Hodgson: 'You need a sense of perspective'

One of Europe's most experienced and respected coaches, Englishman Roy Hodgson came to Nyon to offer words of wisdom and inspiration to students studying for their UEFA Pro licence.

For more than an hour, Hodgson – who in a coaching career over four decades has taken charge of England, Finland, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, as well as numerous clubs across Europe – took part in an interview with UEFA chief technical officer Ioan Lupescu. Questions then followed from students representing the associations of Moldova, Poland, Scotland and Ukraine.

Hodgson's insights included how he learned to coach, changes in football and coaching over the years, the differences between coaching a national team and a club side and how to manage relationships with players and club owners, as well as dealing with the media.

When asked about the key attributes that a coach needed, Hodgson said it was essential to make effective use of the knowledge and experience that a coach accumulates over his career.

"Leadership skills are absolutely vital and a coach must also be able to transmit his passion, energy and enthusiasm for the game to his players," he added. "You need to be a 'people person' – for example, you have to feel sympathy for your players if they lose a match, rather than feeling anger.

"The ability to be resilient and bounce back is very important and you must also be careful to have humility and a sense of perspective, both in coaching and in life, whether you are winning or losing."

The UEFA Pro licence sessions, now in their sixth season, include practical and theoretical elements of coaching. Vital knowledge is shared between participants from different national associations not only for their individual career development but also to benefit the coaching profession as a whole.