Adrian Clarke spoke to Middlesbrough's Aaron Danks, one of the most highly respected coaches in English football.
Aaron Danks (MID)
“People don't care what you know, until they know that you care.”
Meet Aaron Danks, a trusted member of Michael Carrick’s first team coaching staff at Middlesbrough.
The highly regarded 39-year-old, spent five successful years working for the FA as a Lead In-Possession Specialist Coach, and as Head of Specialist Coaching.
He was part of England Under-20’s staff when they won the 2017 World Cup, and latterly assistant manager of England Under-21s, before moving into senior club football for the first time in 2021.
Establishing relationships
And one big takeaway from the Birmingham-born Danks' spell at St George’s Park was how much he learnt about the importance of relationship-building.
“I feel quite sad about this in a way, but in my first couple of years working with the national teams, I built better relationships with some of the players than I did when I was youth-team manager at West Bromwich Albion," Danks says.
“On international duty you are together all day, every day. From breakfast, through the day’s training, right up until you’re having snacks together in the evening, sharing stories, talking about Love Island, or whatever it is that’s going on in the world.
“We spent so much more informal, personable time together with those players than I did with my own youth team. Spending quality time with footballers not only helps to establish relationships, but it also creates a trust.
“Players will feel they can speak more freely. So, when you go into a meeting or discuss a game plan, they are more comfortable sharing their own observations.
“In club football your workday can get so busy that sometimes you step back and think, 'I only interacted with the players on the training pitch today' and that’s an absolute travesty for the environment we all want to create, and for what I believe coaching to be.
“Taking the time to get to know and understand your players is invaluable.”
Moving to the FA
During his time at St George’s Park, Danks and his colleagues tried to meet up in person at least three times a week in a bid to create a ‘club feel’.
His role across various age groups was to focus on in-possession coaching.
The sessions he put on were designed to improve the way the team looked after the ball, how they constructed attacks and how they built from the back.
“This experience opened up a Pandora's box in terms of the level of detail, data and analysis that's in the game at the moment," Danks says. "It was so good for me and took my game understanding to a new level.
“I’d been busy coaching on the grass for 16 or 17 years, at all different levels, so moving to the FA was a change of pace.
“Initially I likened my time at The FA to going to university for three years, to see how much I could learn. I loved it so much it turned into five years, so it became like a Masters degree instead!
“My mentality was to absorb as much as I could, speak to as many people as possible and put myself forward for any opportunities that cropped up where I could go out and visit different environments.
“In between camps, we focussed hard on our research, insight, analysis, and study projects. We visited clubs and watched loads of games, monitoring players. That’s probably where the university analogy comes from.
“I must say this period really changed and shaped my coaching.”
Getting started
Danks’ journey began at the age of 16, when just a fortnight into his A-levels, a crossroads moment made him quit the sixth form to join Birmingham City as an apprentice coach in their community programme.
Carrying only "a bag of balls, bibs and a bus pass" he began putting on sessions for kids at inner-city schools and from that moment on, he was hooked on coaching.
Over the next 17 years, Danks gained an incredible amount of experience in the field.
He worked part-time at Birmingham City’s Academy, combining that experience with college lecturing.
Later, he took charge of a college Under-18s side affiliated to Moor Green (now Solihull Moors) and off the back of success in that role, he was offered a full-time position at the West Brom Academy.
“In addition to coaching they wanted me to set up a video-analysis department for their Academy, so I bought a camera and a laptop and started it from scratch,” he reveals.
“I didn’t know it at the time but clipping up videos, working alongside more experienced coaches to find out what they were looking for and seeing the alignment throughout the club, was so valuable.
“Off the back of that work, I was appointed lead coach of the 12-16 age bracket.
“I loved that role so much. It is one of my favourite jobs in football and one day I’d like to do it again. I just love working with players around that age, at that stage of development.
“From there I became the youth team coach, before I eventually left to join The FA.”
Being adaptable
To suggest the last 18 months have been a whirlwind experience for Danks, who only joined Middlesbrough at the start of December, would be underselling it.
In June 2021, he travelled to Belgium to work alongside Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht, before returning to English football just four months later, to be an assistant coach under Dean Smith at Aston Villa.
When Steven Gerrard took over from Smith, Danks remained part of the first-team staff and, prior to Unai Emery’s arrival, even took charge of two Premier League fixtures as Villa’s interim head coach, beating Brentford 4-0 in his first match, before losing by the same scoreline away to Newcastle United.
“It wasn’t planned out this way, but I met some fantastic people and learned an incredible amount,” he says.
“The biggest lesson I picked up is how much I need to be adaptable. In a short space of time, I’ve worked in contrasting environments and met some top people, top coaches, who all have their differences and own identities.
“My CV reads, seven years at Birmingham, 10 years at West Brom, five years with the England national teams, so I'm not the kind of person that wants to jump and move around like this.
“First-team football is volatile, we know that, but I'd love to be part of something long term here at Middlesbrough and have the chance to take this football club on an exciting journey with Carrick and the staff.”
With such a vast and varied background in coaching, working with players at every level possible, I ask if his coaching methods have changed beyond recognition.
“No, I wouldn’t say the sessions I put on are vastly different,” says Danks without hesitation. “I have always liked them to have direction. I want there to be an end point that you are trying to reach, no matter the level.
“The difference between coaching youngsters, international-level teenagers or a first-team squad is how you as a coach adapt. The basic concepts don’t alter too much.
“I’ll ask myself, 'How do I need to slow the session down to allow them to get success? Do I have a way of simplifying the practice so they can get it?' And then, 'How then can I step it back up?'
"Do I have progressions in each session that I can fast-track so that the group stays challenged?
“Senior players will try to break your rules and challenge you in different ways, and the speed and physicality obviously alters too. As a coach it’s your responsibility to know what they need.”
Always learning
As somebody who played football to a decent level, but never close to a professional standard, Danks has experienced a very special vocational journey.
Learning on the job ever since he left school, the process of educating himself has been an ever-present feature; and that’s where we wrap up what’s been a fascinating conversation.
“I'm at my most energised when I'm learning," he says. "If I ever feel tired, in a rut, or I'm losing a little bit of motivation, I'll listen to a podcast, pick up a book or go and watch something different.
“I’ve always loved visits. During my time at The FA I was very lucky to go out to America, where I spent time watching coaches in basketball, American football and ice hockey, which was really valuable.
“Doing that removes the Xs and the Os. You're no longer talking about tactics, a player, or a position all the time. Instead, you go straight into observing a new coaching environment and culture, which is healthy.
“Personally, it’s so important that as coaches we make time and find fresh opportunities to learn about how other people work.
“Can we create an environment at clubs where that educational aspect is part of what we do?
“Can we create a culture where as well as doing our jobs we also learn, we visit, we get speakers in, we invite people in to show them what we're doing and share, but also pick their brains at the same time?
“I hope we head in that direction because I know I get so much energy from that kind of thing. I get excited by those opportunities and feel like I'm at my best when those chances come around.”
Also in this series
Part 1: Lee Grant on transitioning from a goalkeeper to a coach
Part 3: Why big forwards are back in fashion
Part 4: Why corners are on course for record success