The No.10

Former Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin (a scot), looks into why english football can't seem to develop the classic 'No.10' type of player.

England in the past has produced players such as Paul Scholes, Glenn Hoddle and Matt Le Tissier but according to Nevin have never seemed to know how to use them. He takes us back to the 2010 World Cup when at only 2-1 down, England needed to change how they were playing to get back into the game but looking at the bench only saw Joe Cole who when playing for Chelsea played on the wing.

Nevin is joined in the studio by Guardian journalist Richard Williams and former England and Liverpool player John Barnes.

Available until Tuesday, September 6th 2011 - UK ONLY

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b014l41y/5_live_Sport_In_Search_of_the_Perfect_10/

Dad, Just Let Me Play

All I want to do Is play football like my idols,
The game more important than the prize,
And I'd rather gain friends than rivals.

On a Sunday I feel almost too scared to play,
Worrying that my mistake might lose us the game,
Then all the angry dads will start shouting,
And they'll all be cursing my name.

None of your children try to make such mistakes
We're desperate to make you feel Proud,
But all we need is friendly support,
Instead of this angry crowd. 

So dad, please let us play that game,
In the friendly atmosphere that we'd all like,
And take a look at what you'd rather do, 

Be little adults playing football, or
Big children having fights?

Poem by James Douglas

The Storyteller, Magician and Entertainer

Working and coaching with children from the age of 2 really forces you to become an all-in-one storyteller, magician and entertainer. You have to be able to create a world and environment which is exciting and adventurous, that feeds their imagination and allows them to do whatever and be whoever they want to be.

The link below leads to an excellent article titled 'Why Superman will win the World Cup' from the coaching blog of Bill Urban and Spreag.

In it they talk about the importance of the 'coach' not being a "Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger or Marcello Lippi" but "a storyteller, a magician, an entertainer". The importance of captivating a childs imagination, not just "dribbling through cones and shooting at a goal" but "flying through galaxies and shooting at spaceships" - I know what I prefer and I'm 28!

http://thecoachescorner.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/why-superman-will-win-the-world-cup/

Childs Play

Throughout 2011, The FA has been tirelessly working on a new campaign called 'Your Kids, Your Say'.

Its aim, to meet and talk with parents, coaches, organisers of grassroots football and present research that shows youth football in this country needs to change. The FA hope that their roadshows viewed throughout England can unite the "football family" to then work together for a better football future for 'our' kids.

"Key areas of discussion in the roadshows will be topics such as; formats of the game, child-centred approaches to competition, addressing relative age effect and developments to Mini Soccer".

There are only 4 more roadshows left in the year so if you live near the following locations please register your interest and get involved.

Remaining Dates

- 12 September, South West, Exeter, Exeter City FC
- 14 September, London, South London, Charlton Athletic FC
- 19 September, East Mids, Nottingham, Nottingham University 
- 21 September, North West, Lancashire, Bolton Wanderers FC

http://www.thefa.com/Leagues/YourKidsYourSay

A Generation Of Men Raised By Women

Watching the Film Fight Club last weekend, the character Tyler Durden played by Brad Pitt, states that "We’re a generation of men raised by women." Now it would take me a paragraph or two to explain the ins and outs of the films plot without giving away the twist but what he said got me thinking.

There is a junior school that I teach football at in West London and in the main entrance there is a board with photos of all staff members who work at the school, roughly about 30 teachers.

Looking at it recently I noticed there were only 3 men on the board, the headmaster, a PE teacher and a classroom assistant. Come to think of it, 99.9% of the schools, nurseries and children centres I work at are ran by female works.

I'd just like to clarify that this post is not anti-women. The women who I work with everyday are absolutely brilliant at their job and are excellent with the children under their care. My point is that there is not enough male teachers.

A nursery and children centre manger said to me recently that they had noticed how the boys responded differently to me and my coaching to when she and her staff work with them. That over the weeks and months I've worked with the boy in particular, their behaviour and overall attitude has improved. They believe that the reason for their improvement is due to being taught by a male rather than a female.

So what does this teach us? Where does this lead us in trying to help educate boys better?

Back in July I posted up an excellent video presentation by Ali Carr-Chellman. She gave 3 main reasons why in her opinion, boys are being turned-off in school classrooms by their thousands, and introduces her plan to re-captivate their minds and imaginations. If you missed it here it is again -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23Uuehgmd14&feature=related

Also, GCSE results today revealed that again, girls have out performed boys. A quote from the below BBC article sums up what I also believe to be true, that not just do we need more male teachers but that schools don't do enough to engage boys from certain social backgrounds, i.e white working class and African-Caribbean

"Schools should be looking at what they're teaching children to ensure that they engage boys as much as girls."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14664916

The Uncultured English Player

Something that has really interested me over the past few months is the fact that european teams in the top leagues of Spain, Germany, Italy and beyond never seem to buy english or british talent to the extent english teams buy from abroad.

What is it that stops british talent from going abroad?

The BBCs Aimee Lewis looks into english players perceived fear of going abroad to play their football and interviews former England and Marseille winger Chris Waddle and former Real Zaragoza, now Stoke winger Jermaine Pennant.

Both make poignant observations from their time spent abroad, in particular Waddle who "cited an unwillingness to embrace a new culture and the inability to learn a new language as reasons for this. "When I signed for Marseille, someone asked me if I was going to learn French. I wouldn't' they said, I'd make them speak English. And that sums us up. We don't want to learn anything. We don't want to copy".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8727084.stm

Football Politics

Strikes in La Liga due to financial difficulty, Parliamentary committees advising governance of the beautiful game and FIFA dealing with corruption.

All this and much more can be read about on the Guardians dedicated web page to Football Politics, an important part to grassroots football as the people at the top of the game directly or indirectly have a huge impact on football at this level, whether they care or not.

David Conn is a particular favourite journalist of mine to follow. He seems to comment most on the grassroots game, really getting to crux of the matter.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/footballpolitics

X-Factor FC

Last Saturday saw the start of the UK X-Factor where hundreds of thousands singing hopefuls of all ages attempt to achieve their dream of becoming a world famous pop star.

What could be easily seen as it's football equivalent is Pro FC.

Pro FC, at it's core, is a football development organisation which offers male players over the age of 16 the opportunity to be coached like a professional footballer for 5 days. The final day results in a 90 minute football match watched by scouts and coaches of football league club.

The cost to each player is £600 for the 5 days of which at the end they hope to be selected by one of the watching clubs with the chance to gain a scholarship or professional contract.

Interviewed by the BBCs Jim Taylor, Pro FC founder and Notts County Manager Martin Allen, says one player has been given a contract with AFC Wimbledon after attending a Pro FC camp but admits that for most it's not going to lead to fame and fortune.

"If they're good they will go to football clubs and train"

"There's no guarantee of a contract, but we do get people into football clubs."

All players who attend the Pro FC camps are given the chance to listen to a guest speaker who talks about the different roles in football away from the pitch. These include management, coaching, physio and medical, refereeing, scouting, technical analysis and marketing and commercial opportunities.

Taylor goes on to say that despite other roles promoted in football "there's no evidence yet that Pro FC has helped many people into those jobs either."

I've got loads of thoughts on this style of trial system and I may be jumping the gun as I've only looked at the website and read the BBCs report but my biggest concern/question is - Do Pro FC, following the week, provide extended support and advice to those who don't get selected or is their contact with the players only for the 5 days?

Any thoughts on what you've read? Please discuss...

http://www.profc.net/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/14425551

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14427031

Progress?

Back in 2007 and following England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, The Times newspaper asked coaches and parents involved in grassroots football to reply to the question "Does the youth football system fail our children's efforts?"

The link below is a selection of their responses. Some interesting and shocking stories.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2955769.ece

Total Football - Part 2 - 

How Refreshing!

"In the Netherlands the key ethos is that all age-group teams should play 4-3-3 and that coaching sessions should be fun, with individuality allowed whether players are future stars of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente or destined to remain in the grassroots game."
- Jamie Jackson

Guardian journalist Jamie Jackson explores how dutch grassroots football can show its english counterpart how to run and develop it's approach and young players in a more collaborative and coherent way. Until governing bodies, league and grass root clubs but more importantly in my opinion coaches start to work together there will forever be an overall disjointed and unstable youth system in England.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/28/fa-england-holland-grassroots-football

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/06/01/magazine/20100606-ajax.html

Total Football - Part 1

In June 2010, The New York Times Magazine traveled to Holland and visited the AFC Ajax. From the club that brought the footballing world Johan Cruijff, Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp comes a video directed by danish photojournalist Joachim Ladefoged. He presents the "sights and sounds of the fabled youth academy of Ajax Amsterdam, where boys start working at age 7 to become professional soccer players".

Having studied and worked within the creative industry as a graphic designer until recently, this is a very well observed and stylish piece of film making.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/06/02/magazine/1247467966636/training-to-play-the-world-s-game.html

"Who Cares About Me?"... I Do!

The recent riots and looting we have witnessed throughout England have (for a short time at least) placed the governments focus on society and local communities.

BBC Radio 4 presenter Robin Lustig says that the riots have led to some important questions -

"Is poor parenting partially to blame? Is the anger of many urban youths stemmed by absent fathers. How many young rioters come from stable, loving, two-parent homes?"

"Was the violence a consequence of high unemployment and a continuing festering economy? Would more jobs mean less risk of riots?"

The BBC's London News reporter Andy Dangerfield spoke to Kim Gardner, a former gang member and who now mentors young people involved in gangs to try to help them turn their lives around.

She says..."Young people are bored and feel they have nothing to lose"..."Underprivileged youths have told me they feel that no one cares any more"..."It boils down to a lack of hope and little regard for their own communities"..."Many youth clubs have had their funding taken away and there haven't been many activities organised for children this summer"

What then can sport, in this case football, do to help?

Well the football charity Street League is a great place to start. Founded in 2001, Street League "delivers structured football and employability programmes to some of the most disadvantaged young people across the UK"

They work with groups of 16 - 25 year olds who are not involved in education, employment or training and who many have been criminal offenders and substance users.

The Telegraphs Jim White went to see Street League in action and met people who had been through the set-up first hand. Robert Biggs was one of those people.

"The 19 year-old had a shambolic upbringing of poor school attendance, then convictions for affray and disorder. Finding himself at 16 without qualifications, he joined the army only to be discharged after two years. He heard about the league while living in an ex-servicemen’s hostel after a spell on the streets"...

"The academy took him through entry-level FA coaching badges, put him on a refereeing course, helped him buff up his CV, re-engaged him once more in education. After completing the academy programme, next month he will enrol in Hackney College to take a Level Two Sports Diploma. He now sees a future for himself, his ambition is to become a community football coach"

My thoughts are that charities like Street League are essential to society and communities. The work they do with inner city groups is inspirational. As I've talked about in previous posts, coaching or teaching, at whatever level and involvement should always be about the people. If we change our philosophy to this then I believe we can thrive as communities and bring back those people who feel that no one cares about them.

http://www.streetleague.co.uk/index.php

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/8696592/Jim-White-footballs-Street-League-is-proof-that-sport-can-address-the-problems-that-have-led-to-burning-of-our-cities.html

The Referee is a...

...29 minute documentary which follows a year in the life of swede Martin Hansson. It tracks his dramatic journey towards what he hopes will be the pinnacle of his career, to referee at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The mood of the whole piece is quite creepy and as director Mattias Löw explains in an interview with football website 'Never Captain Nicky Butt' ..."he seemed completely obsessed with making it to South Africa 2010. The Hannibal Lecter kind-of-look he offered us and his relative openness to our documentary topic convinced us (to film the documentary)".

It would be great to hear your comments once you've watched it.

The Referee | Rättskiparen (Swedish & English - with English Subtitles)
http://vimeo.com/13425028

Never Captain Nicky Butt interview with Director Mattias Löw
http://www.nevercaptainnickybutt.com/2010/10/interview-with-mattias-low-director-of-the-referee.html

The Guardian Football Weekly Podcast... Woof!

One of the very few things I couldn't get through a week without. The Guardian Football Weekly Podcast is hosted by former Channel 4 Football Italia presenter James Richardson who along with regular Guardian journalist guests Barry Glendenning and Sean Ingle comment on the weeks top football stories from all over Europe.

To quote wikipedia... "The show is noted for its irreverent, often iconoclastic, style and mood. Although it adheres to a traditional sports chat show format, the presenters are encouraged to digress on matters unrelated to football and to divulge marginal information from the industry normally withheld from print. As such, its level of discussion is often anecdotal, fragmentary and partial. This is in stark contrast to the normal procedures of professional sports journalism, and is a rarity among sports chat shows in general"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/series/footballweekly

It Began In South Afrika ka ka!

Just over a year since England were humiliated by German at the 2010 World Cup, David Davies, former executive director of the English FA, tries to find out if anything has changed in England's approach to tactics and coaching since that horrendous Sunday afternoon in Bloemfontein.

One of many people he interviews is Jamie Carragher, Liverpool central defender and former England international who played at the 2010 World Cup. I found what Carragher said into how he behaves and thinks as a player and his thoughts on football today incredibly insightful.

If you have the time to listen to the report then please be quick, it's only available on the BBC iPlayer until precisely 2:02AM this coming Tuesday.

UK ONLY - http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01245jc/

Every Little Helps

On Tuesday I went to visit one of The FA's Tesco Summer Skill Centres in Barnet, Greater London. I was first introduced to the Programme when taking my Youth Module 1 last year and the tutor put me in contact with the Middlesex and Surrey team supervisor Kevin Green when I asked about furthering my coaching education.

Kevin is in charge of about 8-10 coaches who work full-time as FA Skills Coaches coving both counties, working in schools and football centres to provide opportunities for 5-11 year olds to play and enjoy the game.

The holiday session's they provide are completely free and on Tuesday had about 14 boys and girls in attendance. Having seen the coaches work and deal with the various ages and abilities they do an absolutely brilliant job.

An essential part to being a good coach is to be able to deal with the unexpected. Speaking to Gary, one of the skills coaches, he was telling me of the day previous where they had 30+ children then on Tuesday having only 14 and needing to change a planned session to suit the numbers and players ability.

The qualified coaches not only know their football but also how to work with young people and at a level they understand. They adapt their sessions to the needs of the individual not just the whole group which from personal experience can be very challenging. They do a terrific job. There is no anger or aggression from the coaches who are always full of praise and encouragement towards the children. They create a really positive environment for everybody to learn and allow each child to work at their own pace.

Thank you to Kevin for organising my visit and to the coaches Gary and Mark for allowing me to watch them at work, much appreciated.

The Official FA website for Tesco Skill Centres can be found below and has more information on where you can get your child involved.

http://tescoskills.thefa.com/About

The F Factor

"Playing for England must be like driving a car and having the police in your rearview mirror"
- Comedian Frank Skinner

Thinking recently about the style and approach I take to coaching and in particular how I deal with the players in 'my' U13 team, made me wonder about how other coaches coach.

I never tell my players how to play. An odd statement to many I'm sure. But what I mean by that is I take a guided discovery approach to how I coach. For example, I might ask a player in a session some questions or issue a challenge. Their solution, for me, is never wrong, just that players way of answering. Who am I to say what's right or wrong for that player in their particular situation on the pitch?

That player might get tackled taking on an opponent but they can try again to find a successful way of beating that opponent.

I'm reminded of when I was at school, how I never felt comfortable putting my hand up in class to answer a teachers question in case I got it wrong and got laughed at for doing so.  No pressure to 'get it right' is placed on the players I coach. I try to create an environment where the players learning the game are having fun, where they can ask questions and try different things without the fear and pressure that thousands of them feel every week.

This leads me on to coaches who take a command/directive approach to coaching players. The coach telling and showing the required solution - "I want you to do it like this" and thus determining the outcome of the session.

I've found seeing coaches do this literally strikes fear into young players. Players are then frightened to do anything else other than what has been asked of them, scared to make a mistake with risk of being shouted at by coach or even parent. Afraid to take on a player or to pass the ball back to their goalkeeper, this can create a negative environment where guided and self discovery are ignored and it then becomes all about the coach, not the players.

I recently came across this below article from Sam Wallace of the Independent, written just after England's defeat to Germany at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In it he makes comment on differences between our english stars compared to their german counterparts but most interestingly he talks of the difference in personalities and attitudes. That "despite playing for a nation of 80million people with enormous expectations, players such as Müller, Ozil, Lahm, and Khedira didn't look stressed".

Although he doesn't comment specifically on coaching methods or techniques I believe the pressure he talks of the England players having is intrinsically linked to how we coach our players. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-world-cup-failure-is-chance-for-clubs-to-start-creating-adults-not-just-footballers-2018438.html

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The Flawed Game

"So flawed is football that England contrived to go to the World Cup, get humiliated in three games, narrowly beat Slovenia in the other and still come out with an improved world ranking"

- Simon Burnton

Although comedic in his approach, Simon Burnton makes some interesting points on the 'flawed' nature of football in England but how being so can be more exciting and entertaining than the 'flawlessness' of European and World Champions Spain.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jul/17/spain-england-world-cup