The problem is the FA and the coaching of kids

The problem with the England team is not new, it has been here for decades. Every foreign coach knows the problem, their countries have no problem producing technical footballers, but England are so far behind it makes you laugh.

When every country adopted the approach of kids concentrating on technical ability and playing on small sized pitches England thought they knew better. So we effectively bred a load of donkeys with minimal technical ability and are looking at the result of such poor decision making.

But you would think this should've been sorted out by now but no, the FA have decided to introduce the change to youth/kid's football for the 2014 season I think. The FA are a bunch of slow backward thinking oafs who are not fit for purpose

The one player I am looking forward to playing for England is Wilshere, he's about he only technical player I can think of who could play for ANY international team because he is so composed on the ball and looks to play possession football. OXO I think will be a great addition too when he matures but he isn't ready yet. I can't think of any other decent technical footballers.

 

I don't necessarily disagree, but if we play Wilshere then who *doesn't* play? It's too easy to think something like Parker doesn't have enough flair so he should go, but does anyone think that a central midfield of Gerrard and Wilshere would have done any better? Try that at a tournament and we'll be overrun again and some bright spark would then say we need more steel in the midfield, someone just to break up the opposition play. Well we've got that, but we can't take advantage of it because we appear to be forced to accommodate Rooney regardless of his contribution, instead (perhaps) of another midfielder.

Remember though that even without that coaching you still get the odd player coming through. Think how much better England would have looked with Bale instead of Young on the left? Clearly it's a different "nation" (technically) but don't try to tell me that Bale is the product of a completely different national coaching system. It's by accident of birth and a few tens of miles, not about FA coaching or lack of. So whilst the coaching point is valid, it's also about making the most of what we actually have.

Having said that I completely take the point about coaches and clearly the FA should have invested more instead of paying way over the odds for a flagship stadium.

 

I agree that the style of coaching kids is a big problem, however there are still a huge number of things that must change and the Premier league are as much to blame as the FA. Many prem teams opt to buy in talented foreign youngsters rather than train English players, there are to many foreign players in the prem which reduces opportunities, poor coaching structure, too much money at an early age I feel can seriously damage the development of some players, reliance of players from "big clubs" regardless of ability or performance, players must also be coached better tactically as often our players look clueless in comparison to their foreign counterparts. I could go on but that will do for now.

 

If it was possible to agree with something 200%, I would. Exactly the problem, and has been for many many years.

We teach under 11s to play football on pitches that are too large and instil a will to win at all costs in them. Sounds good, except it means that we have 10 year old centre midfielders and centre backs who, rather than developing technical ability and passing skills, are being taught to 'get rid of it', 'take no chances' or 'row z it.' the result - exactly what happens every time england play anybody half decent - cannot keep the ball for more than 5 passes at a time. No idea how to see a game off by keeping hold of the ball.

This is not the fault of any of england's managers or any of england's players. It is the fault of the system of developing the skills that should be coming later on in footballing careers. John Terry would still be the lionheart he is today even if hed been taught to control and pass a ball at a very young age. Same for Steven Gerrard. Same for Lampard, for Milner etc. All had natural raw abiity and all are undoubtedly very important players in their club teams where they are surrounded by gifted foreign technicians. BUt none able to take the game and dictate the midfeild like Pirlo did yesterday.

The FA needs to wake up and act quickly. I might not go as far as to say make football uncompetitive until the age of 14, but certainly enforce under 14s football to be played on small, compact pitches where they have no choice but to develop slick, technical ability and the skills to pass their way out of trouble and keep hold of the ball for at least a small amount of time. Otherwise itll be same old, same old for the foreseeable future.

 

Vimhawk, some might argue that 4-4-2 at international level weakens the team especially when others play 4-5-1 and 4-3-3, a 4-4-2 will get overrun in midfield. But Italy played a 4-4-2 and none of England's midfield could get close to Pirlo all game. when they did he held them off and passed the ball when HE was ready to pass.

Wilshere is a MUST as far as I am concerned, he and Joe Hart would be the first names on my team sheet. England look uncomfortable keeping the ball, they can knock it across the back four but inevitably it gets hit long. Playing Andy Carroll encourages this too. Milner, Walcott and Ashley Young do not have the technique to keep the ball, neither does Adam Johnson .. I'm not sure about Sturridge. Oxo does and Rooney can keep the ball but where is the next Scholes ? Where is the player who is , busy, like Pirlo, who keeps the ball moving, that player who can dictate the game from the middle ??

I'd have Scholes with Wilshere .. and Parker anchoring the middle. So we don't play 4-4-2, big deal, lets play a formation that suits the personnel. Wilshere is excellent running with the ball and played more as an AM for Arsenal youth. We are desperate for a Scholes replacement to come through though.

 

This came from a bloke on the Southampton board who does some youth coaching. He explains the problems very well, certainly better than I could. He suggests that it will take a massive change in attitude and a long time to get the system up to scratch.

 

Jonny Howson, genuinely think has the potential to be a very very good player and not just because I'm a Norwich fan. I think we need to start picking players more on their ability, form and style of play to fit in with the team rather than looking for players from "big" clubs only. Although as earlier discussed Englands problems lie much deeper than this. I hope Wilshere comes back strongly from his injury, would be a huge loss if not.

 

Not just you, Howson is a good player with potential.

 

I lived in spain for about 15 years, played football on the local pitch twice a week, Tuesdays before the kids trained and thursdays after they trained, they don;t use 'proper' footballs, they use small 'futbol sala' balls that are fairly dead, so hoofing the ball up in the air and long doesn't really work, instead it teaches them close, tight control. All we seem to teach is based on physicality hoof up in the air to an 'old fashioned' centre forward, and that's exactly what it is, old fashioned and out of date, if you don't teach your youth ball skills then you'll never have any skillful players, the fact that Rooney, who doesn't seem to be able to kick a ball 10 yards to a team-mate, is considered our best player really shows how **** we are, and the blame falls squarly on the FA and the youth setup in this country.

 

While I agree a lot of responsibility lies with the FA and they certainly are responsible for the coaching set up which is inadequate, but the Premier League is a separate organisation who must also take some blame especially as they are in control of the majority of money involved in professional football, regulate number of home grown players per team etc. Is England the only country where the national governing body does not control the highest league in their country? Must be something wrong there

 

When I was playing football as a Kid, my team had 5-6 good technical players (me being one of them) and we had a lad who was taller than all of us and all of our opponents, we were told to just lump it up to him as that was the most effective way to score and win. Myself, in midfield allways felt useless as all I was told to do was just lob it foward and I'd get a load of **** from the coach if I did anything else.
The big lad was the one who got scouted for trials at football clubs (Leyton Orient and West Ham IIRC) don't get me wrong I wouldn't of made it but some others could of but didn't because they were like me.
It is to be expected that with youth setups like that, that England have very few technical players.

 

The problem is Hodgson; he picked the squad.

When Richards, Carrick, Scholes, Johnson and Cleverley all get left at home, no one can say he didn't have good players to pick from.

A midfield of Carrick, Scholes and Gerrard would boss most.

 

Carrick and Scholes ruled themselves out, Cleverly has been injured most the season, RIchards I agree with you, Johnson not sure.

I say give him a chance when Wilshere and Cleverly are fit again. If he continues to play the same way ill agree with you!

 

The poor coaching and poor pitches are a factor, for sure. Huge 11 a side, bumpy, wet and ruined grass pitches for under 10's and 11's...

Many "coaches" will take a look at kids who are 12 and 13 before they've developed fully and if they're big, they'll defend as a center back or be put up top as a target man- if they're small and skinny, they'll be put as a forward on the wing or as a fullback if they're fit.

More 5-a-side teams and 7-a-side leagues should be introduced for kids to take part in.

 

It's the entire culture behind national football in England.
Time and time again, England have proved that the "players" are not fit for traveling globally. You would have thought, with England sucking up the world's resources throughout its time in the Empire, as well as currently with the PL (hahaha), the lads would have been exposed to the world, and be ready to step out of dear Blightly and go off to other parts of the world and play. But nah - these lads all want the comforts of home in England, they can't be arsed to deal with foreign lands, with foreign things, really. THAT's the reality. They all forget themselves when they land in a foreign country. They don't know what to do with themselves when they can't express themselves on the streets of someone else's nation.

 

I don't agree with this. Arsenal, for example, has been slated for not having enough English players but why should we spend more money on English players who are not as good as their European counterparts ? The premise behind quotas is good, but it will not improve anything, we will just have lots of mediocre/sub standard English players playing hoofball.

What we need to do is fix the actual problem and in 5 years the results should be there for all to see - an improved set of English footballers able to keep possession of the ball. This can't be done until we change the philosophy of our game and move the focus from physicality/speed to technique.

 

.......this article could have been written in the 1970's, the same problems were outlined then and nothing has changed in 40 years. what chances of changes in the next 40? don't hold your breath.

 

I'm not having a go at the clubs. After all they are businesses now so will try to get the best product for the lowest price. I also agree that this is a problem that concerns the standard of coaching in this country. However the point I was trying to make is that our top league is run by a different organisation to our national team, therefore they must also be involved in searching for a solution. It does not necessarily have to be through say a quota system, but they must find of a way of making it worthwhile for clubs to develop English talent at the highest level instead of say looking abroad.

Essentially the FA need a major overhaul of the lower levels of football down to grass routes and to improve coaching etc. While the Premier league look after the elite teams/players.

 

EU rules would scupper any of that though surely.

 

Certain parts it may well do although other sports such as cricket only allow 2 overseas players (although most cricket is played outside of the EU). I'm sure if they really wanted to implement such an idea they could. Although as I said it does not have to be a quota system that is introduced, just some sort of incentive to develop more English talent. Much of the problem as you alluded to is of course money and that often foreign imports are much cheaper. I would like to see a competition such as the league cup using teams of only British players or something along those lines. Hard to know if practices like this would improve standards but would give them game time. Maybe worth a go.