Dean Smith may not share the same exotic coaching path as QPR rival Michael Beale, but he is striving to use modern technology to give Norwich City a Championship edge.

Beale is currently seen as one of the brightest of the new wave in the dug out, and reportedly turned down the chance to manage Premier League Wolves recently - barely 10 games into his first senior coaching role.

The 42-year-old cut his teeth in the Liverpool and Chelsea academies before following Steven Gerrard to Rangers and Aston Villa.

But there was also a brief spell at Gabby Sara’s old club, Sao Paulo, as part of Rogerio Ceni’s backroom set up. The Portuguese speaker is reportedly a lover of south American football, and Smith revealed on Tuesday he has previous with his opposite number.

“A good mate of mine (Alex Inglethorpe) is the director of the academy at Liverpool and he brought Michael in, so I met him a good few times when I was up there,” he said. “It is not a surprise he would be on the radar of other clubs. He is a good coach who has turned things around at QPR after last season. They are having a good season so far.

"Ironically the two games we've actually watched, though, Shakey (Craig Shakespeare) saw them against Luton, and they got beat, and obviously we watched them against Birmingham last Friday as well, and they got beat.

"So it's probably not a fair reflection of how they've done overall. They're well organised and they have players capable of hurting teams at the moment.”

Smith certainly does not lack for options himself, particularly across midfield with Isaac Hayden and Sara now up to speed. Liam Gibbs has emerged from the academy, Aaron Ramsey notched his first brace since a loan move from Aston Villa against Stoke, and both Todd Cantwell and Marcelino Nunez caught the eye with second half impacts on Saturday.

So how does Smith square the circle, with such intense competition for places?

“If they are playing well then you want to keep them in the team. But with the modern technology I've got as well now, using the performance team, it will get flagged if they need managing,” he said. “We use their physical numbers to see how they're doing. And if there's any drop offs in the numbers that's a red flag for us.

"But I do tend to keep them in if they're playing well because I believe that is how you build momentum.

“If there are red flags that come up, then we have to manage players appropriately. The modern player will come in now and say they've got a tight calf or a tight hamstring. I don't necessarily believe that's a red flag.

"I think that's just normal because you're playing football games. So we have to be careful and find that balancing act of when to pull them out and when not to.

"They understand that a lot more now and they can’t play every game. For me in my day, it was all about trying to play every game you could, and it would be lovely if you got all 46 games in one season, but very rarely does that happen now.”

Smith needs man management as well as metrics to deal with those on the margins of the matchday line up.

“Involve them in everything we're doing, talk to them, try and make them feel like they're not a spare part,” he said. “Make sure they're involved in the squad, and it's tough when you're not playing. It's really important that there's a human element to football always.

"It does make me laugh because it is an industry where you can get abuse at times, and it can just be washed over. But the players who aren't playing, they're really important, because I always believe you're going to need them.”

Smith reported no fresh fitness concerns on Tuesday, and Kenny McLean returns from a three-game ban. Josh Sargent (calf) and Dimi Giannoulis (rib) will target this weekend’s trip to Rotherham.