Gulls fall out of play-off places

Last season we played Crawley on the Saturday and then went to Exeter on the Thursday before crumbling on the Monday - although that might have been because John Moules (former top-boss of the BSP) cocked-up the football calendar and the play-offs were not factored in and the final Saturday was brought-forward a week and the game that would have been layed on th penultimate Saturday was moved to the Tuesday!!!
That leaves 7 games in both March and April - just as well we aren't involved in the FAT anymoe (unless our season in the league nosedives!).

I take back my comments as to whether we couldn't have played the Barrow game earlier - we are playing Saturday then a midweek game EVERY week from Saturday until the final match except for weeks commencing Monday 16th and 30th of March (can't be arsed to see whether Barrow were available then!).

I'd just like to pick up on the observation I made of last night's game and open a debate on youth schemes in general.

Dave made reference to the effort Both OUR club and Cambridge United are making to highlight the iniquities over the loss of funding some BSP clubs suffer when they lose their Football League status and whilst I wholly admire the pro-active stance taken by Cambridge United over this in particular, I do wonder how they reconcile the rubbish of a technical nature their First Team are producing and can't believe for a minute that their youth teams are playing to the same ideals.

It's all very well the "little" clubs complaining (rightly so) about an iniquitous system that leaves them at an even bigger disadvantage with the larger clubs, but as the father of a boy who is showing signs of exceptional talent at the tender level of under 8; I asked myself last night how I would feel if he were to come through years of being taught all the right habits and all the correct technique if he were to end up earning a living from the game in a club where the First Team seemingly had a collective inability to keep possession for more than three passes and had all succumbed to a rampaging disease that rendered them unable to trap a bag of cement.

Now at this stage, I don't want Dave coming in and saying "but Merse you always decrying my call to play the game the way it is meant to be played" I'm not getting at that, what I'm saying is that whatever system or emphasis a manager wants his side to play to, surely he should demand and insist on a high degree of technical ability and off the ball awareness from his players? It takes just as much technical ability to hit the ball into the channels with accuracy and maximum effect than it does to laboriously build up moves with ten, fifteen or twenty passes. If the technical ability is not there then the ball into a channel becomes "hoof ball" and without awareness the laboured build up becomes inconclusive and loses positivity.

So are we to believe that Cambridge's youth teams are playing to the "Brabin Way" in the thunderous and Keystone Kops manner of recent TV performances just as Arsenal's teams (and they do, believe me) play the "Arsenal Way" putting the emphasis on technical excellence, movement, awareness and patience; retaining a belief in their superior ability.................at ALL age groups and levels from 8 to 18 through EVERY training and coaching session, match and tournament through to First Team involvement so that the youngster making his First Team debut is coming into a situation with which he has the utmost familiarity. Or are Cambridge's OWN youth players suddenly pitched into the Brabin inspired crudity and mayhem, laughable technical deficiency and embarrassing indiscipline once they graduate from a measured and positive way of approaching the game under their own youth coaches? Indeed, do Cambridge have any consistent policy of playing the game "The Cambridge Way" so that their proteges can seamlessly progress from youth to reserve to First Team level?

There is an oft used saying around Arsenal: "Arsen Knows" , I wonder if they all say "Brabin Knows" at Cambridge? I very much doubt it.

I don't think there's any should about it, they would have those skills and whilst you might have honestly felt OUR players were not using those skills during the time you refer to, do you not feel they are displaying them now?

I wouldn't necessarily agree with you that playing directly and at tempo results in basic skills being lost, more a case of no emphasis being put on their utilisation at all by the manager.

I don't feel for one moment whilst OUR team was struggling to get it's act together that there was a deliberate policy of the manager to forgo essential skills - more a case of the players on the pitch not displaying the confidence to apply those skills under pressure. Equally, I would suggest that the management of OUR club maintained an emphasis for the players to find that confidence so that they eventually harnessed their personal skills to the method of play.

OUR team has NEVER played "The Arsenal Way" and neither will it under this manager, but I would humbly suggest it plays the "Buckle Way" and wonder if the youth teams play in a similar fashion, or do they display a more measured and patient build up eschewing the tempo and quick striking down the channels that we saw at it's finest against Blackpool and Coventry?

Is there anyone on the forum who HAS seen any of the youth teams play this season who could offer an opinion?

Correction.....

score was Town res 1 Boro Res 2

but message remains the same

buster

I would beg to differ on your fears that we shall not see too many players of the Cristiano Ronaldo ilk in the future.

Quite the opposite in my view if what I have seen in London over the past year.The city has such a diverse population that there are now literally thousands of young kids with the inherent grace, balance, touch and outrageous confidence to display their skills handed down to them genetically from African, Caribbean, South American and Balkan parentage. Allied to the discipline, awareness and team ethic passed onto them from a properly structured and enlightened coaching set up; most "pick up" games, neighbourhood coaching schemes and youth football now have more in common with Brazilian football than our age old stodgy diet of big strong lads coming out on top over the "good but little 'uns" as in the past.

Stevenage's youth set up and coaching facilities are way ahead of the game for a club of their size, and even much smaller clubs such as Conference South Fisher Athletic would astound you if you took the opportunity to go along and watch them.

I am full of confidence that we are on the cusp of a golden age of superb football in this country!

I hope Dave & Merse you are both proved correct.

To date I`ve felt the vast amounts of money spent on centres of excellence & training facilities have not produced adequate returns.

The crunch will come when these gifted youngsters are thrown into the lions den of coachs at pro clubs.
Will they be strong enough to prevail or will the beliefs of the coach batter any individuality out of them?

I remember hearing Cloughie, snr that is, having a go at a striker in training for attempting to take a throw. "Get in the box, your paid to score goals"

Do you think players are asked to perform too many roles to the point where they become a jack of all trades?
Take Sills- does great defensive work but shouldn`t that be the job of the defence?
Do you think if strikers could just concentrate on scoring theyd end up better finishers?
And what about the overlapping wing backs. Have defenders forgotten how to defend because they spend so much time being coached how to get forward?

may be i`m just an old git but when i see, a match from that top division it amazes me the lack of ability in the players.
Of course on the flip side these youngsters get everything thrown at them and it takes a strong individual with like minded family to stay level headed and not throw away the ability they have. May be a low basic with performance enhanced pay might help.


buster