A lesson for those who dream of being a proffessional footballer!

A college friend of mine retired recently from his post of Assistant Academy director at One of the top London clubs. His retirement lasted a week before he was approached by a Premier League club in the North West to work for them in the South as a scout. I will change his name to protect the innocent and call him Pete.

While at the academy he was tipped of about a young ****ager in the Northampton area. He asked another college friend, who we will call Dave, and living in the Midlands, to pop over and have a look and report back. Dave went to watch the lad play and was impressed. He could head the ball well, make a pass and had good ball control.

Dave phoned Pete and gave him his report and opinion. Dave was asked to go and watch another match and again report back. After his second report Pete decided that the two of them should have a look at this young prospect.

A game was chosen and the two men arrived but after about twenty minutes Pete said he had seen enough and started to walk away. Dave, keen to know if they had found the next super star, asked Pete what he thought. Basically rubbish was his reply. "The three things he has got I can coach," at this point Pete pointed to his brain and heart. and said" I can't do anything about those two things. He wasn't talking about IQ either.

It is a point well made, in that so many youngsters dream about being a footballer and earn the big bucks, but they lack one or two very important features. Every year, some that are lucky enough to get signed to an academy, fall by the wayside because of some missing ingredient. In some cases it is lack of application, wanting something for nothing.