Saints Academy Thread

Some players are clearly a class above the rest on the pitch. Sims looks a talent...

 

2-1 ft

 

Someone on here, forget who it was, referred to Josh Sims as a Hobbit, last week. Playing for the U21s when he's actually something like 3* may have something to do with it.

* I exaggerate slightly. I think he's 17.

 

Yeah, he's 17. Sounds like he impressed away for England over the summer also. He's tiny, but then again, Messi isn't 7ft

 

Was going to write a response earlier, but coffee called, then the telephone.
It was to propose that most great players have been little guys. You know, Messi, Maradona, Johnstone, Dalglish, Keegan, etc... Then I thought... hang on. Pele, Ronaldo [both in modern times], Bale, there' oodles of them. Zlatan, for pete's sake, is a towering giant and a brilliant player.

I think I could make a case for the left footed player though.

 

Height can be an advantage in life...it certainly is in youth football with coaches preferring tall players for the advantage you gain when playing midgets. I have certainly noticed that tall kids appear to be better, but don't necessarily stay that way as the other lads grow up as well. Therefore, if a short a**se is in a team, you can bet they are lethal as they have had to overcome prejudice. I always keep an eye out for them in an opposition side.

 

The vast majority of shorter players who have been successful are likely to have suffered some form of rejection in their youth career because of their size. Alan Ball, Gazza & players we've rejected like Dennis Wise have spoken about it in the past.
I don't know when Saints took a conscience effort to change their policy, but I think we've definitely benefitted from being a club which focuses on skills and technique ahead of the physical attributes.

 

[video=youtube_share;SOZPr1eTKf8]http://youtu.be/SOZPr1eTKf8[/video]

 

Wasn't Shaw rejected by Chelsea because of his height?

 

Yes, I believe so.....Rejecting someone for their height at 8 years old seems short-sighted(pun intended)

 

Calum Slattery scored in a draw for u18s v Spurs yesterday.

 

Saints Academy - Goal of the Month - August:

GOAL A - Josh Sims - https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC/status/507921146935640065
GOAL B - Omar Rowe - https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC/status/507921541187645440
GOAL C - Dan Demkiv - https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC/status/507921963700850688


Click the links to watch.

 

Not heard of demkiv before.

 

I did. Meant nothing by it, it just amused me for a moment. I like Shire folk.

 

Josh looked like a Hobbit when he was hugged to someone's chest when he scored...the lad's knee high to a grasshopper.

 

Or they end up like Jack Wilshire

 

Harrison Reed was a sub for the u20s last night. Is his career stalling? I was certain we'd see more of him this year. He seems to be shrinking too...

 

[video=youtube;ZmCz0JpViao]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmCz0JpViao&list=PLM7o8Rfl9FTmTp1vsLsT7Zu7cEWxJ63IE[/video]

 

Your first sentence Fran explains the root of the evil that is the "English disease."

Too many youth/junior coaches focus on size and height, because to them it is about winning. In my boys team, my two full backs are by far the shortest and slightest built players in the team. Yes, they always get beaten in the air and if they are against a tall, physically strong winger they find it tough, but I will not leave them out because they are small. When they get to 18, they'll have had a better chance of their technique being better than the big lad who didn't need to use technique at 10-15 because he was big.

 

As Keegan was by Coventry.