Men in Blazers 09/16/23: J.J. Watt and Vincent Kompany Pod Special

Hey, prime members, you can listen to Men in Blazers ad-free on Amazon Music, download the app today. Hi, I'm David Brown, the host of Wondery's podcast Business Wars, and in our new season, two of the world's leading hotel brands, Hilton and Marriott, stare down family drama and financial disasters, listen to business wars on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to the Men in Blazers media network, suboptimal radio. I think we're always going to be the underdogs, but I think the type of underdogs you want to be with in a fight, you know, I take a lot of pride and team as well in outworking people and just making sure that like where we are today, we will not stop progressing because of the work we put in. It's a continuous growth that is exciting to be a part of. It is a joy to be here with two truly remarkable singular human beings, two blokes, who were two of the most intelligently ferocious defenders of their respective sports, capable of handing out biblical smiteings on the regs. And I've always said that one of the true joys of the Premier League is the sense of connection that it gives true global connection that it can create in this conversation to come. It's really living proof of that. I've had JJ Wat on our show a bunch of times and I've always admired so deeply how his interest in football moves so fast from a curiosity to a passion to an authentic obsession and it's been beautiful to watch him follow that passion all the way to Burnley, the town and they're so well having grown up in that neck of the woods and JJ has talked about being over there and just how much he's enjoyed the town, the club, the fans, the pints. But above all, his conversations with Burnley Manager Vincent Company, a bloke really needs no introduction to any Premier League fan, but who it's honestly been thrilling to watch transform Burnley Football Club into a true book and ear in collective on the field, enabling claret fans around the world to dream of it. I said to JJ when he said I just had this incredible conversation with Vincent Company, I said God, I wish we could have taped that conversation and well here we are without further ado to listen in to them talking about leadership, management and who makes the best black pudding in Lancashire. It's great to see you, Gents, Vince and JJ. I want to start out with a little bit of Burnley and just when you were a player, what did you think of Burnley and now that you're a manager, what is different and what you think about it? Let's put it this way, it had the perception of being a place where you didn't necessarily wanted to go too often. You go play your game, it's once a year and it's a little bit like a trip to the dentist. You go there but you don't necessarily, you know you're not going to enjoy it. And it was always a club that had this reputation off, definitely over achieving. I don't think for many years that many people thought they belonged in the Premier League, but it was a very particular club, very segregated from the rest of the Premier League if you like. And times change, I think when I got there, the feeling I got was very different when I got there as a manager from what I had in terms of perception. It was a very open club, very good staff, very good players, just very good people in general and everything was there in terms of the environment, the infrastructure even, to develop, to become better, to try and be the best. And I found that really exciting and I always decided that I was going to make my next move as a coach, as a manager, to associate with good people and I found that straight away and that's been the reason why I think it just took off like this. Yeah, how have you found that obviously being a player myself and not having transitioned to coaching or managing? How have you found the transition? What is the number one biggest thing that you didn't know before you were a manager that surprised you? I think I prepared really well, so I wasn't really surprised. I think maybe what surprised me the most I would say though, or I was prepared for it, but it still caught me by surprise. It was how much of an influence the outside world has on your job and the quality of your job. You're not as much in control as you are when you're a player, when you're a player, you know that when you've had a bad moment, if you keep your head down, in your case, maybe the next tackle could be the one that changes everything and in my case, it could be a goal, it could be a tackle as well. And you're in control, you just got to be in control of your emotions and you can take care of stuff. When you're a manager, you don't take care of anything when the game is going. I mean, yes, you change tactics, you make substitutions, but you kind of led the JJ Watten, the Vinny company of your team, take care of the rest, right? When we're managers and coaches, we're really there to almost assist plays in their development. And the thing we have to be that take a lot of pride in is if a group of players with us develops quicker than with someone else and gets better. And results will come from that. So the results is definitely something we aim for every game, but success happens after behavior for success, right? But you're not surrounded with people all the time in football and Bernli is very different in that sense, but you're not, because you'll understand this, but you're not surrounded with people. We have a lot of understanding of the work that goes into it and the time that you need and the ideas that you have and can judge you on the quality of your ideas as opposed to just the outcome on one game, you know? That's fascinating to me, because that's the one thing that I would imagine is so difficult. When you're playing, you control it. You can do it, but when you're managing, you don't. So how do you handle that? Because let's say you're playing poorly as a player, I can work harder. I can go into gym, I can train harder, I can do those things. As a manager, you have to try and pull that out of your players. How do you handle that when the team isn't performing, how you want them to or a certain player isn't performing? How do you handle that emotion of saying, just getting through to them and saying, I need you to do better? Yeah, but you know that it's a certain elite of athletes that will always react in the right way in adversity. Most players don't, or they're just normal human beings who are going to have to find out along the way how you have to handle these things. So I think as a coach, what I can do in those moments is create an environment that gives them a chance, you know, to... Like I said, progress quicker, learn quicker, understand what's going on, why it's not working or why they've done something really well and repeat the good things and take away the bad things. And I create the environment and absorb the pressure for the team in many, many ways. Take responsibility, be accountable, and give them a feeling that they are supported. I think those are things that I would have liked or that I've had in my careers in good moments that I can remember, and that's what you want to provide. Yeah, you talked a little bit about the outside perceptions and the media and the supporters. That's one of those things that I think America and England do have slightly differently. We have a lot of fantasy football owners who are yelling at us about not getting enough points for their team. I do think that the British media is very, very hard, and the supporters are very, very hard on the players and the coaches in many ways. Do you think that there's a difference there and do you think that now that you're a manager is the media pressure different than when you were a player? I don't know. I feel that we learn to handle it as well. So I've never known anything different. So in my mind, that's kind of the norm. You have to condition yourself to be able to maneuver in that world. But I think the big thing for me is I do keep a discipline of not letting myself get dragged into any of it. Because I know last year, you win the league with 101 points, but as we're winning, as we're progressing, as we're getting all the praise, I'm three or four months already prepared for what will come if we lose the first three games, which happened. But it's been six months that I've been in my head prepared for like, OK, and you know, then the bubble burst a little bit and you've got a state calm and you've got to, and the main thing is that you keep the group in check, make sure the group believes, make sure the group works hard, make sure the group doesn't get involved in anything from the outside. And that's what that's what we do. And, and then you know as well, then come the victories. It's a matter of time. So how do you handle that right now with the guys when you're giving your team talks or where you're at practice? How do you keep them up, keep them motivated without wearing them thin and saying the same message over and over? Obviously, as you go through a tough stretch, but knowing that you have to keep them motivated to keep them going. I think you've prepared it long before. I think your first day of preseason. Even I remember when we won the championship last year, I think I was already talking about how we would behave when things got more difficult because it is. The level is you can't compare the level is the toughest league in the world, not by some a little bit of a distance, but by the gap is massive. It's like the difference between the Premier League and the other leagues is getting, anyway, it's bigger than I've ever known it. And the same is for the difference between championship and Premier League. So you prepared them way before, way before. And then I talk a lot about cycles. So the leagues in England, every year you get relegated if you don't finish in a, you know, above a certain threshold. But in reality, okay, those are the rules of English football, but we have to look at it in cycles. I think in three years time, if we manage to get through this season, then the next season, I think there's a three-year cycle for us where I don't think anyone can imagine how high we can finish. Yes, we have to get through the short term. You can't escape in England. There's consequences. But believe we can do the short term, and if we take care of the short term, then I think our team has got more to offer than people can imagine. One of the questions I want to ask is about the European schedule. I mean, obviously coming from the NFL, we play 17 games in a season. The schedule that you guys have basically gives you one month off a year and then the whole year you're in it. That's if you're lucky. Yeah, exactly. And if you have a manager that does two pre-season, you also, you know, it's tough sledding. But do you like that constant scheduling? Do you think there is too much for some teams, especially at the top? Do you think that causes injuries? How do you feel about it? I think for us, it's OK. But for having played at the very top, I think there we can get a little bit too much, you know? I remember going almost two years without a holiday, nothing. I mean, not even holiday-like on the beach just time off two years. And that was because we finished a league, won the league. Then we had to go to the walk-up and we played semifinals of the walk-up and finished on. And then a week later, we had to play what is called the community shield, which is the winner of the FA Cup in England and the winner of the Premier League. And then you go again. And then by the end of it, you've had five or six days off. And you're going to the very first game of the next season. Crazy. It's crazy. Yeah. And then I think at that level, you do want to start looking for like, we're going to put a cap on the number of games a play can play. Like, look, play as many games as you want, all season, but each player plays 50 games, 50 games, whatever it is. And that's it. We're not there yet. No, it's tough, man. It is really crazy when I look at it. And I see especially the top teams that are playing in all the competitions. I mean, the wear and tear on your body is over the years, especially, it's brutal. Yeah. How has your daily routine changed from being a player to a manager? Like, do you still train? Do you still go to the gym or do you have no time because I know your schedule's nuts? I try as much. I train today, but it's because we have a day off. I think of other than that. No, it's, you can't compare. I think because the kids go to school, I try and be there a little bit in the morning. But even then, it's, you can't call it quality time. It's just presence. And around seven o'clock, I jump in the car. I have a friend, I have a friend and colleague who drives me to the club. So I get about an hour. I started seven o'clock on my laptop and I can finish anytime. Sometimes it's just ridiculous. I was just until bedtime. And, but I love what I'm doing. So I don't complain about it. And, and I try to make the most of these little gaps that I have where I can spend time with the family. But it's football and family. That's it. Does Bella's workout more are you training working out? No, Bella. She looks like it. They almost released him on the, on the fourth official at the man's city match and I was there and I was ready to back him up. He's, he's like a dog on the sidewalk. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But this is, is such a calm version of what he used to be as a player. Trust me. He's, is very calm now and is, is guiding a lot of players through, um, similar situations as he's been through as a player. But one thing I love about turf more is how close that we get to sit through the pitch right behind you in the, in the team. And so I have two questions from my perch on the pitch. Number one, who and how do you decide your match day outfits? I notice you've gone with the blazer sometimes. You've gone with the training kit sometimes. How do you decide? I don't. I'm, I'm last minutes. I, I, I'm, I'm really bad for that because I'm thinking of the team. I'm thinking of the tactics. I'm thinking of, you know, putting everything together for training sessions and whatever comes with the job. And then there's a moment where I get a tap on the shoulder and it's like, don't forget this. And then I'm like, all right, I scrumble whatever I can find, usually too much. And about sometimes what is it? Half an hour before the game and kind of see what I brought. It's really bad. And you'd expect more of a Premier League manager, but. I thought there was more thought because I noticed like the blazer last year and transitioned into the training kit and then I managed to fool you then. And then my second question is, and I'm fascinated by this because obviously you felt the emotion of being a player so you know all those emotions, but as a manager, sometimes managers at cool when the goal happens or when a bad play happens, managers kind of keep it calm and collected. And sometimes they let out all their emotions. I mean, I've seen you fist pump and run down the sidelines. When you decide when you let that emotion in or when you decide to play cool. I still don't decide. I think it's a little bit the same as the same is going through your mind as when you were a player still. There's moments where you feel like one of one of the guys, one of the team. And then there's moments where the first thing that goes through your head is right. Organize and get them focused. This is what we want. It kind of depends if there's a minute left to play and you score a goal. Yeah, you're going to let it fly. Emotions just come out. There's, yeah, there's nothing you can do. And as well, I feel sometimes it's almost like almost adding to the energy of your team sometimes, you know, maybe where I would add the most is if you are, if the team is leading and you get that one go back just to keep the momentum going to make sure that they understand it's worn out. We're coming for you. And it's gamble always because you don't know, but this is what you want to portray at that moment in time. We're coming back. I had a similar juxtaposition a couple months ago during the parade. When I came in, obviously now part of the ownership group, I'm no longer a player. I came in, all the boys were getting ready for the parade. Ashley Barnes is playing poker around the table. He's got beers with the boys. He says, JJ, come on over and sit down. So like, I'm sitting down. I'm like, all right. I'm in the ownership group, but I am still like the same age as Ashley. And we're still, I'm a player at heart. So we start playing a little cards. I have beer and he's like, come on, we're going on the bus. And so we get on the bus to go to the parade. I'm sitting here like, I am I supposed to be enjoying this and having fun or am I not supposed to? But just like, you know, those are the moments that make it so special. Like that day, that parade, everything about that, that you could tell that team was so special. What you guys created last year that had to be a special environment with that group. Yeah. Yeah. And do you know what? I said to the guys, I've been lucky to be associated to many successful teams. But yeah, the perfect season happened maybe once or twice in your career. That's if you're lucky. You know, that season, whatever. And that's if you're very lucky. I was thinking at 2930, I'm never going to experience it. And it's only in my 30s that I had my first and second season where I was like, we're on top of the world. We are dominating this. And we had this feeling at our level. And I said to the guys, I say, you, you, you're not going to appreciate how red this is in your career. And make sure that you keep your standards as high as you can into the last game of the season to finish it off the way you started this. It'll take time before any of us have this again. That's the nature of this game. It's so competitive. A teen solo hiker is terrorized for days by unknown figures dressed in white. Two cops quit their jobs at a local theater because of encounters with an alleged demon, an isolated forest in Canada where people keep turning up headless. These are just a few of the unbelievable stories you'll hear on the Mr. Ball & Podcast on Amazon Music. Each week you'll hear about inexplicable encounters, shocking disappearances, and other strange dark and mysterious stories. And they are all true. Like the case of Haley Zega, she disappeared on a hiking trail for 51 hours. And when she was found again, she said a friend helped her survive. And this friend of hers exactly matched the physical description of a little girl who had gone missing in that exact spot 23 years earlier and who had never been found. Listen to Mr. Ball & Podcast, strange dark and mysterious stories only on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. We've talked tactics a little bit before. We've had conversations we've watched film, which is my favorite thing. That was an incredible experience doing that. Is there anything from the NFL, from other leagues, whether it's rugby, whether it's tennis, golf? Is there anything that you've taken that really you think has helped or is there anything you think you still want to learn that could help in the Premier League? Yeah, plenty of still want to learn, but attention to detail, hours of education for the players. I think you put in a lot more time in a classroom, like you would say, than we do. I think there's other things that are really healthy in football that we need to keep. But I definitely think that we got another layer of levels to come when it comes to players dedicating the day to the profession. But it's difficult when you only have six days off in a year, right? Something's got to give. So your typical day for a player, how long physically are they in the building? On a big day, they would come in between 10 to 4, you know, and that's a big day, yeah, 10 to 4. But the reason being as well is like, there's only so many hours we can put them on a pitch. The bodies can't take, you know, that's literally what it is. And then we need to make sure they eat well, we need to make sure they stay disciplined when they go to bed at the right time so that they come back in fresh the next day. And if it's from the work that you did the day before, that's part of the job as well. That's a very tough thing to balance is maximizing everything, but also giving them enough rest. And that's very tough. I was in the Texan's facility yesterday and I was talking to my coaches about their schedule. So they're in from about 6 a.m., and then the players leave about 4 30 p.m. So it's a full day on like Wednesday, Thursday and the season, which is obviously very different. The preseason, so if you talk about the off season, we might go longer. Like if you go on training camp or something, we can add loads of things, you know, talks with specialists, you know, sleep, sleep specialists, nutritionists. You know, there's loads of little workshops you can bolt on to a day. But on a normal week, I think balance is more important than anything, because you can't, the weekend, your match is the most important. Alright, before we wrap it up, I have some quick questions I want to ask. This is more just fun, silly shit that I want to know personally. I know you speak like seven languages, rank them one to seven in the most fluent, the least fluent. Yeah, so speak five, I probably understand another two on top of it. So most fluent, I'm supposed to be most fluent in French, but English is coming very close. Wait, wait, you're better at French. That's what I spoke at home. So I hope I am. I didn't, I didn't put that together. I'm an idiot. But I'm extremely fluent in Dutch as well. So the thing that happens when you grow up in Brussels, I spoke French at home, and I went to school in Dutch, so go figure that out. So my writing, listen, my writing and reading is better in Dutch, but my speaking is better in French. So is Dutch, so do you still speak Dutch better than English because you also had to read or write it or is Dutch behind English? Yeah, the rankings changing now, I think I think English is my just three ahead of Dutch now. That's incredible. That's a hard, it's extremely difficult for a child to be learning all that, but they also say that's the best time to possibly learn. Alright, what's after those three? So after that comes German, fine, full understanding and pretty fluent, it's just 80%. But then comes, but three languages that I say if you, it's the type of language where you say if you put me three months in that country, I will speak it. And it's Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, but give me any three months, and then I'll be there with those languages fascinating. Alright, the one food that I have to try when I'm in England. That's Sunday dinner, right? Sunday roast? Yes, I have, I love Sunday roast. I love that, it's simple, but just beef, Yorkshire pudding, big baked potatoes, whatever, so now that's a nice tradition that I like. I need protein, I've learned, I've learned in England that it's hard for me to get enough protein. Look, I'm still Belgian, so we, I think we're allowed to criticize English food a little bit. You're jumping ahead to my next question, which is what's the one Belgian food I have to try? I like something very simple. We do like something as a star, which is mushrooms on toast. But the way they do it is with butter and garlic and it's nicely done and simple things, simple things are done very well in Belgium. That sounds a little bit like escargot, but you replace the snail with mushrooms, is that a little bit? Yeah, it makes sense, yeah, that sounds good. Are you proud of, this is a very American question I apologize. Are you proud of the Belgian waffle, and do they eat Belgian waffles in Belgium, or is that just an Americanized thing? No, no, no, we eat a lot of waffles in Belgium, and we have very different types of waffles as well, and we're very proud of it. So it's something I could have named as well, Belgian waffles chocolate beer, very proud of it. What are the different kinds of waffles? I'm fascinated. So there's waffles from Liege, which is like a city in Belgium, and there's waffles from Brussels, and you know, one is more thick and sugary, the other one is more like... I don't know which one you've been eating in the fancy restaurants you go to. Oh, yeah, real fancy. I make them myself at the holiday and you can flip them over with the thing and it does it itself. If it's a little bit more chewy and buttery, it's from Liege, and if it's a little bit more dry, it's from Brussels. I'm going to come to Belgium sometime, and we're going to do a waffle tour. That's going to be our next show together. Exactly. Favorite European candy. Oh, just a simple, you know, the strawberry ones. Like, it's, it's horrible literally, you know, those strawberries. I could eat, yeah, pacts and pacts of it. All right, favorite drink. Can it be alcoholic? Oh, yeah. I find that's the thing. I like triple caramelites. It's like a beer from some Belgian dressing. It's all right. I'm going to add that to my list. Have you tried a banyan hot? Mmm. I have smelted. That's all you need, man. It's all you need. Unless it's cold as hell and snowing outside. That's about all you need. And if you have a cough and you need to get back up for it, yeah. Yeah. Best Premier League away day. Depends what you like. I've always liked going to Newcastle. I've heard a lot of people say that. Yeah, so you've got the fancy stadiums with, you know, obviously Tottenham Stadium is unbelievable. And then but Newcastle is, yeah, it's, it's, it's very weirdly built as well. You've got one side, which is absolutely huge. It could be like an NFL stadium. And then the other side, which is like a, looks like a very traditional, like almost like turf, more like type of shape. But it's loud and. And as well, I think one side you attack, you attack uphill. What? Yeah. Yeah. You got to choose your. No way. It blew my mind when I found out that Premier League pitches could be different sizes. That blew my mind. Now you're telling me that there's an uphill in a downhill side. Yeah. Yeah. In some clubs, it's like you, you have to know whether you're going uphill first or downhill first. It makes a big difference. So what do you change as a manager when you're going downhill versus uphill? For some reason, I remember always second half going uphill. But for me, when I was at Man City, we've had some strong teams. So we've had some very good away days there. And this has just been, but, but it's, it can be a tough place and windy as well. So what do you, like, if we're going downhill, do you tell, do you tell. Trafford hate? You got to take a couple. Take a little bit off of this one. Otherwise, it's going to roll all the way out. No, because it doesn't do as much. It's more the running. So if you finish going downhill, if you have momentum, yeah, I got to go to Saint James Park. I have to see. I have to see. This is important. Yeah. Look, they have a lot of money now. So they might have fixed it. Yeah. I was laughing it up. That's great. Yeah. But you had everything. You used to have pitches who used to curve to let the water off. We have that. Yeah. So you would sit down on the bench and you can't see the other side. Yeah. The chiefs have that. That's, that's an NFL thing too. Best changing room in the Premier League. Tottenham. It's not yesterday. It's incredible. They made for, they made for Beyonce and Superstars that are coming to, for the concert. Beautiful. What is the worst? Is it our own? The away one? No, no, no, no. Newton Town. Yeah. And nothing comes close. I'm so mad. I missed that game because I was scheduled to be at that one. And then it got postponed. And now I can't think about it. I don't think you would fit in the stadium. I was going to climb over the rooftops and come in. Yeah. It's, but it's a spec. That's what I love about England as well. I think Newton now. Everything is well that makes the Premier League different, you know. It's, you go to Tottenham and then you go to Newton. And you might as well be in a different sports. And for us, it was, it was nice experiencing all these stadiums last season as well. That's, yeah. So you say that's obviously the worst. I'm assuming it's just tiny. You couldn't fit in there. But you like to me as well. It's a character test for the players. It's like, do not dare to complain. Get on with it. You know, embrace it. And anything like make it something. Make it your strength when you go out there. That's, that's a big thing for me. And then the last thing before I let you go. And I appreciate this very much. This has been great. If you're talking to a new Premier League fan in America. And you're trying to convince them why Burnley. Obviously, that's kind of my whole job with this club is to, to bring on new Premier League fans and bring them to Burnley. What would you say as to why they should support Burnley? First of all, hard working good people. That I'm not afraid to push boundaries. And, and I think we're always going to be the underdogs. But I think the type of underdogs you want to be with in a fight, you know. We, I take a lot of pride in the team as well in. Outworking people and, and, and just making sure that like where we are today. We will not stop progressing because of the work we put in. It's a continuous growth that, that, that is exciting to be a part of. I love it. Thank you very much. I hope to see you in a few weeks. See you soon. Hey, prime members. You can listen to many blazers and free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. Or, you can listen and free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. 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