Quote Originally Posted by gazan View Post
Sorry, but you are wrong MSB. Dario was a coach at all levels of the club (but particularly at U14s ) as well 1st team manager. You can't change history to suit your argument. He also coached younger players at Chelsea.
I don't care about your ideas that there is some kind of genetic determinant (implicit in your denial of ability to learn from coaches) in playing football. As a former teacher, I believe that people can learn from others and that we are not all isolated individuals doing our own thing. You may react against this definition of your views but I repeat, it is implicit in your claims against coaching/learning.
By all means have an opinion (so don't flounce off again claiming people are trying to stop you having one!) but an opinion shouldn't simply be a rigid piece of dogma repeated ad nauseum with no qualification and respecting no fact that may force you to adjust it.
You have a right to an opinion but it is disrespectful to others when you close your ears.
I look forward to a reasoned response rather than a cut and paste post of recycled messages, tropes and over-generalisations.
To other readers: I apologise for losing patience but I've struggled hard, alongside others, to steer this site away from pure slanging matches to some kind of forum for reasoned discussion. Some will object to the tone of that previous sentence but I make no apologies for wanting to be involved in a troll-free environment where we can talk about the team we love/support.
I personally cannot understand your reasoning and closing ears when my posts are consistent and based on the history and common sense that nobody needs coaching to play football, head a ball, pass a ball or shoot or make a tackle, babies can do it. Self practise like Beckham was key...Alex Furguson would not have had a clue about HOW to strike the ball but he was a brilliant tactician. Nobody showed Bobby Charlton or George Best to play this game and how Frank Lord was able to score his many hat tricks here. What evidence do you need to convince you that academies are nothing and a waste of money. Even our manager tells us that academy players need to play at senior level to learn the best tactics and to stay fit. History is clear is that there were no academies what 30 years ago and England was one of the best footballing nations on earth. I played this game for quite a few years, did you? None of our managers told us HOW to play this game and just told us what position to play in and possibly some tactics and that was all. Npbody told First Division or any other division HOW to play this game. I did some teaching too and its NOTHING like football. If you are being taught academic subjects then you need others or teaching aids to lets say learn algebra or higher maths. That is not instinctive as is football. You are old enough to understand that surely. Dario may well have taught some youngsters as that was when youth teaching started but from my dim memory his team was made up of some very good Pro's and then eventually a few younger ones and that was the basis of his success and not the academy which came a lot later here in Crewe.

Please look at the evidence. Our academy costs well over one million pounds a year and we have one of the poorest team in the league last season and maybe this one and others too when we got relegated. Why? Isn't an academy designed to get players UP to league standard and above to get a million a year back? When was the last time we got a million transfer fee? 20 years ago? 20 million in fees and all gone and half a dozen years strugging in the Championship and then back down even with Dario in charge...Its the players natural ability that got them in the old days and still does. It really is nothing to do with academy training or coaching...Our performances last season and this is evidence. What MORE do you need? Don Revie spoiled this game with Leeds when he ruined the 5 forward line to stick one or two players up front...Its never gone back to HOW this game should be played when we can go 95 mins with one or two shots on goal....That is NOT my idea of football and never was. I used to score hat tricks from wing back positions....Ah the old days are gone for ever!

Every post here by others not convinced is the same old stuff with absolutely NO evidence academies work? Ask Germany just now!!