And Todays Football Is…..

This video was taken of my twin boys playing football on the piece of mud that became astroturf. I filmed them just playing, being 10 year old boys, playing football. Watch the video then read on, it’s a sorry tale.

 I was lucky to be blessed with twin boys, 2 of my 4 boys, I am truly blessed. One however was born with a gift for sport. In partcular a gift for football. Now if you’ve read any of my football posts you might have detected a hint of bitterness. You would be right. This is why.

In 2004 when my twins were 8 they joined a local football club, I knew one of them was good, he was already 2 footed, had great balance and acheived more power than my 2 elder sons. When he was among other children of his age it became even clearer. Within a month of joining the local team a coach who had connections with Tottenham invited him to a “development centre” which of course we went to eagerly. 6 months of proper coaching followed and he continued to develop as other boys his age came and went. He scored and average of 2 goals per game for his local team and he was loving his football. In May 2005 he was invited to the Tottenham Academy at White Hart Lane for a 6 week trial, he was still only 9 years old. The Acadamy training was from 5 - 6.30pm we live an hour and a half from Whie Hart Lane on a good night so I arranged to leave work early twice a week and collect my son directly from school, sandwich to eat in the car and hour and a half training, home for nine if we were lucky, he was 9 years old. Despite this he flourished, coped and played 3 games for Tottenham under 9’s, including Southampton away which was a whole day out. My only surprise was that in the 3 games he played about 5 minutes in his favoured position, but you assume the coaches know what they’re doing. He was invited back after the summer break but I had a decision to make. It was not sustainable for him, the travelling, the tiredness and my other sons seeing less and less of their dad left me with no other option than to decline. I have no issue with anyone to do with Tottenham or their system except that they are in such a bastard place to get to. I feel that was my sons time and the coaches there recognised he had something.

So what do you do in that situation? I wrote to my local club, Fulham, explaining my sons situation and I got a call the next day inviting him to a six week pre season trial. Fulhams acadamy is 25 minutes from home so we went for it. It was here that everything changed. The Under 10’s coach was all over him in the coaching sessions and he more than matched the other boys in technical ability but there was something not right. As the 6 weeks went on he became less interested, the coaches lessened their interest and in his one game for Fulham he played at centre back against Reading and was completely exposed as he had never played there before and his one major fault, his lack of aggression and inability to tackle left his confidence shattered. Did the Fulham coaches know what they were doing? I stiil don’t know but he was9 years old and suddenly being told he wasn’t good enough having never had the chance to prove otherwise. As a token gesture he was sent to Fulhams development centre where he went steadily backwards. Imagine 20 kids in a 5 a side pitch, 1 coach and ask yourself if that is the way to bring the best out of our talented kids? I have since met one of the Fulham development centre coaches and his frustration at the facilities and what was expected of him left him with no choice than to quit. Am I bitter towards Fulham? Yes, after 1 season my sons dissalussionment with football was complete bfore his 10th birthday. Do I feel guilty? Yes, for not removing my son earlier and failing to see what was happening to his basic love of the game.

At the end of last season I contacted Reading who invited him for a trial, it consisted of 3 x 10 minute games in front og a handful of coaches, surprisingly it came to nothing. Despite him producing a piece of skill worthy of Ronaldo which I don’t think any of the coaches even saw.

He is now 12 and plays football on a Sunday with his mates, there are still flashes of what was there and it still mesmerises me to see him with a ball at his feet. When I watch Huddlestone shoot with his left foot and his right I get a pang of gulit, when Ronaldo does an outrageous step over that I know my son can do equally as fast it feels even worse. Could my son haved played professional football? I don’t know but how can our game that is so bereft of talent chew up and spit out a boy with his basic talent before his 10th birthday I don’t know. Ask yourself a question as you watch this video, was he worth investing in? Shouldn’t there be somewhere that encourages and nurtures this kind of talent to see where it ends up? I think the answer is yes. One more question, am I bitter? Yes, wouldn’t you be.

 Vs

Just an observation for anyone who cares. Watch back tonights game and you will observe, as I did, a huge difference in the technique of the two teams. This has nothing to do with the result, it is an endemic issue with English technique, coaching and basic talent.

ALL the English players receive the ball static and square on. Listen to the sound of an English player receiving a pass, it’s the noise you would hear if you kicked a ball against a barn door. Time and momentum are lost as the players adjust their feet, turn and the move on.

ALL the French players receive the ball on the move and already turning. There is no sound as French player and ball move on as silently as a revolving door. (See what I’ve done!). No time or momentum is lost as the ball moves seemlessly to the next phase of play.

Just an observation as I said, our best just don’t have the technique and I’m sure Mr Capello is starting to wonder what he’s done. Shut the door on the way out Fabio!

I wrote on several of the wonderful Arsenal blogs on WordPress at the start of this season that a top 4 finish this year would be Arsene Wengers finest acheivement as Arsenal manager. The squad he has assembled is full of young men with potential but has as been proved incapable of maintaining a serious challenge for the title. The fact that Wengers methods and scouting network continue to produce wonderful football cannot be questioned but it is time for Wenger to realise that the Premiership and partucularly the rest of the “Big 4″ have moved on.

I think there’s a risk that Wengers refusal to buy established guranteed stars is denying him his rightful place alongside Sir Alex. The financial restraints of previous years have been lifted by the income from the magnificent Emirates Stadium and can no longer be used as an excuse. It is now evident that last summer or in January Wenger should have bought big. Anelka back to Arsenal? Tevez from west Ham? Torres from under Rafa’s nose? Hargreaves to supplement the wonderful Fabregas? The list could go on, it breaks my heart as a football fan that Abramovichs toy box football team “I vant a Ballack NOW” is the one remaining challenger to Uniteds mix of the best of English and foreign talent.

I hope Wenger looks at todays result and goes to the money men at Arsenal with a list of 4 or 5 top, proven players that can lift his team above Avram Grants automotons. Swallow your pride Arsene, we all know how great your are with undiscovered talent now show us you can shop with the best as well.

My wife and 2 of my boys are Fulham supporters, they’re our local premiership club and thanks to a kindly aunt with access to some cheap tickets they are the club they all first visited. How did any of us start? Anyway they were all devastated when the popular Chris “Cookie” Coleman was sacked and replaced by the awful Lawrie Sanchez. Sanchez’s “I saved Fulham from relagtion” mantra is laughable. The fixture computer ensuring that a week before Liverpools Champions League Semi final they arrived at Fulham with half a team an half an eye on a bigger prize gave Sanchez his only win in half a dozen games at the end of the 2006 - 2007 season. His attempt at rebuilding Northern Ireland in South West London mixed with a desperate long ball game left Fulham relegation certainties before Christmas and Sanchez sacked soon after. The cheer from our house was almost as loud as the cries when Coleman was sacked!

The same person who got the last two managerial decisions so horribly wrong at Fulham hoped it would be third time lucky and went for the experienced and much travelled Roy Hodgson . I feel his transformation of Fulham considering how truly awful they were under Sanchez is very impressive. This is why.

First job, buy a centre half, Hangerland was whisked over from Norway with 50 international caps and an obsession with heading the ball in his own penalty area. At 6 foot 5 this is something he was born to do and suddenly Fulham were defending at set pieces.

Second job, ditch the Northern Irish, Baird, Healy & Davies consigned to the bench only the impressive Hughes alongside Hangerland remains.

Third job, (bit of luck needed) get players fit, Bullard and McBride back and playing well.

Fourth and most important and most impressive completely change the style of play. Yesterday against Everton, Fulham passed and passed and passed and defended and then passed again until a break got them their goal and they defended some more. Not once did they resort to the Sanchez long ball and give it away tactic.

All credit for this must go to Hodgson, as Newcastle under “King Kev” continue their freefall and Bolton stumble under the “Ginger Mourinho” Fulhams next three games see them play Newcastle, Sunderland and Derby which could see them out of the bottom 3.

Hodgson is a proper coach, he’s English and he’s been a succes everywhere he’s been. My wife and 2 boys hope he keeps Fulham up and you know what so do I

 Many words have been written about “The Injury” this weekend. Some sense and some bollocks, I have tried to let my initial feelings subside before making my mind up and this is my view.

The pace of the Premiership is frightening, the top players athleticism, balance and sheer speed turns them into willo the wisps, there one minute, gone the next. Top defenders, Ferdinand, Woodgate, and their like rely on equal speed of thought and action to combat this, hardly if ever resorting to the kind of ill judged lunge perepetrated by Martin Taylor. My honest view is that Taylor aware of his inadequacy, wound up by his manager (the tackle was just 2 minutes into the game) and desperate not to be made a fool of took a split second decision fueled by adrenaline to stop Eduardo. If you have played the game at any level you KNOW that when you launch into that kind of shin high lunge that the ball is not your primary concern. Timing played no part, the ball and the player become one and stopping them at whatever cost is the choice that Taylor made.

The consequences for Eduardo we have all seen, it could have been Walcott or Adebayor or Ronaldo or Lennon or Joe Cole the list goes on. It boils down to one point, Martin Taylor is not good enough to be allowed on the same pitch as these players and this tackle as we have seen this season is becoming more prevelant and I guarantee WILL happen again. Wengers initial “What is he doing on a football pitch?” comment actually meant “What is he doing on a football pitch with MY players?”

The massive gap in the Premiership between the top clubs and those whose only purpose is to avoid relegation has many issues none less than in a large number of games with players going into them knowing they can’t win. You have professional sportsmen knowing they’re not good enough and managers winding them up to stop the opposition. It is a recipe for what happened on Saturday. The answer? There isn’t one, we can’t have a Premier Premiership involving 6 or 7 teams that can compete with each other on the same level. A European Super League? Ronaldo v Maldini every week, Adebayor v Cannavaro? It’s certainly more of a contest than Taylor v Eduardo. These are decisions for the talking heads at the FA and UEFA to consider.

Eduardo never stood a chance but nor did Martin Taylor, he knows his thought processes before he dived in half way up Eduardos leg, he knows what led him to make that decision. I would bet that the first 5 minutes of that game had been on his mind for some time “Let them know they’re in a game.” A career nearly finished in a flash because he knew he didn’t have the required skill to stop an opponent of that class. Eduardo will be lucky if he’s the same player again as well!

England played a home game in their new Umbro away shirt in Wednesdays international against Switzerland. Many people may have thought this a victory for the marketing men. I say not so, was Fabio Capello being slightly mischeivous in his selection? Umbro announced their new shirt in a fanfare of publicity hoping to rescue the diasaster of Englands non qualificaton for Euro 2008. There were the usual suspects, Terry number 6 (not available), Richards number 2 (not selected), Owen number 10 (not selected) and Cole (J) number 11 (selcted number 11). From memory the last kit was also available in Beckham 7 ( not selected) Lampard 8 (not available), Rooney 9 (selected number 9) and Gerrard 4 (selected number 10).

Is Capello as annoyed as I am that Umbro assume which England player will wear which shirt and then the players assume that their place in the England team is a given because JJB say so? I do hope so. I think it was a great start and the sight of Capello arms folded, not accepting mediocrity was one to cherish.

This marketing nonsense must stop so keep messing with the marketing boys Fabio and keep those pampered, prima donnas on their toes.

Anyone who has stumbled across my musings on the English game will be more than aware of my pessimissm regarding the national team. It is with no pleasure that I was right in my assertion that we would not qualify for Euro 2008. There is however a young man learning his trade at Tottenham who gives me real cause for optimism, Tom Huddlestone.

This mountain of a young man was playing first team footbal for Derby at 16, moved seamlessly into the England Under 21 set up, flourished with limited opportunities under Martin Jol at Spurs and now looks like a young Franz Beckenbauer in the making except Huddlestone has a better range of passing and more shooting ability than The Kaiser.

His performance at centre back today for Spurs against the much vaunted Man Utd forward line was almost faultless, it was the first time he had played there this season, he is 21 years old! Fabio Capello, a man who knows football must have seen this performance and must pencil Huddlestone in for his first full cap in the up coming freindly.

Capello should be trusted as to which position is Huddlestones best, my opinion for what it’s worth is a centre back pairing of Huddlestone and Rio Ferdinand gives England the best pair of Footballing centre backs in the world as well as consigning the neanderthal John Terry to the international wilderness. With Micah Richards at right back and a fit and mentally right Ashley Cole at left back. Owen Hargreaves as a holding midfielder letting Stephen Gerrard do his thing unencombered by the dreadful Frank Lampard England will have the perfect base for our Anglo Italian revolution.

Do yourselves a favour and watch Huddlestone closely, capable of shooting with both feet, picking out a 40 yard PASS with both feet, not long ball hoof, there is a difference. He is a genuinely exciting English talent that is capable of being a true great and the heartbeat of the England team for at least 10 years, it’s a start and Huddlestone is the sort of player we are desperate for and have been unable to produce.

The 3rd and 4th rounds of the FA Cup have thrown up more unlikely heroes, lower league and amateur players taking on the big boys and bloodying their noses. Small time players making the big time in their one off finals, showing up their overpaid counterparts, every one a hero….. or are they?

I have a slightly different take on this, I think a lower league team gaining a good result against their Premiership rivals reflects badly on those from the lower leagues, let me explain. Havant and Waterloovile are a team of amateurs playing every week and quite often losing against other amateur teams. Today they lead Liverpool, twice, at Anfield, that is what they are capable of. If they played at that level every week would they be in the middle of  The Blue Square South league? I doubt it.

Theirs is no doubt a team full of hard luck stories and how they could have made it, well they didn’t. They probably have the talent as they’ve proved today but did they have that something that turns talent into performance? They are not alone, the lower leagues are full of English players discarded by bigger teams. The talent was there not the mental fortitude. This reflect badly on the English system that is unable to coach that ability to perform EVERY week not just on the big occasion. It reflects badly on a society that discourages doing your best at all times. how many kids are put off doing well by peer pressure? We laugh at success, we mock those that do well, we reap what we sow.

So it is that another team will be praised fro raising their game to a level they are probably capable of reachin every week. Don’t knock the big boys they produce week after week, question the amateurs and ask them as they surely are asking themselves tonight, why do’t you do that every week?

He’s ridden into town like Clint Eastwood in some spaghetti western vowing to clean up the mess left by the last inept sherriff with an iron fist and all guns blazing. This is The Good, The Bad And The Ugly starring Fabio Capello.

The Good 

It goes without saying that Capellos cv is as good if not better than any other manager in world football. I believe that the FA and Brian Barwick would have be negligent in their duty had they not employed this man once he made himself available. The national team is bereft of ideas, full of over inflated egos and in desperate need of the big stick treatment. It will be fascinating to watch players who think their place is a right because you can buy an England shirt from JJB with their name and number on the back (this nonsense MUST stop by the way) faced with a man who doesn’t give a shit for their unearned reputation.

David Beckham was unfit and unable to play for Real Madrid, England or even LA Galaxy when Capello dropped him unceremoniously from Madrids side. Beckham knew Capello was right, learnt his lesson, went away and got fit and produced 3 months of his best ever football taking Madrid to the La Liga title. If Capello is able to man manage the 12 or 13 English players with genuine talent (while avoiding injuries) and mould them in his vision then whisper it quietly England could genuinely challenge for the world cup in 2010.

The Bad 

The clue was in the last sentance, “12 or 13 English players with genuine talent”. What will Capello make of his first training session when he sees Wayne “one foot” Bridge or David “no pace” Nugent go through their paces? He’ll watch Premiership games desperate to see something resembling English talent outside the current squad and be met by Marcus Bent and his type as the only alternative. He could well resign before the first game. Capellos success has been built on utilising the best Italy, Spain and the world had to offer. You can shout, scream and intimidate a donkey but it will never become Desert Orchid.

Unfortunately Capello isn’t English. International football should as Gareth Southgate said mean English players, English Manager, English kitman top to bottom. The FA however aren’t breaking any rules so while I would have loved to see Redknapp and Adams begin an era of English management to take us through the next ten years, Capello is the best alternative. Will he care about the grass roots of the English game? Of course not he’ll be long gone by the time todays kids are breaking in to the England team for 2018. The FA must appoint an Englishman to work independently putting our youth structure right.

The Ugly

Having made an appointment that couldn’t really have been argued against the FA once again managed to mess up. Why oh why did they have to offer so much money and a four and a half year contract? Did they not learn from Sven? Are they so unsure of themselves that they couldn’t have stood firm with a two year contract based on performance? Get us to the World Cup Finals and you get your bonus. Win it and you can have Lancaster Gate, anything but not this. If he gets it wrong he walks away richer and we’re still stuffed, unbelievable.

I hope Fabio can add “successfull international manager” to his cv in 4 and half years time, I hope he has the luck needed to win something for England but in reality I feel we are going to be in this same place in 2 years time. He won’t be able to round up a strong enough possee from the available hombres to complete his task. Fabio will ride out of town with his bags full of the towns loot and the sound of gunfire from the angry locals ringing in his ears.

Having sifted through thousands of words blaming McClarens ineptidude, the pitch, the youth structure, Brian Barwick, The FA , those pesky Croatians just being too good, poor Scott “Lamb to the Slaughter” Carson, gutless overpaid players, Wayne ”One Foot” Bridge the endless list goes on and on and agreeing that it was hopeless; I had an epiphany on Saturday evening watching Match Of The Day.

Could that really be Rio Ferdinand playing for Man Utd against Bolton? I must be seeing things he wasn’t fit for England. Then clear as day was John Terry and Ashley Cole turning out for Chelsea in their vital match against the mighty Derby County? “Keep off the Stella Dave” I mused, you’re halucinating next it will be UFO’s and celestial beings. No I wasn’t halucinating read this and dismiss all other reasons for Englands inability to draw against Croatia.

THREE QUARTERS OF ENGLANDS FIRST CHOICE DEFENCE WERE FIT ENOUGH TO PLAY FOR THEIR CLUBS LESS THAN THREE DAYS AFTER BEING DECLARED UNFIT FOR ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????

Analysis required:

1/ Who decided Rio, The Skipper and Ashley weren’t fit for Wednesday? We must assume it was their clubs as surely England would have got them on the pitch somehow in a game of that importance. If they weren’t fit then England don’t need to look for a new manager they just need to employ the medical wizards that got these injured stars fit in 72 hours! That way never again would we have to line up with inferior reserves in such a vital game.

2/ Who questioned their lack fitness? We must assume that Steve McClaren tried everything to get his best team out for his career defining match. Did he phone Fergie? Did he question Rio’s medical report? If not why not? Did Brian Barwick or anyone at the FA insist that their own medical staff decided whether the 3 musketeers really were unable to play? We know the answer of course they didn’t, they meekly backed away bowing and scraping and accepted that they weren’t fit.

3/ Did Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Ashley Cole insist that they were fit and that they wanted to play? John Terry makes a lot of noise about how important playing for England is, sorry John that’s bollocks! If the games were reversed i.e. Chelsea on the Wednesday and England on the Saturday I guarantee they would have played for their clubs then dropped out for England at the weekend.

This is the absolute crux of the England teams demise, it stands firmly in second place behind the clubs as a priority. It won’t change and we have to accept it. There is no doubt that Englands best 14 players could have gained a draw with Croatia whoever was in charge, the other issues remain and will continue to hurt England in future qualifying games. McClaren is an idiot, media trained to say and do nothing but his hands were tied. Unless we get someone with a backbone (Harry Redknapp is my personal preference) who will stand up to self serving Premiership managers and egotistical mis informed players then we are doomed to failure again and again.

These three miracles of modern medical science should never be selected for England again as a warning that being Englands number 3, 5 and 6 is not a given commercial opportunity. I would rather watch a team of players who want to play for England failing nobly a la Scotland than this bunch of underachievers treating England as a photoshoot and not the huge privelege it is.