Football Doesn’t Have a Tactics Problem — It Has a Leadership One

In the latest episode of the Modern Soccer Coach Podcast, Gary is joined by Paul McVeigh — a former Premier League player who has since built a second career as a performance psychologist, CEO, keynote speaker, and author.

Paul’s journey gives him a rare lens on leadership. He has lived inside elite football dressing rooms and now works daily with senior leaders in the business world. In this conversation, we explore where those two environments overlap — and where they fundamentally diverge.

One of the central themes of the episode is a simple but uncomfortable truth: elite performers do not automatically create elite teams. In football, individual success is meaningless without collective success. In business, however, high performers often operate in silos, driving personal outcomes rather than team outcomes. That distinction, Paul argues, is where many leadership models begin to break down.

We also dive into how leadership styles have evolved over the last 20–30 years. From command-and-control approaches to today’s relationship-driven environments, the game has changed — but not always cleanly. Paul explains why empathy without boundaries creates problems, why clarity and standards still matter, and why leaders should stop trying to be liked and focus instead on helping people grow.

Another key takeaway from the episode is the importance of communication. Credibility, Paul explains, can be lost not through lack of knowledge or experience, but through an inability to connect, explain, and build trust. Leadership isn’t a personality trait — it’s a process that only exists when others choose to follow.

This episode will resonate with coaches, technical directors, and leaders working in any high-performance environment. It challenges familiar ideas about culture, belief, and influence, and offers a grounded perspective on what leadership actually requires in modern football.

You can watch the full interview below. Please 'like' and subscribe if you enjoy it.