The state of English Football

Jus been thinking seriously about tonight’s game and the biggest thing that stood out was the fact that all the Croatian team were comfortable on the ball. Even their centre backs on occasions felt comfortable knocking it back and forth between themselves. Now I’m 29 and have been watching England players for years and I can only think of three top quality technical players that England has produced. Scholes, Sheringham &
Gascoigne

Can you ever imagine an English player with the technical skills of a Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo; it just would never happened. I heard Fergie a few times on MUTV talking about the fact that we need to get kids playing on smaller pitches and with less players so they get just to passing the ball on the floor, and tonight I can see exactly where Fergie is coming from.

Can anyone seriously imagine going to a under 10’s game in Spain or France and seeing parents telling their kids to whoof the ball up front? That happens every week in England. The result of this is players like, Lescott, Richards, Cambell. Yes they may be athletic and strong and fast, but they can't pass the ball with their good foot let along there bad one.

Great post and word perfect. NFT

Originally Posted by Fatboy Shrek

Great post and word perfect. NFT

What's this word "whoof" - do the Arsenal fans know it?

Originally Posted by Save It

Jus been thinking seriously about tonight’s game and the biggest thing that stood out was the fact that all the Croatian team were comfortable on the ball. Even their centre backs on occasions felt comfortable knocking it back and forth between themselves. Now I’m 29 and have been watching England players for years and I can only think of three top quality technical players that England has produced. Scholes, Sheringham &
Gascoigne

Can you ever imagine an English player with the technical skills of a Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo; it just would never happened. I heard Fergie a few times on MUTV talking about the fact that we need to get kids playing on smaller pitches and with less players so they get just to passing the ball on the floor, and tonight I can see exactly where Fergie is coming from.

Can anyone seriously imagine going to a under 10’s game in Spain or France and seeing parents telling their kids to whoof the ball up front? That happens every week in England. The result of this is players like, Lescott, Richards, Cambell. Yes they may be athletic and strong and fast, but they can't pass the ball with their good foot let along there bad one.

Spot on; we're breeding athletes, not players. They might be up to the physical battle but £#%&! all else. Even our 'quality' players like Gerrard looked rushed on the ball. Not capable of a quick turn to give themselves a bit of space. The only intelligent ball I saw from an England player was from Wright Phillips to Richards. The Croatian's were one step ahead at all times.

Originally Posted by Save It

Jus been thinking seriously about tonight’s game and the biggest thing that stood out was the fact that all the Croatian team were comfortable on the ball. Even their centre backs on occasions felt comfortable knocking it back and forth between themselves. Now I’m 29 and have been watching England players for years and I can only think of three top quality technical players that England has produced. Scholes, Sheringham &
Gascoigne

Can you ever imagine an English player with the technical skills of a Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo; it just would never happened. I heard Fergie a few times on MUTV talking about the fact that we need to get kids playing on smaller pitches and with less players so they get just to passing the ball on the floor, and tonight I can see exactly where Fergie is coming from.

Can anyone seriously imagine going to a under 10’s game in Spain or France and seeing parents telling their kids to whoof the ball up front? That happens every week in England. The result of this is players like, Lescott, Richards, Cambell. Yes they may be athletic and strong and fast, but they can't pass the ball with their good foot let along there bad one.

That's an excellent post, been saying the same thing myself for years!

Regarding your last paragraph. I've watched Barcelona's youth teams training, as it's open to the public. None of them play on full size pitches. Watching their Under-12's, they were all passing the ball around comfortably taking one or two touches at most.

Get down to see your local youth sides and compare the difference. They're usually run by frustrated little Mourinho's going on about 442 or 433. To 12 year olds ffs. I've seen that kind of shit plenty of times. It's disgraceful.

Kids in this country just aren't encouraged to express themselves. The damage is done by their mid teens, resulting in them lacking the kind of technique which is second nature to young lads from the continent. Very sad state of affairs.

Fantastic post.

They can't keep just putting it down to 1-off bad games, the fact is they are not in the same class technically as even countries like Croatia as proven tonight. It's all about living off names with England. Lampard or Gerrard occasionaly coming up with some "3 lions on ma shirt" "pride" rubbish for club and country, yes sometimes a long shot or something or inspiration will create a goal but they don't have it technically as a team. Their best players if you're going off names, Lampard and Gerrard are technically just not upto it so obviously the rest of the team isn't.

England just doesn't produce technically gifted players often, you don't have to be a big name, see Croatia, all their players were comfortable on the ball. Their play was easy on the eye.

£#%&! knows why Carrick was left out, he's the player england need to tick.

Some valid points, but I think ultimately this is just a very poor England side coupled with a clueless manager. Croatia played well tonight, but if they're so superb technically because of how they coach their kids, why has their record in international tournaments been pretty dreadful since 98?

Yeah best post I have ever read mate, I mean it was brilliant, it was like perfect word for word, like Shakespeare had wrote it, and you are my mate, you really are, can I tongue your arse as well or is there already 6 in your ring ?

Originally Posted by The Watcher

That's an excellent post, been saying the same thing myself for years!

Regarding your last paragraph. I've watched Barcelona's youth teams training, as it's open to the public. None of them play on full size pitches. Watching their Under-12's, they were all passing the ball around comfortably taking one or two touches at most.

Get down to see your local youth sides and compare the difference. They're usually run by frustrated little Mourinho's going on about 442 or 433. To 12 year olds ffs. I've seen that kind of shit plenty of times. It's disgraceful.

Kids in this country just aren't encouraged to express themselves. The damage is done by their mid teens, resulting in them lacking the kind of technique which is second nature to young lads from the continent. Very sad state of affairs.

Exactly! You have to let these kids play so that they become comfortable with the ball and learn to find their own solutions to football problems. Winning is nice, but it should never be the prime motivation. Football at that age should be about having fun and expressing yourself.

When you do coach them, it should be in terms of improving their individual technique. The rest is, by and large, complete %@#$&!s for anyone at that age.

Unfortunately this kind of approach is very difficult to implement in England. Because even if the coach has the right idea, the coach of the other team and a number of the parents will quite probably feel differently. It's very frustrating.

www.giveusbackourgame.co.uk

Originally Posted by 1MUFC

Yeah best post I have ever read mate, I mean it was brilliant, it was like perfect word for word, like Shakespeare had wrote it, and you are my mate, you really are, can I tongue your arse as well or is there already 6 in your ring ?

You funny man.

I've been boring people to death with this for years.

When I was a kid I went to soccer schools, most of them run by bitter bastards like that Gus fella who played for city and various other divs. (they were held at Platt Lane you see ).

Every single £#%&!ing time, we would finally be given an actual ball for the last ten minutes only. The previous hour was spent running round the pitch, stretching, doing exercises and running round cones.
A total and complete waste of £#%&!ing time.

When I lived in France a few years back I watched a local lads' team training one night. Even the big lads at the back were superb on the ball - ball control, technique, dribbling, and just basic £#%&!ing passing.

The upshot is that you have English commentators and pundits shaking their heads in amazement as Spanish and Italian teams keep the ball for ages. Watch Real Madrid - they just don't give the ball away.

In England, meanwhile, players get praised when they chase back to win the ball back, even though it was their fault they lost it in the £#%&!ing first place.

This problem is ingrained in our culture - people don't like fancy-dans and think flair and creativity are to be frowned upon, whilst 'dogs of war' are heroes. It's £#%&!ing %@#$&!s.

Originally Posted by Fatboy Shrek

You funny man.

Thanks

Originally Posted by Zorg

This problem is ingrained in our culture - people don't like fancy-dans and think flair and creativity are to be frowned upon, whilst 'dogs of war' are heroes. It's £#%&!ing %@#$&!s.

Ronaldo is a perfect example. Up to last season, all the so called experts would moan about him "fannying around" and wasting time with his "tricks". It's skill for £#%&!s sake. It doesn't always come off, but you have to £#%&!ing try!

Another example is Joe Cole - what a £#%&!ing talent he was at West Ham! But Jose got his claws into him and dragged all the individuality and skill out of his game. Yet the press applauded this, as he became just another cog in the Chelsea machine. That said everything about how skillful players are viewed by English football.

I dont fully buy that, yes there probably is a bit of truth in it, but we have consistently got to the quarter finals and semi finals over the last 20 years and often have only been beaten though penalty kicks.

In this case, the manager has done an extremley poor job, he has failed in a catastrophic manner and should be sacked.

We have the players to do ok, if Muriniho was running things we would have won the group. McLaren is/was a clueless numbskull, he never had the respect of the players at any time and his team selection was all over the place.

England has plenty of decent ball players and has produced some fine footballers over the years that have competed to a high level in most of the international competitions we have been involved in. Managers make teams.

Originally Posted by The Watcher

That's an excellent post, been saying the same thing myself for years!

Regarding your last paragraph. I've watched Barcelona's youth teams training, as it's open to the public. None of them play on full size pitches. Watching their Under-12's, they were all passing the ball around comfortably taking one or two touches at most.

Get down to see your local youth sides and compare the difference. They're usually run by frustrated little Mourinho's going on about 442 or 433. To 12 year olds ffs. I've seen that kind of shit plenty of times. It's disgraceful.

Kids in this country just aren't encouraged to express themselves. The damage is done by their mid teens, resulting in them lacking the kind of technique which is second nature to young lads from the continent. Very sad state of affairs.

...and then they get nicked by the Arse or United.

Originally Posted by Lou_Macari_Chippy

I dont fully buy that, yes there probably is a bit of truth in it, but we have consistently got to the quarter finals and semi finals over the last 20 years and often have only been beaten though penalty kicks.

1986 - Qtr Final

1988 - 1st Round

1990 - Semi Final

1992 - 1st Round

1994 - Didn't qualify

1996 - Semi final

1998 - 2nd round

2000 - 1st Round

2002 - Qtr Final

2004 - Qtr Final

2006 - Qtr Final

2008 - Didn't Qualify

Four Quarter Final and two Semi Final appearances in the last twenty years. England only got to the quarter final stage "consistently" when Sven was in charge. They've never managed to get to the Semi Finals of major tournaments "consistently".

Blaming penalty kicks is a cop out. There is a reason the Germans are so good at them and the English and Dutch so bad...and it has very little to do with "luck".

Originally Posted by Lou_Macari_Chippy

England has plenty of decent ball players and has produced some fine footballers over the years that have competed to a high level in most of the international competitions we have been involved in. Managers make teams.

But ultimately it's no trophies in 40 years. The likes of Greece and Denmark have won major trophies in that time. Germany, France, and Italy have won multiple trophies. And it's not just penalties; this is the 6th major tournament in that time England have failed to qualify for (3 World Cups, 3 Euros). It can't just be one poor manager after another. There's got to be more to it. Especially since the U17 and U21 records in their respective tournaments are equally disappointing.

When you have a Liverpool reserve and two Spurs reserves up front then you have to say something isnt right.