CS:GO analyst & content creator Allan Hender turns to coaching with Endpoint

CS:GO content creator Allan Hender, who has also appeared on the broadcast of some high-profile tournaments, has taken up a head coach role in Endpoint as he looks to broaden his horizons.

Allan Hender has taken over the vacant coaching position on the British team, replacing Ross ‘RossR’ Rooney, who transitioned to a General Manager role within the organization in late August.

It’s the first foray into a professional head coach role for the British analyst, who has been part of the on-air team of several CS:GO tournaments, most notably Flashpoint seasons 2 and 3. He also has his own Youtube channel with esports-related content, including interviews with pro players.

Allan Hender, who began working with the team in the summer as an assistant coach, revealed that he started thinking about this career move after learning that he would not be able to travel to Los Angeles to be on the analyst desk for Flashpoint 3.

“The whole experience was a wake-up call that I needed to broaden my horizons both as a broadcaster and explore other avenues such as coaching,” he told Dexerto.

“When I began working with Endpoint in June, with mezii as the focal point, the team clearly had the individuals to be further up the rankings and I felt by bringing a different perspective and taking pressure off Max to set up the team strategically, we could make strides forward.

“On reflection, I think we did make sizable gains heading into the final weeks before the player break and those improvements show in our results.”

A new experience

Allan Hender will have a baptism of fire in his new role, with Endpoint set to attend IEM Fall, the final Regional Major Ranking (RMR) tournament of the year. The event will take place from September 29 through October 10 and will feature 24 teams of the region’s best teams.

He follows in the footsteps of Janko ‘YNk’ Paunović and Jason ‘moses’ O’Toole, other renowned analysts who have also dipped their toes into coaching, both with mixed results. YNk led MIBR and FaZe between 2018 and 2020, while moses had a nine-month stint as Liquid’s coach that ended in May 2021.

“I cannot put into words how different broadcasting and coaching a professional-level team is,” Allan Hender said. “From the outside, it may seem many things translate as you are still surrounded by the same game, but they are completely different worlds, requiring almost polar skill sets.

“For the other broadcasters who have tried coaching, I imagine the hardest aspect was dealing with player personalities, especially in pressured situations and in the tough moments following painful losses.

“I have always been able to keep my emotions in check much better than most and, being fairly articulate, I am quite capable of leading conversations inside and out of the game. Of course I have much to improve upon in these people management aspects, but I stick to the right principles and continually push myself to become a better leader.”

Endpoint have been drawn into Group B for IEM Fall alongside Heroic, Astralis, Complexity, Sinners, and Movistar Riders. Only the top two teams from each group will progress to the single-elimination playoffs.

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This will be the first big international event for Mohammad ‘BOROS’ Malhas, the team’s newest signing. The Jordanian player replaced William ‘mezii’ Merriman, who was transferred to fnatic.