This Weeks Other Games

[Nigels Tackle]

just thought id bump this ahead of the england game.

Also got thinking about the apparent lack of eligible players for England.

My mate's a fulham fan and he showed me this video of a kid in their ranks who has been outstanding for them apparently at youth level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REoTPhR5M0M

I do think there is potential in a lot of english youngsters you just wonder what on earth goes wrong at the age of 18/19. Most just never learn to become 'footballers' - they hit a wall very early on. There's countless kids like the one in the video aged around 15/16 with all the ability on the ball but for some reason they stall. We've gotta overturn that really.

Tbh this whole post was just an excuse to post that video and in general spark a debate about youth development and that...

most people in this country are fond of the booze / a big night out

nothing new. we've been doing it for centuries

the continentals, in the main, are far more reserved

[MilnersJaw]

Probably watch england because Ricky is starting and not Shrek

[Ted Hughes]

just thought id bump this ahead of the england game.

Also got thinking about the apparent lack of eligible players for England.

My mate's a fulham fan and he showed me this video of a kid in their ranks who has been outstanding for them apparently at youth level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REoTPhR5M0M

I do think there is potential in a lot of english youngsters you just wonder what on earth goes wrong at the age of 18/19. Most just never learn to become 'footballers' - they hit a wall very early on. There's countless kids like the one in the video aged around 15/16 with all the ability on the ball but for some reason they stall. We've gotta overturn that really.

Tbh this whole post was just an excuse to post that video and in general spark a debate about youth development and that...

most people in this country are fond of the booze / a big night out

nothing new. we've been doing it for centuries

the continentals, in the main, are far more reserved

True to an extent but Redknapp & Hoddle made a point about this, from their own experience , & it's something I have been moaning about for a while; practice.

Redknapp said he's been to Spurs' training ground & seen the youngsters finish training then fuck off home soon as poss. He made the point that Gerrard would be out there for hours practicing free kicks etc.

It's not just the English; Balotelli would be absolutey unstoppable if he did the same & if Mancini really was great, he would have found a way to get him doing it.

Yaya has shown, even at his age, that a bit of extra practice makes a difference

Many of the English kids can't be arsed making the most of their ability, like Beckham did.

[Nigels Tackle]

just thought id bump this ahead of the england game.

Also got thinking about the apparent lack of eligible players for England.

My mate's a fulham fan and he showed me this video of a kid in their ranks who has been outstanding for them apparently at youth level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REoTPhR5M0M

I do think there is potential in a lot of english youngsters you just wonder what on earth goes wrong at the age of 18/19. Most just never learn to become 'footballers' - they hit a wall very early on. There's countless kids like the one in the video aged around 15/16 with all the ability on the ball but for some reason they stall. We've gotta overturn that really.

Tbh this whole post was just an excuse to post that video and in general spark a debate about youth development and that...

most people in this country are fond of the booze / a big night out

nothing new. we've been doing it for centuries

the continentals, in the main, are far more reserved

True to an extent but Redknapp & Hoddle made a point about this, from their own experience , & it's something I have been moaning about for a while; practice.

Redknapp said he's been to Spurs' training ground & seen the youngsters finish training then fuck off home soon as poss. He made the point that Gerrard would be out there for hours practicing free kicks etc.

It's not just the English; Balotelli would be absolutey unstoppable if he did the same & if Mancini really was great, he would have found a way to get him doing it.

Yaya has shown, even at his age, that a bit of extra practice makes a difference

Many of the English kids can't be arsed making the most of their ability, like Beckham did.

the xfactor/big brother generation.... where 'fame' and fortune can happen overnight....

[twosips]

Yeah definitely agree its a mentality thing. Too many kids these days have a ridiculous sense of entitlement and think they're owed the world without the work.

Just saw this video of the same kid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4rC6bh3u-g#t=19

You'd be hard pressed to say that he isn't exceptionally talented technically. The way he moved the ball around so quickly reminded me of Iniesta. You just hope that he actually knuckles down and works consistently because it shows that our kids at that age are potentially just as talented as any of these Spanish youngsters. That's not the problem, its the next few years that are - that's what we have to address.

[Sideshow Bob]

just thought id bump this ahead of the england game.

Also got thinking about the apparent lack of eligible players for England.

My mate's a fulham fan and he showed me this video of a kid in their ranks who has been outstanding for them apparently at youth level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REoTPhR5M0M

I do think there is potential in a lot of english youngsters you just wonder what on earth goes wrong at the age of 18/19. Most just never learn to become 'footballers' - they hit a wall very early on. There's countless kids like the one in the video aged around 15/16 with all the ability on the ball but for some reason they stall. We've gotta overturn that really.

Tbh this whole post was just an excuse to post that video and in general spark a debate about youth development and that...

This is not unique to england. there is always a huge gulf in class between 15/16 and 18/19. most "highly rated" Spanish kids won't make it, either. But for every one english kid like this one, there are 5 or 10 little spainards with similar ability, so it's just a numbers game imo.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

A lot of it is to do with the pressure the media and general football fans put on players. Every time a young player looks promising the media starts bigging them up to be the next best thing. I mean look at MIchael Johnson, looked promising in a few games and all of a sudden both our fans and the media alike start labelling him as the 'new Colin Bell', a 'future England regular and captain' etc.
It puts so much unnecessary pressure on young shoulders and in the case of Johnson, some players just collapse under it.
It's not just football either, in any sport when someone starts looking good, they're suddenly carrying the 'hopes of a nation' on their shoulders. I don't know if any of you follow sprinting or 100m in particular but a few weeks before the World Championships, James Dasaoulu of Great Britian ran a 9.91 100 m and then all of a sudden the media go on about how he can challenge Bolt and win a medal etc when he'd only done it in one race! Just heaps pressure on athletes of any kind.
I guess the moral is let them develop on their own terms.

But also it's a lot to do with the English method of promoting power, physique and pace over ability. I mean SWP, one of the most naturally talented English players in recent years was rejected from Notts Forest for being too small..

[twosips]

To be fair that happens in other countries too. Every half talented Argentinian kid is labelled the next Maradona. Every Brazilian is labelled the next Pele. We just don't handle it as well as most.