Osian Roberts: The power behind Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace throne

Osian Roberts is fascinated at the motivation that drives multi-millionaire footballers to put their reputations and family lives on the line to enter management. Picture: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Osian Roberts is hardly a household name among even the hippest of hipster football fans, but those in the game bow down to a coach known as The Godfather of Welsh football.

Roberts has been the power behind Patrick Vieira's throne at Crystal Palace this season and previously worked alongside Wales managers Gary Speed, Chris Coleman and Ryan Giggs.

But it is as a mentor to the current breed of young managers that the 55-year-old is held in the highest esteem.

Aside from promising French manager Vieira, Roberts also guided Arsenal's Mikel Arteta through his formative coaching days and was the man who put Thierry Henry and Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders through his paces.

The list goes on and Roberts, who is happy with his role out of the limelight, is now devoted to making Vieira the best possible manager – even though he is still in regular contact with most of his former protegees too.

Vieira is seen as a long-term replacement at Arsenal for fellow Roberts student Arteta and the Welsh coach is fascinated at the motivation that drives multi-millionaire footballers to put their reputations and family lives on the line to enter management.

“I have seen other top, top players come and do their coaching qualifications who did not have that necessary fire in their belly to go and do it for another 20 year career,” Roberts observed. “It is not for everybody. You can see clearly that Patrick and several others clearly still have and really want to develop into successful managers and coaches.

“It comes from a love for the game that still exists. They have had such fabulous careers as players they want to stay as close as possible and the next best thing is to still be on the training pitch every day, still be around other players every day and still be able to perform, albeit as a coach, in these wonderful arenas that they play in.

“On top of that being a success – that thirst for knowledge they combine it with a thirst for success as football managers.

“I think it is great to see some of the current managers who also graced our league in recent times coming back as managers – it just adds to the quality of the Premier League.” 

Roberts describes himself as more of a mentor than a boss to his crop of young coaches and warns them all they will only get so far on their playing reputation.

He explained: “Being great players maybe gets them the first six games. When they walk into a room they have that aura, that personality. Players are going to look up to them but after a very short period of time players will make their minds up as to whether or not this former great player can coach or manage – you have to earn their respect from a different angle.

“The best ones will succeed in doing that. It gives you a chance and opens a door and a short window in which to convince players can lead them as a group of professional players to success.” 

Drilling down on Vieira, who brought him over to Palace from his role as the head of Morocco's coaching set-up, Roberts fondly recalled what his student was like.

"He was very studious. He had no ego, a lot of humility and was prepared to accept that he wasn't going to get anywhere based on the fact that he was a top player.

"He had to re-educate himself from the viewpoint of becoming a coach and a manager and he has done that in a very studious way. He is very serious, very detailed and very thorough.

"His playing days are not something that he mentions. He doesn't say to the players 'this is what I used to do'. That door has been closed and he sees himself 100% as a manager.

"I went to visit him in Nice when he was working there and I'm delighted in the way he has developed as a coach and a manager. Hopefully he is going to be around for a long time because he has so much to offer as a manager.

“I was delighted when our discussions came to fruition.

"I've been assistant for my national team to Gary Speed, Chris Coleman and Ryan Giggs. My role here as assistant is to make sure Patrick can be as successful as he possibly he can be. Everything he wants and needs we have to provide to help him be a success.” 

Much of his philosophy was imbued during visits to learn from former Juventus manager Marcelo Lippi, who taught him how to work with elite players.

Roberts started his coaching career in 1992 with Wales as coach educator and coaching several national youth teams before being appointed technical director of the Football Association of Wales Trust in 2007.

A place in Speed's coaching staff follow three years later and part of his role included setting up coaching courses that attracted some of the modern-day greats.

“My reputation has been earned due to my coaching abilities and I know my Pro-licence course is held in high esteem.” he added. “Managers have told me they’ve learned so much from my courses and the feedback has given me confidence.” 

Osian Roberts. Remember the name.