5 Questions with Marc Lamberts

The pursuit of wisdom in any walk of life quickly reveals that what you think you know is not nearly enough to get you to where you want to go. As I'm starting out in my football journey I challenged myself to reach out to those already working in various roles in football to answer a short list of questions. My goal wasn't to get answers but relevant perspectives on the game within the game.

Here is Marc Lamberts:

What is your first memory of football?

I guess I was 2 or 3 years old and I went to my local club VVV-Venlo. VVV-Venlo was and still is a club that goes between the Eredivisie and the Eerste Divisie, and the idea of every game counting was very appealing to me. It's no top tier club, but it's a great community and there's something special about relegation football and/or lower league football.

What is the biggest misconception/cliche you’ve found in this space?

The biggest misconception is that I found that some people expect you to have played on a professional level or gone to an academy of a professional club. This discouraged me at first, but I have met so many great scouts, analysts, coaches/trainers, and medical staff who have never played for a professional club but are really good at their job. Your worth is in the skill you have, it should be based on merit and not on background alone.

If you could start over what skill/perspective would you build on first?

I would go into training courses as soon as possible and become a coach, before an analyst. Not only looking solely at tactics but also involve the human element: how does a player behave on and off the pitch? What effect does the world have on him/her? Tactics doesn't look at the emotional aspect and that's really important.

What three (3) football icons would you want to have a meal with? Why?

Bielsa, because he really looks like a fascinating man in and out. I want to know what his football vision is in the intensity that he has, but I also want to know if he uses the same intensity with everything in life. Furthermore I would like to meet Marco Rose and Rene Maric, and discuss football with them. That simply would be amazing and I love the work they have done at Borussia Mönchengladbach last season.

What is your favorite quote or saying?

All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.