The Player/Coach Dynamic - By Lee Addison - .......... and most important thing to keep in mind when dealing with your players is to establish mutual respect. If a coach does not respect his players, they will not respect him, and the relationship will become simply unworkable.

This does not mean you need to be best friends with your players right from the start, only that you treat them with respect and at a minimum in a businesslike way. In this way, even coaches and players with very different personalities can get on very well together.

It is commonly thought that the practical joker style player can't get on with the serious, business like coach, but so long as each treats the other with the respect they deserve when it comes to on the pitch matters, it should not be a problem.

Many coaches will be understandably reluctant to get involved in the private family or financial matters of their players. However, it is often the case that coaches act as sort of mentors to players, and they will be the people players feel most comfortable talking to.

Of course, players will also bring these matters up because they are affecting the player's performance on the pitch. In this case, there is no real separation between rugby and private lives, and a coach may well have to get involved at one level or another.

Securing good communication between coach and players is another vital cog in ensuring the smooth running of this relationship. If a player is not performing adequately in training, is constantly late, or is not reaching required fitness levels, make sure to tell him what he needs to do to keep his place on the team.

If you do decide to drop a player for a match, be sure to tell him why, and give him specific targets to work on. There is nothing worse for a player than not being selected and being given no reason why. This will only break down the trust that is so necessary for a player coach relationship to work.

The specific goals and expectations a coach has are some of the biggest ways that he impacts a club when he arrives. Again, this is all about communicating these goals to your players. Giving them clear and specific targets and expectations to work towards will help them make the transition more easily and smooth out any rough edges.

At the end of the day, after all, you are the coach, and they will have to adapt to your style. The question is how quickly they will adapt, and how much they will respect your goals and truly come around to your way of thinking.

The player coach dynamic is changing, and you will have to adapt to it to stay on top. While there is still plenty of room for business like coaching without being bosom buddies with your players, it will not be enough to maintain an icy detachment from your players. Treat them with the respect they deserve, explain your decisions to them and build up trust if you want to convert this relationship into superior performances on the pitch.

Remember that personalities are not that important - in any organisation, people of different personalities will have to work together for the common good, and rugby league is no different. After all, you will be seeing most of these players for several hours a week for a long time - it makes sense to have a good working relationship with them.