The Future For The England Team Is Frightening. Our Game Needs Radical Changes

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1291591/GLENN-HODDLE-The-future-England-team-frightening-Our-game-needs-radical-changes.html

Seeing the picture

We need to start with a much lower age group and work with them on ball appreciation. A high percentage of the players released by their clubs who come for a trial at my academy are small; they are talented, they have the technique, they can pass the ball, but too often clubs desire athletes - tall, fast, strong footballers. 'He's a big lad, 6ft 2in and he can run... OK, we will keep him.'

They are obviously required attributes for a professional footballer, but big and strong comes next for me. My academy team played Real Madrid and one of our lads stood out because he had instant touch, but those players are two a penny in Spain and Holland, because they are taught to master the ball from a young age.

The biggest weakness in the players being developed in England is that they do not play with their heads up. From a young age, on big pitches, they are used to getting their head down and dribbling past four, five, six players.

When I was 15, my dad took me to play in a men's league because I was taking liberties in games and running too far and dribbling with the ball. I tried it in the adult league game once and wriggled past four players. One of the men came up to me and said: 'If you ever do that again son, we'll break your legs.'

It taught me to release the ball early! When a young player used to dribbling makes the step-up, he realises he can't dribble round half a team and the skill becomes ineffective. By then, they are too used to playing with their heads down.

When I look at a young player, I ask: 'Can he play with his head up?' and then: 'Can he use the ball?' This should be taught to children aged eight, nine, 10, 11. Maybe even younger.

Watch Xavi at Barcelona. He's small, but when he gets the ball, he is looking for the pass, creating pictures in his mind. We are not teaching children this. It is neglected.

.................

Split the Championship

Only 38 per cent of players in the Premier League are English; that is a damning statistic. Soon, the England manager will have to go scouting for players in the Championship - and when I say 'soon' I mean the next four or five years, perhaps even for the next World Cup.

There are not enough opportunities in the Premier League for young English players and I can't see that changing. For more than 10 years, ever since I was England manager, I have been calling for changes in the Football League. With the number of foreign players in the top flight, many of the developing players will need to go to the Championship for some game time. It is a difficult league to play in for a youngster, but it requires surgery. They play 46 league games every season plus cup matches on inferior pitches with not enough development time.

How can you practise when you play Saturday-Tuesday- Saturday nearly every week? Two new 18-team leagues would allow for time to develop players. Clubs would play fewer games, but their loss of revenue would be compensated by an injection of money from the Premier League. This would, of course, require the Premier League, the Football League and the FA working together for the greater cause...

Pretty damming from Hoddle.

However the FA will claim the Prem League is the best in the world...

[Ruffneck]

well if the economy gets bad enough then more english players will play in the top league anyway as there'd be less money in the game as a whole

might actually see people playing for the love of the game rather than for the love of money?

[dhpcza]

I love Ghod, but picking a team from the championship in 4 or 5 years is just a load of shit. I posted the following England team in another thread, a team that could take us through Euro qualifying and be at the next world cup, no championship players in it:

--------------------hart

richards-----dawson---cahill-----lescott

--------huddlestone----cattermole

lennon------------milner----------a.johnson

------------------rooney

By the next world cup, the oldest player in that team would be lescott, at 31. Currently 9 of that side play for the top 6 teams in the Premier League; far from the standard of The Championship. And there's some other good youngsters waiting in the wings, and possibly some we don't even know of who will burst on the scene ala Owen.

[Guest theboltonfury]

I love Ghod, but picking a team from the championship in 4 or 5 years is just a load of shit. I posted the following England team in another thread, a team that could take us through Euro qualifying and be at the next world cup, no championship players in it:

--------------------hart

richards-----dawson---cahill-----lescott

--------huddlestone----cattermole

lennon------------milner----------a.johnson

------------------rooney

By the next world cup, the oldest player in that team would be lescott, at 31. Currently 9 of that side play for the top 6 teams in the Premier League; far from the standard of The Championship. And there's some other good youngsters waiting in the wings, and possibly some we don't even know of who will burst on the scene ala Owen.

My God, that's a terrifying thought that that could be our team.

Championship players? Never bothered Sir Bobby when he selected Steve Bull non stop. He was good too.

Everything Hoddle says is spot on. If it wasn't for his suspect views on God stuff, he could have been very good indeed.

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

The Premier League is the best league in the world.

This old chestnut is a joke.

It has a few good billionaire chequebook teams but the rest play relative rubbish compared to the even the strugglers in La Liga.

If the Boltons, Sunderlands, West Hams, etc. were good they'd be winning the Europa League every year but they are no better than the third best team in Bulgaria quite often.

[OnionTerror]

The Premier League is the best league in the world.

This old chestnut is a joke.

It has a few good billionaire chequebook teams but the rest play relative rubbish compared to the even the strugglers in La Liga.

If the Boltons, Sunderlands, West Hams, etc. were good they'd be winning the Europa League every year but they are no better than the third best team in Bulgaria quite often.

Its interesting, when I said that the premiership wasn't the best league in the world a few months ago, on this very forum...La Liga is, I got brow beaten for saying that...Messi wouldn't have stood a chance at a Premiershite club. They would have seen him to be too small...

Until the entire thinking behind youth development is radically overhauled in this country, then nothing will change..

As for having Lennon in the side with Huddlestone & Cattermole...bloody ell, we are going backwards...Micah Richards...what has he ever done? Lescott - very suspect defensively.. The majority of that side are just not technically good enough I'm afraid. We would precisely win bugger all with a side like that.......just like we have done for the last 40 or so years...

[Guest theboltonfury]

Its interesting, when I said that the premiership wasn't the best league in the world a few months ago, on this very forum...La Liga is, I got brow beaten for saying that...Messi wouldn't have stood a chance at a Premiershite club. They would have seen him to be too small...

Until the entire thinking behind youth development is radically overhauled in this country, then nothing will change..

As for having Lennon in the side with Huddlestone & Cattermole...bloody ell, we are going backwards...Micah Richards...what has he ever done? Lescott - very suspect defensively.. We would precisely win bugger all with a side like that...

Because with that side we wouldn't even qualify for anything.

Huddlestone?? He's fat and slow for a start. Lennon has been properly found out now, and Lescott, well, I agree with you, but calling him just suspect is being kind.

[Eric Blair]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1291591/GLENN-HODDLE-The-future-England-team-frightening-Our-game-needs-radical-changes.html

Pretty damming from Hoddle.

However the FA will claim the Prem League is the best in the world...

maradona did alright with dribbling and it's what people want to see.

hoddle wants to eliminate it from the game?

what a cynical piece by a talented player.

[OnionTerror]

[/b]

Because with that side we wouldn't even qualify for anything.

Huddlestone?? He's fat and slow for a start. Lennon has been properly found out now, and Lescott, well, I agree with you, but calling him just suspect is being kind.

Thats the massive task that I think we have against the masses - to convince them that we are clearly not good enough. Most put it down to the wrong tactics, and he'd apply the right ones at the right time (and perhaps get rid of the manager), then we'll be alright...Utter cobblers...We will always be perennial under achievers unless we massively change our mindset, and realise that we are technically not good enough....Having one, possibly two "gifted" players is not enough..

We've changed our managers like nobodys business over the last 10 years, and even then this so called golden generation has still done bugger all...and we still don't look to the players..

Huddlestone will be found out at Champs League level. Many of the others listed in that team are poor to average premiershite players.

[daniel stallion]

maradona did alright with dribbling and it's what people want to see.

hoddle wants to eliminate it from the game?

what a cynical piece by a talented player.

I don't think that is what he is saying at all.

I think is his, rightly, pointing to the fact that often kids are 'spotted' for their ability to take on players. Whilst this is definitely desired, as youths players are often able to do this purely because of their athleticism, not skill - they are basically out pacing the opposition. Other players who have genuine skill, can read the game, pass and so on are discarded, because they are yet to fully develop and are muscled off the ball or outpaced, out jumped and so on. This is fine if you want to win an under 10's World Cup.

However, once they reach adulthood very many of these athletes are no longer able to exploit the physical advantages the relied on (some are and they become the handful of decent professionals Britain produces each year). Meanwhile the kids who had the skill, passing ability, ambidextrousness, game reading skill and so on have drifted off in to obscurity.

Because in other countries they look for a balance of skill, athleticism and understanding and reading of the game they end up with far more players who can control a game by slowing it down, passing, waiting and capitalising on good opportunities to attack.

Just look at the recent England. Littered with pace and power - our so called 'skilful' players tend to just be half decent on the ball, but very quick (SWP, Lennon, Walcot etc). We need a balance. Seriously if England are not attacking they are being attacked, there is nothing in between. It would be like playing chess and trying to take pieces with every move ....... kind of.

[Eric Blair]

I don't think that is what he is saying at all.

I think is his, rightly, pointing to the fact that often kids are 'spotted' for their ability to take on players. Whilst this is definitely desired, as youths players are often able to do this purely because of their athleticism, not skill - they are basically out pacing the opposition. Other players who have genuine skill, can read the game, pass and so on are discarded, because they are yet to fully develop and are muscled off the ball or outpaced, out jumped and so on. This is fine if you want to win an under 10's World Cup.

However, once they reach adulthood very many of these athletes are no longer able to exploit the physical advantages the relied on (some are and they become the handful of decent professionals Britain produces each year). Meanwhile the kids who had the skill, passing ability, ambidextrousness, game reading skill and so on have drifted off in to obscurity.

Because in other countries they look for a balance of skill, athleticism and understanding and reading of the game they end up with far more players who can control a game by slowing it down, passing, waiting and capitalising on good opportunities to attack.

Just look at the recent England. Littered with pace and power - our so called 'skilful' players tend to just be half decent on the ball, but very quick (SWP, Lennon, Walcot etc). We need a balance. Seriously if England are not attacking they are being attacked, there is nothing in between. It would be like playing chess and trying to take pieces with every move ....... kind of.

yes, on reflection i may have got the wrong end of the stick.

[Guest theboltonfury]

yes, on reflection i may have got the wrong end of the stick.

I reckon Lawrenson has read this same article. He's mentioned it only about the 1000 times today.

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

maradona did alright with dribbling and it's what people want to see.

hoddle wants to eliminate it from the game?

what a cynical piece by a talented player.

Yes, in youth football it was 'cool' to dribble as that's what Best, Maradonna, Gazza, etc. were known for. Hoddle says footballers should play with their heads up - what's he's talking about is reading the game, knowing exactly where everyone is, spaces where team mates might run into. Beckham was world class because he was a game reader and had the passes to find people in good positions again and again - his tackling and dribbling were poor but he was still world class.

The current krauts are great game readers. They're turning every break into a training ground exercise.

[interestrateripoff]

Yes, in youth football it was 'cool' to dribble as that's what Best, Maradonna, Gazza, etc. were known for. Hoddle says footballers should play with their heads up - what's he's talking about is reading the game, knowing exactly where everyone is, spaces where team mates might run into. Beckham was world class because he was a game reader and had the passes to find people in good positions again and again - his tackling and dribbling were poor but he was still world class.

The current krauts are great game readers. They're turning every break into a training ground exercise.

To be honest I think some of our players would actually struggle to read.

[newbonic]

Its interesting, when I said that the premiership wasn't the best league in the world a few months ago, on this very forum...La Liga is, I got brow beaten for saying that...Messi wouldn't have stood a chance at a Premiershite club. They would have seen him to be too small...

Until the entire thinking behind youth development is radically overhauled in this country, then nothing will change..

....

Are you aware that the England under 17s won the European U17 Championships this year?

[SHERWICK]

To be honest I think some of our players would actually struggle to read.

[OnionTerror]

Are you aware that the England under 17s won the European U17 Championships this year?

Yes I am...doesn't really mean anything..could just be down to a particular good crop of players that have developed at around the same time. Time will tell to see if this is a continuing trend, (some may not be good enough to push towards first team "top-class" football further into the future) and I'm fairly cynical as to it being a defining shift in our youth system. I read somewhere (will see if I can dig out the figures) that England have around 3,000 UEFA grade coaches, whereas Germany for instance have 35,000...

[blankster]

I'm not really interested in football but one thing that strikes me after our World Cup disappointment is whether England should be treated as a special case any more. All other countries in these big international competitions play as nations, not as the individual states of their nation. So perhaps we should play as the UK in future. Granted, if the team could contain players from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it probably wouldn't increase its chances of winning by one iota, but it would mean that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish people would at least see some of their players qualify to take part in the World Cup as part of the UK team!

[OnionTerror]

I'm not really interested in football but one thing that strikes me after our World Cup disappointment is whether England should be treated as a special case any more. All other countries in these big international competitions play as nations, not as the individual states of their nation. So perhaps we should play as the UK in future. Granted, if the team could contain players from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it probably wouldn't increase its chances of winning by one iota, but it would mean that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish people would at least see some of their players qualify to take part in the World Cup as part of the UK team!

A Great Britain football team is supposedly going to play in the 2012 Olympics...Scotland quickly withdrew their support, as they felt that it could affect their footballing independence. FIFA has apparently assured them that even if they play in a "combined" team, then their individual status will not be affected. However, the SFA don't believe them, so they are refusing to get involved "just in case". So you may just have a Team GB side containing England players.

[newbonic]

Yes I am...doesn't really mean anything..could just be down to a particular good crop of players that have developed at around the same time. Time will tell to see if this is a continuing trend, (some may not be good enough to push towards first team "top-class" football further into the future) and I'm fairly cynical as to it being a defining shift in our youth system. I read somewhere (will see if I can dig out the figures) that England have around 3,000 UEFA grade coaches, whereas Germany for instance have 35,000...

These figures were quoted in the Sunday Times today:

Top level UEFA qualified coaches per country:

Germany 34,970

Italy 29,420

Spain 23,995

France 17,588

England 2,789

Pathetic isn't it. I was going to put a question mark after that sentance, but on reflection it's a statement not a question. British amateurism at its worst.

Next to this table is a puff on behalf of the FA by Trevor Brooking - belting on about how the FA are desparately trying to catch up with jonny foreigner after decades of blazered old boy network neglect (obvioulsy he put a more +ve spin on it than that).