Integer Football

Time to get working. Time to move forward. Time to grind. Time to hustle. Time to go. Let’s work. KMF. ❤️⚽️

A huge game ahead today for Charlie Cresswell as @staderennaisfc take on @psg — and another exciting step in what has already been a fantastic journey. ⚽️❤️🖤 Now into my fifth year working with Charlie, it was brilliant to be back with him again this summer at @leedsbeckettofficial and @carnegieschoolofsport, preparing for another massive season ahead. From the first time I met Charlie, what stood out was his uniqueness. He thinks differently, works differently and is completely focused on getting better and becoming the very best defender he possibly can. An incredible competitor, a natural leader and someone who is always looking to improve every part of his game. His move to Rennes, in a deal worth up to €28 million, is another huge step forward — with European football ahead and another opportunity to keep pushing his game to the highest level. A huge thank you again to @leedsbeckettofficial and @carnegieschoolofsport for looking after us so well this summer and providing outstanding facilities for the work. Good luck today, Charlie. Keep pushing, keep improving and enjoy every moment. God bless & KMF ❤️⚽️ #IntegerFootball #CharlieCresswell #BlueSkySports #StadeRennais #Rennes #PSG #ParisSaintGermain #PlayerDevelopment #FootballDevelopment #LeedsBeckettUniversity #CarnegieSchoolOfSport

An incredibly proud moment seeing Archie Gray captain Tottenham Hotspur in their opening Premier League game of the 2026/27 season at Brentford — at just 20 years of age. ⚽️🤍 I’ve had the privilege of working continuously with Archie since he was eight years old, and this summer we completed a three-week training block together at Leeds Beckett University’s Carnegie School of Sport. The work covered the complete demands of the modern game — technical development and game-realistic football work, alongside speed, agility, power, strength, endurance, speed endurance and the psychological side of performance. A huge thank you again to @leedsbeckett and the @Carnegie_Sport for providing us with outstanding facilities and looking after us so well. Twelve years on, Archie’s desire to learn, improve and keep pushing remains exactly the same. Keep pushing, keep improving and enjoy every moment of another huge season ahead, Arch. God bless & KMF ❤️⚽️ #IntegerFootball #ArchieGray #BlueSkySports #TottenhamHotspur #Spurs

Congratulations to Finlay Gorman on signing his first professional contract with Manchester City. ⚽️🩵 A massive moment for Finlay and his family, and another important step on what is already a fantastic journey. A hugely talented young player with so much ahead of him. Congratulations, Finlay. Keep pushing, keep improving and enjoy every moment. God bless & KMF 🙏🏽⚽️ #BlueSkySports #FinlayGorman #ManchesterCity #ManCity #PlayerDevelopment

After a fantastic first year at the prestigious and historic College of Charleston, it was great to spend time with Dan Toulson again and help get him ready for another exciting year ahead in the United States. 🇺🇸⚽️ Always a pleasure working with Dan, and even more so simply spending time with such a brilliant young man. Keep pushing, Dan. Another massive year ahead. God bless & KMF ❤️ #IntegerFootball #DanToulson #CollegeOfCharleston #PlayerDevelopment

An amazing few weeks for Rogan Ravenhill. ⚽️❤️ I’ve worked with Rogan for five years, and rarely will you come across a character as steely in his determination and desire to succeed. Every summer, when the training gets tough, Rogan is there with the outfield players — running, pushing, competing and always doing everything he can to be at the front. An unbelievable attitude. A boyhood Barnsley fan, on the terraces all his life and part of the Academy since he was nine, he is now beginning to live the dream he has worked so hard for. His Barnsley debut in the Carabao Cup two weeks ago — Man of the Match. Then last week, his league debut for his beloved Barnsley. ❤️ Unbelievable, Rogan. Good lad. So proud of you. Now for the next step. Keep pushing. 🔥 God bless & KMF ❤️ #IntegerFootball #BlueSkySports #RoganRavenhill #BarnsleyFC #PlayerDevelopment #Goalkeeper #Football #KMF

Entering our 14th year working together. An absolute pleasure, Kian Spence. ⚽️🔥 New season, massive opportunity. Always pushing, always improving and always setting the highest standards. Go and take every moment, Kian. God bless & KMF ❤️ #IntegerFootball #KianSpence #BlueSkySports #RotherhamUnited #PlayerDevelopment #Football

Great to spend some time working with Harry Leonard again over the summer. 17 goals last season after only joining Peterborough in September — a fantastic return and a great platform to keep building from. Always sharp, always ready to work and, importantly, always looking for the little adjustments that can make him better. A young player with a terrific mindset and the very best years still ahead of him. Keep pushing, Harry. ⚽️🔥 God bless & KMF 💙 #IntegerFootball #HarryLeonard #PeterboroughUnited #PlayerDevelopment #Football #KMF

Enjoyed, as always, working with Harry Gray this summer. An outstanding young man, always pushing daily to be the best version of himself and to keep improving. Wishing Harry the very best of luck as he begins his league season today on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. Go well, lad. God bless and KMF 💪⚽️💙 #IntegerFootball #BlueSkySports

Massive congratulations to Ellie Lawrence! 👏🏆⚽️ Player of the Tournament and a Dana Cup winner in Denmark — a fantastic achievement and a reward for all your hard work, dedication and love of the game. Keep believing, keep improving, keep moving forward. KMF 👊🏽⚽️

Another player taking the next step after years of dedication, commitment and consistency. Congratulations, Max. A brilliant achievement—and just the beginning. 👏⚽️ #IntegerFootball #BarnsleyFC #PlayerDevelopment #FirstProContract #KeepMovingForward

Such very sad news about Kevin Keegan. An absolute hero to me and to so many across the whole of football. ⚽️❤️ This is still one of the proudest treasures in my old autograph book from the late 70s and early 80s — kindly signed by Kevin at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough. A little piece of my childhood and a wonderful memory of a twice European Footballer of the Year — a world football legend we were so proud to call our own. God rest you, Kevin, and be with all your family and friends. 🙏🏽❤️⚽️

The semifinal was only the second opportunity I’ve had to watch Lionel Messi live, and for much of the second half I was fortunate enough to have him playing directly in front of where I was sitting on the right-hand side. I’d spent much of the game watching him anyway — trying to understand what he was thinking. How often was he scanning? What pictures was he seeing? What was influencing his next decision? What struck me after England scored was the complete absence of panic. As the game intensified, Messi gradually began to move himself into the areas where he could have greater influence. He found the spaces he wanted inside the wing and increasingly began gesturing to teammates, showing them where to move and where he wanted them to be. Watching that intelligence unfold at close quarters was fascinating. Argentina, as a team, also demonstrated both sides of the game required at the very highest level. They competed with enormous intensity and psychological strength, hunted collectively out of possession, but also had the craft and footballing quality to hurt England. For me, there is an important point here about what we mean by bravery in football. Bravery is putting your body on the line, making blocks and defending when you have to. But bravery is also wanting the ball in tight areas under enormous pressure — and possessing the technical ability and awareness to deal with it when it arrives. I believe England are now developing players with those qualities. Perhaps one reflection from this tournament will be whether we need more of that type of player within the squad to give us different ways of controlling and dictating games. The other semifinal offered a different lesson. Spain were outstanding against France. Their positioning out of possession and their negative transitions closed spaces incredibly quickly, while in possession their technical quality and decision-making were exceptional. What particularly interested me was their patience. A positive transition didn’t automatically mean attacking as quickly as possible. At times, the best decision was to retain possession, restore their structure and wait for the right opportunity. Rodri was immense, while Lamine Yamal again showed remarkable maturity and selflessness in his decision-making. I was also incredibly fortunate to experience the Argentina semifinal sitting among families of the Argentinian players. Seeing and feeling that connection between the supporters and players at close quarters was extraordinary. The passion and intensity surrounding South American football is something very special. Now we have a fascinating final ahead. Argentina may look to make it a battle as well as a football match. Spain will look to impose their technical quality, positioning and control. Two outstanding football nations with different identities and different strengths. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds — and hopefully England will reflect, learn and continue to develop, because I firmly believe we have the players capable of competing at this level and, in the future, going one step further. 🏆⚽️ KMF 👊🏽⚽️ #WorldCup2026 #Football #Coaching #PlayerDevelopment #England #Argentina #Spain #IntegerFootball

What an atmosphere!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇦🇷 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 #EngArg #ThreeLions #KMF #IntegerFootball

⭐️⭐️❔ Come on England!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🦁🦁🦁 #ThreeLions #KMF #IntegerFootball

What a game. What a game! ⚽🔥🇪🇸 Rodri — absolutely immense. What an unbelievable player and level. He simply ran the show. Spain were fantastic out of possession, in negative transitions, and with their pass selection and ability to invite pressure before playing through it and keeping the ball. Wow. 👏⚽ France just couldn’t really get going and, in the end, didn’t have an answer. A really fantastic game to watch and experience live at the World Cup. 🇪🇸🇫🇷🏟️🌎 After the game, I went for a long walk with my great friend in football, Diego Reyes, assistant coach of the Uruguayan national team. Wonderful to be with him, as always, and to spend time talking about world football. 🇺🇾⚽ Off on a flight today to Atlanta, where England play Argentina. The big one! ✈️🇺🇸🏟️ Come on, England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🙌⚽ #FIFAWorldCup #WorldCup2026 #Spain #France #Rodri #England #ThreeLions #Atlanta #Football #KMF #IntegerFootball

Great to catch up in New York with my great friend John Farnworth. More than 20 years of friendship, football and exchanging ideas — and we’re still talking about how best to help players develop their creativity and individual skill! ⚽️🌎 The importance of individual expression and imagination in player development — always geared towards helping the team win — never changes. KMF 👊🏽⚽️ #IntegerFootball #PlayerDevelopment #Football #KMF

A reflection on the first semi-final. I thought France might have too much, but Rodri totally and utterly controlled the game. I’ve rarely seen a player so dominant in a match of such significance. Levels above anyone else on the pitch. His positioning. His interceptions. His shutting down space. That telescopic leg appearing at exactly the right moment. Knowing when to hit an opponent and neutralise them. His precision in possession and ability to choose and deliver the right pass at the right time. An absolute midfield masterclass. A privilege to watch live. ⚽️👏🇪🇸 #WorldCup2026 #Football #Rodri #PlayerDevelopment #IntegerFootball #KMF

New York for the final weekend of the World Cup. 🗽⚽️🏆 What an incredible few weeks of football it has been. So much to reflect on from a coaching perspective — the tactical trends, individual performances and what the very best players and teams are doing at the highest level. Looking forward to sharing a few thoughts over the next few days. 🌎⚽️ #KMF