Ron Smith, Perth Glory FC
Ron Smith
Perth Glory FC
31 years as a coach, one season with Glory
WABN: What techniques do you use to motivate players?
RS: I don’t often find motivation to be a problem or lacking in professional footballers because it is so easy for a player to find himself out of work if he doesn’t perform. If I think a player needs motivating I remind him that he is one of the selected minority who earns a living from playing a game he loves and how fragile that situation can be.
WABN: What has been the biggest mistake that you have made in your role as a coach and what did you learn from it?
RS: I can’t think of anything that I’ve done that has been a bit of a disaster, apart from trusting people who have employed me to do the “right thing” by me. I learned not to be too trusting and get everything you agree to in writing and witnessed.
WABN: What other profession do you most often seek advice from with respect to you team’s performance and why?
RS: Due to the nature of the game, injuries feature frequently in football, so players are often having to train and play while having some form of injury. So it’s important to get the right advice from the physiotherapist about what the player can do without making the injury worse or if he should train. The physiologist can provide important information about the intensity levels of training for particular players who need to make improvement in their output.
WABN: How do you manage player egos?
RS: I’ve never had too much to do with egos, but if any sort of behaviour is disruptive or unacceptable, a quiet word in the ear at the right time, usually in private, can have a positive effect.
WABN: How do you manage off-field player conflicts?
RS: They haven’t happened very often in my experience but when they have I asked the players if they are prepared to work together, and if they answer positively, that’s the end of it. I don’t try to force players to be best friends but I think there has to be a level of harmony between all players. If that can’t happen I will get rid of the player(s) who I think is the problem.
WABN: How important is it for players to develop skills outside of their sport? What do you do to encourage it?
RS: I am not sure if it is that important, really, but I would encourage players to develop the skills they need for their own sport first.
WABN: What currently frustrates you about your sport and what would you do to change it?
RS: Time wasting. I would add time on for the opposing team whenever a player tries to waste time. It would put an end to the practice overnight. Why the people who make up the rules can’t see that, is beyond me. Most officials only think about punishing the offenders but that does nothing for the team that needs the time to play.
WABN: What do you do to relax?
RS: Golf is my passion. I love it.
WABN: What music do you listen to for motivation?
RS: I like music with high tempo – rock, good dance music but not rap.
WABN: What sporting identity do you most admire and why?
RS: Ronaldo and Gabrielle Batistuta. Both have been the best strikers in the world at some point in their career, which is the hardest thing to do in football, both have been kicked and fouled but their on-field discipline has been outstanding, in that retaliation is not in their nature. They are great role models in every respect for younger players. I have met Batistuta and he is a great guy and I would love to meet Ronaldo.
