Jaap Stam Quotes

I've been following some of the coaches, trying to get a little bit more experience, because coaching is very different from being a player.

I think the 20-year-old me from that time, if I could have been managed under Jurgen Klopp, I'd have benefitted.

From an early stage in my career, if you're talking about picking up knowledge, it would have been via Ian Greaves who was involved in my success as a young player at Bolton. And working under managers such as Bobby Gould and George Graham helped me to expand my knowledge at bit more.

I was fortunate to play under Thomas Schaaf at Bremen. And I played for Arsene Wenger. So I always felt, let's say, more responsible than others towards the manager and his succession.

Over my NFL career, I've had five head coaches who have helped me become better at my craft and have helped me become a better human being: Jim Mora, Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, John Fox, Gary Kubiak.

I first came up under Joe Royle and when Keegan took over it was even better for me because I felt his style added more to my game.

Mike Brown wanted to hire me to work with LeBron in player development.

Pellegrini gave me back the joy of playing football. He is like Arsene Wenger: someone who likes to joke, someone who likes to talk and take an interest in your life.

With Zidane he had a lot of relationships with the players, a father-son relationship. Like a friend. Solari does the same, he is being fair to everyone.

My unglittering football career came to a halt at the age at 30, and I had to embark on a coaching career: 14 years of hard work and sacrifice, learning and mistakes.

The prospect of coaching two of the game's most exciting and decorated players in Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson was incredibly appealing to me, and I look forward to beginning this new chapter in my career.

Working under Pep Guardiola, a chance like that doesn't come along too often. That's no disrespect to Mauricio Pochettino, but the people that Pep has worked with grow as players.

The mentor thing is overblown to me. I'm going to coach the player. I'm not going to have another player coach the player. They can be friends but when it comes to what I want him to do on the football field, that's my call, not another player's call.

I always said in my career as a footballer, I owe everything to Newell's. But as a coach, I owe everything to Paraguay.

For players, during our active career, it is always difficult to talk about coaches - whether it is former or a current.

Phil Neville could be on the road to one day, maybe, becoming the England manager. I know him closely. He was a great captain, a great leader. He's had great experience.

I had great relationships with all the four coaches I played under at Real Madrid. They all helped me improve, but if I had to pick the best, I would pick Ancelotti.

It was important to be with a coaching staff that didn't just believe in my football ability.

Wenger is the best coach I've worked with.

This was how Johan Cruyff worked. He was demanding a lot, but when you got there, and you were in his team, he was an incredible protector. He would push and push you, and then he would protect you. He was a master at handling players. He knew when you needed to be pushed or protected.

I think most young players who take off from the start are usually put in a situation where they are surrounded by good, veteran players.

When I was coach at Ajax, in the first half of the season, the players needed time to adapt to me, to know who I am as a person and as a coach.

But concepts around how a team functions, the importance of the relationship between football and the person, how you develop both, are always valid.

The 18 years on TNT has prepared me for a lot of opportunities, and coaching is one of them.

I'm not friends with my players, but I am very close to my players. When I speak to them, I want to speak to the man, always the man.