Mark Britton’s Post

It's not often I find myself in agreement with Gary Neville, but on this occasion, I absolutely agree with his sentiment here! 🌟 In both football and business, success isn't just about luck or uncontrollable factors. It's about controlling the controllables and minimizing the impact of what we can't control. 🚀 🔑 In the operational delivery of contracts, just as in penalty shootouts, too often poor or positive performance is attributed to luck or bad luck. True success comes from: - 📚 Experience - 🏋️♂️ Practice - 🏫 Training - 📊 Forecasting - 📈 Data analysis - 🔍 Root cause analysis - 🤔 Honest self-reflection Whether in football or business, it's these qualities that drive success, not luck. 💼⚽ 👏 Well done to Gareth Southgate and the team, and a reminder to us all in the business world to apply the same principles to achieve our goals. 🌟 #Leadership #Success #BusinessStrategy #Teamwork #GaryNeville #Football #OperationalExcellence

Powerful perspective. This shows how resilience and mental strength are as crucial as skill. Turning past setbacks into current strengths is a powerful lesson, applicable both on and off the pitch. 🦁 🦁 🦁 #Resilience #Leadership

⚽🏆⚽ Jordan Pickford's water bottle had his penalty notes on it! ⚽🏆⚽ I watched the Netherlands-Turkey match on Saturday evening, but I didn't get to watch the England-Switzerland match. That went to penalties. One of the decisive moments of that game was English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's save of Manuel Akanji's spot-kick during the penalty shoot-out. But that save was'nt entirely by chance! Jordan Pickford had a cheat-sheet attached to his water-bottle, with every potential Swiss penalty-taker listed, and beside each name, some simple instructions. Next to Akanji's name he had the instruction "Dive left". That's what he did, and that allowed him to save the penalty! Our business plans should look ahead and anticipate potential risks and challenges in our path. Then, when we come to those crossrads and need to make a decision, it can help that we have reflected on the possible choices beforehand, and that fore-thought can help bring clarity in the urgency and intensity of having to make that important decision. As business owners, we all should have a cheat-sheet incorporated into our business plan - "if that happens, go left! But if that happens, go right!" #decisions #planahead #choices #reflection

Portugal controlled 70% possession but lacked any real creativity in their play. There were very few off-the-ball runs, making their approach predictable and easy to defend. The midfield struggled to get involved—Bruno Fernandes only seemed active during set-pieces, and Palhinha went missing for most of the game. Despite having five times as many final third entries as Scotland, Portugal couldn't break through. They had 7 box entries from the left, 16 from the right, and just 3 through the middle, which shows how limited their attacking options were. Out of 36 crosses (11 from the left, 25 from the right), only 5 found a target. Scotland did an excellent job crowding the penalty area and neutralizing Portugal’s efforts. If Portugal wants to break down compact defenses like this in the future, they’ll need to rethink their approach and inject more creativity and off-the-ball movement into their game. #FootballAnalysis #UefaNationsleague

Cole Palmer and Penalties Cole Palmer is now the joint top scorer in the #PremierLeague. In getting there he had converted 9 out of 9 penalties this season in the league. In the past couple of weeks he has scored penalties in completely different circumstances. He struck one against #ManchesterUnited in the 100th minute to tie the game up at 3-3. Last night against Everton, the complete opposite scenario. Already 4-0 up, he converted another penalty, despite his teammates insistence that they should take it. The big thing that stood out in each of these scenarios was Palmers routine. Despite being two totally different penalties in terms of situation and the impact of the outcome, Palmers own actions remained the same. Same steps back, same time to start run up, same type of run up and finish. Moreover, his demand to take the penalty, when the team were already 4-0 up, emphasises the importance of maintaining his own routine, but also the teams routine whenever they are awarded penalties (although I’d guess the Golden Boot also factored into this!). Everyone needs to know what is happening in these scenarios no matter what the scoreline is. It highlights the importance of maintaining a routine even in those low pressure situations, because those are where we get the practice to execute in the #highpressure situations. #ColePalmer is a great example for the effectiveness of a #PerformanceRoutine and how no matter the situation, it is something we can always control and execute. #SportPsychology #PerformancePsychology #SportPsychologist #Chelsea #FootballPsychology #Mindset

Transfer news: England star to Newcastle? Man City waiting on Ederson decision, Erik ten Hag’s future 50/50, & more: This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io England star is a priority for Newcastle Burnley’s James Trafford is a priority for Eddie Howe as the Newcastle manager looks to add to his goalkeeper position this summer. The Magpies also like Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili but both are considered too expensive. The 21-year-old would provide competition for Nick Pope, who missed a lot of the season through injury. I’ve no news on Liverpool and Chelsea being interested in Trafford despite the Premier League giants being linked to the Burnley goalkeeper. Newcastle will now enter club-to-club talks with Burnley, so let’s see how it goes. Whatever fee they agree on for the England star, Man City will receive 20% of any future sale. New contract at Man City could see key player leave the Premier League champions Stefan Ortega has signed a new two-year deal with Man City until 2026 as the Premier League champions like the player and he trusts the project going forward. This move is also linked to the future of Ederson as I told you two weeks ago that City are open to the potential exit of the Brazilian goalkeeper. The player’s agent has been exploring options for weeks, so we have to wait and see. Ederson is yet to decide his Man City future However, this is not something guaranteed as it will depend on the proposals and the decision of the player. Man City have left it in the player’s hands, but if the Premier League champions receive a good proposal, they will not stand in the goalkeeper’s way. City consider Ortega a top goalkeeper and are happy to enter the 2024/25 campaign with the German as their number one. This Ederson story is one to keep an eye on as there is strong interest from Saudi Arabia. Erik ten Hag’s future at Man United is 50/50 This weekend is a very intense one behind the scenes at Man United, despite things being very quiet around the future of Erik ten Hag. However, many things are happening. I’m told that Man United are still talking to the representatives of other managers as the future of Ten Hag is still not safe as of right now. The Manchester club are yet to make a decision on their Dutch coach and are taking their time to make sure they make the right move. There are many people involved in this, including the board and the new co-owners. The situation is still 50/50 as we wait for Manchester United to make their final decision. Luis Guilherme to undergo West Ham medical next week Luis Guilherme’s move from Palmeiras to West Ham is verbally… http://dlvr.it/T830wH | nexxtgen.pro

THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF McTOMINAY AT OLD TRAFFORD United Rejects West Ham's Offer: McTominay’s future at Old Trafford is once again in question after United turned down a £30m bid from West Ham last summer. Listening to Bids: It has been a year since the rejection, and now United is willing to consider offers between £25-30m for the Scotland international. McTominay only has 11 months left on his contract, but United does have the option to extend it for another year. Interest from Other Clubs: Fulham has made at least one bid for McTominay, and he is also catching the eye of Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. Despite the uncertainty, McTominay played in United’s recent 3-2 victory over Real Betis in San Diego. Offloading for a New Signing: United is looking to sell either McTominay or Casemiro this summer to make room for a new defensive midfielder. The club has its sights set on Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte as a potential replacement. #TransferNews

Saw this yesterday and I found it really interesting. Abu Kamara was on loan at Portsmouth last season, and was a key player in our promotion to the Championship. On loan from Norwich at the time. This season he signed for Hull City, with ex-Southampton manager Rubén Sellés as their head coach. Hull currently sit in the relegation zone, one place below Portsmouth. The last matchday, Portsmouth beat Swansea 4-0 with Paddy Lane scoring his first goal of this season. Hull City lost 1-0 to Middlesborough, both results meaning Portsmouth leapfrogged Hull City out of the relegation zone. Now, after the match, Abu Kamara sent a smiley reaction to Paddy Lane on social media to congratulate his friend's first goal. This caused "uproar" and lead to Rubén Sellés dragging him out in front of the press to explain why he had done such a terrible, awful thing! Whilst sat next to Kamara, Rubén Sellés proceeded to explain that there would be repercussions for the player, of which he hadn't even discussed with Kamara personally yet. Now as a Portsmouth fan, I have a lot of thoughts on this obviously! 1. Was it right to drag the player in front of the press to explain his actions? Absolutely not in my opinion. 2. Would the reaction had been the same if Portsmouth hadn't leaped above Hull after that game? 3. Would the reaction had been the same if the Hull City head coach didn't have links to Southampton? 4. How does Rubén Sellés think his reactions have helped Kamara and the Hull City team in their time of a bad run of form? Is this really how you get your players motivated and behind you, ready for a relegation fight? 5. If the head coach of a club drags a player in front of the press to explain his actions over this, what about those players who get themselves sent off for fighting? Or dive around the pitch? Or give away a penalty? Or miss an open goal? I agree, it isn't great timing to publically congratulate a player from a competing team that just leapfrogged you in the league, straight after a game you just lost. But to me, the reaction from the head coach is excessive and uncalled for. Rubén Sellés could have faced the press to explain the situation was being handled by the club and the player, and didn't need to drag Kamara out to face them too. #freeabu

🏆 Meticulous Planning, Detailed Preparation, Practice, and a Water Bottle: Performing Under Pressure in England's Penalty Success 🎯 England's penalty win against Switzerland is a testament to meticulous planning and detailed preparation. The composed performance of the penalty heroes like Ivan Toney, Jordan Pickford, and others was impressive, albeit with moments of humor and near-overconfidence. Toney, known for his unique technique of not looking at the ball when he shoots, displayed remarkable nerves despite a minor misstep off the pitch. Meanwhile, Pickford's water bottle was armed with detailed instructions on Swiss penalty takers, thanks to insights from teammates like Kyle Walker. These details helped Pickford save the first penalty from Manuel Akanji, though a slight miscalculation on Fabian Schär’s penalty went unnoticed as England secured their win. The victory owed much to Gareth Southgate's strategic approach. England’s recent success in penalty shootouts, winning three of their past four, stems from this thorough preparation. Players such as Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, and Trent Alexander-Arnold showcased nerves of steel, while the team's overall confidence has been bolstered by Southgate’s meticulous methods. Behind the scenes, a dedicated team, including former FA insights lead Chris Markham, has revolutionized England’s penalty strategy. Leveraging extensive research, including data from penalties analyzed by Ignacio Palacios-Huerta, England's approach is now scientific rather than luck-based. Southgate’s open-minded leadership and respect for high-quality preparation have empowered players to feel in control during penalties. Every aspect, from breathing techniques to optimal aiming spots, has been scrutinized and practiced, transforming penalties from a game of chance to a well-honed skill. England's triumph is a result of this detailed and disciplined preparation, making their penalties a calculated and confident effort rather than a lottery. Gazing Middle East GAZING RED2BLUE Gazing Performance #highperformance

England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirms advisory team to seek private investment into teams in The Hundred Read the full article: Link is in comments below The Raine Group Deloitte Latham & Watkins Onside Law Vikram B. #cricket #cricketnews #sportsnews #ECB #EnglandCricket #TheHundred