Innovations & myths about corners: Specialist setpiece coach Parslow on his role

The rise of the specialist set-piece coach has been a key development in the game as football continues to search for an edge. But what do they actually do and who are the latest innovators? A conversation with Andy Parslow sheds some light.

Parslow has worked as a restarts coach at Wimbledon and a specialist set-piece coach at Swansea, improving the records of both teams. Initially, he experienced what he delicately refers to as some "cautious intrigue" among the players, but that has changed.

Football has changed. A more sophisticated attitude to set pieces has emerged. "I remember speaking to someone about man-to-man marking and they told me that they liked it because if there is a goal then you know who to blame," Parslow tells Sky Sports.

"If you are starting off your set-piece process by thinking about who you are going to blame when it goes wrong, I think you are already onto a bit of a loser there. There is more thought going into it now which is why clubs are hiring full-time staff to deal with it."

At the top end of the game, every point can be worth millions, every goal too. The investment in a specialist set-piece coach can reap huge rewards. "It is a significant return that you can get on a relatively small investment, in my opinion," says Parslow.

"It is not an untapped market but it is an underappreciated and slightly misunderstood market at the minute." In football, as in life, there are those who fear change. Jurgen Klopp's introduction of a throw-in coach sparked guffaws from sections of the media.

Parslow regards these marginal gains as just part of the game, part of the process of helping teams to improve their chance of success.

"You are not there to be a star," insists Parslow. "You are there to help the