The Future of the English Game

[all_funkt_up]

It always annoys me, when England are in the shit, we always have a panic stations response. No doubt the papers tomorrow will be full of tripe, saying that we need less foreigners in the game in order to develop talent. I think that with the players available, we should have qualified for that tournament - given the team we have.

Anyway thats not what I wanted to focus on here.

The papers will no doubt be focused on future talent and how to nurture players in the future. The powers that be, seem to think that we need to have some sort of FA Academy to bring through the players of tomorrow. I would argue, can we trust them to do the job properly?

This is the same FA who chose Steve McLaren as England manager. The same FA that allowed the Wembley pitch to be (a) shit in the first place & then (b) knackered even further by an NFL game.

Can we trust the FA with the next generation of England players? Would having a cap on foreigners help?

Hmmmmm

[Seen]

It's the distinct lack of flair players coming through which is the biggest worry, AFU.

Look at Croatia tonight - played with pace and intelligence on the counter, England had no flair at all, just a continuous long ball up to Crouch.

We're desperate for another Gazza, although preferably one who doesn't fuck up his career by being a complete retard.

[all_funkt_up]

Maybe we have flair players, but dont know how to use them.

We dont have a manager with the bottle to do the right thing and drop Gerrard or Lampard.

If Zidane was English, he wouldnt have got a game because we always play one big man with a little man up front and orthodox central midfielders and wingers.

English managers and players are apparently shit scared of playing anything else.

[Seen]

That's right. We play a boring game, so predictable for the opposition. Crouch's goal was great - a peach of a ball in from Beckham, quality chest control and finish from Crouch, but it was typically English in build-up and execution.

We really need to mix it up, otherwise you'll never catch the opposition out.

[all_funkt_up]

Wonderful ball with the outside of his boot from Beckham, he went underneath and accross the ball - the technique was ace. Lovely chest down and laced in from Crouchy too.

But I agree, when England need to score - they are very predictable. When England get a lead and need to defend, they are very predictable.

Funny, because those same players look confident when playing for their respective clubs.

[Napoleon Solo]

Can we trust the FA with the next generation of England players? Would having a cap on foreigners help?

No we can't and no it wouldn't, imo AFU!

The whole concept of football in this country needs to be looked at and revised, not just the Premier League clubs who fill their academies with young foreign players (due to many reasons, not just financial as most state, I'll come back to this later) but also the grassroots club and community football projects.

In 1988 a certain Mr Gerard Houllier was appointed technical director and assistant manager to the French national football team. His job was not just to help find and develop players for the French national side for the coming qualifying campaigns, his job was to help redevelop football coaching techniques in France to further the development of talent for the next 10, 20, 30 years. It finally payed dividends 10 years later when France won the 1998 World Cup and followed it up by winning the 2000 European Championships. In my opinion, this is what needs to happen to safeguard the future of the English national side.

A man with very strong views on this subject, a man I very much admire in a coaching capacity, is a Mr Simon Clifford. Now, some of you may be aware of the work Simon Clifford has undertaken in the past, some of you may not. He set up two futsal (futebol de salão) schools which currently have franchises the world over. For those not aware futsal is the game played by young (and not so young) Brazilians, Portugese, Spanish players as an integral part of their football development, it's a more skilful game than 11-a-side and promotes control, vision, flair and commitment.

Anyway, Simon Clifford was appointed assistant coach at Southampton during the Clive Woodward era before promptly being sacked for working the players too hard and bringing too many radical concepts to the training field. The F.A. have also looked towards Simon Clifford when they initially decided the game in England was in decline and asked for his input. All of his ideas were rejected as being too radical, too expensive to introduce and not viable as a short term solution to the footballing crisis. This is the FA that should be trying these things (things that are good enough for the Brazilians?) in order to nurture the next generation of English talent.

I'm sure Mr Muzeman will tell us all that the next generation of Everton players will be far more advanced in terms of control, skill, vision, flair, etc. This is because the majority of their younger teams play futebol de salão instead of trying to concentrate on 11-a-side football, develop the skill early, the stamina can come later. Just watch, in 7 or 8 years Everton should have a team full of players that are technically superb players.

Right, the FA will not accept new ideas in the quest to improve the nations footballing prospects, but even some of the rules and regulations in place at the moment are outdated and archaic. As I was saying earlier, big clubs fill their academies with 14, 15, 16 year old players from foreign countries not because they're able to get foreign youngsters on the cheap or that those countries are better scouted than England, Ireland, Wales or Scotland. It's because the F.A. have a 1 hour policy in place for younger players, which basically means that only young players within 1 hours traveling time of the club can be taken into their academy. Arsene Wenger was aware of a young player named Theo Walcott long before he joined Southampton as a youngster. Arsenal missed out on taking himt to their academy before he joined Southampton, missing out due to the F.A.s archaic rules, though he did eventually develop into a decent player before Arsenal finally managed to snag him for the princely sum of £5m (raising to £12m). Is it any wonder the big clubs don't but young English players when they would have had the chance to develop the players themselves for a fraction of the cost. How many other young English players have missed out on being coached at the best academies in the country because of these rules?

Can we trust the FA with the next generation of England players?

Can we fuck!

[all_funkt_up]

Originally Posted by Napoleon Solo

No we can't and no it wouldn't, imo AFU!

The whole concept of football in this country needs to be looked at and revised, not just the Premier League clubs who fill their academies with young foreign players (due to many reasons, not just financial as most state, I'll come back to this later) but also the grassroots club and community football projects.

Word.

[all_funkt_up]

I think we fuck our players from a young age (no Wenger jokes here please).

We stick 7 year olds in an 11 a side game on a full size pitch with a size 5 ball. That doesnt encourage close control, passing, ball retention or skills generally. From a young age, kids are taught to "get rid" or "hoof it" by enlightened games teachers or parents on the sidelines.

Woe betide any child who tries to keep posession. If they have the ball at their feet for more than 5 seconds, the agitated parents scream at them to lump it, clear it, hoof it, out out out, get rid.

We dont encourage our young people to play the ball properly. They learn from an early age that getting rid is more important than being comfortable on the ball and being able to take people on, be patient on the ball and pass when the time is right.

[Seen]

We stick 7 year olds in an 11 a side game on a full size pitch with a size 5 ball.

We don't, do we? Up here in the north east it's 7-a-side until they're u11's with a size 4 ball.

I agree with what you're saying though. I coach my lads u11's team and try and encourage the players to run with the ball (midfield and forwards anyway, we don't want the last man trying Cruyff turns on the edge of his own box now ), obviously they are not to be ball greedy and they are told to pass when the pass is on, but like you say far too much kick and rush going on.

We played a game a few weeks ago, we played some great passing football in the first half, completely camped in their half, but the ball just wouldn't go in. Then just before half-time they caught us on the break with their first meaningful attack and we went in at HT 0-1. Second half was more of the same and after going 0-2 we pulled one back but it wasn't enough and we lost 1-2.

After the game I was looking to see what I could have done to change it and I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't have changed anything - they played 5 across the back and were just lumping it anywhere, missing out the midfield and straight up to their target man up front (who to be fair was big, strong and direct so did his job well). I'd rather my lads played football properly and lost rather than play like they did and win. Their style of play is working as they're 3rd in the league with just one defeat whereas we're in the bottom half but it's not teaching the kids how to play properly and maybe that's the problem, too many coaches of youngsters want immediate success and if that means sacrificing flair play for kick and rush then so be it.

In fact I've watched a lot of kids football over the last 4 years or so and the big, strong direct teams always seem to be the ones at the top of the leagues, and with results more important than performances for most coaches it seems like a vicious circle.

[Wittmann 44]

I'd rather my lads played football properly and lost rather than play like they did and win.

It’s a great philosophy and one I agree with 100% but the reality is you’d be out of a job within weeks in professional leagues with that view. Playing properly and winning is what it should be about but who does that in international football anymore? International football has unfortunately converged towards a midpoint where fitness and organisation are now seen as cardinal virtues. AFU mentioned Zidane not getting a game for England – chances are that Gazza would find it difficult to get a regular slot. Percentage football rules at the moment – if England had been better at it last night they probably would have won. Croatia were lovely to watch and passed beautifully but lets be honest that England made it very easy for them.

Club football at the top level is IMO of a higher standard than international football at the moment.