Latest news with #DavidLongwell
The Courier
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Courier
Who is Dundee FC's David Longwell? From teaching John McGinn the Cruyff turn to Red Bull swoop
David Longwell's career has taken him from Paisley to Orlando to New York to Shrewsbury, Burnley and Fylde over two decades of coaching. Now he's back in Scotland, taking on Dundee's newly-created position as technical manager alongside new head coach Steven Pressley. The 51-year-old from Renfrew has worked under coaches of the highest calibre – from Vincent Kompany to Jesse Marsch and Ralf Rangnick – and is credited with helping through Scotland internationals John McGinn, Kenny McLean and Lewis Morgan at St Mirren. Longwell began his long career in academy football as a community coach at St Mirren before working his way up to head of youth development. He had a brief spell as Gary Teale's assistant as the Buddies failed in their battle against relegation from the top flight. Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin was a key man in the St Mirren team at the time. During Longwell's time in charge of the academy a host of first-team players emerged in Kenny McLean, Stephen Mallan, Sean Kelly, Jason Naismith, Jack Baird, Lewis Morgan and Kyle Magennis. The star, though, was John McGinn, now a Scotland and Aston Villa hero. McGinn said in 2021: 'The youth coach at the time – David Longwell – he was my coach for 13 years. 'He stressed the importance of technique and if anyone remembers the old Love Street, they had an indoor 5-a-side park. 'It wasn't massive so were just doing Cruyff and Zidane turns for three or four years. 'I now usually do it when I make a bad touch or something! But the amount of times I did that at St Mirren made it natural.' Longwell then left Paisley for Florida, joining Orlando City as their academy manager before being head-hunted by New York Red Bulls to head up their burgeoning youth setup. Jesse Marsch was manager with future Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick calling the shots across the Red Bull group from RB Leipzig. Longwell's time in New York ended abruptly in 2018 with NYRB deciding to 'part ways' before he returned to the UK with Shrewsbury Town. His old boss from St Mirren, Brian Caldwell, was in charge of the Shrews where he also stepped up to first-team coaching under Steve Cotterill. Burnley, Dundee's strategic partners, came calling in 2023 and as academy boss he implemented the structure wanted by Vincent Kompany before he left for Bayern Munich. However, he resigned from the Clarets in August 2024 amid claims he sent a scathing assessment of the club's first-team squad to the wrong WhatsApp group. Longwell and Burnley have never commented publicly on his exit. In January 2025 he arrived at National League strugglers AFC Fylde as assistant to former England international Kevin Phillips. Phillips would be sacked in February with Longwell and Chris Neal taking interim charge but unable to keep the club up. Things ended amicably at Fylde, leaving Longwell free to join Dundee in their new-look approach. From the outside, Dundee were looking for a new manager after the sacking of Tony Docherty. The inside approach was different, though. It would be a head coach coming in and a new role created. The Dark Blues went looking for someone to fill the newly-created technical manager role and approached Longwell. 'I think they were looking to bring someone in who has got maybe the skillset that I possess,' he told DeeTV. 'When you're looking for a head coach to be really focused on individuals, it's very hard. 'Managers or head coaches, their main thing is to try and win games of football and the pressures of that can be quite high. 'I think they're looking for someone who can really focus on the players to support the manager so that it doesn't just have to be his sole responsibility. 'It's a really interesting move from the football club. 'That then is what will make the team better because if every individual becomes better then the team becomes better. 'I think it's only going to benefit the club. 'They identified myself, I've been at Burnley before and I think I've done a good job when I was in there. 'They've obviously got connections with Burnley. 'Dundee asked to speak to me and it was a really interesting conversation, something I was really excited about. 'They are trying to develop the club, develop the team, try to link everything together. 'I've done that at a lot of clubs before.' Longwell will answer to technical director Gordon Strachan in the new chain of command at Dundee. But he will also help with recruitment and support head coach Steven Pressley in first-team training. However, Longwell admits the exact nature of his role will evolve over time. 'I think it'll be quite fluid. I'll probably take on a lot of different things,' he added. 'At the moment I'm helping with recruitment. 'Between Gordon [Strachan] and Billy [Kirkwood], they're doing a lot of work within that along with John [Nelms] and Steven [Pressley] will have an influence in that as well. 'So I'm trying to help with that as one part of the role. 'From a day-to-day basis once the season gets going I think it'll be a case of whenever the manager's planning training it will be a case of assisting wherever he wants. 'Every head coach or manager will be slightly different in how they want training to be so I think my role day-to-day will be what he wants me to do. 'Over and above that it's then looking at those individuals within training – how do we try and develop them. 'Then over and above the main team training it's how do you try and implement different structures and strategies and different things that you can actually work with players. 'That might be analysis. It might be on the pitch. It might be in the gym. 'So, it's really to try and tailor that to each player. 'I think day-to-day it'll be very flexible and there'll be a lot of work entailed in it. 'I'm never shy of putting the work in to try to get the very best out of people. 'It's not going to happen overnight. It will take a bit of time for that to happen. 'There'll be small differences that you'll see and then hopefully over a period of time, you'll see bigger differences.'
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Dundee can achieve success with style, says Longwell
Technical manager David Longwell says Dundee can achieve success with "a bit of style and a development mind" amid a fresh era at Dens a new role at the club, the 51-year-old, who has worked in the academies of St Mirren, New York Red Bulls and Burnley, will bring his "experience and knowledge" to help the youth set-up and first says he hopes to "assist, support and enhance" the "great platform" young talents have at the club, who this week appointed Steven Pressley as head recent years, Lyall Cameron, Josh Mulligan and Finlay Robertson have thrived in the Dundee side, and Longwell is determined to carry on that positive his role and the club's new structure, he says: "What the club are trying to do is win, fans all want to know that, but you want to do it with a bit of style and a development mind. We can definitely achieve that."My role here, I've got a lot of experience and knowledge and I can bring that. It will be fluid and flexible. At the moment I'm helping with with recruitment. "From day to day when the season gets going, it will be looking at individuals in training and how we can develop them."There's such a great platform here. Hopefully I can assist, support and enhance that."
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Nelms on Pressley, recruitment process & top-six hopes
Dundee managing director John Nelms has been discussing the process of appointing of head coach Steven Pressley, what it means for the structure of the club and his hopes for next are the best bits from his sitdown with club media:On the process recruiting a new head coach, Nelms says Dundee have a "core value of development." The club now has a "proper framework and structure" and he believes Pressley comes with "all the tools" to make that adds that Pressley has "vast knowledge of what we need to do to be successful" after "working with development players" at Premier League club the structure change at the club, which has resulted in David Longwell being appointed as technical manager, Nelms says: "It goes back to the word development. We need to have a person who is giving a little bit more to our players so they are best they can be.""Every player will have David looking after them," Nelms adds. The American describes Longwell as "no-nonsense" and says he will be part of the first-team appointing a head coach rather than a manager, Nelms says that "won't look much different for fans". The head coach's focus will be on "getting points in the bag," he the interview process with Pressley, Nelms says the board "spent four hours walking through different elements" and the new Dundee boss "was saying all the things we want to hear". The former Scotland defender "literally ticked all the boxes".Nelms says Pressley is a "soft-spoken leader" who will "lead by example" in his role. "He wants to make you better and as successful as possible," he adds. On summer transfer business, Nelms says "recruitment hasn't stopped at all" and "signings will be here soon".And on the club's hopes for next season, he adds: "It's always top six, it's what we budget for. We strive to be in it and always will."
The Courier
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Steven Pressley's Dundee to-do list: Squad building and winning over fans top new boss' agenda
After a two week wait, Dundee have a new management team in place. Steven Pressley is in as head coach with David Longwell joining him as technical manager. His role is different to a classic manager but Pressley will still be the figurehead for the club. He is currently in the Far East for his silver wedding anniversary but work will be going on regardless. So what does he need to sort out at Dens Park? Dundee have seven players from last season's squad whose contracts have expired. Some have offers on the table already, the question is can Pressley convince them to finally sign those deals? Among them is Josh Mulligan, who would be the perfect example of the kind of player this new-look Dundee want to develop. He has offers from elsewhere and whether the Dark Blues can compete financially remains to be seen. Also on the way out as it stands are the likes of Mo Sylla, Antonio Portales and Scott Tiffoney. All three have suitors elsewhere and will take convincing if they are to stick around. Most notably, captain Joe Shaughnessy has been in contract limbo since Tony Docherty was sacked two weeks ago. The Irishman ended the season with no deal on the table, as did experienced midfielder Scott Fraser and young winger Charlie Reilly. Providing a yes or no on keeping those three will be one of the first things on the to-do list. Once those immediate options are finalised, recruitment for next season needs to get moving. Dundee currently have only 12 senior players on permanent contracts going into the new season and most of them are defenders. In attack there is only Simon Murray, in midfield only Fin Robertson though Mexicans Cesar Garza and Victor Lopez remain on loan until January. It's pretty much a blank canvas on the recruitment side. Dundee's new model will not rely solely on the manager to sign players, instead there will be collective recruitment decisions with Pressley having his say. One who is expected to join up is Drey Wright after leaving St Johnstone. He was identified during Tony Docherty's tenure and the continued interest in his services would speak to the nature of Dundee's new approach. Pressley also needs to appoint a backroom staff. New technical manager David Longwell will be part of the coaching setup and is expected to take his place in the dugout on matchdays. However, an assistant head coach is required after Stuart Taylor's departure with Docherty. Also leaving at the end of the season was goalkeeping coach Alan Combe and Graeme Henderson, head of sports science Those roles will need filling ahead of pre-season training starting on June 18. Pressley's biggest job in the early weeks will be winning over the fanbase. To say supporters were sceptical over his appointment would be massively underplaying things. Making good signings this month will be a big help. Most important will be winning games in the early days. Do that and disillusioned supporters will come round. Keep that going and everyone will forget about the initial reaction. Dundee are looking to the future with their new structure. But Pressley and his team will have to win games in the here and now to get buy-in from the stands.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Dundee fans 'All Shook Up' - but Pressley brings 'vast experience'
When Tony Docherty was sacked with the dust barely settling on a disappointing Premiership campaign, few Dundee fans who would have thought they would be uttering the phrase 'Elvis has entered the building' just a few weeks the time of the departure of Docherty - and his backroom staff - the club stated their intention to "restructure the football department".Giving Steven Pressley the title of head coach, rather than manager, and the creation of a new technical manager position, which will be occupied by David Longwell, definitely projects the look that things will be different going social media is anything to go by, the appointment of Pressley has left a large number of the Dundee support 'All Shook Up'. But if the new regime can hit the ground running, it could be a case of 'Loving You'.Apologies for the rather predictable Elvis song there will be some who will point to the fact Pressley has been away from the Scottish game for more than a decade, plus he has not held a managerial role anywhere since leaving Carlisle United six years there can be no doubt Pressley is bringing vast experience to Dens he will also have a knowledge of the English market, particularly with regards to some potential young talent coming through the ranks south of the border. That knowledge could prove invaluable as Dundee look to strengthen their also played under Dundee technical director Gordon Strachan at Celtic, so the ex-Scotland boss will be well aware of the qualities his former player can bring to this is not about the past. The success or failure of any appointment is determined by results - and ultimately that is what Pressley and co will be judged on going forward.
