Who is Southampton's newest coach Adam Asghar? The young coach's story

That is now the reality for 29 year old Asghar, who has taken up his post as Southampton’s new under-21s head coach.

It follows an impressive rise for the self-proclaimed “failed player”, who made 20 senior appearances before getting into coaching at a young age.

Starting with picking up bibs and cones at Motherwell, Asghar also coached in the Scottish FA’s performance school programme – where he met academy director Andy Goldie.

Asghar became senior academy head coach at Dundee United, where his father was sporting director, in 2019, and worked on the first team before leading Sunderland under-18s last season.

It was Goldie – who also joined Saints this summer, from Swansea – who set up the meeting with Martin, Asghar explained, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo.

“It’s important when you’re sculpting your ideas as a coach that you make mistakes yourself without too much outside influence,” Asghar said.

“I did go and visit the manager when he was at Swansea and I really took a lot from those four days – and I’m not just saying that!

“That was one of a few study visits I managed to take and I liked the training methods, his energy about the place and how the players reacted to him.”

He added: “I told my wife that Sunderland would be the furthest we’d move and now I’m in Southampton a year later.

“It’s a really good place, as expected and with really good people as well – it’s now just about tapping into those people and learning about them.

“Selfishly, it was a chance for me to move in the right direction – a move to a more senior age group with the under-21s.

“It was also a chance to work with Andy Goldie again, and I have watched Russell Martin from afar and believe I can provide players for his style of play.”

Although still relatively young in the coaching world – not unlike Martin, 37 – Asghar’s varied experience and the impressions he has already made landed him the job.

Last season, Sunderland’s under-18s went from finishing 11th in the Premier League North to second, just four points behind the imperious Manchester City in a close-run race.

Those Man City teams – now youth winners every year – are the result of Jason Wilcox’s meticulous work, who Asghar says has been a great supporter in his first two weeks.

When asked about hiring a new under-21s coach by the Daily Echo back in June, Wilcox then stated he insisted on “giving people a chance before they are ready”.

Asghar said: “I’m very fortunate that, despite my relatively young age in coaching terms, I have had a lot of really varied experiences that will stand me in good stead to do well here.

“There’s been loads of situations where I have thought, ‘this is a bit soon’. But when you get the first session out of the way and you get the buy-in, it becomes easier.

“Coaching at Dundee United, there was a bit of background noise as well. One due to my age and also due to a family connection at the club,” he added.

“It doesn’t matter as long as the players buy in. In football, I don’t think you can ever be prepared fully for a job – you’ve got to take chances with both hands.

“Sticking to brilliant basics is what helps, communicating well and being honest with players, and I don’t think you can script where you will be in five years.”

Asghar has been speaking with the likes of Olly Lancashire, Carl Martin and Ryan Flood to get the lowdown on his new players – after their seven-goal thriller against Lyon last week.

He is yet to call on the knowledge of former under-21s head coach Dave Horseman, who took up a role as Forest Green Rovers manager this summer after league title success.

Asghar’s father, Tony, was a Rangers youth player up to the age of 18 but, when he was released, instead forged a career as a police officer.

🗣️ An update from our Sporting Director, Tony Asghar.

📺 | #DUFC pic.twitter.com/XzDdsGIX2Y

— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) February 7, 2023

Starting a football touring company on the side, taking teams to the continent, led to Asghar’s father becoming an agent and, after a three-year Sport Directorship course, a leadership role.

Asghar, meanwhile, was playing for the likes of Alloa Athletic and Annan Athletic between 2014-17 before dropping out of the XIs.

“I went into an academy system at 11 years old, and my father went through being an agent and then a sporting director,” Asghar recalled.

“You see loads just being around the environment and in the dressing room, whether it’s amateur football, lower league football or whatever.

“It shapes your way of thinking, like ‘You can only do this and nothing else’. I am sure that those experiences shape a lot of what we’re doing now.

“There was an injury, I’d love to say it was significant enough to not come back from but there were loads of things.

“I wish it was to be a top-level player but, and I’m also tentative to say it, I am sure coaching is the best thing, it excites me the most.”

He continued: “I loved it more than playing really, as an average player – but I had the aspirations to do something with it and coaching is the opportunity to do that.

“I was doing whatever I could and I quickly realised that, if you just hang about places, opportunities will come around.

“My day was eight o’clock in the morning at SFA right through to 10 o'clock at night with Motherwell, doing six sessions a day with different age groups.”

Asghar will be overseeing the development of the likes of Sam Amo-Ameyaw, Kami Doyle and Jayden Meghoma, who all spent pre-season with Martin’s seniors.

First-team coach Carl Martin will continue to be the link between the academy and Martin’s side, with individualised goals and targets for youngsters when they train up.

“I’ve been at loads of clubs where I’ve given players up and they are just a number, but that is not the case here and it’s motivational,” Asghar insisted.

Asghar is also keen to learn from those already at the club and revealed he picked up a few things from attending an under-15 match versus Chelsea last week and watching the coaches.

For Southampton’s professional development phase coaches, the focus is back on developing the individual first and foremost.

Asghar said: “It’s important to be clear on that. We have to be strong on measuring performance and winning is a by-product of that.

“It doesn’t mean you don’t play to win or that there isn’t an insatiable desire to win, we’re all here in the game to win.

“I do think it is our job as a coaching staff to measure the performance and the more important pillar is developing individual talent.

“It is individuals who make debuts and forge careers but we develop them in a team setting.

“We might make a decision to change a player’s position to develop them but also sometimes to challenge or upset them a bit, and bring out a different part of his game.”

Asghar also believes football can be too “insular” and he is not against taking inspiration from coaching in other sports.

While at Dundee United, he studied Scottish rugby – and commented on how their communication and unit work varied from what was typical in football.

“There are definitely things that are transferrable and although it’s a different sport, I think you’re seeing a lot of people in football do that now,” he said.

“There’s always things to learn from other sports and some of them might be ahead of us in certain things – we can be quite insular in football.”

While there are four major local rugby clubs in Southampton, you have to travel as far as Bath or London to find a Premiership club – Asghar will have to think outside the box again.

Asghar was asked one final question – what is his favourite scoreline in football? Five or six nil was his answer, with a couple of early goals and total domination.