UK Coach Boss Collins Shredded By Dalton Grant

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14 April 2006
EXCLUSIVE: OLYMPIC LEGENDS’ HELP BID SNUBBED
By John Cross
Former Olympic champions Linford Christie and Daley Thompson have had offers of help rejected by British athletics chief Dave Collins.

Ex-Olympic high jumper Dalton Grant, a member of London’s Olympic 2012 board, claims Christie and Thompson wanted to help turn around the crisis in athletics, but have been snubbed.

UK Athletics Performance Director Collins is under pressure after the poor showing at the Commonwealth Games – a bad sign for Britain’s long- term hopes for 2012.

And Grant, third in Britain’s all-time medal list, revealed that Collins hung up on him when he made a telephone call offering his help.

Top athletics coaches and performers are now openly questioning Collins’ appointment as he does not have any formal background in the sport.

Collins started his career as a Royal Marine before becoming a PE instructor and then moved into psychology. His work with former javelin star Steve Backley and sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis helped get him the job with UK Athletics.

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But furious Grant, 40, insists he is the wrong man for the job and says British athletics is now facing a crisis which will only get worse under Collins.

Grant said: “This job is too big for him and he has no proper or relevant experience either. It is a joke.

“I put myself forward, Linford wants to get involved and so does Daley, but we’ve been given no encouragement.

“I rang him and he ended up putting the phone down on me which is just plain rude and disrespectful.

“This is not about me not getting a job. It’s my frustration at not being able to help our athletes from a background of competing at the very highest level.

“I’ve got a proper track record and have worked with some of our athletes. I worked with our badminton player Elizabeth Cann before the Commonwealths and she went from being around 50th in the world to finishing fourth.

“That is because I know what it takes to compete at a championship and that experience would be even better used for our athletes.

“Just look at David Beckham and the way he works with Wayne Rooney. It’s practical experience and knowing how to handle major championships.

“We’ve got a talented high jumper in Ben Challenger and he wants to work with me not a guy who’s come from the army and is at the head of our coaching structure.

“Everyone from Michael Johnson at the Commonwealth Games downwards is saying that we’ve got the wrong man and yet I was willing to help and it’s been thrown back in my face.

“We need time and talent to get it right for 2012 and at the moment that’s not happening.

:eek: “It’s a shambles and this is the worst I can ever remember and light years away from the 1980s and 1990s when we were successful.

:eek: “The Commonwealth Games was really sad for me. If we can’t compete at that level then you can forget about the Europeans or World Championships – let alone the Olympics.

:eek: “That is supposed to be a stepping stone for things and yet we were a laughing stock and it’s becoming worse. It’s embarrassing.”

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If you have ever met Dalton you know that he speaks his mind! Even Colins must have been scared Marine or not!

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Is Dalton right though? Usually things get worse before they get better? With all the investment in the sport it is difficult to determine what’s gone / going wrong.

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I think it is too early to tell. However, the following turned up on the BBC website:

British stars set for coach roles
Linford Christie and Daley Thompson could be offered coaching roles within UK Athletics, according to performance director Dave Collins.

Collins is planning a shake-up of the way British athletics is run after several years of underachievement.

“I’m currently involved in negotiations with both Linford and Daley about taking up coaching roles,” he said.

“Both of them have proven track records and are being considered along with others for key appointments.”

Collins said no decisions had been made over appointments and added: “Applications are still being taken from those interested in pursuing a career with UK Athletics.”

Athletes from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland secured a total of just 23 medals in track and field at the Commonwealth Games last month.

Collins’ comments follow criticism in a national newspaper from former high jumper Dalton Grant.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/athletics/4910440.stm

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I wonder what Andy Norman would have to say about the current state of British aths and how he would go about addressing the problems.

Perhaps the powers that be should analyse his management role during the mid-1970s through to the early 1990s and - without getting sidetracked by some negative aspects - analyse his contribution, his stick-and-carrot style of management.

And the type of administrators he drew around him which produced such a dynamic tension, but always supportive of the serious athlete, always focussed on the ultimate objective without losing perspective that these were young people not robots they were dealing with.

I spent part of every summer in the UK from 83 to 93 and watched firsthand Andy’s “organic” process of nurturing and directing performance, while of course the coaching director Frank Dick would receive all the kudos for the results.

I think the dynamics of an administration which included both these huge personalities with their immense knowledge and love of the sport helped a gifted generation of athletes reach their potential. kk

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From what I see people are trying despirately to make a difference. UKA have brought in numerous over seas staff… half the the performance coaches/managers are now from OZ!

I can’t put my finger on exactly what is wrong (other than poor integration of training methods) but it just seems that a lot of athlete don’t act like professionals.

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Isn’t that the problem though? What works in Oz won’t necessarily work over here. I attended a presentation some years ago on the differences between the Oz and the British systems. Basically the presenter concluded that the major contributing factor of the success of the Oz system was the weather!!

It all seems to clique - one oz manager comes over and he / she brings the rest of his her merry men.

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That’s a logical assumption. But incorrect from my understanding.

The Brits (not Aussies employed by Brits) have cherry-picked many of the brightest, most energetic, most enthusiastic, most experienced and most competent people in Australian sports-coaching, sports-administration and sports-medicine and brought them to the UK to work in rugby union, rugby league, soccer, swimming and a dozen other sports of which athletics is a minor employer.

I doubt there is any Aussie networking going on at all in the UK but there are some bloody good people over there who would have been working in Australia had the current administration not been so weak and lacking in knowledge of the requirements of contemporary elite athletics.

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Isn’t that the point though - we want the best people in the business who have delivered on the world stage. However, working in a system such as the Oz system there may be better opportunities for these people to deliver the goods. Whereas many Brits have not been given the opportunity to deliver due to lack of facilities, lack of support, lack of education, poor weather etc etc.

“Networking” is bound to happen. Example, the technical director of Ferrari has been cherry picked by a new and upcoming constructor (Pepsi?) he has been given a substantial amount of money to get together a new team of specialists as this is a new venture. Where will he start? Most likely he will try to persuade some of his old team mates from Ferrari?? Lets cherry pick some more!

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Pardon my ignorance but why is it so essential that they be employed by UKA? :confused:
If they have sqauds (which I understand Christie at least does) and they are producing top results wont they attract talented people anyway?
Do they really need to be part of UKA for things to improve?

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Definitly there is networking going on but its because there just isn’t any tallent in the UK coaching wise so they are forced to look overseas and a lot of the British admin etc are skeptical of american’s and former soviet coaches etc but see Oz as a legitimate and successful sporting nation.

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Because otherwise you won’t be a professional coach, you will have to pay for track time and work around the “official” coaches schedules, you won’t get any help with getting into the weight training rooms (most of which are closed to the public) and will be bottom of the list for physio etc. Basically you will have to pay to be a coach rather than get paid and won’t get any respect or people willing to help you out. If you arn’t part of UKA all the doors are closed to you.

To get world class results you need to have athletes training full time and adopt an integrative approach with physios, strength and conditioning, massage etc… UKA wants to control all the barriers to performance. They don’t want individual coaches screwing up thier top athletes and ignoring adivce because they are not accontable to anyone. A lot of people on funding are basically told that unless you train with a UKA “certified” coach that’s it… no more funding…

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Let’s try a “for-instance”: I’m aware of only one Aussie coach working for UKA and that would be Matt Favier. Is he even in a position to employ anyone, much less another Aussie? If so, has he employed another Aussie?

And the other thing I can see coming - only because it happens in every other country including no doubt in Australia - is the “foreigners” will carry the can for British failures. That “blame game” may prove popular because it is simply true. Or perhaps alsobecause it is somehow easier to find fault with others, rather than ourselves.

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(THIS REPORT SEEMS A BIT DIFFERENT, ADDS MORE ON THE DALTON GRANT “TIRADE” - Dalton is nothing if not passionate. It would be easy to think of his style of discussion as a tirade :stuck_out_tongue: kk )

TOP DUO ‘BEING CONSIDERED’ - COLLINS
By David Martin, PA Sport.

(NO DOUBT HE GOT ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH WITH HIS MILITARY NAMESAKE SINCE DAVID MARTIN WAS A TANK COMMANDER IN A FORMER LIFE :eek: ) :smiley: A great fellow is Capn Dave. kk )

Dave Collins has refuted claims that Linford Christie and Daley Thompson have been rejected for coaching or mentoring roles with UK Athletics.

Collins, UKA’s performance director, responded after former high jumper Dalton Grant made the allegations in a national newspaper.

“I am currently involved in negotiations with both Linford and Daley about taking up coaching roles,” Collins said.

“Both of them have proven track records and are being considered along with others for key appointments.”

Collins, a former psychologist, is well aware that money alone cannot buy success, despite a massive injection of Lottery and other funding into the sport in recent weeks.

The dismal medals tally by the four home countries at last month’s Commonwealth Games illustrated the massive task ahead.

Collins insists Grant’s assistance will not be rejected out of hand.

“The problem is however, he doesn’t want to apply like everyone else for a job,” Collins added.

"He made that very plain during our telephone conversation - he told me he just wants a job.

“What I need from Dalton is for him to outline, like others, what he can achieve in a coaching role for this sport. Surely that is not asking too much.”

The UK is not currently blessed with world-class high jumpers, which was not the case during Grant’s career and that of the more successful Steve Smith, the British record holder and 1992 Olympic bronze medallist.

Martyn Bernard is the brightest prospect and he is coached by Mike Holmes, Smith’s former mentor.

“Mike is another who is being considered for an appointment as we look towards the future,” added Collins.

"No decisions have been made yet, indeed applications are still being taken from those interested in pursuing a career with UK Athletics.

“If Dalton wants to be considered like everyone else, he must put in an application outlining how he can assist us in raising standards.”

Collins did admit that he put the phone down on Grant, but only after what he considered to be a 20-minute tirade from Grant.

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Why aren’t there any talented coaches in the UK though? I’m all for foreigners coming in taking hold of the reigns as long as there are systems put in place for new UK staff to develop from their expertise. Other wise to me it is just another case of blocking the problem not finding any long-term solution.

7 out of 12 of the top teams in rugby have aussie coaches? A lot of the backroom staff are foreigners. In football, cricket? Yet there are no internships / apprentice type roles etc.

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I can believe this part!

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This would be a sad state of affairs but looking at it from a PR role you can’t loose if you employ foreigners! If they do well then great if they don’t then you have someone to blame…

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Its been getting worse for such along time… Dalton is right. But…UK Athletics should have recruited ex athletes a long time ago… Collin Jackson should be asked to help out along with his coach Malcolm Arnold (who is more than qualified than many to do the job that is occupied by Dave Collins).

What other sport would allow an ex marine ad psychologist with no background in their sport to manage their assets? It IS a joke which ever way you look at it… The athletes will not listen to him really its as simple as that. Its as i they gave the job to “one of the boys”.

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Thanks, that explains it well.

I’m not stirring things up but is Collins as much to blame as is being made out? I ask as I found the article below which is when he was appointed.

Collins named UK Athletics chief

UK Athletics has ended its search for a new performance director by appointing psychologist Dave Collins.

Collins, who worked with the British teams at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, takes over from Max Jones in March.

Six candidates were interviewed for the job, including Denise Lewis’ coach Charles van Commenee and former British triple jumper Keith Connor.

“We’ve searched long and hard to ensure we have found the right person,” said UKA chief executive David Moorcroft.

“We have thoroughly tested the candidates. I believe David will make a great leader and I have great faith in what he will achieve.”

Collins said: “It’s a great challenge. Over the next few months I will spend time listening to those who already make a significant contribution to athletics and other elite sports in the UK.”

Collins, who has worked with javelin thrower Steve Backley in the past, started his career as a Royal Marine before becoming a PE teacher.

He is currently professor of physical education and sport performance at Edinburgh University, where he helps competitors across many sports, including rugby, athletics, judo and football.

He has specialised in helping competitors fulfil their potential through psychology and has worked with the Great Britain women’s curling team, who won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Mark Lewis-Francis sought Collins’ advice in Athens when he was looking for inspiration before he ran the final leg of Britain’s surprise triumph in the 4x100m relay.

He has also worked with former javelin star Steve Backley and long jumper Chris Tomlinson.

“His diverse knowledge and skills will allow him to be a great performance director,” said Backley, who worked with Collins from 1995 until his retirement this summer.

Tomlinson, fifth in the long jump in Athens, added: “I’ve worked with him for a couple of years and he has helped me change my thinking in relation to my technique, training and performance.”

Collins has played rugby at regional level, was captain of the Great Britain American Football team, and competed at national level in judo and karate.

[b]He arrives with British athletics at a crossroads.

Despite Kelly Holmes’ golden double and the success of the sprint relay squad, the GB team failed to live up to expectations in Athens.

Many older competitors have retired or are coming to the end of their careers, and Britain failed to win a single medal at the world junior championships in Italy this year.[/b]

Collins will not have day-to-day coaching contact with the athletes, but will be expected to make changes to the system and coaching set-up in order to secure medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

[b]The appointment of a new performance director was one of the main recommendations in Sir Andrew Foster’s review of the sport, which was published in May.

It was commissioned by UK Sport and Sport England, which wanted UK Athletics to justify funding of more than £40m from the Government following the failure to hang on to the 2005 World Championships, which are now being held in Helsinki.
[/b]
Van Commenee dropped out of the selection process to take on the same role with the Dutch Olympic Committee, while Connor’s application was rejected after an arduous interview process.

Foster, however, declared himself satisfied with how the appointment was made.

“The appointment of David Collins, with his strong mix of leadership skills and managerial experience, is testament to the professional and detailed recruitment process,” he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4057943.stm
From the article he was taking over in March 2005, could he really have made such an impact in a realtively short time?
I guess a crucial part is his statement Collins said: “It’s a great challenge. Over the next few months I will spend time listening to those who already make a significant contribution to athletics and other elite sports in the UK.” appears that may not have happened.

BTW you can’t have Eric Hollingsworth back :smiley:

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I totally agree. Andy was the whole reason there was success in Britain. BS artists like Frank Dick had piss-all to do with it.
Andy could be tough as nails but he really did have a heart for the athletes, and I can tell you he really stepped up to help our team in 1986 before the Commonwealth games. Gerrard was left so desperately short of money, he couldn’t even feed the team for the time before we could check into the athlete’s village.
Andy took everyone into his meet and kept us all till the games.
He did this over and over, and built up a lot of credits throughout the world and he could call them in later to help the British team. He also made sure the British athletes got top dollar.