Just the Prem lads, just the Prem, before I start getting a whole load of brown stuff ! Let me explain...Its culminated in Englands shambolic display v Italy the other night. I feel that the powers that be need to understand that the game(especially coacing) in the country needs a huge overhaul - however, i figure that with the Prem being so successul financially that its never going to happen. Therefore, if there are enough people like me who are prepared to cancel their Sky contract that maybe it might get them to realise that the National Team is more important to more people than the Prem. Some background anecdotes.... Some years ago, i went on a tour to France with my son who was then 9 with his footy team from Footscray. When we arrived in this small French town we noticed the local kids were training across the pitch with small goals. Some 2 months after the tournament(where his team got to the final!) his coach brought around a petition saying that they were being directed by the London FA to play their games across the pitch, but that there were petitioning against it, based on the principal that 'we have always played this way', I refused to sign it (and i nearly got lynched for not signing). Some years later i went to Chalrton v Sunderland youth cup QF at the Valley, and sat directly behind Kevin Ball who was Sunderlands coach, and was utterly shocked and embarassed by the 'coaching' that he was giving to his team - there were more swear words than positive coaching provided - it was a total eye-opener, and makes you understand why these kids have all the skill coached/drummed out of them in favour of hard-work, and being able to kick it the hardest/furthest. We need to take a closer look at the Euro model (but please not the Spanish model, as that would bankrupt the game) and be coached by skilled/articulate and clever coaches as opposed to the idiots in the grass-roots right now. Rant over.
It's what I've always said, we reward hard working youngsters over the more technically gifted ones. We strive for our youngsters to be the ''fittest'' - training sessions being 50% with the ball and 50% without. It's why we create so many headless chickens.
Most Prem teams are owned by people who reside abroad so have no interest in our national team ONLY what's best for their own interests.
Very good point. You might also suggest that most of the fans of ManU,Liverpool,Chelsea have no interest in the National team either.
Wouldn't we all take club success over the national team? Charlton to win the Championship or England to win Euro 2012 (before Sunday obviously )- I know what I would want. I know IA, FHB, WWOCB and Jimbob agree
There's nothing to stop us wanting both. However, there are so many (English) fans of the top prem clubs who have no affinity to their country whatsoever. You see more English flags of Hereford or Doncaster or Swindon than you do ManU or Chelsea or Liverpool at England games.Just glory hunters who cant deal with losing.After all, why are there so many ManU fans who have never set foot in Manchester - an old argument , i know, but true.
I won't cancel my Sky contract- I don't have one.Won't buy anything from the Dirty Digger. It's worth noting that our most successful youth coach ever was John Cartwright, who was not bothered about winning titles, only about producing well-rounded players at the end of their apprenticeship. IMO his contribution to Charlton's successful years has not been fully appreciated. As soon as he left and was replaced by Mick Browne the supply line from the Academy stopped abruptly.
There is an answer why we never will win a footballing tournament again. It's because we produce crap players. There I've said it. At 16 all they want to do is not get injured and run a bar in Marbella at 30. We have ****y coaches who stills say things like 'your too small son' or 'your not hard enough' The sooner we stop shopping abroad, reinvest in things like grass and goalposts in communities and stop spending all our money on stadiums crap foreign past it managers and sucking up to FIFA.
Maradona 5'5" Messi 5'7" Pele 5'8" Stanley Matthews 5'9" Chris Solly 5'8" (not 5'3") but the same height as Pele!
Is that Chris Solly in front of the chap who really should shave his scrotum in the picture above? How many kids in England have been told by coaches that they are too small, too skinny, too defensive etc. the coaches now look for tall devoloped speed kids and that is daft. You invariably end up with players like Emile Heskey. I heard something today which summed it up Matthew Le Tissier got 8 England caps. 8!!!!
Does anyone know the outcome of the vote which was to be held on whether kids should be playing on smaller pitches and only start using full size whens at the age of 14? If it is/was voted for, then that would go some way to resolving some of the 'hoof-ball training' issues among English youth teams. I too, like FHB don't use Sky and never will, so won't be cancelling any contracts any time soon. Got to be honest though, I'm pretty sure that around 90% of football fans want club success over their country's success. I'd far rather see Charlton get to the Premier League than see Ireland get to the Euro final. I find international football just doesn't really have the appeal of club football. Yes, the whole nation gets united behind their team, but you just don't share the love for (or even knowledge of) the players who represent your country. How many on here think that John Terry, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard are dicks? I'm sure a lot of you do. Personally I can't stand John O'Shea or Stephen Ward (purely for football reasons though ).
I remember playing 8 a side on short pitches as an under-9. After a season the powers that be changed it back to 11 a side, and stuck us on the mens pitches. As a centre mid, I know which one I preferred.
i can answer this one - there have been changed made to the size of the ball, pitch and goals at younger age groups. however this does cause one problem many havent though of; there just isent room for all these extra size pitchs and goals. as a referee, i visit some teams where they literally have one pitch for use of U10s right the way up to 16s. with the new regulations the clubs will struggle to run, meaning a lot more kids will struggle to find a club. dont get me wrong, i support the idea but this is a side effect it may unfortunatly have
Kids should play on full size pitches with full size footballs. Will only help their development. If you can play on a full size pitch at the age of 12 you will have a much greater understanding of the game than someone jogging up and down a mini pitch. As for a ball i have never known any kid to use anything but an official size football outside of sunday league, it improves your ball skills and dribbling. Think if i chucked you a football 3 times the size of your head and you learnt to do 50 kick ups with it, it would be a piece of pish with a regular football. And parents need to start giving their children more exotic names, like Daveynho and Jessi.
Jimmy, kids currently do play and train on full-size pitches, and that's supposedly the problem...the argument is that given their size, they have far more room on the pitch than they will need (and more than they will have when they get bigger). Playing on a large pitch means inevitable long balls and hoofing it all over the place, whereas playing on a smaller pitch makes the kids more aware of the importance of close-control, playing under pressure and promotes a more 'tippy-tappy' passing game.
That's if they get the ball. My friend manages one of the young groups at dulwich hamlet and one day I accepted an invite to watch them train. At the end of the lesson I pointed out that they spent nearly 50% of the session without the ball. It started with stretches,a long jog around the pitch, sit ups and push ups, more stretching, sprints, and then a group exercise without the ball. It was nearing 10:30 when the balls came out of the bag! By then, they are far too excited and any control you may have over 7-8 year olds goes out the window as they just want to run around and play with their mates.
Ive got a mate who coaches age groups from 10 up to about 15, and he makes them play and train on full size just as much as half size. Most youth clubs i know of insist of training on smaller scaled down pitches now but it doesn't help the players because the games are still played on full size pitches (as i feel they should be) The only problem is, how do you prepare kids for full size games if they train and play on smaller ones? Where is the cut off point? Loads of the other coaches have been banging on about the half size or scaled down pitch sizes but do not have the answer for this question when asked. I think the problem is there is too much emphasis on trying to pass like Barcelona, but a complete ignorance to the fact that the passing isn't all you need to learn. On a full size pitch they shouldn't need to play long balls if they have been properly coached on positioning themselves correctly to receive the ball. That would help movement off the ball and the vision of the passing player, as well as team strength and good link up. Keeping full size pitches and starting to teach kids how to position themselves and move around the pitch to help each other would benefit the development of all in the team surely?
