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Richard Thomas has claimed that his family have played a big part in his development as a coach.

The Notts County assistant manager has been a crucial element of Kevin Nolan's side's progress from League Two relegation strugglers to promotion hopefuls.

When asked about who has inspired him, Thomas told the Nottingham Post: β€œIt’s not about one person or one big name manager for me, anybody and anyone can give me something that I can take into practice.

β€œMy brother and sister-in-law are both PE teachers, my other sister is a teacher and they are educators of people.

β€œMy dad is a coach so it’s sort of a family thing. I will lean on them and listening to how they talk and what they say not in their practices maybe, but when we discuss work I will take from them as much as they can give me.

β€œWhether it’s one little nugget of information I can use on a regular basis, I will take that as much as watching your Klopps, your Mourinhos, your Guardiolas and the world’s best.

β€œYou draw on your own experiences. I played marginally above pub level, but there are managers there that bring so many good values over the course of 19-20 years I’ve been coaching.

β€œBut I was learning things from the under-9s coach at Orient when I was academy manager. It was fantastic.

β€œHe may have been on a course, or got his own mannerisms, which I look at and go β€˜that’s a great trait, I am taking that one’.

β€œI don’t care who it comes from. If it helps me which indirectly helps the players then directly helps the club, then it doesn’t matter where the information comes from.

β€œLook at the boss (Alan Hardy) in his business field. He’s a great example. I must be able to learn something from him. He may not see it that way in terms of coaching.

β€œBut there must be something he does in his business structure that works on the coaching field, or helps me with my week.

β€œIf it can make you half-a-percent better then those marginal gains are all important.”

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