I am sure there must be someone out there who can explain what the new centre for excellence is designed to achieve, and I ask the following questions: 1. Will it address the "foot in mouth" syndrome that is sweeping football? 2. I can only hope it will stop the greedy sods from destroying our game. 3. Will the courses be conducted in every language ( for both owners and players)? 4. Will it teach players to respect the National Anthem? 5. Hopefully all the nation's media will be invited every day to teach the students how to maximize their coverage in the press. 6. Social media access will of course be banned from the venue. My cynicism is obvious and I seriously question the use of taxpayers money for this possible waste of space and time, especially during these trying times for everybody except the overpaid players. Isn't excellence supposed to encompass commitment and spread itself throughout all aspects of the game? It appears to me that the only commitment in today's game comes solely through the supporters and rarely from the people who run or play the game. When we have "short term lending companies" and "betting sites" sponsoring the game then you have very little chance of bringing football back to respectability. in my mind anyway. Excellence and respect needs to be directed at the supporters who, week in and week out, pay good money to go and watch players who have no respect for anybody (including themselves) and only when they feel in the mood do they offer excellence. Is this new "Centre for Excellence" going to miss the point or do you expect it to make a difference at the grass roots level?
Without a 'center for excellence, how can we possibly hope to match the Spanish, French, Germans or Dutch, not to mention Brazil and the Argies ? When France failed to qualify for USA '94, they did what we should have done then, and taught their kids to play the game the right way. Spain followed their example after decades of frustration and look what happened because of... Its a real no-brainer this one. I would have 6 CofE, all run by foreign coaches who still know how to turn raw kids into genuine quality players
St George's is a great facility - should have been built 10 years ago, but that's another story!! It's going to take a decade for the results to start translating to better players on the pitch. My worry is the lack of english talent playing in the Premiership - I still say we should introduce a quota system - a minimum of 4 English players in every starting 11 (all leagues)
For me, this centre serves a much better purpose, and one I'm glad to see happen under the tenure of Roy Hodgson. The relationship between the FA and the Premier League has been strained over the last decade, and given the influx of foreign investment and players into the league it's easy to see why. Unlike many, I am not opposed to foreign players playing in English teams and if anything I wish we'd ditch quotas entirely and pick solely on merit. The reason why I'd like to see this happen is because this centre for excellence finally allows England to showcase English talent to clubs around the world. The reason why England have struggled to find talent for so many years is because there is a finite number of spaces in English football for top English talent. The reason why the same old players are played every week is because these are the players that occupy the spaces at the top clubs. If we pick on skill they'll come out top because the best teams are often the teams that play better football. If we pick on form they'll again come out top because the team with the best form during a season is going to be at the top. The FA need to start working with leagues across the world in order to spread English talent across Europe and the rest of the world. We're not going to see the next generation of kids growing up dreaming of playing for Juventus or Atlético Madrid, but I'd like to see the FA promote our next crop of youngsters to teams in these leagues so that they can develop outside of the Premier League and to learn from occasionally better, more technical leagues It'll also get English players off of Premier League benches and into competitive football. Pushing English talent across Europe will not only improve our national game, but will provide financial incentives to teams due to the "English tax". Don't you find it weird that despite our footballing reputation next to no European teams scout anywhere in England? Our centre of excellence could change that and make England a hot-bed for talent, and one that our national team will benefit from for years.
I agree with your sentiments everyone and my concern is that with the so called top flight teams sponsoring the influx of more overseas players this centre is probably well needed. However when I look around at the image given out by English players, and you all know who I'm talking about, it breaks my heart because it is very apparent they don't really give a toss about the game that provides for them so well. Look around the major European leagues and you will notice the lack of imported players, and if you add the success of those national teams then you only have to say that the English propensity to hire overpaid foreign footballers is destroying our national squad. I read the BBC Sport page every day and the gossip column is full of possible overseas recruits coming to our top flight teams and like smhbcfc I think it's time we went back to the restricted rosters of non home grown talent. Reading between the lines on the news today that some Blackburn players will refuse to wear their new sponsors shirts for religious reasons I suggest to them that if they are prepared to take their salaries then they need to get their personal problems sorted. Our game is not, and hopefully never will be, a sport that has religious or racially based motives and unless those issues are permanently resolved the game will continue to be a diatribe of anger and resentment. The Football League and all of it's component parts needs to stand up and rescue the game which appears to be already in deep trouble especially in England where factors other than the game seem to be the priority of the day. Wake up all concerned and smell the roses if you don't want our game to be flushed down the toilet and if the powers that be continue to look the other way then will probably happen. I'm sure we all hope that this new Centre for Excellence will provide more home grown talent to play in the top divisions therefore providing the England squad with better choices of selection possibilities but I urge caution in our optimism. Unless this new facility can better equip young players not just with the skills but also the ability to handle themselves in a better way than the current crop then I suggest that it may be money wasted. Let's hope the curriculum includes removing religious, racial and personal slurs from the footballing planet and plants a new breed of players dedicated solely to the game rather than their own agenda. Having been at Wembley in 1966 is it too much to ask that the game returns to some semblance of sanity in every aspect or will we continue down the path of not caring one iota about the future? If we are to succeed in bringing back a sense of pride in whatever shirt we wear then this facility could go a long way in restoring team and national pride and good luck to it and all who sail in her.
It is a load of window dressing ****. Look at the wonderful FA and our great facility. The french and spanish put money into coaching for children. check amount of coaches in spain v engand mate. that is where spanish success comes from they are miles ahead because they are starting with kids not just the talented ones later, they are creating the talent by starting to coach kids at three and four for free.
I hope it will teach the future thicko's (like Beckham, Terry and loads of others previously) how to actually talk to another human who is behind a camera or microphone, and avoid the usual cliches and repeating themselves over and over in mono syllables.
Alan Shearer has had extensive media training under the BBC and he still spouts the occasional bit of nonsense. Then again, Gary Neville has only been at Sky for about a year and the guy makes the entire MOTD team look like morons from the pub. To be honest, I'm surprised that clubs don't provide all of their players with media training and full conduct classes. It'd solve at least half of all the crap that players pull during the season.
And here was me thinking I might take stick for this posting because I wa somewhat negative and skeptical about what this centre is supposed to be all about. However it seems that a lot of people like me are fed up with the attitudes and personal lives of the players who are supposed to act as role models for the future. I get sick and tired of hearing that this player and that player are unhappy with their lot in life complaining that they are not getting their fair shake from anybody. My message to them is wake up to our real world and take a look at how the people who pay your wages have to cope with the stresses of modern life. Will this new, much heralded, centre for excellence instill realistic values in their charges? Let's wait and see should be the order of the day but, like a lot of others, I believe that the values that should be taught to our young players got lost in the mix many years ago and needs to be addressed at a much more local basis.
It is a waste of money. One hundred and twenty million would have been better employed funding training for coaches at each and every kids club in England, and monitoring that coaching is carried out to an approved standard. England has well meaning parents coaching kids right across the UK V Spains thousands of FA funded, trained and monitored network of childrens coaches. Spain has a long term cohesive strategy to produce top level players and players of technique and the results speak for themselves.
Living outside the country leaves me wondering who allowed the U.K. to go in to decline at all levels and this boondogle only highlights the sad situation even more. Is there no-one who has some common sense enough to say that this total waste of money is symptomatic of a society gone mad, and that the answer lies in better grass rooted ideas. That's it I've probably said enough on the subject and now I must get ready for my winter in The Canary Islands - oops!
It is symptomatic of game totally under control of TV. To admit change is worthwhile is to admit that TV's billions are also a poisoned chalice and the EPL is tainted. The head of the EPL Richard Scudamore constantly praises the product that is top level English football, the media are in cahoots as they are part of the same gravy train. The FA likewise. The football league are impotent. Meanwhile in England, home of the world richest league kids, tens of thousands of them will have an inferior schooling of football at an early age v kids in France, Germany, Netherlands or Spain. Not even 1% of TV's billions flooding into English football is going into any structure similar to Spains.
I've long felt that British teams really do suffer because not one of their current internationals to the best of my knowledge plays outside of UK. They have no concept of how to play football differently to the "Premier" version which is very different to almost every other European country. Lots of comments about the coaching that European schoolchildren are getting from qualified coaches - there is also one other massive difference between them and British kids. They learn at least one (English) and often two other languages. How many top British footballers can speak coherently in their own language let alone in another one? To best of my knowledge only one in last ten years - Owen Hargreaves. So let's hope the Centre of Excellence not only teaches them how to play football in different styles, but also educates them in "Respect" and spoken English plus one other language. Oh by the way, how do children qualify to attend this Centre of Excellence? Are they being creamed off from Premiership Academies? If so do they go back to their clubs for Academy matches or just stay at the Centre? If it is the latter, then Premier clubs will be grabbing even more of the kids who would be in our Academy. All the little clubs suffering again!
I might be wrong, but aside from being so intelligent he was labelled as 'gay' Graeme Le Saux speaks French ? What it ough to teach these mega rich, lazy, and vaccuous morons is some humility before they enter the world of Twitter and all that crap. They think that because of their standing in society and money that they are allowed to make ridiculous remarks which go unpunished. The FA could and should have made a fool out of Ashley Cole. Never mind the hasty apology and withdrawn tweet, they should have made him pay a fine worthwhile - somewhere around £20m would be in line with my thinking, and banned him from ever representing his country again. That would have been worthwhile if he'd had to sell a house or two. Football needs to clean up its entire act.
Before I get in to more comments let me make this one - Owen Hargreaves was born and educated in Canada (enough said)! I just love the comments coming out of the woodwork on this subject and I love angelics due to the fact that he has similar views to myself. The number of people left in the country who actually have pride and respect for their country of birth is diminishing fast and on the 2 visits I make every year I clearly see the national traditions going the same way. Most regrettable is that footballers do nothing to reinstate national pride when all they really care about is their own egoes and greed.
A good read for those also banging the drum for young players to move abroad to broaden their footballing skills a bit. Matt Jones is the main keeper for Portugese second division site Belenenses and he has a few strong words to say to those that warm the benches over here. http://afootballreport.com/post/33322558566/englishmen-abroad-matt-jones-living-the-dream-in
Some very interesting comments here and certainly the common theme is that today's players are massively overpaid, underappreciative and ignorant of their responsibilities to club, country and fans. Of course there are those that do not fit in with thie generalization but they tend to have sufficient class to lead a slightly more humble life and thus don't get the media attention the likes of Cole, Terry & Ferdinand get. Like many of the comments here, I am saddened by what has happened to our national game over the last 20 years. As a young lad growing up in Kingswood, kids at my school were generally City or Rovers fans. Both clubs were underachievers but there was a sense of "belonging" to the club that was special. The ex-players of my younger days went on to become pub landlords of postmen in the local community as they became part of the community after playing for the local teams. Todays game is all about "success" and the basic fact is that the influx of money into the game at the top level has created a tremendous economic imbalance where only a few teams can now realistically win anything. Most EPL clubs set out to not get relegated at the start of the season rather than thinking they could actually win the league. Essentially they consider their success as not failing rather than success as winning. What a crappy way to exist. If City ever achieve the dream of being in the Prem, that will be our mantra as well unless Steve decides to give us every penny he has. Unfortunately all teams are forced to live beyond their means to stay in the Prem and players and greedy agents are the beneficiaries of this. The money they earn now is simply beyond comprehension for those of us that have proper jobs. This translates into them becoming demi-god like and their behaviour is a direct result of this. Think about it - you get fined a weeks wages for a twitter indescretion... two hundred thousand pounds FFS. For most of us this is a house!! To them a drop in the ocean. Something is radically wrong when we are "okay" with these morons making that kind of money and then the players have the gall to say that they relate to the fans. Boll@x. As far as St Georges goes, I am assuming that the FA are funding this and not the tax payer? It will be worthwhile if we make it accessible to all our young kids as this is where we need improvement. If our youngsters get the attention and developmental help they need, there will be a lesser need for the foreign influx. British players have always had the physical qualities to be top players. Generally we lack the skills. Change this and we're in business. As a side note, I coach youth soccer (that's what we call it over here) at a local club in Tampa and the resources and facilities on offer to the kids over here blows me away. I have no doubt that the USA will be a world powerhouse in both mens and womens football in the near future (they are already #1 on the women's side) as they invest so much in youth and collegiate programs. I've been away from Bristol now for almost 20 years but I simply cannot compare what I had as a kid trying to learn the game to what's available in the USA. Really saddens me but my kids are benefitting from a great start to the best game there is. Rant over. Happy Friday.
Nice one tampa. Do we who live outside of the UK have a slightly different take on what has happened to the beautiful game? I go down to the local school ground up here in the Canadian Rockies and see more people watching their kids play the game than at some conference fixtures. The parents still do not fully understand the intracacies of the game, something which seems to be more from birth than taught, but it has become the most participated sport in Canada due to it's low cost of involvement. Ice Hockey used to rule the roost but now due to it's extreme cost to the parent for enrollment it has taken a kicking in the participation department. The NHL is currently in a lockout situation so there is the possibilty of no league games this season and it's down to money, of course or greed in any other form, and the only people to suffer in this scenario are the fans and the poor people who earn their living from the game in a support position. There is a video doing the rounds that asks for the public's support in assisting the overpaid hockey players to maintain their way of life during this lockout period and it goes something like this: "For just 15,000 pounds a week you can help to support a professional sports player (insert your sport of choice) who is in danger of losing their lifestyle. Can you imagine how difficult it must be for them to adjust to circumstances beyond their belief? Please send your donations to "Greedy Sports Players Inc" Forget saving a tiger right now because this is way more important.
I think I'll pop down to Lisbon on the train and check out Matt Jones at Belenenses FC. It is a town just west of Lisbon on the banks of the Rio Tejo estuary. Near the stadium in a small park in front of the President's residence, is a wooden park with a plaque to commemorate the spot where the Belenenses football club was formed many years ago. If Matt rates with me I'll drop a line to DMc.
Are they still in the top league Cidered Abroad ? In the days of Eurogoals they were always on along with Beira Mar and Maritimo plus Sporting, Porto etc. Who were the team that used to play in black and white chequered shirts, was it Boavista ?
