's 'one man and a ball' against the elements..he can't even influence his opponents' game without resulting to gamemanship?
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Not a golfer eh!!??!!
Players clearly alter their 'risk' and strategy in plotting their way round courses Joe based on what they know is going on around them for their team - which may make them more conservative or aggressive (i.e. risky) in their play. Hence some might hold for the half when they might otherwise be tempted to risk the win. And you see it more clearly in the format playing with a partner where you might want to set up an approach for your partner that is based on their strengths (and short game) and not yours. The team focus in the RC introduces a collective element that is otherwise missing in championship golf - very different to team-based sports I agree but it is there all the same.
Not that any of us 'hackers' have a golf game in which we are able to technically choose our shots at will - but the shot placement of someone like Luke Donald (for himself) and his partners in the RC was a technical joy to watch at times.
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Comment number 6.
At 6th Oct 2010, JoC wrote:#5 Interesting..I never looked at it that way Rob04 - playing conservatively or more aggressively depending on the need for a half-point or more certainly makes perfect sense, but doesn't that just makes it easier for their opponent to seize the advantage by going for their shots (albeit taking more risks)?
I suppose the difference in 'team' games the way I generally look at it is that teams on the 'same' pitch/court etc directly influence their teammates games physically - speed, positioning etc, whereas what you're saying with 'normal' golf it's more mental or psychological? Although the RC 'foursomes' format is definately leaning towards the former - nearly a different ball game completely?
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Comment number 7.
At 6th Oct 2010, Rob04 wrote:#6
Swings and roundabouts in any match Joe.
Yes its an interesting format in golf though the 'individual' element can be over-stressed anyway because many pros heavily rely on their caddies to get them round a course, and their advice on club selection and approach can often make the difference in matches. I've got a pal who plays in Vietnam twice a year and pays the local caddies (all women strangely) the higher rate on rounds because this apparently guarantees better advice on playing the green! And apparently in the RC Ross Fisher took Paddy Harrington's reading of the greens in their matches together..strange that eh!!
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Comment number 8.
At 6th Oct 2010, JoC wrote:#7 Can see the logic behind your friend using local caddies who would know more about the greens and fairways of their local courses more than anyone I guess? Maybe Europe or America should have employed some local caddies at Celtic Manor..wonder what difference it would have made? Their role would be more akin to a coach or manager though just giving advice or helping with tactics, once the player crosses the line in football or tees up the shot in golf they are on their own, although in football a 'teammate' can get you out of trouble, set you up for a simple goal etc. In football a team can carry a weak player but in golf any weakness and you're stuffed. Maybe that's the true definition of 'team' and in that respect it can be applied to the Ryder Cup.
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Comment number 9.
At 7th Oct 2010, Jack Ross - ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport wrote:Thank you for the comments.
Re comment 2, I would love an opportunity to manage and hopefully I will get a chance to do so in the future.
Comment 3, I studied for an MA Honours in Economics.
I think that the Ryder Cup teams are so successful because it is made up of individuals desperate to be part of a team. Sometimes in football, players are part of a team but crave individual success!
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