A debut goal from Emmanuel Adebayor and a strike from partner Jermain Defoe was enough to hand Tottenham their first win of the season in an open encounter with Wolves at Molineux.
Defeat for Mick McCarthy’s side ended their three game unbeaten run as they struggled to deal with the pace and power of the visitors new striking partnership.
Another new face at Spurs, Scott Parker, was also instrumental as Harry Redknpapp’s side bounced back from the 5-1 thrashing they received at home to Manchester City two weeks ago.
The first half was a wide open affair with Brad Friedel denying Karl Henry with a superb stop whilst Roger Johnson headed wide from Michael Kightly’s free kick.
Wayne Hennessey was also busy in the home side’s goal tipping Defoe’s stinging long range effort wide. Niko Kranjcar also saw his effort cleared off the line by Christophe Berra with Spurs taking the ascendancy leading into the second half.
Adebayor finally broke the deadline in the 67th minute taking Parker’s wonderful pass into his stride before rounding Hennessey and slotting into an empty net.
The points were secured 10 minutes from time by Defoe who swapped passes with Krancjcar before smashing a delightful effort into the bottom corner to hand Spurs only their fourth win in 15 games.
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As we approach the end of the Premier League season, many footballers, especially those at clubs who have little to play for, will now be looking forward to their summer holidays and be deciding on the destination for their extended break. Most players can’t get away fast enough and as a result the final few games of the season are often played by footballers whose brain is already on the plane, so to speak. Anyway, this got me thinking, what would be the ideal holiday destination for some of the Premier League’s top players?
What better player to start with than Ashley Cole? The Chelsea left back was of course in trouble earlier on in the season for shooting an intern at training. So the left sided defender in the PFA Premier League 2010/11 Team of the Year could do with a bit of practice on the trigger. That means there’s only one place for him to go – America! There he would be allowed to own a gun and could get his eye in, so that when he’s back in England there aren’t any more ‘accidents’. Cheryl might well be judging on the US version of X Factor, so Ashley might bump into his ex-WAG in the States too!
While America might be perfect for Cole, his England teammate Wayne Rooney would do well to steer clear of Dubai. While Wayne and Coleen took a trip to Dubai year, given Rooney’s recent misdemeanours it might be better to cross the popular resort off their list of possible destinations. The Manchester United has of course recently been banned for swearing directly at the camera against West Ham, and given that the United Arab Emirates has strict rules that outlaw swearing in public, a four letter tirade by Wazza in the UAE could result in a six month jail sentence. Fergie wouldn’t be very happy about that.
Arsenal fans will be hoping that Cesc Fabregas doesn’t head to Barcelona in the summer. The Arsenal captain has been linked with a move to his hometown club for years and while rumours may have died down recently, they are sure to appear in the papers again in the close season. If the Spaniard were to take a trip to Barcelona there would be fears from the Emirates Stadium faithful that he might never come back, and that Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and co would persuade him to stay at the Nou Camp for good.
If any Premier League players are struggling to choose a holiday destination there’s no need for them to worry as help is at hand. There’s a really rather clever holiday matchmaker application on Facebook brought to you by Halifax Travel Money, which does all the hard work for you. Simply go to the Halifax Holiday Matchmaker app and it analyses content from your Facebook profile to give you your perfect getaway destination, which is my case was Las Vegas, so it’s pretty good if you ask me!
As well as choosing a destination for you, all the information you need about the city is provided for you. Everything from the ideal hotel to stay in to where the best places to eat and drink are listed, in addition to how much a tenner will get you thanks to Halifax Travel Money. You’re even told how much a stamp, taxi and other necessities are, although Ashley and Wayne will have to find out how much bullets and a swear filter are respectively themselves! So whether you’re a Premier League footballer or just a regular fan, check out the Halifax Holiday Matchmaker app on Facebook to get a tailor made destination for your summer holiday.
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The Telegraph are reporting that Barcelona are set to make one final bid for Cesc Fabregas and bring an end to the transfer saga.
A second offer nearing the £35 million is set to be made after their original £27 million bid was rejected by Arsenal.
Fabregas is also willing to see his salary reduced by around £5 million for the duration of his contract, which would encourage Barcelona to raise their bid.
The offer would be worth the £35 million Arsenal are looking for and would include up to £5 million in potential add-ons.
It’s understood that the Spanish clubs’ President Sandro Roselli is already travelling back from the United States where Pep Guardiola and his men are on tour.
Guardiola also hinted that Fabregas was the final piece of the Nou Camp jigsaw saying, “We’re short of just one player and everyone knows which one that is.”
Despite Barca’s willingness to meet the Gunners valuation it isn’t entirely certain that the bid will be accepted.
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However boss Arsene Wenger has become tired and frustrated at the entire saga and there are no assurances that he will immediately say yes to the Catalan clubs latest offer.
If the bid were to be accepted it would put an end to one of the longest running transfer chases in Premier League history.
In the wake of the Glazers takeover of Manchester United, many United fans have seemingly reached a crossroads. Should they stay and support their team despite the backlash against the club’s rising debt or should they join the revolution and desert their team in a season that may prove to be a defining one in the future of Manchester United football club.
Much has been said and written on the deepening financial crisis at Manchester United but I want to focus on what the Glazers debt means for the team and its supporters. Firstly, this off-season has seen Sir Alex Ferguson relatively quiet in his transfer dealings so far, spending £18 million on Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez. Compare this to Ferguson’s previous dealings in the transfer market where he spent upwards of £30 million on Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov and you could make a case for Sir Alex feeling the pinch somewhat this season. Also, Ferguson has yet to see any return on the £80 million paid by Real Madrid for the services of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The reported £700 million debt saddled on the club has severely diminished United’s spending power in the transfer market. With their cross-town rivals spending money like it’s out of fashion, there is a lingering doubt as to whether this current squad of United players can challenge for honours this season.
If United aren’t able to mount a serious challenge in the upcoming season, their already diminishing fanbase will take another substantial hit. To curb the falling number of supporters attending games at Old Trafford, the Glazer family have launched an all-out PR offensive to drum up more ticket sales.
In order to encourage more people to buy season tickets, the club have offered fans a free prize draw incentive if they chose to renew their season tickets before the June 13th deadline. The club then launched an aggressive campaign to shift tickets when they bombarded official website members with emails about season ticket availability, urging fans to take the club up on their deal.
This brazen attempt by the club’s hierarchy to increase attendance at Old Trafford to lessen the club’s debt points to the perils of the commercialisation of football.
The commercialisation of football, although inevitable given the amount of money in the Premier League these days has threatened to suck the very lifeblood out of one of our country’s most famous teams. The Glazer’s reduction of United to a pure business venture is a huge disrespect to the fans that are the heartbeat of each and every one of our football clubs.
The animosity towards the Glazers ownership has caused many supporters to leave the club in droves with the splinter support group MUST (Manchester United Supporters’ Trust) gaining traction in the opposition against the club. So much so that a consortium representing MUST called The Red Knights have been considering putting in an offer to buy the club back from the Glazers and return it to the fans.
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The five years since Malcolm Glazer bought Manchester United have been turbulent to say the least. It has brought its fair share of success on the pitch but increasing turmoil off it. Manchester United fans have been put in an impossible dilemma.
Will you support United despite the Glazers’ ownership? Or have you turned your back on United as a result of it?
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Young, talented and setting the World Cup alight in South Africa, Mesut Ozil is fast becoming one of the most promising starlets since the emergence of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
Ozil is currently contracted to Werder Bremen and still has one more year left on his deal. However, the 21-year-old midfielder has impressed so much in South Africa that he has attracted several clubs around Europe.
Amongst them are Premier League outfits Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as Primera League champions Barcelona, who have recently expressed their interest in the player dubbed ‘the German Messi’ by his country.
The instrumental German international is bound to leave the Budersliga side after the mass interest shown in him this summer, but which club would best suit Ozil from the ones that have shown an interest in him so far?
Barcelona
Barcelona will no doubt be the favourites to sign the Werder Bremen man as they are undoubtedly the best team in the world. They play some majestic football and have a great amount of talent in all areas of their team, especially within the midfield and upfront. Ozil likes to play behind the striker, but can also play on the flanks if he needs to. However, reports in Catalonia suggest that they are only interested in signing the 21-year-old because of other big clubs showing an interest. Barcelona will make a bid for the German international in the summer and if they are successful, will loan him out as reports suggest in Spain. With that being said, would Ozil like the idea of being bought to the Nou Camp only to be loaned out to the team he just left? Barcelona already have Lionel Messi, Pedro, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and newly recruited David Villa in their current line up for this season, so do Barcelona really need Ozil? Especially with Barca also chasing Cesc Fabregas this summer, or are they bidding just to spite the other clubs interested?
Mesut Ozil would definitely suit the Catalan club because of the football they play, but would it be the correct move for the midfielder at this stage of his career? Probably not, as he will want to play week in week out for the club he signs for…he’s too good to be loaned out plain and simple.
Suitability Rating: 9/10 – Would blend well with the Barcelona side without a doubt. However, it would be the wrong move for him if we are lead to believe what has been reported of course.
Manchester City
Manchester City urgently need an attacking midfielder amongst their ranks, as it appears they have none for the upcoming season. Stephen Ireland looks to be heading off, and is the only recognized attacking midfielder City have to offer at present. Manchester City don’t play the best football, but they do acquire great team spirit and have good solid players in all areas of the field. City have been linked with David Silva in the past few weeks and should they sign him this summer, then maybe Ozil will not be as wanted as much by Mancini. However, Ozil is a very versatile player and could play in the central role at the club, which would mean Silva would take a wing position which he is very familiar with.
City are very capable of obtaining the German maestro as money is certainly not an issue to Mancini and co. Ozil could fit well into the squad, although, the Manchester club do not offer Champion’s League football this season, which evidently may see the German look for one that does.
Suitability Rating: 6/10 – City need a player like him, but Ozil certainly doesn’t need a club like City, especially if they don’t offer Champion’s League football.
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Arsenal
The interest has only been fabricated because the North London club fear they may lose their captain and talisman Cesc Fabregas this summer. A lot of names have been thrown about as to who the ideal replacement would be for Fabregas if Arsenal do decide to let him go to Barcelona, Ozil is definitely one of them.
Arsenal obtain a vast number of players with creativity within their squad, Samir Nasri, Andrey Arshavin and Robin van Persie are to name just a few. Arsenal’s pursuit of the German will only grow bigger if Fabregas leaves this summer, otherwise they will not really need another creative midfielder, right? Arsenal (just like Barcelona) play some wonderful, cultured football, and having seen Ozil in the World Cup so far, it looks as if he does as well. The Gunners also offer Champions League football which will work in their favour if they are to bid for the German when the window re-opens in July. Wenger would certainly provide Ozil great coaching and adapt the 21-year-old’s skills in the right way, thus making him even better than he already is (that’s a scary thought right?) The Werder Bremen wonder-boy would definitely fit well into the squad, and excel as a player if he were to join Gunners this summer. However, as stated before, it all depends on what Fabregas decides within the next few months. Possibly one of his better options out of the four listed in this article.
Suitability Rating: 8/10 – Arsenal play beautiful football and Ozil certainly bags creativity to suit their style of football, but if Cesc stays then most positively Wenger will not take his interest any further.
Chelsea
With Michael Ballack and more importantly Joe Cole heading for the exit doors this summer, Chelsea will be short of creativity within their midfield. Chelsea have a solid and formidable team, but many question whether they have enough ingenuity within their squad. Potentially, along with City, Chelsea need a player like Ozil at their club, someone to unlock a defence with a through ball or fashion a moment of magic out of nothing. Carlo Ancelotti likes to set his team in a 4-4-2 diamond shape, with Michael Essein at the back, and Frank Lampard on top of the diamond. Ozil would relish the role Lampard has, but would Ancelotti be willing to take his most influential player out of position in order to integrate Ozil into their side? Lampard has been moved before so who’s to say he won’t do it again for the good of the team.
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Chelsea have played more of an attractive game since the arrival of the Italian manager, that’s for sure. With the club achieving the domestic double last season and Champion’s League football again this season, Chelsea maybe a good location for the young German to hone his skills. However, it does appear that if he is to purchased this summer then current players at the club may have to move around in order to accommodate and bring out the best in the 21-year-old attacking midfielder.
Suitability Rating: 8/10 – Chelsea are a well oiled and solid unit which guarantees European football every season, a good option for Ozil, but may struggle to adapt to Chelsea’s style of football.
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Click on image below to look at the SPANISH babes at the World Cup
Liverpool recorded a 1-0 win over FC Gomel in the Europa League qualifiers in Brendan Rodgers’ first match in charge as manager.
In a hard-fought display the Merseysiders’ victory was sealed by a Stewart Downing strike, with the tie now coming back to Anfield for the second leg.
Rodgers was happy with the display of his side and downplayed injuries picked up by Glen Johnson and Joe Cole.
“It will take time until Liverpool start playing the way Swansea did last season (tactically),” he told Sky Sports after the win.
“Actually the way you play depends on the players you have.
“As for today I saw two things which were very important for me, I saw desire and commitment. I am very grateful to my players for a good game.
“Obviously it was a serious test of the players’ fitness and I am really happy with the result.
“This was my first competitive game in charge of Liverpool and for me it didn’t really matter whether the game was played in Belarus or Brazil as I am really honoured to manage this side.
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“The substitution of Glen was planned and as for Joe the injury is not serious and more of a precaution,” the Northern Irish coach confirmed.
A series of early international tournament exits in the last year have placed question marks over the quality of English footballers. Unsurprisingly, the finger of blame has yet again been pointed at the system responsible for developing young players. Zarif Rasul investigates the English youth development system.
THE diminutive young Nigerian Olarenwaju Kayode skips down the left-hand side of England’s box, and whips a superb ball across the face of Jack Butland’s goal. The ball eludes almost everyone and lands at the grateful feet of Edafe Egbedi, who duly smashes home. Fifty-two minutes gone, and Nigeria lead England 1-0 at the Centenario de Armenia stadium in their FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2011 last-sixteen clash.
Despite the valiant attempts of Blackpool winger Matt Phillips, Nigeria hold onto their advantage for the remaining 38 minutes and dump England out of the tournament. England coach Brian Eastick bemoans the failure of clubs to release eligible players, but admits that his side’s performances in Colombia, which failed to see them score a single goal in four outings, are indicative of failure.
The Under-20s were not the only group of young Lions to follow in the underwhelming footsteps of the senior side. Seven weeks earlier, and less than a year after England’s 4-1 humbling at the hands of Germany in South Africa, Stuart Pearce’s highly-touted Under-21 side left Denmark having failed to make it out of the group stage of the European Under-21 Championship.
This recent run of ignominious international tournament exits has sparked another witch-hunt to find the scapegoat responsible for England’s failures. And yet again, critics have been quick to point to the perceived technical inadequacies of English players and flaws within the youth development system.
Overplayed and under-coached
The current system, which has been in place since 1998, is drawn from Howard Wilkinson’s landmark 1997 report Charter for Quality. As Technical Director at the FA, Wilkinson was commissioned to undertake a comprehensive review of the existing youth development structure at the time. This review laid the foundations for the Charter.
During the 1990s, concerns had developed over the amount of coaching contact time and playing time young footballers were engaged in. Wilkinson says that dealing with these problems was a key priority.
“Youth development in professional clubs was confined to the then Centres of Excellence. Some of them would be very lucky to get to a Centre of Excellence [for coaching] for about an hour and a half a week.
“The best players at 15 years old, would be playing over 100 games a season because as well as being registered with, say, Tranmere Rovers’ Centre of Excellence, or Liverpool’s Centre of Excellence, they would also be playing for their school, their district, their county and the national team.”
Playing too many competitive matches was seen to be detrimental to the development of young footballers.
Ben Marskell, an ex-professional footballer who enjoyed spells with Brentford and Luton in the 1990s, was forced into early retirement due to a series of recurring injuries. As a youth player Ben trained with Chelsea and Aston Villa, and was considered one of the best defenders in the country. Now running his own soccer school in West London, he describes the rigorous playing schedule that elite youth players often had to adhere to.
“Sometimes, I would have to play three matches a day. I’d go from one pitch to the next – because when you’re a good player, everyone wants a piece of you, and you just get stretched and pulled each way,” he explained.
He believes that overplaying as a teenager eventually caught up with him and forced him to retire early.
“Overuse injuries made me stop. It wasn’t one injury that finished me, it was an accumulation of injuries. I would probably be playing at the top level now if I hadn’t had those injuries.”
A Charter for Quality
Wilkinson’s report, which he wrote soon after he joined the FA, revolutionised the youth development landscape and gave birth to Academies.
“The Charter for Quality was about creating more and more effective coaching time, and more quality practice and quality playing time,” he said.
“And to do that we had to get rid of the FA rule that allowed schools priority over talented footballers. Academies were the vehicle to deliver those principles.”
Having looked at several continental models, including successful methods employed by Dutch giants Ajax, Wilkinson also sought to lower the age at which clubs worked with players.
“Ajax were churning out hundreds of great players. They’d be finishing school early, being bussed in and bussed home three, four, five times a week,” he said.
“In Holland they believed in boys staying at home and being bussed in, and therefore the Dutch were effectively looking at a much earlier age. They were bussing kids into Ajax at 11.”
After being appointed manager at Leeds United in 1988, Wilkinson introduced changes to the way in which young players were developed at Elland Road, changes which influenced his later work with the FA.
“When I joined Leeds they were typical of other clubs, so I outlined my ideas to the chairman to develop what I called a ‘training centre’. The idea was to increase practice time by having boys living near, and we did that at Leeds.
“By the time I left Leeds and joined the FA [in 1996], I’d seen my ideas on youth development start to take shape. Consequently, my ideas had not just been a hypothesis.”
Wilkinson’s changes at Leeds resulted in a string of high quality players, such as Ian Harte, Alan Smith and Harry Kewell, making Leeds’ first team. All three players featured in the club’s memorable run to the semi-final of the Champions League in 2001.
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Academies and Centres of Excellence
Under the Charter, the Premier League and the Football League are authorised to award licences for Centres of Excellence or Academies to clubs. All but three Premier League clubs (Queens Park Rangers, Swansea City and Wigan Athletic) run an Academy, and 23 Football League clubs also do the same, whilst an additional 51 Premier League and Football League clubs run Centres. League Two side Hereford United were recently granted a licence to run a Centre and began their youth operation this season.
Clubs with an Academy or a Centre of Excellence can coach boys from the age of nine; before the Charter, clubs first engaged with young footballers at 14. The switch which allowed professional clubs to coach boys at younger age was key, and a point highlighted by several notable figures.
Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, ex-England manager Glenn Hoddle described the period between the ages of six and ten as “the most important time in a child’s technical development”. Former Arsenal and Holland forward Dennis Bergkamp famously labelled the eight years to twelve years phase as “the golden period of learning”.
As the flagship product of the Charter, Academies must meet more stringent criteria than Centres. Academies are required to operate at all age levels from under nine to under 21, as well as providing a minimum amount of weekly coaching time. Those under the age of 11 must receive a minimum of three hours of coaching over two sessions, boys between 12 and 16 must receive at least five hours over the course of three sessions, whilst full-time scholars aged 16 and over must be coached for at least 12 hours per week.
On the other hand, Centres are permitted to operate at any age level, as well as being allowed to set their own weekly coaching hours. Differences also exist in the standard and quantity of facilities and staffing required, and Academies, as such, require far greater investment.
Upon reflection, Wilkinson admits that the implementation of the Charter hasn’t turned out quite as he had planned.
“I only envisaged 12 to 14 academies, but we finished up with 40, which in my humble opinion was always too many. I didn’t think the country had enough talent to support 40 high-level development centres,” he said.
“A lot of clubs and a lot of clubs’ directors would ask ‘Where’s our Rooney? Where’s our Joe Cole?’ That’s how they actually judged it. The notion that 40 academies can unearth 40 Rooneys every season is unreal – it won’t happen.
“The second thing was that there has to be adherence to rules. It’s fair to say that there wasn’t. The high standards set out in the Charter were not adhered to in some cases, in terms of numbers of coaches, the number of medical staff and education provisions and so on.”
Although the Charter successfully facilitated increased contact time, the amount of coaching time English youngsters receive still pales in comparison to the amounts received by their continental counterparts.
According to the Telegraph, young footballers in Spain enjoy 4,880 hours contact time between the ages of nine and 21, whilst this figure increases to 5,740 hours and 5,940 hours in Holland and France respectively. English players, on the other hand, receive a meagre 3,760 hours.
Coaching
Domestic resistance to the idea of coaching as a serious profession is an oft-cited failing of English football. In continental countries such as Holland, a suitable coaching qualification is an essential prerequisite to coaching players at any level, including grassroots.
Wilkinson says that this mentality developed due to the way physical education was taught.
“In the 1990s I recognised that culturally there was a different attitude in England, a fundamentally different culture to that what existed on the continent, in particular France, Italy and Spain.
“Physical education was performed by a teacher, who was supposed to be skilled in a multiplicity of disciplines. On the continent, however, you had education at school, and where there was physical education or sport at school it was theory.
“[Playing] sport was left to clubs, so all towns, all villages, had some form of sports club. Barcelona is a prime example of a sports club that’s become huge. In those clubs, professional coaches were part of a profession, so on the continent, training and education of coaches was recognised as wholly legitimate and essential to the sport.”
The Guardian reports that there are 2,769 English coaches holding UEFA’s three highest coaching badges (B, A and Pro), whilst Spain (23,995), Italy (29,420), Germany (34,970) and France (17,588) have significantly higher numbers.
Although England has fewer UEFA-qualified coaches than these countries, Nick Levett, the FA’s National Development Manager for Youth Football, says there is a perfectly good explanation for this.
“When we joined the UEFA coaching system and our courses fell in line with B licences and A licences, the other European countries had been running their systems along that model for a number of years before us. They’ve probably been doing it ten years longer than us. If you look now, the amount of coaches we train at A licence and B licence level is comparable every year with the other European countries,” he said.
However, Levett, who also coaches at Fulham’s Academy, feels that the coaching pathway is not necessarily tailored towards the best interests of young, developing footballers.
“I think it’s a bit of a paradox to be honest, because in this country we put our beginner coaches with our beginner players, and you could argue that you should put your best coaches with your beginner players. If we could raise the professionalism and respect of younger age appropriate coaches, I think it would be a good thing for the development of young players in this country,” he says.
Another issue, one that is particularly prevalent at grassroots level, is ensuring that coaches have age-appropriate knowledge suited to the children that they are coaching. Stuart Allen, County Development Manager at Middlesex FA, illustrates from his own experiences how beneficial and important coaching qualifications can be.
“I got involved with an under-11s club through a friend. He said his son’s club were losing ten-nil every weekend and I offered to help. I went down and said ‘we’re here for an hour and a half, we’ll do half an hour of physical work, half an hour of technical work and half an hour of a game.’ I thought that was right,” he said.
“Totally wrong. We did shuttle runs with these kids, I used to say ‘faster, faster, I used to do this as a kid.’ But shuttle runs aren’t appropriate for a ten-year-old, because their lungs can’t take in the amount of oxygen needed to keep it going. So my knowledge was completely flawed, and I couldn’t see that until I did my coaching course.”
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Role of the FA
The role of the FA within youth development has also been scrutinised. Sir Trevor Brooking, speaking in Chris Green’s book Every Boy’s Dream, opines that the FA is the “only governing body that doesn’t have power over its academy system”. Its influence extends as far as permitting the Premier League and the Football League to award clubs licences for Academies and Centres, and providing coach education courses. Howard Wilkinson explains the role of the FA.
“The FA is mandated by UEFA. The role of the FA is player development and coach education. It’s a different matter with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), and in the case of cricket and so on, where the governing bodies have a much stronger hold over the clubs then the FA does,” he says.
Wilkinson’s reference to the RFU highlights an interesting comparison. With one World Cup triumph and another appearance as beaten finalists in the last 10 years, it could be said that the English rugby team has enjoyed something akin to a golden period over the last decade. The current Six Nations title holders will enter September’s World Cup in New Zealand ranked fourth favourites by most bookmakers and with genuine aspirations of reclaiming the crown they won in 2003.
Gary Henderson, Head of Coach and Player Development at the RFU, believes that the role of the RFU and its relationship with professional clubs has been a key contributor to the quality and depth of elite young players coming through on the English conveyor belt, as well as ensuring that the nation’s best players perform for their country.
The clubs and the RFU signed an eight-year agreement in 2007 which ended long-running club v country disputes. Henderson believes that this deal was essential in order to ensure harmony between the two groups in the long run.
“Basically it’s just a legally-binding contract which says, ‘this is how we’re going to operate, this is the framework we’re going to operate.’ It’s given certainty for how the game’s going to be run for eight years – it almost traverses three World Cup spans.
“What we want them do is get [players] to play for England and for the professional rugby club too.”
As well as smoothing relations with clubs over the availability and use of players, the agreement also sought to encourage the continued development of young English players.
“A lot of the funding for the Championship and Premiership clubs’ players is now based on England-qualified players. The more England-qualified players you have in your Academy, or your starting 15 or matchday squad, the more money you will get. So there’s an incentive [for clubs] to develop English players.”
Arsene Wenger’s reluctance towards the idea of Jack Wilshere featuring for the Under-21 side earlier this summer mirrored the stance of several Premier League managers over the last twenty years. After being beaten by Nigeria earlier this month, England Under-20 coach Brian Eastick pointed to the clubs which refused to release up to 30 players for last month’s U-20 World Cup. If clubs are not willing to support English national teams by releasing their best players, how can we possibly expect the national sides to achieve success?
“In rugby the interests of both (the professional clubs and the RFU) are entwined with each other – they have to work together. I just don’t think that there is a joined-up approach to the development of players [in football] – the clubs basically do pretty much what they want despite what the governing body is doing,” said Henderson.
High hopes
Incredibly, Fifa’s latest set of international rankings place England at fourth place. Whilst there would be very few who believe the national side are amongst the top four teams in the world, there tends to be a heightened sense of belief amongst fans and large parts of the media that they can succeed in international tournaments. Inevitably, this leads to disappointment, accusations of underachievement and calls for a root and branch overhaul of the youth development system when it all goes wrong.
“Define underachievement? Because if achieve means winning, I’m not sure that should be our benchmark. If you look at Brazil for example, they’ve got 200 million people in the country, and statistically they’ve got a hell of a lot more people to pick from than us. So potentially we overachieve based on population,” says Nick Levett.
“I think the weight of pressure from the national media and their expectations, we always seem to have a golden generation of players that underachieve. I think under Sven, when we got to two quarter-finals, I think that is probably where we’re at, because if we make the semi-final or final we’ve done well. Therefore if we don’t make the quarter-final then I think we’ve underachieved.”
With this admission, is there anything really wrong with the way young English players are developed? Although Wilkinson believes that there is “an expectation far in excess of where England are placed in the ranking”, he says that two main issues may be preventing young English players from achieving their full potential.
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“Firstly, I would say that talented boys now find it more difficult to play top-level football, opportunities to play with the best and against the best,” he says.
“Secondly, we have to focus on the development of individual skills, and that has to be a top priority, from an early age. The boys have to play the sort of development football that encourages creativity – we’ve got a long way to go when you see some of the youth football that gets played.”
The diminution of opportunities for young English players is an increasingly worrying threat. Chris Lightbown states in his 2007 report Meltdown that “the number of overseas players making Premier League debuts every season is running at three times that of English players coming into the game through the Academy system”.
Although Premier League clubs have been criticised for overloading their squads with foreign talent, Levett sympathises with them.
“It is tougher for Manchester United and Chelsea to produce players from their Academy, than it is for Darlington or Stockport, because they have to produce players for the top nought percent in world football. And the likelihood of the best right-back in the world coming from within an hour and a half of Old Trafford is unlikely.”
Lack of technical ability amongst English footballers is frequently used as an excuse for the national team’s shortcomings. This explanation has curried more favour since the recent rise of Spanish football and the virtues of their style of play, but few would suggest that the likes of Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard are not as technically gifted as Xavi, Iniesta and Villa.
The view from outside – France
Matthew Spiro, writer and broadcaster specialising in French and African football, discusses youth development in France and perceptions of English football.
ZR: Could you outline the youth development system in France?
MS: There are 14 elite academies run and financed by Fédération Française de Football (French Football Federation). These take around twenty 12-13 year-olds every year, and train them for three years.
Clairefontaine houses one of the academies, and is the administrative centre. Clubs have recently been given permission to run their own academies for 12-15 year-olds. After finishing their pre-training, the players, aged 15/16 are integrated into clubs’ ‘centre de formations’ (youth academies).
ZR: What sort of impact did Clairefontaine (the national football centre that was opened in 1988) have on the French national team successes in 1998 and 2000?
MS: Clairefontaine was a great base for the national team at 1998. But the academy system cannot be said to have had a major impact. Henry was the only Clairefontaine graduate in the World Cup 1998 squad.
Clairefontaine’s centralised training programme for players and coaches had a broader impact on the French game as a whole than the elite academy at Clairefontaine itself. The talented generation of intelligent, tough players was a more significant outcome.
ZR: What is the perception of English football and the English ‘style’ in France?
MS: The perception is that the Premier League is great to watch but that it has sold its soul to foreign investors and no longer provides opportunities for English players. The French watching games on TV regret this as they love the all-action styles of players like Gerrard and Rooney.
In terms of style and coaching, some of the French look down their noses at England. They feel the English still like to play kick-and-rush with a big striker and a terrible goalkeeper. Of course, these comments are generalisations!
The view from outside – Holland
Ernst Bouwes, columnist for ESPN Soccernet and expert on Dutch football, discusses youth development in Holland and perceptions of English football.
ZR: Could you outline the youth development system in Holland?
EB: Most professional clubs have a youth academy. All amateur clubs have youth teams in competition in age categories, starting at age six. Anyone can join in.
ZR: How is the Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (Royal Dutch Football Association) involved in youth development?
EB: They demand that coaches need KNVB certificates to coach at any level. They provide referees, organise the leagues, provide advice on club structure and regional selection teams.
ZR: What is the perception of English football and the English ‘style’ in Holland?
EB: That it is very physical and tough. Players are not able to change positions. A lot of emphasis on the result, less emphasis on the gameplay.
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Newcastle host Wigan on Saturday in their second consecutive home fixture looking to preserve their unbeaten start to the season that has catapulted them into fourth.
The Magpies have been this seasons surprise package so far gatecrashing the top four and have yet to taste defeat in their eight Premier League games. As many have pointed out they have yet to be fully tested with the fixture list being kind to Alan Pardew and his side as they yet to face any of the top-flights big guns. They came away unscathed from their first real examination against Tottenham last weekend with Shola Ameobi further enhancing the Geordies love for him with a late leveller at St James’ Park to secure a 2-2 draw. Pardew’s side more than held their own against Spurs and could have won the game had Fabricio Coloccini converted a late chance. The skipper along with the Steven Taylor, his namesake Ryan and keeper Tim Krul have been impenetrable and have contributed no about to their 11 match unbeaten run – their best sequence since 1997. One aspect of Pardew’s reign on Tyneside that has been a problem for the club in recent years is consistency. Eight players have started every league games this season with the rapport built up amongst the squad a key factor in their success so far. Only Leon Best, Gabriel Obertan and Demba Ba aren’t ever presents but have certainly made some telling contributions with the latter scoring five goals in the last three games including the Toon’s first goal against Spurs. The omens are good for Newcastle, who have been strong on home soil this season, with Wigan yet to win on their six visits to the North East.
Roberto Martinez’s side are stuck in a rut having lost their last five games in a row slipping into the relegation zone which will be familiar territory for them. Their start to the campaign raised the optimism levels at the DW Stadium but they have fallen back into their old habits and will need to pick up if they are to pull themselves away from another desperate relegation battle. Improving on the road is something that needs to be addressed with only eight wins away from home in the two years since Martinez took charge. They’ll need to be more ambitious in attack if they are to break down a tough Newcastle defence after they managed only get only two of their 16 shots on target against Bolton last week. The return of Hugo Rodallega from injury will certainly add some much needed fire power in the final third but they’ll need more than just the efforts of the Colombian to beat the Magpies. Tightening up at the back is also something Martinez needs to address after they gifted the Trotters their goals last week and Maynor Figueroa’s return will give the back line some much needed steel and experience.
Key Players
Demba Ba – Five goals in three games have changed the Geordies opinions of the Senegal international after a series of lifeless displays at the start of the season. His performances since then have been superb with his pace, strength and prowess winning over supporters he’ll be a handful for the Latics defence this week.
Ben Watson – Despite Wigan’s poor form Watson has been a shining light with his all action midfield performances adding some much needed grit to the side. His defensive work and ability to break up attacks has been vital for the Latics at time and he’ll need to be on top of his game against a swashbuckling Newcastle side.
Prediction: 2-0
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Demba Ba continued his brilliant run with his 5th goal in three games. His run is reflected in his move up the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index table. He is now ranked 34th. Ba has hit 64% of his 14 shots on target this season Wigan midfielder Ben Watson will also give Newcastle a tough time, and is 4th in the tackling table having won 25 tackles this season 93% of those attempted. Watson has also made 20 interceptions. Mohamed Diame completes a Wigan hat trick of player in the top ten tacklers having won 24 tackles (83% of those attempted)
It has become something of a given that Arsenal will produce some new young starlet every season. The famed Hale End academy that has produced Cesc Fabregas, Ashley Cole, Jack Wilshere, Alex Song and numerous others has been complimented by the signing of young talent from elsewhere to make it truly one of the most formidable academies in the world. We all know about the latest crop of youngsters to come out such as Frimpong and Wilshere but here we’re going to take a look at the next in line.
Chuks Aneke
Aneke, of Nigerian descent but playing for England at youth level, signed for Arsenal in 2001 aged just seven years old. However after impressing for Arsenal’s youth and reserved sides Barcelona attempted to poach both Chuks Aneke and Benik Afobe from the North London Club. Both Arsenal youngsters were invited to Barcelona’s training camp in 2009 but both decided that Arsenal was where their futures lay. Aneke is a powerful central midfielder who has recently been likened to Yaya Toure by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.
Aneke’s early form for the Gunners’ reserve team has been turning heads and he told the Arsenal website: “I’m feeling good so far this season. I’m optimistic that this will be a big year for me. I intend to produce good things on the field and show people how good I am, and so far I think I’ve done ok…I’ve played three times for the Reserves and been in decent form – scoring a couple of goals and playing pretty well. So overall I’m happy and want to push on from here”
Aneke, who made his debut in the Carling Cup this season, is now thought to be heading out on loan with a host of Premier League clubs interested in taking the youngster. Many Arsenal fans lament the loss of former captain Patrick Vieira who was arguably the complete midfielder – able combine defensive solidity with attacking prowess. With Aneke Arsenal fans will be hoping that finally they have produced a player in a similar mould.
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Benik Afobe
Benik, the other player to be approached by Barcelona, is a powerful striker for the gunners who has formed a powerful on field relationship with midfielder Aneke. Afobe was on loan at Huddersfield last season and helped the Terriers reach the League One play-off final. The speedy striker scored eight times in thirty six appearances for the Northern club and continued his good form at international level too as he was part of the under-17 team that won the 2011 European Championships. He was also named player of the tournament after scoring four goals and notching up three assists.
Afobe is a powerful out and out striker with deadly finishing and pace to match, the type of striker that Arsenal have not had since Adebayor left. Despite the success of the Arsenal academy the one thing they have so far failed to produce is a truly world class striker. Maybe Afobe is about to change that…
Reice Charles-Cook
To put a spin on an old cliché: goalkeepers at Arsenal are like buses; they never turn up when you need one and then suddenly three come at once. Whilst Szczesny has established himself in the first team and young Argentine goalkeeper Damian Martinez is getting stronger by the day you could be forgiven for forgetting about Arsenal’s latest youth team keeper Reice Charles-Cook. Nephew to James Cook MBE, a former British and European super-middleweight boxing champion, Reice shares the reflexes and presence of his uncle.
Described as an exceptional shot stopper with a firm command of his area the young goalkeeper, at just seventeen years of age, may have a long way to go before he can even think about breaking into the first team. However the improvements noted in him in the past years have been vast and his reputation at the club is growing as fast as his talent.
Most Arsenal fans would say that they are extremely happy with their current goalkeeper but there’s nothing like competition to get the best out of your players.
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Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has picked up a muscular injury and is now a major doubt for upcoming fixtures.
The box-to-box player has starred for the Gunners in their solid start to the new Premier League campaign, and will be an important man in filling the gap left by Alex Song, who was sold to Barcelona.
Diaby suffered a frustrating season in 2011-12 due to niggling injuries, but did feature for France against Finland in World Cup qualifying.
However, Les Bleus’ coach Didier Deschamps has revealed that Diaby has suffered an injury, and hence is a doubt for their game against Belarus on Tuesday.
“Diaby took a bad shot and he has muscular discomfort. He is not free in his movements,” the trainer is quoted as saying in The Daily Mail.
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Arsene Wenger will hope that the injury is not overly serious but it remains to be seen whether the French midfielder will be available for the Gunners’ game against Southampton on Saturday.