Tony Dungy Quotes

I needed to learn to be a coach initially. I think if I'd gone into professional football when I stopped playing when I was 30 years old I'd have failed because I'd have made too many mistakes because I had no real idea at that time.

When I made the transition from player to coach, I evaluated myself and saw that I needed to improve my personality. I would fight with players - literally. I was 35, and you can't be like that; you have young players to guide. You have to transmit calm.

I've always been a point guard, so being a coach on the floor, I've had to connect with every one of my teammates and find ways to motivate them, find ways to build them up.

With Mourinho, I learned a lot.

You don't just come in and say, 'Bam, I'm mature; I'm the leader.' It took time for me to grow into this and learn how to talk to certain players and how to handle certain situations.

You have to be able to psychologically help your players, support-wise, be in touch with them, so I think managing people is very important.

I'd never managed anyone before, so I don't have a lot of experience. But I'm lucky - I have a lot of team members who have a really honest relationship with me.

There's no better example of how to lead a difficult employee than to have a child. You have another kind of knowledge from your children that's actually applicable outside of childbearing.

I talk to the players, either individually or as a group, what I'm feeling, and I think the players appreciate that. And I think they respond to that.

When I first became captain of the Indian cricket team in 2000, many well-wishers and journalist friends gifted me the classic Mike Brearley book, 'The Art of Captaincy.' I mean no disrespect to the book or Mr, Brearley, who I admire a great deal, but books or team meetings don't make you good captains.

I think the coaches have to play a big role in the players' development.

One of my strengths is connecting with the players.

Guardiola improved me a lot as a footballer. He taught me a lot of things, and that's why, in every interview I'm asked, I always say the same thing: He is the best manager that I have worked with.

I managed Zlatan when he was young and sometimes also difficult! But, okay, that is normal.

I take the role of leadership as the most important job I have. Yes, it's the passes and all the different things you have to do, but it's leading and it's in the huddle and it's in the weight room and the meeting rooms. It's that role I think comes first.

I had many good managers: Wim Jansen, Martin O'Neill, Frank Rijkaard, and Alex Ferguson, to name just a few.

Hiddink really taught me a lot. We talked every day at Anzhi and I saw how he dealt with difficult situations, how he always seemed to know what the players needed. He was a great teacher. I hope I can be as successful as him.

There's no shortcut to being a manager or coach.

As you develop relationships in your team you have to learn how your teammates react to being yelled at or how to put your arm around them and show them how to do things. You have to build those relationships up and understand who that person is and how they respond and choose your way to lead them to hopefully help everyone out.

There are different ways to lead throughout a practice or a year. Whatever that moment needs is something I've always tried to be ready to do.

I think that's good for a coach to have two sides: the jokey side and the fiery side.

I want to do this for as long as I possibly can and coach as many different teams and opportunities and different kind of personalities. I want to gobble that all up. And I want to be able to give and add value to these teams.

To become a good coach, it is important to be equipped with tactics and strategy. But first of all, you need to have strong leadership.

I went a week to see Mourinho at training, and another week with Guardiola. I learned from the two, I took important things from both.

You never stop learning in football management and I certainly believe the invaluable experience from my time as Villa manager will prove hugely beneficial in the next stage of my managerial career.