Just watched the 30 min summary of Adkins talk on Player...worth spending on Player to listen to stuff like this. Firstly, Adkins comes over so well. He now reveals himself as the intelligent, thoughtful Premier League manager we all knew he was. He mentions the increased media attention and I think he has decided to tone down his natural ebullience. Talks about our signings. Says that we've been watching Mayuka since last year. Says he offers us pace and is an exciting player who can only get better. Also we've been following Maya for some time and he has been to see him play. Says that he is a very impressive character and a leader who can play on both sides. Mentions that Tadanari was at the signing and gave him a big hug, so there is respect there. Apparently European football is now full of Japanese players and Nigel says we should put a £5 on them winning the World Cup. Noticeably the Japanese press was there. He was asked about language problems and he says that we use sign language on the pitch. Very interesting. To encourage the players to scan the field constantly, Saints have some training sessions in silence with only sign language used. talked about the club, the plans etc. I could go on and on (obviously)...exciting times.
I agree, Adkins came across as a very good, well thought out speaker, who took care not to say the wrong thing. I think he said they had been watching Mayuka play for a long time, several years in fact! Shows how well our scouting system is constructed, that we are able to know players who will be very good players early on, as Mayuka is only 20, so they must've had eyes on him is Israel and Switzerland. He was right about the Bundesliga having a lot of Japanese players, Uchida from Schalke, Hasebe from Wolfsburg and a few others, not to mention Kagawa who has arrived on these shores having spent a few years at Dortmund. This is because the Japanese have spent a lot on their youth, and many are technically sound and work very hard; perfect traits for the German League, and many have a "European Get-out" clause in their contract, so they can join European clubs for free, Tadanari Lee for one example, and this is because they will improve even more in Europe, helping the national side. I would certainly see Japan win a world cup by 2030, 2040 no question. They obviously have been working very hard down at Staplewood, and now I seriously believe we are in such a good position on and off the pitch, that if we can bring through the youth whilst adding quality from the lower leagues or from abroad, if we stay up for the first two seasons, we could start to become a force in English football.
He also mentioned that we have players in mind for next August...this club is really being run professionally. Just a little matter of making sure we are here.
