Relocation is part and parcel of life in football, and few know that better than Philippe Clement's assistant Stephan Van Der Heyden.
The 57-year-old arrived at Carrow Road alongside Clement last November, tasked with helping mastermind the Canaries' escape from Championship relegation danger.
It was the latest chapter in a long-running coaching partnership that began at Club Brugge in 2011 and was renewed at Rangers after six years apart.
During that spell away from compatriot and close friend Clement, Van Der Heyden gained further experience as an assistant manager with FK Vardar in Macedonia, Jordan's national team and Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters.
The Belgian number two admits that travelling the world and immersing himself in different coaching environments was something he always wanted to pursue after a playing career spent solely in his homeland, Holland and France.
“I am an adventurer, I know,” he said, speaking exclusively to the Pink Un from the Canaries' London training camp base.
“When I was a player, I always travelled a lot. After the season, it’s different now; I speak from almost 30 years ago. But after the season, most players stayed at home or went for a week on holiday.
“I jumped on the plane with my missus, and we went to Australia for three or four weeks, or to Mexico or wherever, so I always liked travelling.
“Then me and the gaffer (Clement), we started working together in Bruges in 2011. I was in recruitment part-time, and the other part for me was individual training for the midfielders. The gaffer was a part-time under-21 coach, training the defenders.
“When I was in recruitment, I had to go to a training camp of Bruges to look at a player who was on trial. What's his name again? Costa Rican... Oscar Duarte.
“The training camp was in Spain, and the plan was that I would go there for a week and then another scout would come to see the second week. But after one week, Philippe was assistant coach under Spanish coach (Carlos) Garrido.
“So, after this week, they said, ‘Yeah Steph, maybe it's better that you stay two weeks, then you have a really good view of the player.’
“I stayed for two weeks, and then we went back to Bruges. The gaffer then asked me to become the second assistant, so I stopped in recruitment, and that's where I became an assistant coach in Bruges.
“We worked together for like six years. Then, at one point, the gaffer decided to become a head coach, and he went to Beveren, a smaller team, the team where I grew up.
"I played there for 10 years and then I made a transfer to Bruges. He asked me to become his assistant for his first job, but I said no. Not because of him, but I had like a love-hate relationship with Beveren because of the president.
“So, I decided not to do it, and I had no agent, so I was just waiting at home after Bruges to go somewhere else. Then I got a call from a coach to go to Macedonia.
“That was my first job. I decided there not to work in Belgium anymore because I was a little bit tired of it after Bruges. We became champions; we won the cup.
“I was there as a player for five years in Belgium, so I knew Belgium and I wanted to go abroad. So, the first thing was Macedonia. Then after Macedonia, another coach called me to go to Jordan, the national team, so it was also different than a club. And then after that, India.”
The Canaries' assistant believes his experiences around the world have been key to his development as a coach.
“For sure. I think an experience abroad is good on all levels. It's really, yeah, you see things, you meet people, you see different cultures.
“The football is different, like in India, for example. I went there, and the league was four months long. Four months only because of the climate, the rainy season and all this,” continued Clement’s trusted right-hand man.
“I went to a club that finished second-bottom, a little bit like Norwich when we came in, and they said, ‘OK, it's only four months unless you reach the play-offs, then it's one extra month.’ But they said, ‘Yeah, you will never do that.’ But we did, so it became five months.
“When you go on holiday to India or Jordan, for example, it's special, but then to be in football there is even more special.
“There are always surprises when you go somewhere. I remember I went to sign my contract in Jordan, and the coach called me and said, ‘Do you want to become assistant coach of the national team?’
“I went there; I saw the contract, and it was assistant coach plus video analyst. I said, ‘Oh my God.’ Because then you start and all the names are in Arabic.
“You play against India, for example, and there are nine Singhs in the team. Then you go on a camp in Iraq where there is no internet, but you need to do a presentation about the opponent. I think the biggest thing you learn is to adapt to all different situations, and it's also easier, even here in Norwich with the group with so many different nationalities, to understand.
“Also, young boys coming from abroad, for the first time in another country, alone in an apartment - it's not easy. It makes it easier to understand and to help them.”
After returning to Europe in 2023 and spending 18 months in Scotland with Glasgow giants Rangers prior to Clement’s sacking, the Belgian pair decided to continue working together, with their next challenge eventually bringing them to Carrow Road.
“Honestly, I was surprised (ending up at Norwich),” admitted Van Der Heyden.
“The first call I got from Philippe was that he was going to talk to Norwich, but he said don’t expect anything; I’m just going to talk to them. A few days later, he called me back and said, ‘Yeah, they were really good talks with the owners.’
“And then I felt already he was interested. It was a good talk. And then you know how it goes in football. It’s about knowing the gaffer, but it’s also about the feeling you have with the club and with the owners and seeing that there is something you can do, something you can make better.
“And yeah, I simply had a good feeling. You know, when you get a call and you look at the ranking and see 23rd in the Championship, you think, ‘Is that the thing that we need to do now?’ But after all, I think we are both very happy here.
“I do trust him. And it’s also the first club I go to after Rangers. We had some talks and he asked me to stay with him. So, I knew that the club I would go to would be the club that Philippe would choose.
“Before Norwich, it was different. I always went somewhere else with different coaches every time. It was the first time we really stayed together, and that will also be like this for the future.
“I knew that he would make the choice, and, of course, he called me and asked my opinion. But I trust him in that.”
The full 40-minute chat with Stephan Van Der Heyden will be available across our video and audio channels from Sunday at 5pm.
