BristolDon wrote:
Sausage wrote:
Bill wrote:
John N wrote:
Is it really sensible to start trying to get players who haven't got the technical ability to play the ball on the deck out from the back to do precisely that when you are in the middle of a relegation dogfight? Why try something that is likely to be doomed to failure right from the off?
To the people who say that Dan needs a full pre-season and to get players that suit his style in I would just like to gently point out that it won't be easy to find such players willing to come to a League Two club with an almost completely inexperienced manager, which is the position we will very probably find ourselves in at the start of next season. If they are any good they will surely be able to do better for themselves.
Time for a reality check, perhaps.
Really, what about the young players he has coached? If I were a Premiership mManager, I would rather put my young starlet at a club who will teach him to play the way he will play when he gets into the 1st Team, rather than teaching him kick and run which will be no use in his later career.
Our coaches, including Dan, have until recently taught lots of good basic skills. Unfortunately, there is a lot more to winning professional games than that. Our academy was changed last year to bring in some training at winning, which would include all kinds of stuff that some on here might turn their noses up at. I at least give Neilson a bit of credit for that.
At academy level, physical development varies from kid to kid. A lot of "successful" academies that win stuff will just play the biggest, fastest kids. We go for the most technical kids as when they do develop physically, they'll be much better than untechnical footballers who just happened to hit puberty first. I'd rather we focus at technical development and generating future prospects than just picking the best starting XI each game
It’s not about picking the best or biggest XI each game. It’s about teaching, encouraging and developing a winning mentality in all of them, including the tricks, game management, etc, etc. Technical skills on their own will get them into a circus, but not very far against clever, determined, hairy-arsed bastards in league football.
Compare and contrast John Terry, Jamie Carragher and Namanya Vidic with any technically good Arsenal centre-backs over the past 10 years. And how did Morgan and Huth become champion defenders?