Football Focus

[????]

Re Under 5s - I always thought the Under 5s was the best name of all the 'firms'......funny how the myths have grown it was always much more disjointed and different odd groups from different areas or individuals joining together informally under a sort of umbrella name with various different 'faces' than the Football Factory etc make out AND initially it was mainly to all look after each other when you went to say Everton on a wednesday night. Anyway, that aws all a long time ago but it wasn't like it's made out to have been

[red devil]

Was the name Under 5's to do with not paying rail fares?

Utd had a group called the Inter City Jibbers, motto ''To pay is to fail''...in other words, fare dodgers.

[Jah Lush]

Bloody 'ooligans.

[El Pibe]

Funny, I skated over that assuming there must have been an 'ooligan version of ruggerbeez, getting the little ones to improve motor skills by practice running the terraces down the park on a saturday morning.

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

I am pretty sure the name was for the youth element of the Big boys ICF.

[maxxi]

red devil Wrote:

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> Question for the 'appy 'ammers amongst us.

> Would you want Di Canio as your manager?...

Broadly what EP said. I would have liked PDC at one time but I think he's going a leetle beet craze - not that that would be a bad thing right now. Can't shake the feeling that present club tactics (manager, squad) are just to 'maintain' so as not to rock boat of Olympic park move. Any adventure is being suffocated so our chairmen can make a bit of dosh on the Boleyn redevelopment.

[StraferJack]

Faints

[red devil]

*Pours cold water on SJ*

Wake up, you're through, just the small matter of Chelski to contend with in the next round...

[Parkdrive]

Hope Wenger puts the kids out again and we put CSKA Fulham out

[Otta]

Not bothered about losing last night, but it did highlight again Liverpool's total kack if depth.

[StraferJack]

gotta love those typos Otta

RD - no small obstacle is it. Think Wenger will be keen to show young Jose the old man knows a few tricks. Suspect he will but out a B++ team rather than just B team.

I was travelling back from Borough following the game on a blog. Arrived at Goose Green just as penalties were about to start so thought I'd have a pint and listen to 5live in the EDT (no tvs were on in there)

Was a bit like being 10 years old again - I'm sure I got some funny looks as each pen was taken

[Parkdrive]

StraferJack Wrote:

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> gotta love those typos Otta

>

> RD - no small obstacle is it. Think Wenger will be

> keen to show young Jose the old man knows a few

> tricks. Suspect he will but out a B++ team rather

> than just B team.

>

> I was travelling back from Borough following the

> game on a blog. Arrived at Goose Green just as

> penalties were about to start so thought I'd have

> a pint and listen to 5live in the EDT (no tvs were

> on in there)

>

> Was a bit like being 10 years old again - I'm sure

> I got some funny looks as each pen was taken

Is it me or did soppy bollocks Bendtner not look too bad last night, not great, but not bad. Still want him launched out the door for being a prize bell end though.

[Parkdrive]

I've been saying this for years. It's about time the British media, football authorities, FA, and League cottoned on and stopped laying the blame at the door of "Johnny Foreigner", an easy scapegoat, when the problem lays in their own backyard.

Patrick Vieira says coaching is the problem for England youngsters

Patrick Vieira says England's failures at major tournaments are down to coaching standards rather than foreign talent playing in the Premier League.

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke recently stated that the national side need more English players starting regularly in the top flight.

But former France midfielder Vieira said: "The problem is deeper than just saying there are too many foreigners.

"The methods in England haven't changed as much as the game has changed."

[El Pibe]

They're really just two sides of the same coin though aren't they.

Given the pressures and resultant short termism, noone is tempted to fix things the hard way if you can do it by getting hceaper imports who are nearly the finished product.

ANd as long as johnny foreigner is the goto fix, the coaching standards won't improve and the english kids don't get the breaks and end up hoofing it in league 1.

So they may be the symptom, but that doesn't mean its not part of the problem.

[Jah Lush]

I'm in full agreement with you there PD. Glenn Hoddle has been saying the same thing about coaching in this country for about 15 years. In fact, so frustrated was he at the lack quality coaching in this country that he set up his own academy five years ago.

See here - http://www.glennhoddleacademy.com/

Trevor Brooking has also been very vocal over the past ten years saying more or less the same things as Viera and Hoddle. In places like Holland and Spain there are at least thirty times more fully qualified coaches around the country teaching at grass roots level than in England. And Veira is correct when he says "The methods in England haven't changed as much as the game has changed." But first and foremost we need more qualified coaches to teach the game to young kids with emphasis on technique. Too often you see (young English players whose first touch is bloody awful and that surely is the first thing you should be learning. It's the basics. Control, passing and awareness. Get that right at grassroots level and then you'll have more English players at our top clubs.

[????]

Surely the STB Crouched Header 1980 should be part of the basics too Jah?

[El Pibe]

My old school mate might also be part of the problem.

I get to see him once a year when he comes over and hires the cream of the crop to be coaches out in the US for his 'soccer' training company that does both youth level and professional coaching.

He's (ex pro himself, cruelly cut short at incipeince by injury in our local pub game) pretty convinced USA will be better than England in international footie within 20 years.

[????]

...within 20? They're nearly on a par now....give or take the odd goalie howler*

*No names

[El Pibe]

Thinking about it, we had that conversation a while ago. Time...so fast....now......

[red devil]

maxxi Wrote:

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> So, looking forward to Everton game with brand new

> striking saviour Mladen Petric (brought to the

> club because Carroll is not yet fit to play and C.

> Cole's return was ruled out as he was not fit to

> play) who is... not yet fit enough to play. ha

> bloody haaa.

Never fear, Carlton's here...http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2434272/West-Ham-ready-sign-Carlton-Cole-short-term-deal.html

[red devil]

This week's Friday Caption competition*...

http://www.7msport.com/news/upload_img/20130925/3_2013092514505160.jpg

''This week's Spot the Ball competition is a bit tricky''

*Minus points for mentioning tackle

[aquarius moon]

Willy score, or won't he?!!

:)

[Jah Lush]

Proof that Aston Villa are pants.

[????]

While you're down there

[maxxi]

red devil Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> maxxi Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > So, looking forward to Everton game with brand

> new

> > striking saviour Mladen Petric (brought to the

> > club because Carroll is not yet fit to play and

> C.

> > Cole's return was ruled out as he was not fit

> to

> > play) who is... not yet fit enough to play. ha

> > bloody haaa.

>

> Never fear, Carlton's

> here...http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/a

> rticle-2434272/West-Ham-ready-sign-Carlton-Cole-sh

> ort-term-deal.html

He's 4th in the queue - after Dean Ashton (he's got one good ankle), Frank McAvennie (he's finally quit the booze and his and Andy Goram's chat tour isn't selling tickets so he may be forced into a come-back), and my dog.

My dog is blind.

And I don't have a dog.