Good article re academys in england some very interesting reading http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7686844.stm
Yes, I agree it is a good article but I think it is a bit too general to dismiss all English academies and players as being the same. Man City had plenty of players who could play with their head up and passed the ball around really well. Barnsley also have some. I think a failing of some English academies is that some boys are selected because they are physically advanced. This gives them a big advantage when they are young but they quickly reach their peak and then stand still. They get selected for games based on the 'here and now'. This can sometimes block the progress of more technically gifted boys. Coaches should be able to identify 'a player' and give them the right opportunities and development to succeed. Some do this very well, others less so.
Maybe too many coaches coach to win because it makes them feel good and put aside what is best for the kids
English coaching is not conducted in a vacuum. It is designed to produce players that will be suitable for the English game. The English game values the qualities of strength and running power because that is how the English game is played, and the English game is played that way because climatic conditions from November to March mean that touch and still are of less value. The best of the foreign imports are players who have the physical attributes to play the game in the English style. English supporters demand that a high proportion of the game is played in penalty boxes. Personally, I would not want to watch the Italian game week in week out. I prefer the cut and thrust of the English game. However, the Italian game was designed to be played in different conditions, warmer weather and firmer pitches. Players would find themselves with no energy after an hour if they played an English style, and this is partly why the England team finds it so difficult to win World and European Cup tournaments played during the Summer months. Having said all that, Hoddle is merely making the point that some lads are not suited to the English style of game. His academy will give these lads a fresh opportunity to make the grade in a different style of football which might be more suited to their physical attributes, and there is nothing wrong in that. The article also gives his academy some free publicity, and he isn't going to turn that down is he. The problem with Barnsley's academy is that the big teams have first pick of the comparatively small pool of talent. Barnsley is left to pick up the rejects from the "top table", the kids that did not make it at the age of 16 with one of these big teams. Just go through the academy profiles and check their places of birth, previous teams and team supported and see how many come from Barnsley, which is the second problem. The town does not seem to be producing as much raw talent as it once did. Even Reuben Noble-Lazarus is from Huddersfield.
Re Red Rain I would have to disagree with you on a number of points here. I cannot think of a single occasion in football where 'touch and skill are of less value'. Forget the weather, touch and skill are always important and more so in poor conditions! 'The best of the foreign players' do not have 'physical attributes that suit the English game'; the best players are people like Zola, Deco, Fabregas etc etc I also disagree that the big clubs have first pick, they just show a greater commitment to go out and find these players when they are younger. To refer to the academy boys as rejects based on reading player profiles suggests a rather parochial or uninformed outlook.
in a simple yes or no question are you able to answer the following question?? has the standard of player and coach at Oakwell academy deteriated in recent years?
I am not sure what you would accept as proof. I do not see the coaches during the week. I see only the team every other Saturday. I have been watching the team since Mark Smith was the coach. In the first season that I watched them they finished 2nd in their division and reached the semi-final of the youth cup beating Manchester United at Old Trafford on the way. Last season they finished next to bottom in their league and were knocked out of the Youth cup by Swindon Town. Look, I know that the main reason for running an academy is to produce first team footballers. Judged by that criteria, even the Mark Smith teams could be judged a failure. As far as I can remember he produced only Scot Flinders and Robbie Williams (plus part of Dale Tonge), clearly not good enough. Therefore, if Lazarus or Adam were to make it from the current crop then Immediately the talent and coaching could be judged better than previously. Sorry that my answer was not Yes or No, but in practice things are rarely that simple.
