Andy Woodman on his coaching philosophy

Jan 23 2011 by Mark Douglas, Sunday Sun

Newcastle United are in safe hands with new goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman. He explains the secret of his coaching philosophy to Chief Sports Writer Mark Douglas

THE name Rob Green flashed up on Andy Woodman’s mobile – and he immediately knew what to do.

Deep in the middle of a suffocating South African summer, Green had made one of the biggest goalkeeping blunders in the history of English football – and had turned to an old mate for help.

Woodman – who has just taken over as Newcastle’s goalkeeping coach – was a trusted friend and former mentor from his days on the West Ham coaching staff and told it to him straight.

Green had made a horrendous mistake in front of a global audience, but if he let it thrash around in his mind for too long, it would destroy him.

It was a lesson learned during the dizzying highs and numbing lows of a 17-year playing career that took in 12 clubs and was reinforced when he stood side by side with tearful best friend Gareth Southgate on a balmy June night when his penalty miss knocked England out of Euro ‘96.

The lesson he learned then still remained relevant now – you have to deliver your opinions with honesty and respect, but never let them forget just how good they are.

It sounds like a simple philosophy, but for anyone prepared to carve a career out playing in the loneliest and most fragile position on the pitch, Woodman believes reassurance can be a godsend at their lowest ebb.

They are principles that Woodman hopes will serve him well as he looks to cultivate the latest crop of blue chip keepers battling it out for St James’ Park supremacy.

“After nearly 25 years in the game I’ve seen just about everything – the highs and the lows – and going through all of those makes you a better person and I think a better coach too,” he said. “Take what happened in the summer. I worked with Rob at West Ham – he’s a lovely bloke and a really, really top goalkeeper, so naturally I was gutted with what happened during the World Cup.

“I think I’m someone he trusts and I spoke to him numerous times before, during and after the World Cup.

“It was awful watching it happen to him, you can’t describe the feeling you get for someone you know when you watch it, but at least I could be there for him on the phone to talk it through.

“The biggest thing I say to any of our guys – if that happens to you, you can’t ever work out why you made the mistake.

“I said to Rob ‘that mistake is human nature. It was a bad one, but it doesn’t mean you’re a bad goalkeeper’.

“It was just unfortunate for him that his happened on the very biggest stage, but it will hurt just as much when you concede one in the reserves or in a game where you’re coasting and you let a soft one in.

“What I tell all the goalkeepers I’ve worked with is you’ve got to park that mistake, and you notice he came out and did the media straight away afterwards – he wasn’t going to dwell on it.