Coaching, Schoolboy and Youth Football

Football's all about balance. Think of some of the greatest players ever to play the game ... Pele, Garrincha, Maradona, Messi, Best ... They all were blessed with a low centre of gravity. Tallest of that bunch was Best at 5ft 9in. If a 17 year old needs to put on half a stone of muscle that can be easily done, but he'd want to know how to pass a f**king ball first. Our youth leagues are dominated by lads who are big for their age and good for f**k all apart from booting smaller kids up in the air. It's a wonder we produce any decent players at all.

Hadn't seen that. Should be a major priority. A lot of ex-players would be well placed to take on such a role. Not f**king rocket science.

Some interesting thoughts in this thread. The FAI should read it. They should also maybe try to figure out why the top three players in the World Player of the Year award were all youth products from one club. Cruyff implemented the youth structures from Ajax when he went to Barcelona. The same ethos that yielded a 1995 Champions League for Ajax has given Barcelona the greatest club side in 50 years. What do we do? Walk the same trail as the English. Unimaginative, uninspiring sh*te where the basic skills are never absorbed and consequently creativity is an impossible. Fair play to anyone who is willing to challenge that.

I'd love to introuce some sort of prog at Celtic too where it's nailed down that winning is not important, rather player development is. The same formation, style should be played from Academy up!

Also would encourage usuing different formations at different times. Say, 3 games 442, 3 433, and 3 451 an a couple 343 over the course of a season. By the time they are 18 they will all be comfortable with different formations/jobs when needs be.

That's a huge factor too. I've said before that competetive football shouldn't exist before under 13 or 14! And 10 year olds playing 11 a side is absolutely crazy!

Because we have 5 year olds playing competitive ball, they feel presured to hooooof the ball every chance they get.
Spain, france etc, dont play competitive league format until U14, no presure on the players at a young age, so they take extra touches and are all comfortable on the ball from back to front,
The english FA have only changed to this format this year

Huggybeer wrote: True that: The lad who done the team in kilnamanagh with me, had a great eye for a player, we got a player from manor town, had him at the back told to hoofff every time the ball came near him "cause he was tall". 1st season with us, played high on the left, 2nd season striker and top soccer, so much ability. Ive got a 4month old now and I cant wait for him to start, im 5 times the coach now than when i started 6 years ago. 1sr Rule, Partents shut the fook up, I dont care if he is the next robbie keane, if you dont like it fook off, but he'll be the poorer for it

1st rule of every new season to parents is-shut the fuk up

True that: The lad who done the team in kilnamanagh with me, had a great eye for a player, we got a player from manor town, had him at the back told to hoofff every time the ball came near him "cause he was tall".
1st season with us, played high on the left, 2nd season striker and top soccer, so much ability.

Ive got a 4month old now and I cant wait for him to start, im 5 times the coach now than when i started 6 years ago.

1sr Rule, Partents shut the fook up, I dont care if he is the next robbie keane, if you dont like it fook off, but he'll be the poorer for it

MayoMark wrote: Yeah being out doing drills is the most important thing. Sitting own looking at presentations can be tedious. As you say, these are the things that 6 and 7 year olds should be learning. Go to Holland and you'll see their schoolboy leagues are full of passing and moving.

yep no roar+applause when a centre half hoofs the ball 40yards,fukin wrecks me head when parents/managers do this,kids learn fuk all when the balls in the clouds