Making His Mark (Mark Sampson)

A compilation of the magazine’s interviews with the head coach who succeeded Hope Powell, spanning his time at Bristol Academy, his arrival at England and the 2015 World Cup bronze. From February 2013 he describes assessing the mood before kick-off and adapting his huddle words accordingly, and recalls a motivational video watched in a dimmed dressing room before an FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, after which his side led 3-0 inside half an hour. From February 2014, newly installed at Wembley at 31, he explains meeting every player to learn what makes them happy and setting a long-term vision of competing late in tournaments. From August 2015 he says nobody believed at the outset they could win the World Cup, but that by the Japan semi-final every player was adamant.