21 January 2024 , 06:30
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It's almost a year to the day that Cardiff parted company with Mark Hudson.
The 41-year-old's first permanent managerial role lasted just four months before he was culled by the trigger-happy Bluebirds. But the former Cardiff and Huddersfield defender hasn't sat idly by over the past 12 months.
Since leaving Cardiff, he was headhunted for a role at Premier League new boys Sheffield United, integrated and moved on before Christmas after Paul Heckingbottom's sacking. Oh, and he went viral too.
The fact that Hudson has not only taken all that in his stride but describes the year-long period encapsulating those experiences as "a really positive one" speaks volumes about the character of an EFL stalwart who has transitioned into a hungry young coach.
"It's never nice to lose your job but that's part and parcel of the game," Hudson tells Mirror Football when asked to summarise 2023. "I've learnt so much. I'm definitely a much more rounded human being.
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"Experiences will always dictate that and I think life is about how you take those experiences. I'm a believer that there's no such thing as a bad experience; they're just experiences that you take what you want from. If something's not gone well, then why? It's a case of learning about it and then looking in the mirror and seeing what you can reflect on. That's what I've done."
Not only does Hudson boast a wealth of experience from a playing career that spanned over two decades, he's already cut his teeth extensively in the coaching sphere too.
So it should come as no surprise that shortly after his departure from Cardiff - and the video of him telling his children of the news which subsequently went viral - he was sounded out by Heckingbottom about joining Sheffield United as a defensive coach.
Hudson was sacked by Cardiff last January after just four months at the helm (Ryan Hiscott)Heckingbottom had twice tried to lure Hudson to Bramall Lane for such a role, but previous commitments prevented the idea from coming to fruition. It proved to be a case of third-time lucky, though.
Hudson, who took the call and sat on his stairs waiting to go to the gym, had no reservations about the dynamics of going back to a unit rather than leading as a No.1 after his Cardiff stint.
He explains: "I just want to work with good people. Whether that involves me leading or being an assistant or first-team coach, it doesn't matter. Being a part of a unit that wants to be successful, that has ambition and a good way of working is the most important thing.
"To have a very successful and settled coaching unit like Hecky had at Sheffield United and to be trusted and invited to be a part of that was brilliant for me. Not a lot of people would want to rock the boat in that situation. Plenty would think, 'This is what we've got - it's working and successful, so why rock the boat?'. You've got to be progressive to have that and to still want to evolve."
Hudson cut his coaching teeth at Huddersfield Town, where he also spent time during his playing career (John Early)With Stuart McCall focusing on midfield and Jack Lester leading the forwards, Hudson was seen as the final piece of Heckingbottom's jigsaw. The pieces soon went askew, though.
In the end, the challenges of managing a team who were handicapped by financial issues heading into their first season back in the Premier League eventually told.
As Hudson points out, not only were the Blades robbed of key personnel from their promotion-winning season, they were also plagued by serious injuries to the likes of club captain John Egan and Chris Basham. Heckingbottom and his staff, including Hudson, were dismissed in December.
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Hudson adds: "The Premier League is as good as ever; it's getting better every year. Being honest, from when I'd seen it before from the outside, to see how teams have progressed and how the athleticism and the speed of the game has developed, we knew we were going to have challenges.
"We had a small squad and didn't spend a lot in the summer, but you have to accept that's the way it is. It's about working with what you've got and trying to improve the players you have.
Hudson landed the Cardiff job after impressing in Steve Morison's absence (Cardiff City FC)"The experiences that I've faced in terms of the Cardiff role and then coming into Sheffield United and being part of a team hungry for more success is huge. There were always smiles on faces, there was no moaning."
The change of management at Bramall Lane meant Hudson had another opportunity for reflection over the Christmas period. Spending the two-week break with his wife and children at home was, in his own words, "doesn't happen a lot," so it was important to make the most of it.
Football was never too far away, though, with a packed festive fixture list. The feast of football Hudson digested on television over the festive period was supplemented by the Fantasy Premier League mini-league he's in with his two sons.
"I'm always watching what other teams and other managers do," he adds. "There's so much stuff to try and absorb and I'm trying to do that as much as I can while I'm not in work. I'm quite fidgety, so I can't sit down for too long! There's more courses to be done and places to visit until I'm back in the game."
It was Hudson's thirst for knowledge which forged that initial relationship with Heckingbottom when he was still at Huddersfield. It's no surprise to learn that further networking is high on his agenda.
Hudson has already been invited to observe Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna: a coach who was arguably the catalyst for the influx of progressive young managers who are now popping up all over the Football League.
David Wagner, who Hudson knows from his Huddersfield days, is another who has reached out to Hudson about a "study trip", as he calls it. A true student of the game, Hudson has contributed training sessions to the LMA handbook and is constantly striving for growth.
"It's nice to know that these offers are out there. To be invited into places and see how other people are doing things and to then confirm whether or not what you were doing was right or what you can take away from certain aspects of it is invaluable. There are so many different ways to do the job.
Hudson was promoted to the Premier League with Cardiff during his playing career (AMA/Corbis)"There are more clubs and managers open to sharing ideas and I think that's significantly helped the game. I can't comment on it before but it felt a bit like, 'This is my way and I don't really want anyone else to see what's going on'. Everything now is so media-driven.
"The world has become a sharing platform now almost - you can literally share work you've done. That openness is helping to develop the game and coaches within that. It's something I've found beneficial for sure."
Hudson's enthusiasm for football hasn't been dampened by his experiences at Cardiff and Sheffield United. He doesn't seemed scarred by them either - if anything, they have reinvigorated him.
Hudson was invited to work under Paul Heckingbottom at Sheffield United in the summer (Charlie Crowhurst)While he has a desire to manage again in his own right, there's no air of desperation in his voice when he muses over what's next. A hunger for growth and success, rather than the spotlight of being a No.1, is what drives him.
"The future for me is 100 per cent in. football coaching. It's in leading. Titles don't bother me. It's about being in a club that's progressive, ambitious and aligned with the human element that I've spoken about.
"I'm a family man and it's no coincidence, in my opinion, that the most successful squads I've been a part of have been like a family. I want to be successful and I want to be in a place that wants the same thing. The hunger for that is all the way through every bit of me. I want to be in an environment where I can give that to people."