The Mind Room

In the latest episode of The World Cup Psychology Show, Tim Harkness, Chelsea’s former head of Sport Science & Psychology, who worked with Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, and David Wheeler, one of the only former pro footballers turned psychologists working in the game, join me to look back at England’s win against Mexico. We examine the unerring focus Tuchel’s displayed in the Azteca couldron,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com Four billion tigers. That’s the metaphorical audience some of Italy greatest players described facing in the final of the last World Cup on American soil. In 1994, it was too much for the likes of Roberto Baggio, Franco Baresi and Roberto Donadoni. Baggio’s skied shootout penalty, which ended Italy’s hopes of wi...

In the latest episode of The World Cup Psychology Show, Tim Harkness, Chelsea’s former head of Sport Science & Psychology, who worked with Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, and David Wheeler, one of the only former pro footballers turned psychologists working in the game, join me to look back at England’s win against DR Congo. We delve into how England dealt with the shock of conceeding an early g...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com In a world where you can’t seem to go a second without another datapoint passing through your inbox or IMs, the inability to incorporate psychology within performance analysis remains something of a mystery. The technology to monitor on-field behaviour exists. Champions Leagues sides have shown that analysing ge...

In the latest episode of The World Cup Psychology Show, Tim Harkness, Chelsea’s former head of Sport Science & Psychology, who worked with Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, and David Wheeler, one of the only former pro footballers turned psychologists working in the game, join me to look back at England’s draw against Ghana. We consider how Tuchel, his squad and backroom staff will react to the re...

In the latest episode of The World Cup Psychology Show, Tim Harkness, Chelsea’s former head of Sport Science & Psychology, who worked with Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, and David Wheeler, one of the only former pro footballers turned psychologists working in the game, join me to look back at England’s win against Croatia. We consider what did Tuchel said in the dressing room to inspire his sid...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com   “The number of roles that are out there, some of which are driven by leagues mandating it, sometimes makes you feel like, ‘Gosh, the clarity and needs analysis piece hasn't happened before somebody's through the door’. “Team dynamics can feel strained because there’s a bit of confusion about what we even call...

In the first episode of The World Cup Psychology Show, Tim Harkness, Chelsea’s former head of Sport Science & Psychology, who worked with Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, and David Wheeler, one of the only former pro footballers turned psychologists working in the game, join me to examine how mentally ready England are for the World Cup. Key talking points: * The psychological thinking behind Eng...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com What do you need to do to mentally prepare for a World Cup or Olympic Games? And when you’re in the white heat of a major tournament, how do you stick to the performance plans you’ve put in place? They’re questions Jess Thom has fielded for much of the last decade. Since 2016, she’s worked with Team GB athletes...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com How do you go from not winning a top-flight championship in 104 years to taking home four league titles in half-a-decade (whilst also becoming the first club from your country to reach the semi-final of a major European tournament)? The short answer: stop focusing on results. If that’s surprising, the longer exp...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com It’s one of the most important, but least spoken about, relationships that a psychologist will form. Working effectively with a sporting or performance director can make or break a practitioner’s tenure with a team. So, what’s the secret to forming and sustaining a successful relationship with front office commi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com You’re preparing to face a brilliant Barcelona side on their home turf. Every minute of the game will be a test of your team’s concentration, communication and ability to perform under pressure. How do you psychologically prepare your players? Morten Bertelsen has an interesting answer to that question. In this...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com A once high-flying side comes crashing down to earth with a series of devastating losses. A press conference is called. The side’s coach announces the appointment of a sport psychologist. Unfortunately, as many readers will know, the above scenario is more fact than fiction (just take a look at the build-up to S...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com Electrodes pinned to people’s heads. Screens showing everything from neural activity to heartrate variability. Lab technicians making minute adjustments to polygraph machines. The stereotypical image of a sport psychology laboratory is well-worn. But are images of AC Milan’s Mind Room (the inspiration behind thi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com "You're the best sport psychologist I have ever worked with…because you didn't do psychology with me, you treated me.....normally. When I was having a dip in form, you knew what to say, but most of all, when I had some personal issues away from football, you literally just sat with me, did nothing, said nothing,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com 'Sam, what's going on?’ Four fairly innocuous words that changed the course of Sam Winnall's career. The ex-Derby County striker was speaking to the club's doctor about symptoms that had seen him feeling low and withdrawing from friends and family, when the question came. The conversation that followed would end...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com It’s not often you speak to someone who’s gone from working with British bobsledders to Australian rowers, so when Bianca Fermi talks about the challenges of establishing a nationwide wellbeing program, you know it’s not an exercise in hyperbole. In an exclusive interview with The Mind Room, Fermi, who moved to...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com “Africa is 10 years behind in addressing mental health.” Ex-Botswana national team psychologist Dr. Tshepang Tshube, speaking to Jonathan Harding The days of the Africa Cup of Nations being derided as some kind of second-rate tournament are largely over. The 2024 tournament was watched by an estimated audience o...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com This is the second half of a two-part conversation with Team Europe & Wigan Warriors psychologist Tom Young. To catch up on Part 1, click here or use the embedded link below. It’s not often that the Ryder Cup and rugby league are mentioned in the same breath. The contrast between the sun-drenched fairways of Bet...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com It’s not often that the Ryder Cup and rugby league are mentioned in the same breath. The contrast between the sun-drenched fairways of Bethpage and rain-soaked pitches in Wigan is stark, to say the least. But, in the form of Luke Donald and Matt Peet, the competitions share two standout leaders. Psychologist Tom...

Sometimes, stats really help to paint a picture. Tim Harkness worked at Chelsea for 14 years, between 2009 and 2023, during which time the London club won 14 major trophies. Whilst no-one's claiming that Tim’s time at the club was as significant as some of the coaches he worked with, from Jose Mourinho to Carlo Ancelotti, it’s also true that sustained sporting success (spanning different coaches,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com Performance directors have a huge say in how seriously an organisation treats sport psychology. They can ensure the profession is integrated effectively alongside other support specialisms - or decide the discipline isn’t really their cup of tea . But despite their influence, there’s precious little publicly-ava...

Sometimes, stats really help to paint a picture. Tim Harkness worked at Chelsea for 14 years, between 2009 and 2023, during which time the London club won 14 major trophies. Whilst no-one’s claiming that Tim’s time at the club was as significant as some of the coaches he worked with, from Jose Mourinho to Carlo Ancelotti, it’s also true that sustained sporting success (spanning different coaches,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com  “If I was Luke Donald, I would be getting together and - understanding and respecting that each individual player has their own way of mentally dealing with pressure - saying, ‘How can we share ways that each individual is going to deal with the pressure and how can we help each other to do that?’….I think it’s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com Hello Mind Room Members! In this edition of the Sport Psychology Snapshot series, I run a quick health check over the profession’s job market, analysing the organisations and teams hiring sport psychologists (as well as mental performance and player care & wellbeing professionals), reflect on insights from inter...