At the gym earlier today trying to get buff 'n that! Anyway, got talking to a bloke about footy who was telling me his brother's son has just been given a contract by SAFC, a 16 year old goalkeeper apparently. (Got his work cut out at Sunderland with all the keepers on show here at the mo!). Apparently this kid has been playing for Seaham Redstars and Wallsend boys where the scouts have been talking with his dad. They were talking about Wickham and saying that he's everything a scout looks for in England, tall, strong, mobile, powerful. He also went on to say and I quote what I was told "You wouldn't believe some of the skills on show at this level, some kids have got all the talent in the world and can go past people for fun but they just haven't got the physique". That got me thinking, isn't this wrong? And on the whole are we overlooking youngsters that if given a chance even though they lack maybe height and strength, could still turn out to be absolutely fantastic players? I'm not by any stretch of the imagination saying they'd all be world beaters but players like your Messis, Maradona's, Da Silva's etc, I'm sure you can think of more, you catch my drift, might be getting overlooked purely because they're smaller than average? If this goes on at Sunderland then I'm sure it'll be the norm nationwide; is that one of the reasons that our international team never, ever does as well as they should, purely because we lack that bit of flair and outright skill? If this is one of the reasons because at a younger age we only look at the powerhouses then maybe something somewhere needs to change??
What's wrong with the England national game is Frank Lampard. If you ever want to know why the English are **** at football, study Frank Lampard. It was much to my condemnation to hear Gardner say he's modelled his game on Fat Frank.
Well, there's some pint sized lads coming through the AOL, maybe they've all been shrunk or summat...
I think the FA and their youth development people are way behind the times. They're stuck with old fashioned ideas of how a player should play. Like Brucie said today about 2 traditional forwards becoming less popular and various new formations being used above 4-4-2, we need to look at these flair players as well as the traditional style players. ...and I've got to disagree with Keane prods the giant.......GARETH BARRY is what's wrong with the English game!!!!
I think you do have a point here..I feel that far too emphasis is put on size and strength, in both school and youth football in this country, and not enough on skill and technique.
Well, at least your being frank about that! To be fair when we failed so miserably in the last tournament and all talk was of a new look team, the majority are still the same old faces. It's no wonder people are falling out of favour with the England set up. .... And how that striker gets a look in is beyond me. What's his name again? B, Been, Beeeen ..... Judas, aye that's right Judas!
I've never understood this bollocks about waiting until a player is in his early 20's to fill out. I'm damned sure that if Rooney could play in the PL at 16 years old, Connor Wickham certainly can at 18 years of age. If they're good enough, play them FFS!
