P*ssed off Woy kept Sturridge on for the full 90 mins! Just shows you how far we, as a nation, have to develop. The more I watch Lallana, the more impressed I become - part of a new generation of two footed, technical, quick thinking youngsters coming through. Along with the likes of Barkley, Wilshere, Sterling, Ox, Caulker etc - the future does look quite bright. Hopefully all of these players will play competitive football consistently.
Had good seats. Wembley is absolutely massive! Regards our players, Gerrard was assured and is still a cut above the rest even if he barely moves. Sturridge was absolutely horrendous. I could not believe how bad he was last night. Starting to think he might only be a good League player as opposed to international. Like Defoe for example. Can't remember Johnson do anything. One positive was Henderson who came on and looked like he does in a Liverpool shirt. Fair play that man! Cleverly on the other hand was **** and sections around me were yelling him to be taken off. Terrible, terrible game. Had quite a few beers though
Glad you enjoyed yourself. Agree with you RE Studge. Ps - Johnson didn't play mate, Walker played instead, and he was absolutely ****.
That explains it Yeah I couldn't work out who it was who kept giving the ball away. It was a sorry performance. Need Chamberlain and Walcott back asap to give us some pace and unpredictability.
Frank thought he was rambling when he started his rationale by talking about full size pitches. But he wasn't. It does lead to hoofball and if we are truthful we have even forgotten how to play that game properly! For me I would ban competitive football and bloody parents along with win at all costs coaches. Let the kids learn to love the ball and praise them for dribbling skills - even if it leads to nothing. Let them play football for FUN and to show off the skills that they have learnt. You can add all the routines and competitiveness later.
We have taken a step in this direction but it needs to continue. Kids under seven (it might be nine ) are not allowed to play competitive football and they must play on smaller pitches with lower numbered side games too. parents are still there and its still the same old coaches but its a start.
Thats what we decided to do at the start of the season with the local u10s team I help out with. Kids play in all positions. For example, my nephew earlier in the season played in goal, next game he was up front (banged in a couple of goals), last week he was in midfield and this week he'll be playing left back (he's right footed). We've lost some games but that doesn't matter, the kids are enjoying and expressing themselves on the pitch which is more important than winning at all costs and not giving them a start in a decent footballing education.
need to bring back street football, luckily had that when i was younger and you get kids playing more as they don't need to walk half a mile to go to the fecking park to do it, better skills as well as less room to play in brings out more skill in players. you get a big park to play on get lazy and just hoof the damn thing.
And we need to have B teams in the lower leagues. I know it's disrespectful but it ensures that the best youngsters (who tend to be at the bigger clubs) will be playing regular competitive football under the guidance of their existing top class coaches, without the need to go out on loan and learn a new style under more inexperienced coaches at smaller clubs. It's radical and it will annoy a lot of people but something like this needs to be done for the benefit of the national team. With regards to the technique etc -personally, I think the youngsters already have this. Sure, there could be more emphasis on this but on the whole, I think it's very good. I think the underlying problem is confidence and tactical awareness/game intelligence. Henderson can control and pass a ball - fact. Does he have the ability do it under pressure i.e. with 2-3 players around him? Probably. Does he have the confidence to actually do it in front of 45k fans, playing for one the biggest clubs in the world, week in week out? I don't think he does. There seems to be a fear in our players - not wanting to keep the ball and using their bodies. Rodgers alluded to this recently in that he wants courageous players - we as a nation see courage as going in for 50/50's etc. I see courage as players not afraid to take a chance, to make a mistake, trusting their ability to keep the ball despite have 2/3 defenders around him...
Come on! The pressure comes from being brought up to WIN AT ALL COSTS. Add to that the pressure from coaches and parents to only take 2 touches and the admonishment from both if the kid tries to do something with the ball and fails. The fear starts at 8/9 years old - if not before!
I think that depends on where you live too. I played football from dust to dawn when I was a kid but it was rarely on the street, it was on a nearby (two of) field where all the local kids gathered to play. Neither field was the ideal size or shape but we didn't give a ****, we just wanted to play. You can't do that nowadays, there are hardly any fields left where you are allowed to play ball games and youngsters can't leave their parents sight for fear of the sick world we live in.
Plus the fields/pitches are atrocious. I have a park near my flat and I get to watch the sunday league footie - pitch is uneven, muddy etc etc. You can't promote a passing, keep it on the deck style of play.
I don't see that as a problem. If they can control the ball well enough on that surface they won't have a problem on a good pitch. Hence, Brazilian's playing on the beach!
