SFF caught up with Rovers head coach Collin Stravens to talk about our title winning season and our history making cup run. Transcript is below:
What are the qualities to be a successful coach?
For me a successful coach is someone who has a close relationship with his players and management team. You must be able to know the qualities of each of your players individually. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses and understanding how to use and combine those to be able to implement the best balance for your team. Understanding, communication, trust, some tough love and commitment to the cause are the key values for a coach to have the perfect relationship with his players and management staff. Discipline is also very important.
What are the qualities that define the modern football player?
The new age footballer has evolved heavily through the use of sports science and marginal gains. A footballer needs to train every day, to take care of his body with nutrients, supplements. Speed, strength, power, stamina and endurance are the main objectives that footballers try to achieve through this process. But the modern footballer must also possess a high footballing IQ and use intelligence on the field.
How did you transform your team into a winning team?
Through communication, understanding, brotherhood, leadership, respect, hard work and commitment. These are the key factors we tried to install into the minds of our players to bring togetherness to the group and give them a winning mentality. I opened channel of communication with my players making sure they hear me and I hear them. Once we unified our strong bond together and worked hard for each other, applying ourselves both individually and as a collective then the only result to follow was to be winners.
What is the most rewarding part of being a coach?
The greatest reward of being a coach is to win trophies together with your team and have collective group happiness as a result of hard work, devotion and brotherhood.
What are the best moments of Rovers FC this season?
The best moment of the season was obviously lifting the league trophy but also a very important and high scoring win over our title rivals Bel Air FC to flip the title back into our own hands!
What was the best goal this season? The best player? for Rovers FC
This season’s best goal was scored by Jim Loizeau vs Marine Maintenance FC early on in our campaign. With his back to goal, and well outside the opposition box, he received a high ball onto his chest and without even letting it bounce he swivelled and unleashed an incredible left footed volley which hammered into the top corner of the far post. You would struggle to see a better strike in the Champions League!
Rovers is a team with a lot of talented individuals. Each and every one of them has worked hard, contributed and made our success this season possible. I will single out our captain, Randolph Lablache. He has been crucial in executing our game plan and using his experience to help us to win games. He is a very important creative outlet for us and has amassed an incredible number of assists so far this season. He is currently averaging around 1 assist per game and 1 goal every two games across the league and cup competitions. This is an incredible record and in my opinion having already lifted the league trophy and guiding us to the semi-finals of the SFF Cup, and possibly beyond, he is worthy to be in contention for Footballer of the Year!
Source: SFF Facebook