Winning in team sports is almost impossible. That’s why few do it. You have to gather a collection of egos and talent and get everyone on the same page at the same time – over the course of a season.
A real shining example of that came during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win on Sunday, when Travis Kelce ran into Andy Reid and yelled in his face.
The whole world was like, ‘Oh my god, how could Kelce do that?’ But my first thought was: this is not what it seems. On the surface, it looked like Kelce was undermining Reid – and how dare a player yell at a coach like that?
But in my experience it was more about the bond and synergy between them. Sure, Kelce was aggressive, but his response was more, “Give me the damn ball.” This is the big game. I’m the man.’
I’ve done that with other players and other players have done that with me: I shouted at my centre-backs, guys like Phil Jagielka at Everton, who was a good friend. It’s the opposite of undermining them. It’s a matter of respect and it’s the other way around: someone trusts me enough to attack me like that, knowing I can handle it.
Travis Kelce yelled in Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s face during the Super Bowl in Vegas
DailyMail.com’s sports columnist Tim Howard was not shocked by the sideline clash in Vegas
And I think it speaks volumes that Reid didn’t even blink. He doesn’t even look back at Kelce, he doesn’t react, he just absorbs it. He knows exactly what it is. And he probably liked it: that’s the reaction I want from my biggest player in the biggest game.
It says everything about the leader that Reid is, the winner he is and the culture he creates. That’s why he’s a multiple champion. Every good leader needs humility and a real sense of balance – knowing when to be stern and pound his fist on the table, and when to absorb such moments.
The way he and Kelce reacted told me this wasn’t the first time. I imagine they’ve had worse clashes than that. This was only the first time we saw it. It just happened to happen in front of the whole world.
During my career it’s usually been the other way around: I’ve had horrific conversations with both Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, and whether you think you’re right or wrong, a manager has to. can have a blow to you and you have to be able to deal with it. I often had all the excuses in the book, but they wouldn’t hear of it.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane is said to have clashed with Sir Alex Ferguson
Howard often shouted at his ‘dear friend’ and Everton teammate Phil Jagielka (pictured)
No one at Everton would ever go to David Moyes. Once a player – who shall remain nameless and who had a lot to say – was adamant that he would not run again after a match. Moyes got hold of that information and got hold of the player – he had him pinned against the wall and I can assure you the player was doing the fitness!
At Manchester United, Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson had a few clashes. I remember them going head-to-head in the dressing room after a game at Bolton. Things were being thrown, shouting back and forth while the rest of us were all hiding in the corner. It’s going to be awkward – no one will intervene! Everyone shut up. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to be in a locker room with two such great leaders, there’s nothing you can say or do.
But then again, you can’t have those fiery conversations, those screaming matches, without respect. Otherwise it will boil over. It all comes from a foundation of respect.
THE SECRETS OF BUILDING A DYNASTY
The Chiefs’ win over the 49ers cemented Kansas City as a dynasty. I know from my time at Manchester United that teams that consistently win have a certain culture. It is set by the manager, but then lived by the players every day: a strong mentality, holding each other accountable – which is very difficult to do, by the way. Because everyone wants to be liked. No one wants difficult conversations.
But on championship-winning teams, difficult conversations happen every day. Players push each other and don’t care about being liked. One vision, one goal and they rarely deviate from it.
If they do, there are enough characters to bring it back. And often the coaches don’t have to do much; they’ve already planted the seeds, so the team is taking care of itself.
Kelce has now helped the Kansas City Chiefs win three Super Bowls in the past five years
Championship pedigree is all about mentality. Performance, execution… that speaks for itself. But to be resilient from the start of the season to the final whistle is all about mentality.
You can coach that, but it’s rare. You need to identify good characters: people who can handle pressure, who are willing to put themselves in uncomfortable situations, who are willing to be vulnerable. And that has nothing to do with being a good player. It has everything to do with character.
At United it was all about the smallest details. On a daily basis, Fergie created a training environment where winning mattered. It mattered that you won a small game. Target practice was important. And if your team lost, the players would be fuming.
You began to understand that the bar was getting so high Monday through Friday that you were so terrified of letting your teammates down. That then started to trickle down on game day. With that mentality you are already hardened.
The standards at Manchester United were set every day in training by players like Keane
Reid has built a winning culture in Kansas City, helping the team overcome adversity
Every day I was nervous about going to practice – and that’s okay. It wasn’t about just getting through the next hour and a half. But that standard is actually only offered to the best teams. And that also applies off the field: not wearing a cap at matches, shirts tucked in, showing up on time for meals, it all mattered. Best practices become habit.
The 49ers admitted after the Super Bowl that they didn’t know the overtime rules. A huge mistake. Can you imagine the Chiefs doing that? No.
Yes, they weren’t brilliant this year. But it still felt inevitable that they would win the Super Bowl. That’s because of best practices: making sure there is consistency in performance, in the way they do their work and in the things they say.
Sometimes I listen to what’s coming out of the Chiefs locker room and think, “This is so boring and so vanilla.” But the same was true for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s Patriots. They didn’t give you much. It was very much a working man’s mentality: helmet, lunch pail and you just knew what you were going to get.
MAHOMES HAS QUALITIES YOU CANNOT TEACH
You can give someone support. You can push them to be better. But if you could coach someone to perform in the most stressful moments, everyone would do it. And not everyone can do that.
Patrick Mahomes has something special. It’s innate. Before the playoffs, people were asking, can he do it away from home? Yes. Why? Because his mentality is so strong. He hasn’t had to do that because they’ve been so good, but I don’t think anyone in their right mind ever doubted that he would perform at that level, away from home, in the cold. It didn’t matter.
Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs on a game-winning drive in overtime against San Francisco
He had something in him from very early on that said: I can be a champion, I can be a leader. And we see that over time with special players.
Roy Keane never blinked in the face of adversity. If he ever felt any fear, he never showed it.
The biggest matches were the ones he enjoyed, those moments brought out the best in him.
And when you have a good leader, who always shows up, who never lets you down, you are terrified of letting him or her down.
So you keep your standards high because they showed you what it takes. Are you playing for pride? Yes. Do you play for yourself? Yes. Do you play not to lose, out of fear? Certainly. But you also play not to let your leader down.
MY SUPER BOWL WEEK IN VEGAS
Tim Howard in Las Vegas for Super Bowl week
I was in Las Vegas last week and it is such a special place because everything is so compact.
Often at the Super Bowl, all the parties, events and glitz are spread out. That can’t happen in Vegas. It’s one constant party.
I went to a Siegelman Stable event. I went to the LIV Golf Party. I went to see the comedian Bill Burr. I gambled and lost, which is normal. People who tell you they won, they are full of it!
The city is becoming a sports capital of the US and the Golden Knights have shown that Vegas supports franchises. So we need to see the NBA there and see the MLS there!
