Newcastle Red Bulls boss Dan McFarland says chasing victories alone won't drive his squad, and he'd rather embrace the Monday grind.
Ask most coaches what fuels them and you'll hear about the rush of victory. Newcastle Red Bulls head coach Dan McFarland takes a different view. For him, the thrill of winning is not enough to carry a group of players through a long, punishing season.
McFarland's argument is that if success is the only thing a squad is chasing, motivation becomes fragile. Results can't be controlled completely, and a team that lives and dies by the scoreboard can lose its footing the moment things stop going its way. That is why he looks beyond the final whistle for what keeps his players driven.
Hence the Monday preference. The day after a match is when the real work begins: the review, the honest conversations, and the reset that shapes the next performance. For McFarland, the daily process of improving, learning and building together matters more than the brief high of a win.
It's a philosophy built on long-term growth rather than short-term highs. For a Newcastle side looking to build something lasting in the Premiership, McFarland wants his players hooked on the work itself, with results following from it.
