Ben and Mike call in the big guns, elite coach Edu Rubio, to help them crack formations, teamwork and how to stop their lads from bunching. Along the way, they confront their own coaching disasters, debate England vs. Spain’s youth setups and uncover the real secret to coaching kids: it’s not tactics - it’s psychology.

The key takeaways? Get to know your players and make them feel valued, because coaching isn’t just about formations and winning. Praise progress, not just results and focus on developing skills rather than chasing the win.

Involve players in decision-making to boost their engagement and learning and above all, stay calm and lead by example - if you lose your head, they will too. If you’ve ever wondered how to get an 8-year-old to listen, this one’s for you.

The former West Ham and Wolves first-team coach also shares his thoughts on the FA’s latest steps to improve grassroots youth football in England.

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Ben’s losing his voice, Mike’s losing his mind, and the kids are losing their markers. A 5-1 win had them dreaming, but a 7-4 battering brought them crashing back to earth.

A shambolic training session saw Ben and Mike lose their rag with their own lads, bringing on instant regret and damage control. In a bid to lift the mood, Mike unleashed his inner Ted Lasso with an American Soccer Dad routine—spoiler: total disaster. Then, to top it off, he went full Wolf of Wall Street, popping champagne after Raph bagged a brace.

Now we’re asking: are our sessions actually helping or just leaving the kids more confused? If you’ve got a player who listens and tracks back, hit us up—the transfer window is still wide open.

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In this episode, Ben and Mike and joined by The Athletic's Rory Smith. Rory has spent his career dissecting elite football, interviewing some of the greatest minds in the game, but none of that prepared him for the minefield of coaching his son’s under-7s team.

Rory confesses to a few questionable touchline moments, wrestles with the impossible task of getting kids to understand positioning (spoiler: they don’t) and wonders if teaching them to "play out from the back" is just setting them up for failure.

He’s also baffled by the number of dads screaming "PRESS!" at children who still struggle to put their boots on the right feet. But it’s not all stress and shouting, Rory also reflects on the good bits, like watching the kids grow in confidence, problem-solving on the pitch and occasionally kicking the ball in the right direction.

Oh and there’s the small matter of trying to coach your own kid without losing the plot. Plenty to unpack, plenty to laugh at.

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