Podcast

Intro

Hi Neil, we are delighted to be here at your Plymouth Argyle Stadium, and we would just like to let you know that we are going to give you our full support. We love what you do. We love how you do it. We love our Plymouth Argyle. As the closest school to you, we can't wait to learn more about your job and what it takes to become a world-class leader - just like you. Are you ok if we get started now?  We have worn our kits to show our support to you and your team!

 

Q1 When we played Leicester City, how did it make you feel? I bet you were buzzing like I was.

 

Q2 How do you cope with the lows and highs of leading a football club, especially at this time of the season?

 

Q3 One of my favourite players is Whittaker. I love how he dribbles and shoots with his left foot. Which players inspire you, and who are the best examples of leaders in the game?

 

Q4 You have worked with and hired great teammates. How do you attract and then keep the very best staff, and what is it about the best staff that makes you want to work with them here in Plymouth?

 

Q5 The level of brilliance that you have is astonishing? What does a great day for you look like? Do you have a special routine to stay on top of your game?

 

Q6 If players don’t get a new contract, how do you tell them and are any players ever really sad and need help to stay positive? 

 

Q7 If you ever have any spaces for new players, I am available for selection if helpful. What top tips do you have for me if I want to be a pro footballer?

 

Q8 At Mayflower we are building a values-based media team. We notice that your media team are doing a brilliant job of promoting your work as a football club. Your community team have also inspired us. They have been into school, and we have recorded a podcast all about Project 35. What jobs are essential to help a football club tell its story - and do what we are trying to do - that is - to publish beyond our postcode?

 

Q9 The ground is just stunning here. When I first saw your pitch, I thought it was astro, but it's grass.  You are doing a brilliant job. Plymouth is becoming a wonderful place to study and love football. Thanks to you, we are so proud of our city and what it stands for. What goals are you still yet to achieve in your career and how can we help you to do so?

 

Q10 To most fans, football is all about winning and losing. How do you celebrate a big win, and what happens for you when we lose?

 

Q11 Who has been your biggest influence as a player but also as a coach?

 

Q12 Hi Neil, it's me again. I am sure your job, just like Mr. Sammels's job, is stressful. We are learning about leadership. What is the best and worst bit about leading the mighty Argyle?

 

Q13 We heard that you were once a PE Teacher. Is this correct? If so, what did this job teach you about being a brilliant coach, and how do you use the role of teaching to help you in your current job -  right now? (One more thing, I hear that you love history. What's your favourite period to talk about?)

 

Q14 Caleb Roberts came to our school and went on a podcast with us. He is a hero of ours. He is a local Plymouth boy. He could one day become a global superstar player. What advice have you got for Caleb but also other young aspiring players who are out there?

 

Q15

Some children in class, like me, need lots of motivation to be in school. In my last school, I struggled a lot with different children, but at Mayflower it changed me 100%. I have made new friends, and I am more focused and now believe in myself to tackle the hard things in life. Leading on from this, to be successful, you might say that you need two things: 1. Self-confidence, 2. Motivation. Possibly even 3 or 4 things - hard work and effort. How do you ensure that players achieve these things and thrive as a team? After all, team work makes the dream work!

 

Outro

Hi Neil, I am back! We are so sorry, but we have to end this podcast today. We hope that you enjoyed the podcast. Good luck for Saturday! We are rooting for you and your amazing team! Please remember us. We hope to see you again soon in the new season. When things get tough we always say, to remember, together we can....

Credit goes to Wikipedia for the information and links detailed below

Bio

Neil David Dewsnip is an English football coach who is director of football, and caretaker manager, of EFL Championship side Plymouth Argyle.

Dewsnip had been a youth player at Liverpool and later worked as a teacher at a number of schools before becoming a coach. He worked with Everton's academy for 17 years before beginning work with the England national youth teams in 2013, leaving that role in 2019 to join Plymouth Argyle.

Early and personal life

Dewsnip was born in Whiston.^[2]

His father Jim worked as a coach at Liverpool under manager Bill Shankly.^[2]

Playing and teaching career

Dewsnip was a youth player at Liverpool.^[2] His father "realised that he would not make the grade as a professional and so he steered him towards the academic route".^[2] Dewsnip trained as a PE teacher, attending the Carnegie College of Physical Education for four years,^[2] which later became part of Leeds Beckett University.^[3]

He began his teaching career in 1983 at Broad Oak High School in Bury, teaching there for a year-and-a-half.^[4] He later taught at New Heys Comprehensive School, where two of his former pupils, Karl Robinson and Jim Bentley, would later become managers in the Football League.^[2] He also taught at Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in Liverpool, and taught future professional footballer Steven Gerrard.^[2]

Coaching career

Dewsnip had worked at the Everton Academy for 17 years, coaching future England national football team internationals Wayne Rooney, Ross Barkley, Leon Osman and Jack Rodwell,^[5] before leaving in July 2013 to work for the Football Association, initially as the technical lead for the England under-17 to under-21 teams.^[6]

He was working as the under-18 team manager by September 2014.^[4] Whilst still under-18 manager, he managed the under-17 team at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup following the departure of John Peacock,^[2] and he also managed the under-20s in their title winning campaign at the 2017 Toulon Tournament.^[7]

In August 2021 Dewsnip was part of Bev Priestman's coaching and mentoring team for the Canada women's team that won Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.^[8][9]

Plymouth Argyle

In August 2019 he joined then EFL League Two side Plymouth Argyle as a technical consultant.^[10][11] On 30 November of the same year, Dewsnip was formally appointed as director of football at the club, overseeing the club's entire footballing operations.^[12]

In December 2023, with the club in the EFL Championship, Dewsnip, supported by first team coach Kevin Nancekivell, took on caretaker managerduties, following the departure of Steven Schumacher to Stoke City.^[13][14] Dewsnip took charge of four games as caretaker, with three score draws against Birmingham City, Cardiff City and Watford, and a defeat to Southampton. On 5 January 2024 Ian Foster was named as the new head coach at Argyle, and despite Dewsnip setting up the team for the following day's match against Sutton United in the FA Cup, it was Foster who was credited as officially 'managing' the team.^[15]

Following Ian Foster's sacking on 1 April 2024, Dewsnip, again supported by Kevin Nancekivell, was re-appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the 2023–24 season. At the time of appointment, Argyle sat just one point above the EFL Championship relegation zone, with six games to play.^[16][17]