EXCLUSIVE: Glen Driscoll On Leading Elite Performance, Celtic, Leicester And Success Alongside Brendan Rodgers | OneFootball

An interview with Glen Driscoll, by Callum McFadden for WFi.

You have worked as Head of Performance at some of the biggest football clubs in the UK: Celtic, Liverpool, Swansea, Chelsea and Leicester. In terms of that Head of Performance role, what does it involve on a day-to-day basis within the game? Fans hear more about the role now at big clubs, but maybe don’t fully grasp what it actually looks like daily.

“Ultimately, the goal is to create a joined-up performance environment where all departments are working together toward the same outcome. And that outcome is consistent player availability and strong team performance.

“Modern Head of Performance roles are really about building high performance environments that support the manager and the players to perform consistently at the highest level. It’s about providing them with the best possible service.

“The role has evolved quite a lot over the last 10 to 15 years, so it can mean different things at different clubs. At some clubs it’s very operational and focused on day-to-day delivery. At others it’s more strategic and links performance with recruitment and leadership structures.

“For me, my role has usually been somewhere in the middle. I’ve often acted as a sort of keystone between the medical and sports science departments and the coaching staff. My background is in both physiotherapy and sports science, which allows me to integrate those areas and align them with the manager’s training methodology and game model.

“From there, you can also bring in consultants and additional performance areas such as psychology and nutrition. But ultimately, that integration and alignment has been the central part of my role.”

In terms of building up to that role, you mentioned your background in physiotherapy and sports science. Did you start at Reading in that kind of role before moving to Chelsea?

“Yes, that was a long time ago now. Actually, before that I had also had incredible experiences working in other professional sports, including the APGA Golf tour across Asia and the Men’s Senior Tennis Tour, which was amazing. I then joined Reading in the 1999 to 2000 season as an academy physiotherapist.

“My qualifications included a sports science degree and a physiotherapy degree. At that time, there weren’t really any sports scientists working in football as such. Physiotherapists were essentially the heads of those departments.

“So physiotherapy was my route into football. As my career progressed, I was also able to bring sports science into the environment because I was one of the few people with that background in the game at the time.

As we know now, sports science has become a massive part of football departments.”

You spent quite a long period of your career at Chelsea and worked alongside some of the biggest managers in football, José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, just to name two. What was it like being there during that period when the club transitioned from trying to get into Europe to competing for and winning the biggest trophies?

“When I joined Chelsea in 2003, Claudio Ranieri was the manager and Roman Abramovich had only just taken over the club.

“At that point, Chelsea was far from a finished system. There was a lot of work that needed to be done in terms of operations and structures. The club essentially had capital, a vision and ambition, but there was still a lot to build.

“I arrived right at the beginning of what became the club’s golden era. José Mourinho came in the following season in 2004.

“During my time there, I moved between physiotherapy and sports science roles. Eventually I became a senior physiotherapist and run on performance physiotherapist, and with different managers I also held the role of Head of Fitness.

“It was an incredible experience working with elite players and world-class managers. I learned a huge amount from the staff around me, some of the best physios and sports scientists in the game, as well as the players and coaches.

“I spent just under ten years there, and it was a hugely formative period of my career.”

Players like Frank Lampard have been described as people who try to extract every possible performance edge. Did you find that to be a common trait among elite players?

“Yes, absolutely.

“One of the defining traits of the best players I’ve worked with is their obsession with executing the basics consistently. They raise their standards so they become incredibly reliable and disciplined, which means managers can trust them.

“They have obviously put in their 10,000 hours of work. But they also have this internal drive, this inner flame, that pushes them to show excellence and distinction.

“That foundation of consistency makes them very receptive to the extra one percent improvements performance staff can offer.

“At the same time, they have extraordinary natural talent and a clear sense of purpose, their why. That combination of discipline and talent is what sets them apart.

“Many of them almost have what you might call productivity paranoia. They’re constantly worried about whether they’re doing enough to stay at the top. So, when you offer them something from a performance perspective, fitness, psychology or nutrition, they’re eager to embrace it because they want to sustain success.”

You later worked closely with Brendan Rodgers at Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester. Did you first meet him at Chelsea?

“Actually, we go back even further than that.

“When I first worked with Brendan at Reading, he was the Under 12s coach in the academy.

“Over the years we’ve worked together on and off, with periods apart as well. For example, I stayed at Chelsea when Brendan initially moved into management at Watford and then Reading.

“But overall, I’ve had the opportunity to watch him develop as both a coach and a manager. I’m very grateful for the relationship we’ve had, professionally and personally, and we’ve shared some fantastic environments together.

“Our time working together has been a big part of the success we’ve achieved.”

At Swansea, the style of play was a huge part of the club’s success, eventually leading to the move to Liverpool. How exciting was that moment when Liverpool came calling?

“One of Brendan’s key strengths has always been the clarity around his team’s identity and how they play.

“At Swansea that was obvious to everyone. When I first worked with Brendan, it was clear he was very progressive in his thinking. Football was still quite traditional in many ways at that time, but Brendan was open to new ideas.

“That openness has remained constant throughout his career.

“So, when Liverpool came in for him, it was an incredible opportunity. Brendan was still very young for a manager, around 39, and taking a job like Liverpool at that age was remarkable.

“As we had done at Swansea, we tried to make an immediate impact at Liverpool.”

What was it like day to day at a club with the attention Liverpool receives?

“I think our time at Chelsea prepared us for that environment.

“Liverpool had a fantastic aura about it when we arrived, but the team had finished eighth the previous season, so there was still a lot of work to be done.

“From my perspective, there were areas within the medical and performance departments that could be improved. That’s quite typical when you join a new club.

“Brendan’s standards are extremely high, and that quickly becomes obvious to players. Those standards tend to extract an extra 10 to 30 percent from individuals.”

When you went to Celtic, many players have said the standards immediately rose to another level. Was the goal essentially to bring Premier League performance standards into that environment?

“Yes, that’s a fair way to describe it.

“When we arrived at Celtic it was clear there was a significant gap between where the club was and what you’d consider an elite performance environment, both on and off the pitch.

“Coming from Chelsea and Liverpool, that gap was quite noticeable. But it was also a huge opportunity.

“We were able to quickly improve structures around performance, operations, staffing and processes. My focus was always not just on short-term performance but on creating systems that would sustain success over time.

“When we returned to the club years later, many of those structures were still in place. The performance processes, staffing models and even elements of the training methodology were still being used.

“I could even recognise training drills that I’d run three years earlier!

“That’s very satisfying because it means what you built became embedded in the club culture. It creates stability and allows managers and staff to operate more effectively.”

Your first spell at Celtic produced the famous Invincible Treble and then another treble the following season. What made that group so special?

“I remember my first visit to Celtic Park before Brendan had even been officially announced.

“It was just Brendan, Chris Davies and myself walking around the pitch. I remember the conversation going something like, we can’t just win here, we need to do something special.

“We didn’t know exactly what that meant yet, but in hindsight we were probably plotting the Invincible Treble without realising it.

“When we arrived it was clear there had been issues within the medical, sports science and nutrition areas the season before. That meant there were some relatively quick wins available.

“Brendan also had a very good first couple of transfer windows. Players like Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembélé came in.

“We also had excellent staff already at the club. John Kennedy was incredibly impressive.

“The players bought into the intensity of the training straight away. You could see they were hungry for that level of work.

“Once that momentum built, the season just unfolded in an incredible way.”

At Leicester you achieved another historic moment by winning the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history. What was that experience like?

“When we arrived, Leicester had finished mid-table the previous season.

“But again we were able to make a strong impact quickly. We had back-to-back top five finishes and came very close to Champions League qualification.

“Winning the FA Cup was obviously a huge moment.

“There seemed to be a pattern emerging. When we joined clubs, there were often operational and structural areas where improvements could be made fairly quickly.

“But the biggest difference often came from the intensity of training and the methodology that Brendan implemented.

“Players consistently bought into that.

“Looking back, Brendan must be one of the best impact managers in football. In his first couple of years at almost every club, we had a dramatic positive effect.”

People often see a public version of high-profile managers. What is Brendan like as a person behind the scenes?

“Brendan is obviously an elite manager with extremely high standards.

“Like all human beings, there are natural fluctuations depending on pressure and results. But when I think about our relationship, what stands out is his personal qualities.

“In one-to-one conversations, he’s incredibly genuine. I’ve been fortunate to have that relationship with him. He’s been very loyal to me. There’s a strong trust between us.

“To the outside world he might just appear as Brendan Rodgers the manager. But when I’m speaking to him, it’s just Brendan from Ballymena.

“He’s a really good man.”

Finally, you’re currently taking some time away from club football. Are you enjoying that break, or are you already looking ahead to the next challenge?

“It’s actually been quite nice to step back for a while.

“Not being attached to a club or manager at the moment has given me a bit of space to reflect and reassess things. When you’re working full-time in elite football, your head is down, and you’re completely focused on that environment, the next game, the next challenge, the next problem to solve.

“One thing I realised is that during my career I probably didn’t give enough back to the wider performance community. When you’re inside elite football, you naturally become very protective of information because you’re trying to create competitive advantage and support your club.

But when you step away, you realise there aren’t really secrets; rather, there’s experience, knowledge and good practice. Most of us have learned from someone else along the way, so there’s a responsibility to share where you can. It’s about finding the right balance between protecting genuine IP and not being overly precious about knowledge that can help others.

“I’ve started sharing a bit more on LinkedIn recently, and the response has been really positive. I’ve enjoyed the conversations, sharing ideas and hopefully helping people where I can.

“The elite sport community is actually quite small, and I think it’s important that we contribute to it and support each other. These periods away from full-time club football can give you valuable perspective.

“And when I return to a full-time role, which I’m very much looking forward to, I’ll make sure I continue doing that. It’s a great community, and ultimately we all move the profession forward together.”