Eddie Howe says you could "hear a pin drop" during intimate discussion sessions with his Newcastle United squad that he designed to bring the club together amid last season's relegation battle.
During the meetings with his players a squad member every week is asked to tell their own story and reflect on their own personal situations in front of the group. Howe feels that in doing so his stars will have a much better understanding of each other and if somebody is having a bad day there is instantly more empathy around the camp.
It all seems a far cry from the days when Newcastle players had spats on the training camp and Steve Bruce clashed with senior players.
Speaking about the chats Howe said: "When it's happening you can hear a pin drop. Everybody is very respectful and understanding that it will be their turn at some stage. So give the person all the support they can. And we've had some really good ones.
"As part of our fine system we have a weekly meeting. One player from the squad will tell his story. One of the first things I did was tell mine to the group, I thought I had to set this as part of what we do I have to lead from the front and do it myself.
"I found it quite emotional to do that. You go back and tell people what you think is relevant and what you think people need to know about you. We had some brilliant stories and brilliant talks by the players. You find out so much in that format as the players want to tell their stories.
"It brings you closer together and gives you an understanding. If somebody is having a bad day there might be a reason and it gives us the right questions to then ask."
Howe arrived at Newcastle after 18 months out of work following a sabbatical after his AFC Bournemouth days. He inherited a squad that included his former stars such as Ryan Fraser, Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie while he had worked with Kieran Trippier at Burnley before.
And Howe has spoken about how he got acquainted with the rest of his squad. Howe told High Performance Podcast: "I did one on ones with the players. Yes I knew three of the players but I didn't know anyone else.
"It was a case of getting to know the players. Getting to know the family behind the player. I wanted to know everything about them, a little bit about their history and how they've ended up here. How I could help them and where they saw their career.
"Because I think you need to know a little bit about their history before you can then help them refix their goals."
Howe spoke of the importance of getting to know his players better. Howe said: "You can see a player train and on a match day but behind it if you don't know anything about the player or whether they have children or not, I don't think it's a conversation that's going to last long.
"I think the player will quickly think You're not really interested in me you are just talking to me because you feel you need to' so I need those conversations. If I am going to invest my time and energy to make you better and commit late at night tailoring training sessions for you I want to know more about the person I'm doing that for. It's a vital part of my job and how close I want to get to my players really."
The Toon boss went on: "I can't treat all 25 players the same. They've all had different backgrounds and come from different countries. Their experiences in life and in sport are so different. "Their personalities are different that's obvious so then you have to treat one person differently to the next to get the best out of them but for them to feel safe in the environment we are trying to create.
"I think having that understanding and being a dad myself has helped me so much because without that experience the job becomes much more of a challenge. You have the empathy to understand what it's like to be a dad, to be a son and that can only help you with the players."
The full interview is now live on the High Performance Podcast channels, on the podcast here, or on YouTube here
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