Mark Robson loves coaching football players.
It is something he has done all through his life, ever since he was a teenager. Even during his days as a player himself, ‘Robbo’ would be out on the training pitches with other groups, running drills and sessions.
It is a passion that has never wavered. One that he has taken into every role he has held since retiring from player. Whether at Charlton Athletic, Gillingham, Peterborough United, Barnet, Norwich City, Aston Villa, the England set-up or West Ham United, that enjoyment has never faltered.
“I love coaching,” Robson enthused. “I really, really enjoy doing it. It’s something I’ve done since I was 18-years-old. I coached all the way through my playing career through so many different teams, from young groups to senior groups.
“It has always been a real passion of mine, a true love of mine. And I just love working with players. It feeds me energy and gives me a real buzz, and I just hope I then pass that on into the players I’m working with and enjoy what I do.”
That passion, combined with the knowledge and experience developed in almost 40 years of working in football, has brought Robson into the first-team fold at his boyhood Club.
Born in Upton Park, Robson made 56 appearances across two seasons as a player with the Hammers. In the 1992/93 campaign, the skilful winger played 44 of a possible 46 league games in Claret and Blue, scoring eight goals as West Ham won promotion to the Premier League.
He returned to the Irons in November 2021, as lead coach for the development team. The chance to work in first-team football once again does not come along too often though, particularly in the Premier League for the team you grew up supporting.
“Everyone wants to work in the Premier League,” he continued. “West Ham is my Club and I’m delighted I’m here. This is where I really want to be and it’s great to have that opportunity in the first team. You want to always test yourself and I’m enjoying every minute of it.
“We’ve got some really talented young players at West Ham and I’ve loved working with them. I’m now in a group with some top international players and the quality is amazing. As a coach, you always get a buzz when you work with players like that. It’s an enjoyable environment and they teach me as well.
“I got to work in the Premier League before with Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa, and it is such a tough league to be involved in. But to do so with West Ham is a big moment for me, personally, and one I want to make the most of.”
Manager David Moyes confirmed Robson’s role last week alongside two other new appointments in John Heitinga and Henry Newman.
Former Netherlands international Heitinga most recently held the role of interim head coach at Eredivisie side Ajax while Newman, like Robson, moves into the first-team coaching staff from another role, having held a position as an opposition analyst.
With Billy McKinlay and Kevin Nolan already in place, Moyes’ senior staff has taken shape for the 2023/24 campaign, and Robson is relishing his move across to the Rush Green first-team training ground.
“It’s been an interesting few weeks for me, stepping into the first-team environment and getting to know all the staff in this group. I’ve enjoyed that side of things and I’m enjoying the role.
“It’s a situation I’ve been in before and I’ve worked in first-team football on a number of occasions, across the Premier League and in the English Football League. I think that experience is helping me to settle in quickly. I’m getting to know how everybody works and likes to work. That’s players as well as staff, and the first couple of weeks has been about building relationship with all of them.
“It’s getting to grips with how the team plays, what that looks like, and looking at my own skillset and seeing what I can bring to the table to help the manager and the squad. I’m hoping I’ve been able to add a little bit in the few weeks I’ve been in the role so far, whether that’s out on the training pitch or in the way I am with the players.
“I feel like I’ve settled in well though and I’ve found the whole thing very comfortable. We’ve had some great results so far and the aim is to keep that going.”
A change in responsibility means a change in expectations too.
A key aspect of Robson’s time with the Academy of Football, as lead coach for the U21s, was each player’s individual development. Pushing these young players to improve and develop the talent to play at the highest level was essential, and arguably even more important than the results achieved in Premier League 2.
Now, results are everything. Wins and losses are the bread and butter of senior football. Everything that is done is geared towards those games, whether in midweek or on the weekend.
Not that development has been completely forgotten about, of course.
“One thing for sure is that development and learning does not stop,” Robson explained. “Speaking to a couple of players after training sessions, you can still see among them that there is a thirst to learn even more. Even some of the older players in the group still ask questions and still want to improve and expand their own understanding.
“That is a very healthy environment, when you’ve got a group made up of individuals who are asking questions and willing to listen. I think that’s the best way a group can be.
“That said, three points are really important in matches. Results are everything because this is a results-driven business. With that comes some pressure, certainly for the manager. We, as his coaching staff, need to be here to make sure all the bits are pulling together in the right direction and we’re giving everything we can to help and improve the players.”
In order to get wins in the Premier League, the upcoming domestic cup competitions and, of course, the UEFA Europa League, every possibility must be prepared for. Players must be ready and fit, and each scenario fully accounted for.
Already, Robson is learning from his peers and colleagues. David Moyes’ immensely detailed plan, combined with the coaching team’s ideas and collective contributions, make for a working environment where everyone is involved and everyone learns.
“The manager is very thorough,” Robson explained. “There are no stones left unturned. It’s been really interesting. Some of the conversations we’ve had in the coaches’ room, talking about the game and the different scenarios, they have been very detailed.
“I think you’re always learning and looking to pick up new things. For example, John has also come in and I can already highlight one or two things that he has brought up that are really interesting. The whole group, the gaffer and the coaching staff too, are all really great to work with.
“Everyone has their role to play and certainly for me, working alongside the rest of the staff and the analysts, there are a lot of cogs in the machine that work towards helping the first team success. There are so many people that I’m enjoying working with and there is a great atmosphere in here.”
And so, after the early-season success of three wins and a draw in West Ham’s opening four Premier League matches, attention now turns to the September schedule.
The Irons welcome reigning Premier League champions Manchester City to London Stadium on Saturday, beginning a run of fixtures that will not only see the side also face Liverpool, Sheffield United and Newcastle United in the league, but kick-off a third consecutive European campaign with two group stage matches and play a third round Carabao Cup contest away to Lincoln City as well.
The demanding fixture schedule is a consequence of success, and Robson wants to make sure he enjoys every single moment of it.
“It’ll be a new experience for me, this next group of games, with the European matches,” he added. “I had a little bit of it when I worked in international football but not really at club level.
“We had a little taste of it with the U21s last season too, with the Premier League International Cup and then seeing some of them involved in latter stage group games for the first-team, but this will be a first for me and I’m looking forward to it.
“Of course, there’s also the added element of games every couple of days. We’ll play Thursday and Sunday in European weeks and we’ve also got a Wednesday night match against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup.
“There are a lot of games and a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes going into each one. There is a lot of preparation to do, a lot of hard work to come, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
