A Conversation with AFC Wimbledon Substitution Coach, Sammy Lander

Sammy Lander (right) was hired by AFC Wimbledon manager Mark Robinson to be the club’s first (and perhaps the world’s first) substitution coach.

Recently, I spoke with Liverpool throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark. Near the end of the interview, I asked him if he thought coaching in soccer would become more specialized and he said ‘yes.’

In fact, he had an example.

Sammy Lander is the substitution coach for League One, AFC Wimbledon

Sammy was a former player (but just barely) at National League side Weymouth where he also served as an opposition analyst and assistant first-team coach.

He was also in a similar capacity with Bournemouth’s U23, an assignment that included regional scouting duty.

Ahead of this season, he was hired by Wimbledon first-team coach Mark Robinson on a trial basis.

Here is a transcript of our conversation from The Coaching Academy on SiriusXM FC, edited for clarity.

Glenn Crooks: As far as you know, are you the only substitution coach in soccer?

Sammy Lander: Yeah, as far as I know. I haven't been told of any others but hopefully it's a trend.

GC: What is your job description?

SL: The main role is to ensure that our substitutions, or as we call them finishers, enter the game as prepared as possible and ready to positively impact or add value to a game of football. And that's where I come in.

GC: Over the years, have you observed that players generally aren't as prepared as they could be when they come on?

SL: Yes, yes. And I've never actually been a player. What happened is when I was at Weymouth, I was a coach and because of COVID we couldn't name a full bench. So, they named me on the bench so that the opposition thought that we had enough players to fill a team.

That's how it all started - I experienced what it was like to be a substitute and in the 89th minute the gaffer has turned around and said you might have to come on because our striker was down. And it was only then where I felt like I'm nowhere near ready to get on mentally, technically, tactically. And then it triggered to start looking into substitutions in general which led me to this role.

GC: As coaches, we always tell the players on the bench to watch the game closely. But we are relying on them to do it. Are you the guy that now steps in and prepares them? Do you prepare throughout the entire match?

SL: We've got lots of different preparations and little protocols that I've created. Something as simple as any tactical changes - just sitting next to the players and going, ‘what does it mean that they've changed to a 4-3-3 and the wingers are now cheating slightly - what does that mean for you as a winger – it might mean that you can create two on ones.’ You could say that one of my roles is to make sure the players stay engaged tactically with clear instruction. It's then easier for them to enter what is already quite a tough situation.

GC: Why can't a normal assistant coach who's already on staff sit down next to the players throughout the match or just periodically and review that sort of thing?

SL: I think that they can but then by doing that you're taking his role away from potentially observing the game - you're dragging the assistant way to then lose a pair of eyes.

GC: Most of the time when I see players warming up, they don't have a ball. They're just moving their body, getting physically prepared. Is there a chance for technical preparation as well?

SL: Yes. We have specific protocols physically that the players and I have designed together so the buy in is there from them. And that allows them to be activated every 15 minutes. At halftime is when I get to work with the finishers (substitutes). If you do not touch football for 60 minutes, which is what it can be if you don't do anything at halftime, then that first pass or the first receiving, the first check of the shoulder, it feels all new.

GC: Taking that a step further. Can you work with a ball while the game is running in that second 45-minute period and be technically prepared that way?

SL: There's a theory that I unfortunately can't do it because the resources at AFC Wimbledon don't allow it. But for bigger clubs, you have bigger stadiums and resources. At Wembley, for example there is a little functional room just inside the tunnel. You could put players in there once in the first half, twice in the second half just to get those touches to break it up.

GC: Can you give me an example of how you mentally prepare the players?

SL: This is the most important for the footballer to be better. It's making sure that they feel loved. I did a bit of research at Weymouth and asked players what being a substitute has meant to them. And it's rejection - not being involved. It's being the left out. When you have a player that's in that mindset, I question whether they're ready to add value to the game. It's making sure that they know they still have a role to play. It's taking any ego out of the equation and saying that your role today might just be to prepare their mate at halftime - who's then going to go on for us and score the winner. We had a player whose role was a finisher and he made some notes on the opposition and then went to the person who was starting and talked them through his notes.

GC: The first thing that came to mind to me when I heard about a substitution coach was advising the manager when to do it, and who to do it with it. Is that something you consider?

SL: We've got loads of different concepts and one of them is what we call impact times of players when they sort of best hit their peak performance or how long they average a certain KPI (Key Performance Indicators). I have designed something around that but have not yet used it here.

An example would be when I was at Weymouth we had a player that would average a final third entry every six minutes. So then when I'm looking at maybe if we need an impact for attacking, I know every six minutes that you give this player he's going to help add value to the game.

GC: We figure you are the only substitution coach in the world. And Wimbledon also has a re-start coach, Andy Parslow.

SL: Yes, Andy’s job starts anytime the ball goes dead. anytime the ball goes dead. It's a massive part of the game.

GC: Do you see more specialization ahead in the game?

SL: I believe specialization is a way forward because the more you investigate something, the more consistent and deliberate you can be with it. And that's how you get to be effective at something.

It is my belief that if you can justify having a position that will give you a marginal gain, which could be two points across the season then I don't think you could stop anywhere. I think you could keep going with it and go crazy with it. Because if you can make your team better that is the aim of football isn't it? To win the more games.

GC: I don't know, Coach, it's not always looking for an edge. You've had a role in scouting in your lifetime as well. Does that play any role in what you're doing with Wimbledon or how you organize things on your end?

SL: It's taught me to be very observant which is something I think is an important skill when I'm in this role. When you go out to games when I was at Bournemouth, you're looking from everything - the minute you see the player, the minute they go back in the tunnel with their interactions, their body language, their tone of voice, how they apply themselves in the warmup. You're looking to whether you could justify paying a price for them. So, you want to know their character as a player. And I think I've brought that into the into this role a little bit where I'm observing players and recognizing who needs a little bit of a lift because they're a little bit down from being named as a finisher (substitute).