Jason McCarthy, who retired from playing at 29, has described Brighton as "the most forward-thinking club in the world" as he settles into his role as the club's under-21s assistant coach. The former Wycombe defender, who made 301 career appearances, took on the position at the start of last year and recently returned to it after two months in interim charge this summer.
Transition from player to coach
McCarthy, who turns 31 next month, began his coaching journey while still a defender at Wycombe, taking the club foundation's under-16s. "I was so flustered. I learned very quickly: if I'm going to do this in front of men – hopefully, eventually – then I need to practise," he said.
He was encouraged to pursue coaching by his friend Tobi Sho-Silva, a former Charlton trainee now of Hampton & Richmond Borough. McCarthy was 26 at the time and had considered other paths. "I'm a man of faith, so I thought maybe I'll end up being a pastor or working within the church. But then I did my [Uefa] B licence and I knew after about a week that I was way more suited to coaching than I was playing."
Admiration for Hürzeler
McCarthy has huge admiration for Brighton's head coach Fabian Hürzeler, who at 31 became the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history and was part of his interview process. "It was the first interview I ever went for," recalls McCarthy. "He asked me a lot of questions: 'How do I see the game? What sort of teams do I watch? When did I realise that I wanted to be a coach?' He retired at 23, so he was really empathetic: 'It's scary, it's daunting, people will tell you to keep on playing, but trust the feeling you have.'"
McCarthy shared a moment that speaks to Hürzeler's "incredible growth mindset": "I saw him running around the training ground, holding a piece of paper and reading. I think he read somewhere that taking on information while exercising can help you remember it. He's constantly trying to improve himself. How can you not be inspired by that?"
Inspiration from Pochettino and Koeman
McCarthy cites Mauricio Pochettino, who he saw work first hand at Southampton, as another source of inspiration. He made his Southampton debut as an 87th-minute substitute at Crystal Palace on Boxing Day in 2014 under Ronald Koeman. "The quickest bib-to-shirt change you've ever seen. I was on the right with [Sadio] Mané ... crazy. Koeman was a lot colder than Pochettino, but a very good coach. He'd make me feel terrible; he liked joining in drills – he was in his 50s but he'd never lose the ball and here I was, couldn't trap a bag of cement."
McCarthy tells a story about Pochettino at Southampton when he was 17 and cleaning José Fonte's boots. "It was the gaffer. He said: 'I watched your game for the under-21s. I thought you did this well, you could have done this better, so, next week, you'll train with us and we'll work on some of those things.' I felt like he knew me inside out, and I was just a scholar; he made me feel 10ft tall."
Coaching ambitions and Brighton's success
McCarthy completed a diploma in psychology and a course in data analytics. He observes games live and remotely, studying Barcelona under Hansi Flick, Michael Carrick's work at Middlesbrough and Jim McNulty's in non-league with Rochdale. "There's a link between them – possession – but they do it in different ways."
Brighton's under-21s were Premier League 2 champions for the first time last season and last month overcame Paris Saint-Germain. "I was incredibly proud to be part of a side that created history for the academy," McCarthy says. "I believe winning and development come hand in hand so to help create that winning mentality within the group is something all of the staff can be really proud of. Hopefully it is just the start."
McCarthy plans to apply for his pro licence next year. "I want to challenge myself at the elite level – I'd love to do that one day. I'm very fortunate I'm at an elite club, so I get to see elite behaviour, standards, traits, players and staff, daily. What I did as a player … can I be even better as a coach?"
