Meet the coaches - Josh Arnold

Where have you previously coached?

I moved to Bloomsbury from Aldro school in Surrey where I was a full time sports coach and head of football for three years. This role involved coaching the schools 1st team (U13), organising sports fixtures and working with boys of various ages to develop their football as they progressed through the school. Alongside this role I also worked evenings as an academy coach at Kickstart Coaching, coaching the U8 and U10 development and academy groups. Before this, whilst studying for my degree in Manchester, I worked for Burnley football club as a performance analyst and academy scout. I have also had experience working for various coaching companies during school holidays and whilst at university. 

What coach do you aspire to be like? 

I like to take something from every coach that I observe and build up my own coaching philosophy.  I love the attention to detail of Pep Guardiola, the passion of Jurgen Klopp, the style of football that Eddie Howe has implemented at Bournemouth and the focus on attitude and work rate that is expected of the Burnley team under Sean Dyche. 

What is your fondest football achievement?

I love the 14 years of playing football with my mates in various teams at various levels but I would say that my greatest achievement so far has been leading the Aldro 1st team to the ISFA cup quarterfinals in 2019 where we were narrowly defeated by Brighton College.  The school had never progressed this far in the competition before and we were by far the smallest school in the competition. I rank this as my greatest achievement because I managed to get the best from every player and had a team that worked for each other and never gave up.

What is the most rewarding aspect of coaching at Bloomsbury Football Academy?

Coaching is most rewarding for the fact that we have the opportunity to develop not only somebody's footballing ability but to help them develop as a person. I love to create a fun and relaxed environment in which participants can maximise their potential and do what they love at the same time. I am lucky to have a job which I am so passionate about. 

What football club do you support?

Portsmouth Football Club, through the ups and the downs - both of which I have experienced in my lifetime! 

Who is your favourite player?

There are so many brilliant players that have inspired me. I idolise Lionel Messi as he is a footballing genius. I love the work rate and creativity of Cristiano Ronaldo and I believe Kylian Mbappe is the one to watch in the coming years. There are also many Pompey players that I have enjoyed watching over the years; Lassana Diarra, Lomana Lua Lua, Sylvain Distin and David James to name just a few!