The midweek/weekend games thread

[yiddo2786]

The Danish FA changed youth football completely around about 5-6 years ago on the order of manager Morten Olsen. The talent pool, even for such a small nation, was rapidly declining.

Now they start playing 5 a side from u8-9 or something like that and only get onto full 11 man pitches when most of them are mid-teens.

I remember why I stopped playing amateur youth football for a while when I was 13-14, IIRC. I was quite simply such a tiny kid, having to deal with other youngsters twice my size on 11 man pitches. I stopped to play Tennis and later Volleyball. When I started playing again for fun in College/Uni, I was 182 cm's.

I was no talent. Worse thing was, that 2 of our best players were my size. They stopped too. Incidently the best of them, after establishing himself as a chef and caterer started playing again a few years ago. He's much better now as a grown up even that those early blooming, hoof-and-hoping "brutes", who kept on playing all those years. Even at 32 he's one of the best non-football league players at all in the region, despite not having played for 14-15 years.

This is a story, whic I assume at lot of you can recognise in some ways. Imagine, if we don't lose talents like him, just because under 12-16 coaches don't want to lose games and thus select 11 early developing Steffen Freunds each and every game.

We used to play on full sized pitches aged 11. I was fudging tiny, but my mate Damien was a head taller than everyone else and much much faster. He could score 80 goals in a 20 game season, but he had fudge all technique or ability. He gave it up age 16 or so because he couldn't compete when others the same size. But managers continually playing guys like him to try and win an u12's game ( ](*,) ) drove slighter, more technically able kids away.

 

[yiddo2786]

You can take the man out of Chelsea ....


.... but you can't force him to drink.

Wait, what?

 

[mick cooper]

Did he stay on his feet?

=D>

Nice

 

[Yiddo]

It's happening.

At the moment, kids move straight from 7-a-side mini soccer to 11-a-side big pitches at under 11-s age group.. This will soon be broken up by 9-a-side levels on intermediate pitches, and 11-a-side games will start later.

Down here they move from 7 a side to 9 a side at under 11's then have 2 years of 9 a side before they go to 11 a side at under 13's.

I personally think we should adopt the Spanish way and play 7 a side until 14.

 

[Crawley]

Watching my son's team play (and train) I have a different opinion. 8v8 games are good but unless coaching takes in all facets of the game you end up watching a 2v2 game with 6 players running around screaming for the ball without seeing it. There's too many coaches (perhaps just around here) that try to turn players into Ronaldo/Messi without having any Ledley Kings in the team.

If it hadn't been for me taking my son to one side for goalkeeping training his side would've not had a keeper who knew how to use his hands properly, where the centre of the goal was and how to cut the angle down. Most games the defence was like the Red Sea and the opposing team's strikers were Moses and usually play broke down when the defence decided to do a Ronaldo 10 yards from their goal and losing the ball..

Two points on this:

1) I understand what you are saying about the 6 v 6 scenario, and yes it happens, but not everywhere.
The top coach at my boys club has a rule which he imposes even during games. Basically, any out-field player who receives the ball HAS to put in a short run, culminating in ONE top skill manouvere, and then HAS to pass to a team-mate, who then HAS to do the same.
No-one is allowed to shoot before every player in the team has done the above. Any player who deliberately breaks this rule is actually removed from the game (NOT subbed) for two minutes even though this leaves the team short.
Now, obviously, results wise, this has a negative effect on the team sometimes, and results can be hit or miss. But as the games from u-7 are non-competitive, it matters not, as there is no league table to worry about.
What it does do is to develop total confidence on the ball, and an understanding of the need to use every player in the team.
By the time the boys reach 11-a-side football, they have total belief in their ability, and are able to play a game of football not often seen at that age. proven by the fact my eldest boy has just gone 3 seasons of 11-a-side losing only 3 games in this time

2) There is an argument for even smaller sided games. 2 v 2 on tiny pitches is a common training tool of ours, so no child is able to "hide" or be ignored. It works.

 

[lenjay]

I remember the Nigerian boys in my secondary school and in my flats with the super eagles t shirts when WC94 was on. Crazy to think it was 18 years ago next month.

 

[Crawley]

Down here they move from 7 a side to 9 a side at under 11's then have 2 years of 9 a side before they go to 11 a side at under 13's.

I personally think we should adopt the Spanish way and play 7 a side until 14.

I think 14 may be a little extreme, but would not allow 11-a-side until the under 15s age bracket.
5-a-side from 7-8
7-a-side from 9-11
9-a-side from 12-14

 

[africanspurs]

RIP

 

[DanishWhite]

We used to play on full sized pitches aged 11. I was fudging tiny, but my mate Damien was a head taller than everyone else and much much faster. He could score 80 goals in a 20 game season, but he had fudge all technique or ability. He gave it up age 16 or so because he couldn't compete when others the same size. But managers continually playing guys like him to try and win an u12's game ( ](*,) ) drove slighter, more technically able kids away.

I remember our coach, when I stopped. Best youth coach in the region and had FA experience coaching regional teams and advising the youth national team coordinators.

Today I can't believe he was even allowed to coach players under 18 years old.

Terrible person, we played terrible football and the training for u13's or whatever was half the time cross country running and having to size 6 footballs hammered at you "to learn not to fear the ball".

 

[Crawley]

One thing I forgot to mention in all this.

Too many British coaches (and of course parents) want their little Johnny to be beckham/messi etc. We have to instill the idea of fun, enjoyment and ability on the ball before concentrating on the "winning mentality". Because technical skill, confidence on the ball, and enjoyment of the game will lead naturally to the results everyone ultimately wants.

 

[Crawley]

Oh, and i'd ban parents from all training and matches.

Nothing worse than going out there having taken the time to get your level 1/2/3/ coaching badge, only for some father to be standing there telling Johhny to "ignore him, you take the ball and do it alone".

tossers.

 

[Sheikh Ma Nuggets]

I just love how this happens to someone who routinely dresses himself up as being so utterly righteous and holier-than-thou. It's said that he was still tinkled as a fart after....driving over 90mi from some Children's award ceremony. You gotta be seriously lashed to still be over the limit after driving all that way, and then the computer test back at the nick.

 

[Crawley]

Quite surprised by this, TBH.

I actually like Wilkins, and reckon he'd make a damn good coach at Spurs

 

[DanishWhite]

Back on topic, even for adult teams in lower levels, results are everything.

In particular it's a problem, that players who are quick and strong have an unproportional advantage at low levels.

Now, I don't play anymore because of my knees, but I find football utterly disinteresting to play unless it's 5-7 a side on astroturf or indoor. Simply because I am so poor, that full size football as such low level is a huff-and-puff utter bore.

 

[DanishWhite]

Oh, and i'd ban parents from all training and matches.

Nothing worse than going out there having taken the time to get your level 1/2/3/ coaching badge, only for some father to be standing there telling Johhny to "ignore him, you take the ball and do it alone".

tossers.

There really are a lot of those players, aren't there ?

 

[camspur]

Oh, and i'd ban parents from all training and matches.

Nothing worse than going out there having taken the time to get your level 1/2/3/ coaching badge, only for some father to be standing there telling Johhny to "ignore him, you take the ball and do it alone".

tossers.

On the flip side if I hadn't gone to training there'd have been a team with no goalkeeper as the coach only wanted to coach Messi skills and how to shoot, even down to having a training game where they couldn't score unless they did a stepover/skill of some sort and shout "Ole". No defensive skills taught (half the team didn't know how to tackle) and no goalkeeping training.

 

[camspur]

There really are a lot of those players, aren't there ?

Yes, there are. I've had to tell the manager to get them to shut up when refereeing youth games as they annoyed me, daren't think what the players thought, 13 different instructions thrown at them and none from their coach.

 

[WookieD]

Well, there is also a move towards the 3G style astro pitches too, which can only help the passing style we are looking for.
Kids are too weak to cope with wet muddy grass, so once again, a good thing.

Defo, though I'm not sure about the 5g surface still. I've played on it a few times and found that it holds your foot too well. Try to turn too quickly and you smash your ankle to pieces as it just doesn't move with the rest of the body.

 

[markysimmo]

Steve Kean says that the Venkys are 100% the best owners for Blackburn..

Yep ok

 

[Mumorn]

doing his best to stay in a job