Youth cup v Harrogate

[gazan]

Playing this Saturday at the porridge bowl. Admission free.
Let's see what kind of crowd we can generate for our future starlets. Virtually guaranteed a better game than recent senior games at Gresty Road.

[gazan]

Anyone else going??

[ShropshireAlex]

It's 1.30 not 3 so could be tricky - will if I can -- others note KO time!

[gazan]

Watching this game, I could see that the future is bright. Unfortunately, there are probably 2 or 3 years until that future comes about.
In the meantime I think a bit of 'fast-tracking' may be necessary. Williams fitted in so easily that he was head and shoulders above another 'more experienced' player that the Manchester Evening News referred to as "Crewe's weak link" in the Bolton game.
It wasn't all good, mind. There was, particularly, one moment that reminded me of the first team. Number 6 for Crewe (no teamsheet) drove out of defence with the ball and then, 10 yards from the halfway line, suddenly stopped, made a 180° turn and chipped the ball at an angle across the pitch. Unfortunately, an opposition forward was waiting for just such a thing but wasn't up to the task once he had intercepted the ball. When the Alex player carried out this move, there were lots of easy options ahead but he didn't look and just went through some automatic process. This is what worries me about some of the coaching. Was this an aberration or an example of 'football by numbers'.

[MikeSB]

Watching this game, I could see that the future is bright. Unfortunately, there are probably 2 or 3 years until that future comes about.
In the meantime I think a bit of 'fast-tracking' may be necessary. Williams fitted in so easily that he was head and shoulders above another 'more experienced' player that the Manchester Evening News referred to as "Crewe's weak link" in the Bolton game.
It wasn't all good, mind. There was, particularly, one moment that reminded me of the first team. Number 6 for Crewe (no teamsheet) drove out of defence with the ball and then, 10 yards from the halfway line, suddenly stopped, made a 180° turn and chipped the ball at an angle across the pitch. Unfortunately, an opposition forward was waiting for just such a thing but wasn't up to the task once he had intercepted the ball. When the Alex player carried out this move, there were lots of easy options ahead but he didn't look and just went through some automatic process. This is what worries me about some of the coaching. Was this an aberration or an example of 'football by numbers'.

Coaching is and always will be detrimental to natural ability and few of these players would play like they do if they were allowed to do what they want to do and this passing lark has been around far too long and they miss the essenial point that football is about scoring more goals than the opposition and when you have two or three chances in 90 mins the whole philosophy is failing. Dario was screaming at a youth during one academy match to pass the ball and he ignored Dario and he went on to score a great goal and he got *******ed for doing so... The lad decided after that he no longer wanted to play for Crewe or anyone else actually.

And if the so called coaches keep 10 players back for corners then they are idiots....There got that of my chest!

When we have three times as many non players on the wage bill than actual players then they have really screwed up...get rid and start off from scratch and FGS ditch the Cat2 academy asap....Gripe number 2.

I mean why would a GK need a coach FGS?

[MikeSB]

We have three managers now and two at RH that makes 5 and how much is all that costing?

[gazan]

Owain Fon Williams left because Davis didn't provide him with a coach. Steve Phillips was scathing about the lack of goalkeeper coaches.
We've had this discussion countless times: (sigh!) coaching is no substitute for natural talent but is a supplement to it. Coaching gives those of a lesser talent an opportunity to make up ground on those who have more.
My gripe was originally about SOME coaching, not coaching per se. In all walks of life, training is generally beneficial.

[out0lunch]

Oh MIke you can comment but you shouldn't. I bet you never went to the youth game for whatever reason. To see what great football they played. You would see what coaching does. Who knows if you had been coached you may have gone and played to a much higher level that you did.

[MikeSB]

Owain Fon Williams left because Davis didn't provide him with a coach. Steve Phillips was scathing about the lack of goalkeeper coaches.
We've had this discussion countless times: (sigh!) coaching is no substitute for natural talent but is a supplement to it. Coaching gives those of a lesser talent an opportunity to make up ground on those who have more.
My gripe was originally about SOME coaching, not coaching per se. In all walks of life, training is generally beneficial.

In most walks of life apart from sports when natural ability enables you to be better than others and why in the old days nobody needed coaching to play football and so why do we need it now? Of course people who make a good living from coaching will tell us its essential and most were not around in the old days when there was none. Players who have natural talent don't need to be told do this or do that and they just need games and competition and that is when they get batter and has nothing to do with someone telling them to do what exactly? Head a ball, pass a ball, dribble, shield, take free kicks, shoot etc etc, nobody needs to be told how to do that and so what do coaches actually do and if its so essential why are they not all PL standard. How many academy players make it to the PL first team or even the Championship, why do we have so many foreign players in the PL?

So we have videos of games, which they didn't have in the old days and they can see all the errors and mistakes and a GK more so and he can see what he needs to do, he is not stupid to know he shouldn't stay on his line and needs to come out for crosses etc and the one asset you really need to be a GK is strenth and tenacity and why few make it from academies as they are far to young and weak physically. Go and look at the really great GK's and see that is true.

When you have coaches shouting to play by numbers then it will confuse them and if you play them out of position even more so. Why do we need FIVE managers or one and an assistant standing on the touchline when money is so tight at this level. Crewe are good and bad depending on how talented they are to start with and no amount of coaching will make them a better player. Yes you can yawn but I've seen the greats of yesteryear and the good players we have had over the last 60 odd years and its probably my age but very few players we have had over the last thirty years can compare with them and go and watch some of them games and see the state of the pitch. Very few of todays players could ever play on those and they have the best pitches and the best facilities and yet are in reality no better than a Sunday League team most games. Two attempts at goal in 90 mins tells me that I am right and others are wrong but then most will only have seen football matches in the recent era.

Sack the lot, get rid of the coaches and get back to watching talent at the weekend and let players do their own thing...Jimmy Greaves said his manager said just go out and enjoy the game Son....and that is what is missing today, too many academy players think they are far far better than they actually are. And even at our level, overpaid!

[MikeSB]

Oh MIke you can comment but you shouldn't. I bet you never went to the youth game for whatever reason. To see what great football they played. You would see what coaching does. Who knows if you had been coached you may have gone and played to a much higher level that you did.

Maybe they are good because they are allowed to express themselves more. I can't stand youth football myself as used to see grown men play....I actually disagree that I could have played at a higher level as I couldn't play to a higher standard of golf no matter how many lessons from the Pro and I played with some blokes who were totally useless at Golf and they shouldn't ever have played it....

As I said, competition and natural talent is all that is needed and no coaches needed as none were needed with the millions playing this great game but try and tell that to the coaches at RH and elsewhere. I bet DA never had a coaching lesson in his life but he swears by it now...