The Way Forward | Rejection & Mindset

 In the aftermath of yesterday’s FA Cup final man of the match Callum McManaman was a heatedly discussed subject. Rory Smith of the Times commented that “Players develop at different rates, different times, but I'd love to know who at Everton saw fit to get rid of Callum McManaman at 16.” Now the debate about players being released at this age common discussion on The Whitehouse Address, yet as McManaman proves, perhaps rejection at 16 is the reason we know who he is today and why he was man of the match yesterday.

By all accounts Callum McManaman was the top player in his group between 12 - 14 at Everton's academy. He was being touted as having the potential to be “as good as Rooney”. Very high praise for a young player indeed. However with his kind of pressure of expectation there is a common issue where many players actually don’t become the player everyone thinks they will be. In fact there is the common story of the young player who is the most talented, being the one who never made it. 

By all accounts Everton did not think McManaman had the attributes necessary for professional football, or at least to play for Everton. Now many have criticised this decision based on his performance this season, particularly in the FA Cup. Yet as this article will discuss, Everton's decision to let McManaman leave was perhaps the key reason for his success today. 

Mindset

One the of most key factors which has only become understood and tested in recent years is a players mindset. Work by Carol Dweck has found that the way children and young athletes are spoken to and importantly commended, can be a key factor in their development to become an elite athlete. She argues that coaches who praise the talented players for their “abilities”, for their “natural talent” are actually detrimentally affecting a players development. 

The argument goes that individuals who are successful at tasks are commended in the wrong way, and when they eventually find something they cannot perform successfully, they believe that they aren’t “naturally talented” at this task. Dweck has found that the majority of these individuals will not seek to improve their performance, instead they will neglect a task which they cannot do and settle for an easier task which they are successful in, where they will be commended as being “talented”. Now of course, by not “stretching” theirself and furthering their development the individual is not improving and ultimately will not be able to reach elite levels, because in order to attain this level requires many, many mistakes to happen. 

Dweck calls this a “fixed mindset”, where an individual believes that talent and skill is fixed; if you can’t do it, then you will never be able to do it. This has been the thinking of English football for decades. And coaches will always tend to compliment and shower the talented players in adoration, which gives a player the sense they are "naturally" better than the rest. More often than not this is the best player in the team at 12-16, yet if they have a fixed mindset, these players will not progress to elite levels because when they hit a wall, which they will always do at some point, they will choose to opt out and not develop and challenge theirselves. As coaches the importance therefore is to improve communication, which Dweck argues is the most important factor in the development of elite individuals.

She argues that by praising work rate over talent, a coach can motivate a player or group to persist and overcome boundaries and see mistakes as learning tools and challenges and not as signs of being un-talented. This is called the “growth mindset” and people who possess this are more willing to challenge and “stretch” theirselves and will ultimately become better than those deemed “naturally talented”. Simply by changing the wording of feedback, coaches could give a player a better opportunity to progress.

There is an example that Dweck uses which is the best one I have ever heard, because it concerns the best ever athlete in my opinion. Michael Jordan is regarded as the best basketball player ever, his willingness and drive combined with his immense skill brought success to his Chicago Bulls side. Yet did you know that he was not selected by any colleges to go and play basketball? At 17, he was not considered good enough. Amazing no?! His reaction to this rejection was not just accept he wasn’t good enough, but decided to work on his skills, enhance his speed and agility, all through hard work and determination. 

The extra work he put in made him the player we all know and he talks of failure and mistakes as the most important motivational tool for his success, his willingness to try things and fail were what made him great, simply he possessed a “growth mindset”. 

Failure necessary for motivation?

In football, could this moment of failure and rejection be the key motivational tool that players need to progress and work harder?

Lionel Messi is a great example of proving people wrong, the best player in the world, perhaps ever. At 11, he was deemed to be too small and rejected by many in Argentina, he must have thought his dreams of being Maradona were over. Yet Barcelona took a risk and gamble and clearly he repaid that and thanked them for their belief in him.

If all had been plain sailing for Messi, would he be the player he is today? I doubt it. Periods of failure and rejection can motivate a player more than any kind of success, understanding defeat and making mistakes improve players, coaches and individuals more than winning. For coaches and academies therefore, the psychology of young individuals is the single most important factor in taking a good player into an elite one.

At Dortmund Marco Reus was released at 16 and decided to move all the way to Germany’s division three, yet this move was what his career needed and several years later he has returned back to Dortmund, was the Bundesliga’s player of the season last year and has now become regarded as one of Germany’s best young talents.

Being released at 15 – 18 years of age can feel like the end and destruction of a players career, yet it is how the players reacts and perceives this ‘rejection’. Unfortunately too many will take it negatively and decide to leave football, yet in the case of players like Reus, McManaman and others if the right mindset is there, you can find your way back, it may just be a different path than expected.

The truth is it is a very difficult period for the player in terms of physical and mental development, some mature earlier and the decision to push them to the next level is difficult. Yet for coaches and academies who make these decisions on players they admit it is the hardest thing they have to do for some players. It may just be the timing is not right for that particular player yet as Rotherham’s Head of Coaching Tony Mee says “I challenge every player that we ever release to come back and rub our noses in it! Nothing would give me greater satisfaction”. 

Motivation

A key factor for a young up and coming player is the ability to continue high levels of motivation. It may sound simple, yet many players cannot deal with this period, where expectations of behaviour and commitment, along with the expectations and pressures of family and friends can increase the burden and pressures of achieving the goal of becoming a professional.

Between 14-17 years of age the ability to be able to sacrifice and have strong discipline is nearly essential for players to succeed. Too many talented players lose their focus, become arrogant or fail to accept that to be a professional requires more than just attending training. By failing to be disciplined, players will throw away their potential, it is not easy and it is why at this age level, mental strength, understanding and drive are more important than technical skills and ability.

Many clubs are beginning to test their players from 12 years old on psychological factors in order to understand the player and thus understand the player more, know how they can be motivated, understand the way to communicate with them. A coach will 16 players, all of whom have different styles of learning, who are motivated differently and thus the role of the coach will be to know this and conduct sessions and communicate the right way for each individual to achieve success. 

It is a difficult period for any teenager, so one who is seeking to be an elite athlete requires key people around them to guide, instruct, help, support and importantly keep balanced the player. Therefore it is no wonder the introduction of psychologists has become a key part of development and the neglect of this important tool has meant many players have been left behind or neglected instead of worked with and developed. A new period in understanding the mental aspects of adolescents and elite development should enable more players coming through the system.

In conclusion, the path to developing elite players is not easy, straight or linear. Because of this it is important that coaches, parents and teachers understand their roles and impact on young individuals. More knowledge and understanding of how children develop will enable more to have the right opportunities and a better mindset to keep improving, persevering and developing. Nothing is easy and the pathway to professional football may not always be the one a player considered. Yet if players have the right guidance and support even in moments of perceived 'failure' they can still achieve their dreams. 

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