Part 2

Within the training, his attention is mainly focused on the superstructure. "I am involved with Under-15 up to the first team," he explains. "For example with the physical development. Sprint work, jump power, agility, endurance, things like that. But also responsiveness and cognitive development. Based on the pillars that we work with in the ast team squad, but then adapted to the various age groups. We are also aligning the selection and training at a tactical level, based on a 4-3-3 playing method. With different interpretations of that system, so that talents develop in different ways. Also in youth scouting, in the medical field and in the use of data, we apply a common thread throughout the club. With the emphasis on individual development and therefore less on the results of the youth teams. "

"By the way, I want to emphasize that the academy was already at a good level when I came here. So it is not that I am turning things upside down. In the Netherlands we tend to think that only our way leads to Rome. That is nonsense of course. Other football countries have already amply proven that you can be successful in different ways. I do not believe in copying a philosophy from one country to another. Here English football culture is the framework with which I mix my own vision. In consultation with the head of training, Darren Wassall, I want to form a module that allows Derby County to move forward for a long time. How are you trained, what is the playing method? What do we demand from our players mentally, physically, technically and tactically? Which lifestyle is included? By including those core values in the training, they must ultimately become visible in the first team. "
Progression
Then he points to a notepad on the wall in his office, on which the names of his players are written. "Currently, six talents aged from seven**** to nine**** participate in the 1st team training. For talents, I use a three-year step-by-step plan. The first year is mostly training together and maybe playing a cup match. The second year you must be able to participate in a number of competitions. And the third year determines whether you break through. In the meantime, new training has to come through from the study programme. To do that properly, you have to make a long-term commitment with each other. That is why we have agreed on a four-year contract. Later in my career I will also do a job where I fully concentrate on the first team and nothing else. But at the moment I find this combination very appealing. "

At PSV, Cocu also had a significant share in the renewed focus on training. Before he took up the position of head coach in 2013, in a conversation with then-technical director Marcel Brands, he emphasized the need for investment in the youth branch. This was also an important point in his presentation to the supervisory board. They weren’t deaf. "It's nice to see that PSV has increasingly become a training club," Cocu observes. "Everyone at the club has had their share in it. And in the end it is the players themselves who ensure that a breakthrough occurs in the first team. If those boys are later sold for a good price, it will bring financial benefits to the entire club. That's the beauty of it: you collectively create a situation that benefits all involved. The investments in training have made PSV a richer club, and I certainly mean that in sports terms too. If you play at PSV in youth now, you truly believe that there is a path to the first team. That perspective is crucial. "

In the Netherlands we tend to think that our way is the only way.....

After five years as head coach in Eindhoven, Cocu decided he ahd done as much as he could. "I had done everything I wanted at PSV," he looks back on his departure from the Netherlands. "People tend to count only the years that I was head coach. But after I stopped playing football in 2008, I immediately started working as a youth coach at the club. After ten years in various positions, I felt that I was ready for the next step. It had nothing to do with PSV; I still love the club, I follow them closely. But I am a type that wants to be triggered all the time. In my final year as a PSV trainer, I no longer had to work out the preparation on paper. Because I already knew what that should look like. Those are the moments you start thinking. I want to constantly develop myself as a coach. Look up circumstances that I don't know yet. Then you can hit a wall once or twice. That is part of life. "

In that respect, Cocu was was in seventh heaven, during his first foreign adventure as a coach. At Fenerbahçe, the curtain fell after four months and only three victories in fif**** official matches. "The story from the club leadership was really good," he explains his choice for the Turkish top club last year. "Fenerbahçe wanted to implement structural changes, with professionalisation of youth education and a different scouting method so that the budget could be reduced and a healthy basis could be established. In practice, it turned out to be too early for such a process. The new chairman also faced many surprises. The financial situation turned out to be less healthy than expected and the transfer ban had major consequences. Important players had to be sold. At the same time we were looking to successfully restructure the club but you also have to perform in the short term so that you can build in the long term. By the way, I don't just want to point to the circumstances. I also have to look at myself. No matter how difficult the situation was, we could have brought more kept the peace with better results. That did not happen.'

Afterwards wild stories about unrest within his staff appeared in the Turkish media. "It was blown up out of all proportion." Cocu responds. "Furthermore, I can't do much with those stories. Let me put it this way: I have noticed that emotions can rise quickly in Turkey. A day there had many peaks and troughs. And at some point the club management took measures. I remained pretty calm under it myself. I can have emotions and fire in me, but in general I have a stable character. That's how I now look back on that period. It has not become what I had hoped for, but I can look at myself in the mirror. Simply because there I did everything that was in my power. I learned a lot in those four months. "


Despite his experiences in Istanbul, Cocu continues to hold the same position on the composition of his staff. "If I start working somewhere, I want to be able to fill in two key positions myself. Then I look at how everyone functions in the technical organization. If there is no reason to replace people, I will continue with the existing staff. Those people know the club and what's good is good. " One thing is certain: wherever Cocu goes, Chris van der Weerden also goes there. They have been a trainer’s pair since PSV U18s, after having played together at Vitesse and PSV at the end of the last century. "We are friends and know each other through and through," explains Cocu. "And more importantly: in our time as youth trainers at PSV we developed a way of working together. For me, a new club isn’t on if Chris could not come along. With Shay Given there was already an excellent goalkeeper coach, so we left it that way. I did, however, include Twan Scheepers in the position he also held at PSV: as a bridge between the youth academy and the A-selection. In addition, Twan provides specialist training to our attackers. And with Liam Rosenior, the club has put forward a talented English coach, with whom we seem to click well. "

In recent weeks, the Derby County staff has had to brace themselves. And still does. Last month the club was rattled by a car accident following a team outing involving two cars and three players. After the crash, both drivers, forwards Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett, appeared to have drunk too much. Passenger Richard Keogh, captain of the team, suffered a serious knee injury in the accident. Lawrence and Bennett have meanwhile been taken to their club again, after having paid a six-week salary fine. Plus Cocu's requirement that they provide community service for at least 80 hours at various charities and partners associated with the club, such as Drink Aware. In addition, the court sentenced both players to community service for 180 hours and a two-year driving ban. Keogh was fired last week by Derby County, a decision against which the Irish international is appealing. "Because of the ongoing procedures, I cannot comment on the measures taken and the difference between him and the other two players," sighs Cocu. "As a club you have to act as decisively as possible in these situations. But this is a very complicated issue. Everyone in the outside world has an opinion about it and it has a significant impact on the player’s group. I put a lot of time and energy into discussions about this with my players. Collectively, individually, in groups. My main task is to keep the player’s focus on performances. Keogh had played at this club since 2012 sothere is a close bond with fellow players, club staff and fans. Once the legal part is completed, we will provide clarity to the outside world. Hopefully we can then draw a line under this situation. "