Charlie Adam has a bit of an image problem.
The former Blackpool midfielder was often mocked as a player for looking older than he actually was and his lack of mobility – a stark feature of his later career – led to accusations about his weight.
Off the pitch he was named by Peter Crouch in his podcast as the secret identity of ‘Parched’, a player Crouch said earned the nickname because he refused to have a water break with teammates and instead would spend the time chatting to the management team about tactics.
But under the surface of the accusations of being unfit, overweight teacher’s pet is a player with a sharp football brain and a coach with ambition and experience – as well as intense self-awareness on how and where he needs to improve.
Everton’s first dedicated set piece coach will be a refreshing appointment for fans. Sean Dyche’s refusal to hire one was held as an example of his archaic coaching style and the appointment is at the very least a PR win for David Moyes and his management team.
Kevin Thelwell was quick to explain the appointment: “We’re also pleased to welcome Charlie to what is a new role for us. Set piece coaches are becoming increasingly common in top-level football, such is their importance, and we’re looking forward to working with Charlie.”
Adam certainly took a superb set piece. Famous for scoring directly from corners, he was once described by Sir Alex Ferguson as worth 10 points a season because of his prowess from corners and free kicks.
“We were deep in the mire in the first half,” said United’s manager. “We just couldn’t handle Charlie Adam’s free-kicks and corners. We were all over the place. His corner kicks are worth £10million in themselves. “The boy is an incredible striker of the ball.”
Instead he cut his coaching teeth at boyhood club Dundee, where he worked with the academy after two years as a player. He then spent some time at West Ham before moving to Vincent Kompany’s Burnley. There he was initially loan manager before becoming a bridge between Kompany’s staff and the u21 and youth teams.
He told the Sacked in the Morning podcast: “”He [Kompany] has been amazing for me. Part of our remit as coaches is next week I go in with the first team for a week.
“I’ll be in every meeting discussing how they’re going to set up against Brentford, watch the analysis, and get that education that way through the first-team and that’s something he’s allowed the more senior staff in the academy team to go into. It’s been brilliant.
“The doors open. I’ve become a link between the first-team and the academy. It’s been great for me and it’s an open door policy if you want to ask him [questions].”
He has never been shy about his desire to manage and moved from Burnley to take the Fleetwood job. That went badly as he failed to save them in the League One relegation battle (although relegation was almost a formality when he joined) and was then sacked with the club 18th in League Two. During that spell Adam talked of spending time watching youth age groups with a view to giving youngsters minutes and explained his desire to bring in senior staff to mentor him as a young manager.
That drive to improve at all costs was evident in his playing days, where his time spent with the coaches may have drawn ridicule from his teammates but shows a dedication to become the best coach he can be.
He did gain praise for his focus on technical coaching while at Fleetwood and his underdog status throughout his career means a lot of his interviews talked of players with the heart and desire to make the most of opportunities in the game.
Having worked in numerous coaching roles already, Adam will form a young section of the coaching team alongside Leighton Baines and they will be looking to learn from the experience of David Moyes, Billy McKinley and newly appointed assistant manager Alan Irvine.
Adam will focus on set pieces but he is a good all-rounder with a keen tactical knowledge harking back to the ‘parched’ days. He also believes in youth and has worked in u21 setups.
Adam’s role will be judged on Everton’s set piece success but with his experience of Premier League and International football will be another plus for Moyes’ coaching team as they seek to transform Everton.