Latest news with #AdrianForbes
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Manning 'the perfect choice' - ex-Norwich player Forbes
Former Norwich City midfielder Adrian Forbes believes the choice of Liam Manning as head coach ahead of the new season is a "fantastic appointment".Forbes, now sporting director of US club Texoma FC, knows Manning from coaching courses they both attended and games in which they were in charge of opposing age-group sides."It has to be a certain person that they employ to run that club, a person that understands Norfolk, that understands Norwich and understands the importance of managing Norwich City in a certain way and I think 100% on this appointment, they've done that," he told BBC Radio Norfolk."You can take away the sentiment of him being a Norfolk boy, which he is - if you're looking at someone who has the right key values and skills to manage the club in the right way, Liam's your perfect choice."His knowledge, his coaching detail, the way he sets his teams up, he's someone that I've watched I would like to emulate myself with what he's managed to achieve and the trajectory he's had."Forbes added: "One thing everyone will see is Liam's management of the Norwich City players will be exceptional, and that will hopefully be transferred onto the pitch and performances as well."I believe 100% that this time, Norwich City have a manager that will not just bring success, but will bring a team spirit, a camaraderie and an understanding of Norfolk and Norwich that will will hopefully lead to success on the pitch." Forbes began his career at Norwich, scoring eight goals in 121 appearances before moving to Luton Town in the summer of 2001.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Ex-Canary Forbes finds winning way with US start-up side
How do you start a professional football team from nothing? For at least some of the answers to that question, try contacting former Norwich, Luton and Swansea midfielder Adrian Forbes at his base in was just over a year ago that the 46-year-old left a coaching job at Luton's academy to become sporting director of a start-up club in the USA with no having agreed to double up responsibilities as head coach, he has a 'roster' of players at Texoma FC - and they have started to win a few games as well after, as he puts it, "stinking up the league a little bit" at the start of their first assembled a multi-national squad for their first USL League One campaign with players from Poland, South Africa, Ghana, Gambia, Canada, as well as the US, along with two from England - Luke McCormick and Teddy Baker, who began in the academies at Nottingham Forest and taking 13 points from the last 15, they are currently eighth in the 14-team league, although Texoma FC is quite a sober name alongside the likes of Spokane Velocity, Charlotte Independence, Greenville Triumph and Portland Hearts Of Pine. Owners kept faith in 'sticky spell' Club president Ben Watson and chief executive Simon Keizer are the men chiefly responsible for tempting Forbes to the 6,500-capacity Historic Bearcat Stadium in Sherman, north Texas, just 11 miles south of the birthplace of former US president Dwight D made contact with him via the LinkedIn website and Forbes took the momentous decision to start a new life with his wife Shelley, who also plays an active role at the club, and family on the other side of the Forbes - who also played for Blackpool, Millwall and Grimsby - is grateful to the five-man ownership group for keeping faith in him after the initial disappointment of poor results."When we had that sticky spell, it would have been quite easy for them to go 'well, we haven't won in five games, it's time to make a change', and I couldn't have blamed them if they'd done that, but they stuck by me and the work I was doing and now hopefully they see the fruit that's been grown off the back of it," he told BBC Radio Norfolk."A massive thank you to them and I hope I can be part of bringing them a lot of success over the next one, two, three, four, five, 10 years, however long it will be, because I absolutely love it." He continued: "We are all gearing up to make this team as successful as it can be. Our first key aim is to get promoted from USL League One into the USL Championship." 'Better the person, better the player' Extreme heat and 30-minute time-outs during games if there is lightning in the area - "They certainly don't teach you (about) that on the coaching qualification" - are all factors to be taken into the account by what was he looking to do when he began putting his squad together?"Developing players who can go on to be the best form of themselves," he said."Having the right people in the building first and foremost - the better the person, the better the player - and I feel we've done that."If we can keep the same attitude, same work ethic that we've shown the last two months, then it can be a successful season."I think we lost the first five and we conceded 14 goals and now we find ourselves four points off third in the table, but the season doesn't finish till October, so there is still a lot of work to do but certainly Texoma are going in the right direction." Am I wearing the right hat? Forbes' dual roles means he has to switch between them several times a day, and living in the same residential complex as his players, he and his wife also cook meals for them as a hectic life, which can also mean 20-hour road trips to matches."We'll be up around half five sorting out the breakfast. Then she'll make sure she's got everything so she can do their protein shakes for after training."I've got two hats - but she wears half of one of them quite often. It's important for me to say because she is my rock at the moment and allows me to be able to do both roles," he said."It is sporting director at first sign-in, then you get to training, you put your head coach hat on. Once that's finished, you put your sporting director's hat on again because there's something from a technical side that might need taking care of."Then you might have to put your head coach hat on again because you've got to do your weekly broadcast call for ESPN or CBS before your game at the weekend, or local media." Professional football was first played in the United States in 1921 but despite Major League Soccer and the involvement of high-profile figures like Sir David Beckham and Lionel Messi, its profile and popularity still lags behind the NFL and though, believes hosting the current Club World Cup and the expanded World Cup in 2026 will help attract more followers to the game."The game is growing over here and it's growing at a really quick rate. I can totally see why now is a good time to hold the World Cup here," he the meantime, he is looking to forge links with clubs in England which could lead to younger players being given the opportunity to continue their development over in the US."That is something that 100% I want to do over a period of time," he said."There is a real big opportunity for young English-based players to come over here and get minutes in a league I feel they would thrive in and there is a real call for it over here as well."I've got several ideas, whether it is player exchanges, coach exchanges - if you look at Norwich or Luton as an example in my experiences with both their academies, I genuinely feel there could be a real help for coaches over here."Now, though, it is time to focus on Texoma's next fixture at home to Phoenix Rising on added: "As I sit here now, we've got the best form in the league, so long may that continue."
