Beckham. Englands 12th man?

 

There can’t be many footballers that have been through the kind of stresses and strains, positives & negatives and good old ups & downs that David Beckham has been through in his career.  So who better to help the England squad cope with their own highs & lows during the World Cup than he.

Whilst every England fan will have their own idea of who the final 23 will be, it is likely that a large number have never played in a World Cup before.  Hart, Green, Baines, Dawson, Lennon, Milner &  Bent, to name a few, may all be playing in the worlds most prestigious sporting event for their first times.

Which is why I think it’s an inspired decision to take Beckham along.

Beckham has rarely been out of the public eye since he scored ‘that’ goal (view it here) against Wimbledon in August 1996.  He very quickly established himself in the Manchester United Team and his England debut came in September of the same year.

Beckham has since gone from hero to villain to hero to legend in the eyes of England fans. 

But it is the way he pulled himself back to the top after the despair of the 1998 World Cup, when he was shown a red card against Argentina for kicking out at Diego Simeone, that convinces me that he can have a major impact on the mental preparation of the current squad.

After the Argentina game, Beckham bore the brunt of the frustration from the English fans and Press alike.  One newspaper even printed a picture of a hanging effigy of Beckham on their front page.

This could have been the end of Beckhams England career, if he’d let it be, but no, he was determined to not let 1 mistake ruin his international chances.  He knew at the time something that we have all learnt since: the value of Beckham as an England player.

And so we see the mental strength and courage of the man.  Not only does he play for England again, he cements his place in the team.  And, after putting in some true leaders performances, he is made Captain by Caretaker manager Peter Taylor. 

And it doesn’t stop there.  He has continued pushing his inclusion in the squad and has gained 115 caps for England, scoring 17 goals in the process.

It is imperative that Beckham is part of the England set-up.  He will provide something that Capello simply can’t.  English passion and a dogged resilience borne out of experience.

He will be the ‘Carlsberg Team Talk’ in the dressing room.  He will be the shoulder to cry on if a player hasn’t performed so well.

And rest assured, as an England fan himself, he will do everything in his power to get an extra 10% out of each and every player.

We are not just going to see David Beckham, Ambassador.  We are going to see David Beckham, future England Manager.

Skills a-gogo

I’m a sucker for silky skills.

I encourage my players to try their luck with various skills during games, dragbacks, stepovers, dummies or any other trick that they can come up with and it gives me immense pleasure when they successfully manage one.

At the beginning of every training session I get the lads doing keepy-uppy’s and the majority of them reach double figures consistently.  Then we have 5 minutes practising Ronaldo’s (stepover), Michael Owens (shoulder drop), Ginola’s (dragback turns) and Ronaldinho’s (inside/outside flicks).

Its great seeing the boys try these in a match.  Remember, they are 9 year old boys of varied ability and not all their tricks come off but we’ve all fallen over the ball once or twice haven’t we.  Haven’t we?

I tend to spend most of my YouTube time searching for different examples of skills and this video is seriously worth a look.  He’s a French TV prankster with incredible accuracy.  A different type of skill but skill nonetheless.

Right, I’m off to kick a football into some wheelie-bins.

Seven-th Heaven

Tornados v Hall Road Rangers

With the Tornados still having to play a game that was postponed because of snow, I stupidly re-arranged it for last night.

Not stupid because it was a school night.  Not stupid because the weather was looking grim.

Stupid because I arranged it before checking that my players were available.

And they weren’t.  Not all of them anyway.  Under 9′s soccer is played at 7 a side and  I have a squad of 11 players.

Take away 2 who couldn’t make it and 2 more with injuries and that leaves 7.  7 young lads who I was asking to play 40 minutes of football after a full day at school.  And whats more, some of them had just finished PE at 3!

Well I needn’t have worried.  This was definitely one of the highs of the season, certainly for me.  This was one of those nights that makes you feel proud to be doing what you’re doing.

They were immense!  They put in more effort than I had the right to ask of them and pretty much commanded both games.  I’d need a thesaurus to accurately describe how well they played but I’ll let you do that for me (look up words for amazing, majestic, strong etc).

Ok so we didn’t score, but that’s been a recurring theme throughout the season and has nothing to do with tonight’s display.  However, we didn’t concede either.

Two 0-0 draws may lead you to the assumption that these were boring games but you couldn’t be further from the truth.  For the whole game I felt how I assume Roy Hodgson was feeling when Fulham had 10 minutes to go of injury time.  Nervous, excited, worried.  In fact, looking at his face on the TV, I’m sure we could have been mistaken for twins.  Except I’m much younger and better looking.  Ahem.

So my magnificent 7 did themselves, me and the coaches, proud.  And the 4 points (2 for a draw) took us to 4th in the table.  Lovely stuff.

Just a quick word on Fulham. Roy Hodgson and the team, whilst gutted, can be very proud of their battling display last night.  They are probably the only club in the Premier League that I (and a lot of others) would feel sympathy for.  They got to the final the hard way but remained humble and respectful throughout.  And, in getting to the final, they managed to do something that no other English team has managed this season.  Well done Fulham.

And lastly, I saw the new Carlsberg Team Talk advert last night (see it here).  Genuinely made me come out in goose bumps and forced a tremble of the bottom lip at the line “do it for Bobby”.  Probably the best advert in the world.

Is Carragher the answer? I think not…

It has been widely reported that Fabio Capello is considering asking Jamie Carragher to return to international football, with a view to him being included in Englands World Cup squad.  

 

Assuming that this is true, it would be a disgrace and a real slap in the face for Steve McClaren and every single England fan. 

Carragher last played for England in June 2007 in a friendly against Brazil which ended in a 1-1 draw, and duly retired soon after. 

I remember a number of England commentators at the time saying that they thought he was being hasty, petulant and Adrian Durham of talkSport even called him a ‘bottler’ (Carragher called in to talkSport to have it out with Durham on the air, listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTJxocLDfEA). 

The reasons that Carragher gave for retiring where that he wasn’t being picked for England and that when he was picked he was played out of position at full back.  He also states the following: 

“I want to stress this has nothing do would Steve McClaren, It wouldn’t have mattered who was the England manager, I’ve been thinking about this for a while”. 

Whilst we may not have liked his decision or his reasons, Carragher made his decision and that should be respected.  And it should be the end of that.  Including the end of his England career.

And surely if the above quote was to be believed, he wouldn’t come back for anyone.  Would he?

However, the main reason for me being baffled about Capello apparently thinking about asking him to come back has nothing to do with him turning his back on England.  

He’s just not that good.  

Yes he’s a good Premiership centre half but this doesn’t necessarily equate to him being a good England centre half.  Indeed, look at the Premier League table that was completed yesterday.  Carraghers team, Liverpool, finished 7th.  English centre halves that finished above him include: 

• John Terry
• Rio Ferdinand
• Sol Campbell
• Joleon Lescott
• Michael Dawson
• Ledley King

Throw in Phil Jagielka whose club, Everton, finished 2 points behind and Matthew Upson, who seems to be being given chance after chance, and you have a glut of centre halves who should be on the plane way ahead of Carragher.  

This then leads me to assume that Capello wants him as a ‘utility’ player.  But, wasn’t that one of the reasons he gave for retiring? 

So, if we are to believe the story, Capello is considering bringing in a player who has already turned his back on England, has 8 players ahead of him in his preferred position, and sulks when asked to play in a position that he doesnt want to play in. 

All in all, not a smart move if you ask me.  

Just ask yourself one question.  Will Carragher be the difference between England winning the World Cup or not?

Match Report? Are you kidding….

So yesterday was the big derby day for Hessle Sporting, with 8 Hessle Sporting teams playing each other in their respective leagues.  Add a Tornados Dads v Vulcans Dads game and you can imagine what a busy day it was on the home ground.

I considered writing a match report for the Tornados v Vulcans game, however as with most matches, I have a complete mental blank within 10 minutes of the final whistle.  I find myself getting so wrapped up in the occasion that I can never remember a whole lot of what went on during the games.  As we play 2 x 20 minute games i’ve got no chance of giving an in-depth report.

What I can say is that both games were very evenly contested, and the players, from both teams, should have been very proud of their performances.  There was a bit of upset after the second game (parents, you ask? Correct!), but I think it deserves a seperate blog.

Oops, forgot to mention, the boys won 1-0 (Coles) and drew 2-2 (Coles, Carter) giving us bragging rights over the Vulcans until we play them again.  In fact, the next time that they meet I will be the Vulcans Coach (see here for why) so hopefully I will retain the bragging rights.

Oh, and after a very funny and very unfit game, the Tornados dads won too, 1-0.  A good day all round!!!

Bragging rights to us

Derby Day & a new challenge

Just when I thought i’d retired from football management I get sucked back in.

The Vulcans, one of Hessle Sportings other under 9′s teams (there are currently 5!) was looking like it was going to fold at the end of the season, due to both the Manager & the Coach having ‘had enough’.

They have decided that the (albeit pathetic) politics, back-stabbing and player poaching that comes with being part of a huge amateur football club set-up is more than they want to deal with.  I can’t say I blame them, I used to feel the same way until I decided to ignore it and stay out of it.

Now, having decided to relinquish my Manager/Coach role with the Tornados at the end of the season, I couldn’t very well sit back and watch a team of 11 young lads be split up.  It just didn’t seem right.

So I threw my hat in the ring.

And there it sat, on its own, with no other contenders.

Therefore, having had brief discussions with the Vulcans parents on Sunday & Wednesday I am now their Manager/Coach elect.

To give the situation a little more spice, my current team (Tornados) play the Vulcans in a league fixture on Sunday.  My Tornados are built on passing and movement whereas the Vulcans, currently (watch this space) play a more physical kick and run style and so it should be a very exciting and eye-opening game. 

Also, they owe us one for pipping them to the post last summer to be crowned Champions at the Sproatley tournament (we scored a last minute free-kick to beat them by 1 point).  Actually, there’s some video of the Sproatley tournament on You Tube:

So, whilst I want the Vulcans to do well, I hope my Tornados give them a good tonking.  Then I can rebuild the team next season and repay the debt.

Don’t Teach New Dogs Old Tricks

As a youth coach it is extremely important to teach the kids about fair play, respect and responsibility.  I work very hard at trying to instill these virtues into my players and get extremely frustrated when I see the types of picture that I have seen in The Sun today (below).

Manchester City's Carlos Tevez (right) grabs Tottenham Hotspur's David Bentley (left) by the throat.

I can tell you, from experience, that 9 year old boys love Carlos Tevez.  They like his skill, his energy and of course his goals.  They look up to him and want to be like him.  What a shame then that he has to do something stupid like this.  Quite simply this isnt football.

One of the best bits of advice that a youth coach can give to his players, in order for them to develop, is to watch as much football as possible.  By watching the pro’s do it they learn about positioning, the importance of finding space, when to make a pass and when to dribble.  Unfortunately, they also learn bad habits too. 

Drogba skydiving without a parachute

I have never once coached any of my players to dive for a free kick or penalty.  I have never once coached any of my players to argue with a referee.  I have never once coached any of my players to grab hold of a players shirt and pull them back. 

Yet they’ve learnt it. 

In fairness, I only have 2 or 3 players that are guilty of these offences.  And, certainly in our league, we are probably the least offending team.  My players are well aware that I won’t stand for it.

That said, I have a player who regularly throws himself to the floor at the slightest touch from the opposition, in the hope of winning a free kick.  Sadly, I don’t even bother to come onto the pitch anymore to administer first aid as this little boy has cried wolf so many times even his own teammates have started to get on his back about it.  He’s not a bad lad, he’s just seen it on TV and thinks it’s right.

I have another player who constantly argues with the referee’s over their decisions.  At under 9′s it is very unusual for referee’s to show players a card (I have never seen one shown in a league game), however I sometimes wish that a ref would give him a yellow just to shut him up.  Again, he’s not a bad lad, he’s just emulating his heroes.

Who'd be a referee?

Whilst it’s easy to condemn the young players for bringing this kind of cheating (yes its a strong word but lets be straight, it is cheating) into the youth game, the buck has to stop with the footballing powers that be.  The Premier League, the FA, UEFA et al. 

The FA’s Respect campaign is, in my opinion, an excellent grassroots effort that will pay dividends in 10-15 years as the youth players of today become the stars of tomorrow. 

However, whilst the youth players are seeing their ‘heroes’ diving, arguing, punching, spitting etc they will continue to believe it is what’s expected of a footballer.

What a shame that the efforts that are being put in at grassroots level aren’t being applied to the senior game.  Or rather are being ignored by the senior players.

I can (and will) continue to try and drive it out of my team, but, unfortunately, the last resort may be to drive the player out of the team rather than the behaviour.

Managerial Merry-Go-Round

The Tornados

A few weeks ago I took the very difficult decision to leave the Tornados at the end of the season and start again at the bottom of the development ladder, with a new group of 4 & 5 year old kids.

Before I explain why, I’d better start by telling you about the Tornados (or Hessle Sporting Tornados, to give them their full title).  They are an Under 9’s football team, playing in the 2nd Division of the Hull Boys Sunday Football League.  I’ve been coaching them for about 2 and a half years and, in this time, they have given me some phenomenal highs and some devastating lows.  A great bunch of lads nonetheless, who have developed into a fine team.  However, there is one massive drawback when it comes to coaching young ‘uns, which is that they come with unwelcome (and often unsavoury) baggage. Parents.

Any coach will tell you that the hardest part of their role is handling the parents.  I don’t necessarily share the view that they are “living their lives through the kids” but it is fair to say that in a large number of cases (not all I might add), parents believe that their kids have a lot more talent than they actually do. 

These are the parents that believe playing Sunday League football in Hull is just a stepping stone to the Bernabeu or Old Trafford.  Whether the kids want to or not.  I’ll give you a couple of examples:

I had completed a training session recently and was walking back to the clubhouse when one of my players mums asked to have a word.  I wont go into detail about what the issue was (suffice to say it was a typical parents one), but at one point in the conversation she stated that her son was “the best player in the team”.  Now, I have a squad of 12 players.  If I was to rank them (which i’m loathe to do) he would come in at 8th(ish).  I didn’t tell her this but it was amusing to me to realise that she clearly see’s something different to me and the other coaches when he’s playing. 

Another recent example of a parents alternate view was when I received a phone call after a game from one of my players dads complaining that he didn’t want his son playing in defence and he wanted him to play as a striker.  Now to be fair to the lad, he is easily our best defender.  He can tackle, chase, run with the ball and hoof it when it he needs to and is very solid and reliable.  As a striker, he’s less Barmby and more Bambi.  I tried to explain to his dad that he was playing in a position that suited him best and that I had to select players in positions that would be best for the team, rather than the individual.  Unfortunately this fell on deaf ears and the saga will continue to the end of the season.

Whilst everyone will have their views on a players best position and at this age (remember they are under 9’s) their best positions will change 10 times by the time they are playing adult football.  Isnt it more important for a lad to be playing as part of a team in a position he is confident and assured in, rather than strugging in a position he is not comfortable with. Yet.  I remember hearing that Ashley Cole, Chelsea & England left back, was a striker in his schooldays and scored over 50 goals in a single season!!  I bet his parents were furious when he signed for Arsenal as a left back……..

My job as a coach is to train the players in all aspects of football, from tackling and shooting to throw-ins and penalties, but I believe the 2 most important parts of my role are building teamwork and confidence.  If I have a team of confident lads I will have fulfilled my objectives.

To cut a long story short, my decision to hand over the reins of the Tornados to a new coach (my assistant) was brought about by political reasons rather than footballing ones, although I do believe that the lads will benefit from a new coach and a fresh approach.  Plus he’s a great believer in starting training with a run…….they’ll love that (ahem).

I’ll miss the Wednesday evening and Saturday morning training sessions with them, and no doubt i’ll turn up some Sundays to see how they’re getting on but am looking forward to bringing on a whole new bunch of kids and teaching them that they shouldn’t kick with their toe, and to never, ever, let me catch them sitting on a football!!!