tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11361634389877611622024-03-13T15:56:13.910+00:00Football is life, the rest is just detailsJust a blog about footballUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-70053757181602404132011-08-22T18:12:00.000+01:002011-08-22T18:12:24.644+01:00Identity of a Villan<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>In America, if you go to school or university you are something – an eagle, a tiger, a buckeye or a Spartan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Students take pride in the college they attend and many maintain a lifelong affiliation to their ‘alma mater’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being an American is incredibly important to the vast majority who are, with the American Dream underpinning the whole of society – some Americans don’t believe that those better-off should pay more in taxes because the American Dream they are chasing makes them believe that one day it will be them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tragic events in Oslo have seen the country of Norway unite as a country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"I am a Muslim, Chirag is a Hindu and our friends they are also different, but we have never felt as Norwegian and we have not felt as much togetherness before as we do now, after 22 July," rapper Magdi Ytreeide Abdelmaguid said before performing the song </i>(<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/21/norway-memorial-oslo-victims">The Guardian</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Norwegian Prime Minister, speaking at the memorial service, added <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Today time stops in order to remember those who died. We do it as one nation. Every candle has warmed, every thought has comforted, every rose has given hope. We are a small country, but we are a large people."</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDXLMVb1gb8/TlKNkWIBLbI/AAAAAAAAAEo/XncQE00hTCk/s1600/British+constitution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDXLMVb1gb8/TlKNkWIBLbI/AAAAAAAAAEo/XncQE00hTCk/s200/British+constitution.jpg" width="200" /></a> </div>To pin down a British identity isn’t easy – possibly a symptom of our ethnic diversity, or the lack of any concrete political constitution or the ‘global community’ that encourages individualism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The recent riots across country only serve to emphasise the lack of identity and the resulting pride that is missing in those that saw fit to smash and grab what wasn’t theirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many kids don’t have the same respect for their schools than that of their American counterparts, and whilst former students remember their university with fondness, it is perhaps only Oxbridge graduates that keep a lifelong affiliation. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">With a void of any sense of belonging, people, especially young people, turn to anything that is willing to accept them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some it is a local sports team, a music group of some sort, a youth group or just a circle of friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For others it is a gang, a sect, a group that hang out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking part in the riots was a way to belong – to belong to a group of people angry, frustrated and let down by the government, by those with money – at least in their eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no excuse for the damage and violence of that week in August, and I applaud the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, colleagues who have come forward with information, as well as the on-going work done by the police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with other major tragedies, the death of innocent British people has brought the country together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over 25,000 turned out for the memorial service of Haroon Jahan, Shahzad Ali and Abdul Musavir which caused ‘...the anger and outrage that stalked the streets immediately following the murders [to be] replaced with sombre reflection and solidarity that has spared Birmingham any further violence’ (<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/funeral-held-for-three-birmingham-men-killed-in-last-weeks-riots-2340053.html">The Independent</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely we need an identity that is not built on tragedy, but that has a positive outcome and a longer-lasting effect.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">We do have some institutions in this country that do hold our respect, pride and a sense of identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/attendance/_/league/eng.1/barclays-premier-league?cc=5739">Nearly 600,000</a> fans attended Premier League games in its opening matches (even with Tottenham/Everton called off and before Man Utd/Tottenham).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are similar figures in lower leagues, suggesting that around 2 million people attend a professional football match every weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a fan of a football club is an identity, it is a group to belong and contribute to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This identity varies in definition for different clubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Manchester United fan’s identity tends to be much more varied than that of say Oxford United.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some identities have negative images – perhaps that of Millwall fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what is the identity of a Villa fan, a Villain, a member of the Claret and Blue Army?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SumZInU19M4/TlKMw8sqYbI/AAAAAAAAAEk/wbWmdgkgpMc/s1600/villa+honours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SumZInU19M4/TlKMw8sqYbI/AAAAAAAAAEk/wbWmdgkgpMc/s200/villa+honours.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">My observations of the loudest members of this group is of an identity that is proud of the rich history of the club – an <a href="http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/HistoryHonours">honours list</a> that includes 7 League Championships, 7 FA Cups, 5 League Cups and a European Cup (amongst others) is impressive and comfortably puts Aston Villa in top 10 of most successful English clubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, Villa fans expect success – the last of which was in 1996.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is, I think, a sense of pride in the stadium and surrounding infrastructure, including the Villa Village and Holte Pub.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an old stadium that needs some modernising, but it is an imposing arena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This combination of historical success and fantastic facilities (which also includes the training facilities) creates a ‘big club’ mindset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has the side-effect of creating a very frustrated set of fans, as Villa fail to live up to expectations.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">Perhaps more importantly is the attitudes and identity of fans away from what is happening on the pitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Randy Lerner has set the tone with large donations to other Birmingham institutions (galleries etc) and a commendable partnership with Acorns hospice – widely praised by Villa fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like many football clubs, Aston Villa have a useful community programme, particularly involved with those with disabilities, but also in providing active opportunities for children and in providing education opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you ask most football fans (I would avoid Birmingham City fans!), you will get a positive response towards Villa (see VV’s interviews with other fans).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps Villa is seen as a harmless club – a club that is friendly and welcoming, but not really in danger of challenging the status quo of the top clubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever the reasons, Villa fans have a positive image, which should impact upon their identity.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-20FtZMEkW6U/TlKL0hTvpEI/AAAAAAAAAEg/_qMrMnrWh10/s1600/avfc+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="43" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-20FtZMEkW6U/TlKL0hTvpEI/AAAAAAAAAEg/_qMrMnrWh10/s400/avfc+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">It is almost as hard to pin down the identity of a Villain as it is of a Briton, but it is in our hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scenes at Bodymoor Heath after the appointment of Alex McCleish are not something that should be part of that identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘Proud History, Bright Future’ mantra taken up by Villa upon Lerner’s arrival is one that should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be a frustrating season for those fans that continue to expect Villa to win trophies – perhaps focussing on the Bright Future will prove more appeasing as more of Villa’s youth team break into the first team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m proud to be a Villain, perhaps even more so than being British, hopefully the club can continue to make me proud, but more importantly, my fellow Villa fans do the same.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-43564543246981259892011-06-07T17:34:00.000+01:002011-06-07T17:34:32.905+01:00The future of Grassroots football?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Author>Tom Davies</o:Author> <o:Version>12.00</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">As promised, my opinions on a very well delivered presentation by <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/footynick">Nick Levett</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">Nick is the National Development Manager for Youth and Mini-soccer at the FA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was talking about the<a href="http://resources.thefa.com/images/ftimages/data/league942613/43332.pdf"> future of youthfootball</a> in this country – the results of fairly extensive research and what the implications are for grassroots football.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-48cVOvrq8ew/Te5QwS7ZRfI/AAAAAAAAAEU/nNleU_jF9pk/s1600/pepsi-football.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-48cVOvrq8ew/Te5QwS7ZRfI/AAAAAAAAAEU/nNleU_jF9pk/s200/pepsi-football.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">Despite some evidence of ancient games around the world resembling football, it is believed to have originated in the UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst the Pepsi advert suggests that football was around in Medieval Britain, it is the origins of modern football that I want to be concerned with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early forms of football seem to have engendered a mob mentality, where violence was commonplace towards ‘players’ and property (with streets being used as ‘pitches’).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rules didn’t exist until the foundation of the FA in 1863, until that point ‘anything goes’ in the pursuit of victory and the local village/town bragging rights.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDNZR7FjImo/Te5Qn5b6deI/AAAAAAAAAEI/F8490Sl103I/s1600/brigada1874.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDNZR7FjImo/Te5Qn5b6deI/AAAAAAAAAEI/F8490Sl103I/s200/brigada1874.png" width="193" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">By 1883 sport was being used to lure boys off the streets and even as ‘an instrument of social discipline’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christian groups in particular were drawn into the use of sport for promoting morality, confidence, taking initiative and responsibility, controlling aggression but still cultivating determination and loyalty to a group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed many current professional football clubs have their roots in these church-based initiatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aston Villa was founded by young men in a Wesleyan Chapel in 1874, with Birmingham, Everton, Fulham and Bolton other notable clubs with a similar heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a fear then that football resembled the unruly, violent form of earlier games, with the police often in conflict with groups of boys who indulged in the ‘horse-play’ of kicking a ball around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This freedom was further restricted by drill sergeants and PE teachers who now dictated the way sport should be played.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst a formal league system allowed for healthy competition between an ever increasing numbers of professional footballers, the amateur game was still being suppressed.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">The motivations may be different now – no longer is there a fear of unruly young footballers causing a problem on city streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact we are creating better places for our young people to play safely, with better equipment and generally better pitches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the way the game is controlled has echoes of the controlling nature of the Victorian teachers and ‘coaches’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve made some of my feelings on attitude that winning is all-important, has left us severely letting down our young football players.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QsK9gSgo10I/Te5QpCIedzI/AAAAAAAAAEM/_xcgDZM3Qa4/s1600/The-FA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QsK9gSgo10I/Te5QpCIedzI/AAAAAAAAAEM/_xcgDZM3Qa4/s200/The-FA.JPG" width="138" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">I am pleased to say, however, that Nick Levett and his ‘team’ (under the guidance of Sir Trevor Brooking, I presume) have recognised the need for change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have recognised that while youth football is run by adults, in the way adults believe it must be run, it cannot be truly youth football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The research carried out by the FA asked children what was important to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whereas adults seem to have a belief that trophies and medals are what children are after (evidenced in the thousands of pounds spent on trophies by clubs each year), or even that winning matches and leagues are important, the most important aspect for those children asked was that trying hard was more important than winning and that children play because it is fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my younger days, I enjoyed playing football in the park with my friends – sometimes against other kids, sometimes amongst ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we had even numbered teams, and someone else turns up, they play with the team who is losing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the situation then changes, the teams are mixed up to make it even again.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">While I was coaching a youth team, a team towards the bottom of the ‘C league’, we were drawn against a side towards the top of the ‘A league’ in a cup competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not surprisingly, we were heavily beaten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So next season, when we were drawn against them again, I contacted their manager and suggested that they have the tie, but rather than playing them, that we mix the teams up or play some 5-a-side games instead – so that players on both teams got to at least play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The response I got was astonishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of agreeing that there was no real benefit for either team to play normally, I was told that we would be reported to the league and that they hoped we would be banned from future competitions!?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily I had already put this to the league committee, who supported what I had suggested (since then, the rules have been changed for top league teams to enter the competition later and hopefully avoid this situation). Here is a clear example of not really thinking like a child - although it can be hard to argue against it when a team are as successful as this one was.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">With guidance from other European countries (from whom we can learn a lot) the FA have suggested a move away from traditional league systems and towards a more flexible format.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suggestions are that a season may be split into 3, with different formats (from 4v4 up to 11v11) to be played.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There would be a mixture of competition and training with other teams/clubs, all with a focus of development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Research suggests that smaller sided games increase the number of passes, scoring attempts, goals scored, dribbling skills and general touches of the ball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore I believe these steps are very positive from the FA, and I believe there are enough adults who ‘think like children’ (as I do apparently) that these changes can be made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there are some major challenges to be overcome.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gZILsCiuJko/Te5SDJ7erQI/AAAAAAAAAEY/C6gn9SB3NZY/s1600/football+parent.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gZILsCiuJko/Te5SDJ7erQI/AAAAAAAAAEY/C6gn9SB3NZY/s200/football+parent.jpeg" width="200" /></a>There are still a large number of coaches and parents who do not grasp the fact that development is more important than winning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Grassroots Live, Bill Beswick said that football is not about what you get; instead it is about who you become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This presents challenges particularly in considering clubs working together – naturally the clubs that will adopt these different formats as clusters will be local to one another, but it is often these same clubs that have the fiercest rivalries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t believe that children are really that bothered, in fact they would probably welcome the chance to play with some different friends/classmates, but these rivalries (copied from professional level) often lead parents and coaches to lose sight of having fun and the mentality of a ‘must-win’ comes to the fore.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">I think county FAs could take a lead role here – the Charter Standard programme already recognises high standards in local clubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One award that clubs can achieve is the Community Club Award.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe these clubs should be used as a central focal point for a cluster of clubs; much like a School Sports College should do with a cluster of schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These clubs should provide support to its ‘feeder’ clubs, can provide training opportunities for local coaches and referees and help place players and coaches where most needed/best suited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully this would foster a more co-operative attitude and help to challenge the culture of local hostility.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">One thing Nick was keen to emphasise was that this was not designed to lose competitiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The element of competition is important in football, and children do enjoy this aspect of the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without a desire to win you lose the elements of determination, problem solving or simply the need to try your hardest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, Nick’s emphasis on this was very encouraging.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">There are some practical issues – new pitch sizes, new goal sizes, perhaps a variation of rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the FA are already taking steps to ensure funding is available and that advice and guidance is readily available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have found that football at all levels is quite clique and not always open to new people or new ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully this forward-thinking by the FA can lead the way in changing youth football.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">Nick also addressed the ‘relative age effect’ across sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is already a very long blog post, so all I will say is that it is good that these things are being taken into account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also saw some very good coaching sessions at Grassroots Live, particularly from Coerver Coaching and Ryan Byrne (Birmingham City U12 coach), that really allowed young players to express themselves and build confidence on the ball, whilst developing their technical skill.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O2O8t112IQ8/Te5QtKiUcrI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/HMR2y9xwvQg/s1600/GrassrootsLogo.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O2O8t112IQ8/Te5QtKiUcrI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/HMR2y9xwvQg/s1600/GrassrootsLogo.GIF" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">I have to say I was quite inspired by GRL – I’m about to complete my FA Level 2 Coaching badge and I’m looking to get back into coaching at youth level and possibly even get involved with our local league and help them to implement these changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would highly recommend Grassroots Live for players, parents and coaches – there’s a lot going on and a lot to be learnt from the range of ‘experts’ speaking throughout the weekend.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">Reference:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Holt, R. (1989) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sport and the British: A Modern History</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-38534340050984506532011-06-03T22:40:00.000+01:002011-06-03T22:40:40.175+01:00Role Models in Football?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TMlzoF64WpU/TelSnr0ng-I/AAAAAAAAAEE/8G94E0jsArI/s1600/GrassrootsLogo.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TMlzoF64WpU/TelSnr0ng-I/AAAAAAAAAEE/8G94E0jsArI/s1600/GrassrootsLogo.GIF" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">I spent today at <a href="http://www.grassrootsfootball.co.uk/">Grassroots Live</a> at the NEC in Birmingham – only the 2nd time I’ve been and the first time I’ve actually attended some of the Q&A sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I enjoyed my day, helped by having the company of my friend and colleague Joseph.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;">The two sessions I decided to grace with my presence with, on paper, might conceivably be linked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In reality, this wasn’t the case. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The descriptions for these sessions were ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Do our role models have a responsibility to the grassroots game?</i>’ and ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">What should youth football look like in five to ten years time? What formats of the game do we need? How do we put in place a child-centred competition pathway without imposing adult-values on those of children?</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">’ </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to talk about the second in some detail, so will write about that tomorrow.</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;">The role models session was hosted by local BRMB sports presenter, <a href="http://www.brmb.co.uk/goalzone/tom-ross/">Tom Ross</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom frequents the stands at Villa Park and St Andrews and has a lot to say about football in the Midlands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It shouldn’t then be a surprise that his guest has played a bit of football in the area, the recently retired Welsh international, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Savage">Robbie Savage</a>.</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bykOUyw39eI/TelSnU6ac2I/AAAAAAAAAEA/t3HstM5JG34/s1600/RSavage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bykOUyw39eI/TelSnU6ac2I/AAAAAAAAAEA/t3HstM5JG34/s200/RSavage.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;">Savage got off to a good start by acknowledging that professional football players are role models for young players, particularly at grassroots level – it got progressively worse from there (in my humble opinion!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Savage himself is a pretty good example of what can be achieved with a good work ethic and staying out of trouble off the pitch – having been released by Manchester United at 19, after being told he wasn’t good enough by the great Sir Alex Ferguson, he signed for Division 2 side Crewe Alexandra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He soon moved to the Premiership with Leicester City and spent several seasons in the top tier of English football with Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers, before ending his career with Championship side Derby County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, he played over 600 league games as well as 39 games for his country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not bad for a player who, by his own admission, did not have that much ability.</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;">Savage spoke about his desire to play football and how managers (namely Martin O’Neill) told him that his place in the team was mostly down to his ‘big heart’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But where does desire turn into over-exuberance, or even a ‘win at all costs’ mentality?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Savage accepted that his 158 yellow cards (from the horse’s mouth) were perhaps not such a good example to younger players, but made no apologies for doing whatever was necessary to win the game.</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;">There was quite a bit of discussion around respect for referees – Tom Ross suggesting that referees should not be announced until just before a game, to prevent the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson making comments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Savage was quick to defend players who dive, claim for throws, corners etc and even being somewhat aggressive towards the referee, but also pointed out that referees must be better at making correct decisions in order for players to fully respect them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidents of blatant cheating were brought up (Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ and Henry’s more recent example of how a hand can be a useful method of scoring), with Savage suggesting that they were justified based on the outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worryingly, when asked, about 50% of the audience also agreed that winning at all costs is acceptable in football!?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I risk offending half of the readers of this (including my companion for the day who rose his hand tentatively in agreement with Mr Savage), but frankly I find this disgusting.</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;">There are two main reasons for this – one on an ideological (perhaps ethical) level and one on a footballing level.</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lFgxU9F9xw4/TelSm_2QRoI/AAAAAAAAAD4/ag-gJ56eV6U/s1600/abstract+football.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lFgxU9F9xw4/TelSm_2QRoI/AAAAAAAAAD4/ag-gJ56eV6U/s200/abstract+football.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;">I love football – not for the winning (Villa tend to let me down on that front), not for the money (because none of it comes to me) but for the enjoyment of the game, the enjoyment of playing with friends and the challenge of trying to be better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Football, in its purest form has elements of problem-solving, teamwork, effective communication, a sense of belonging and worth, not to mention all the physiological benefits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sense of achievement when you win is totally diminished if it is accomplished through breaking the rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sense of injustice overrides any feelings of pride in a good performance, even in defeat, when cheating is involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At professional levels, there is more at stake than achievement or pride – unfortunately these seem to be less and less of a motivation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, money and pressure from ambitious owners and fans, develops a culture of winning no matter what and results in players diving in the box, surrounding referees and using illegal parts of the body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real problem is how ingrained this attitude is – Robbie Savage didn’t see it as a problem (I think some of those in the audience would at least agree that it isn’t a desirable situation) and I suspect many professional footballers wouldn’t think twice about conning a referee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At grassroots level this is devastating, and brings me on to my second point.</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;">If a player has to cheat in order to gain an advantage, this only emphasises a lack of ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maradona was forced to use his hand because he simply wasn’t tall enough to use his head, players dive because they have lost the ball, or because they aren’t good enough to beat the defender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If players and coaches can’t acknowledge their deficiencies, how can they improve?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maradona was a player of the highest quality, and a lack of height was probably very useful at times, but at grassroots level, cheating to gain an advantage will only prevent players from improving – why do they need to if they can win by cheating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If players at grassroots level are learning to win at all costs, they will grow up, in footballing terms, with the wrong attitude and some serious issues in their footballing ability.</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="Default" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2nrOgFMEYNo/TelSnLiQ2aI/AAAAAAAAAD8/I0MqRqKzTW0/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="67" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2nrOgFMEYNo/TelSnLiQ2aI/AAAAAAAAAD8/I0MqRqKzTW0/s320/images.jpeg" width="320" /></a>What can be done?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/footynick">Nick Levett</a>’s session addressed some of these issues (see next blog post) but there has to be a serious intervention from the top – RESPECT has been taken seriously, coaches must stamp out cheating in their players and players must take responsibility for their actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately I don’t think that the current culture within the professional game will not allow change quickly (if at all).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe the best we can hope for is a new generation of players who have a different outlook on football, or maybe a painful period for football in this country, with the promise of a brighter future at the end.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-16361351741141116842011-05-23T23:14:00.000+01:002011-05-23T23:14:03.297+01:00Aston Villa 2011 - Season Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">As a Villa fan, there are many positives to be taken from this season...yes, you read right, I did say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">positives</i>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-czl4r0jG_uA/TdrW4tYfvGI/AAAAAAAAAD0/srse-ikKU2o/s1600/AV+kit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-czl4r0jG_uA/TdrW4tYfvGI/AAAAAAAAAD0/srse-ikKU2o/s200/AV+kit.jpg" width="176" /></a>In the end, Villa finished 9<sup>th</sup>, the highest placed Midlands team (not that I really care!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They didn’t lose to Chelsea and beat Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton at least once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only other teams above Villa were Fulham (2 draws), Tottenham (2 defeats) and champions Manchester United (1 draw, 1 defeat), proving that Villa can beat almost anybody on their day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the flipside, defeats to Wolves, West Brom, Blackburn and a thumping from Newcastle, also show Villa’s vulnerability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only on one occasion did Villa manage to string together more than 2 wins in row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On 2 occasions Villa lost 3 or more games in a row and all too often failed to get a win in a sequence of 3 or more games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this highlights the issue that repeats itself season after season – the lack of a genuine Premier League squad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this in mind, Villa were never going to finish above any of the final top 6 – they don’t have the squad to compete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fulham and Everton had good seasons and have grown accustomed to forming a good squad with a minimal amount of money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>9th is perhaps slightly below par, and the points difference between Villa and 6<sup>th</sup> (10points) is perhaps a bit more telling. However I believe 9th is a good result and something to be positive about.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rcLBZncRKl8/TdrWX2b8k1I/AAAAAAAAADw/0EjVxPqo5hw/s1600/young+downing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rcLBZncRKl8/TdrWX2b8k1I/AAAAAAAAADw/0EjVxPqo5hw/s200/young+downing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Other positives include excellent seasons for Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, demonstrating their pacey attacking ability not only at Villa Park but on an international stage as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘kids’ have played a big part too, with Marc Albrighton the pick of the bunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contributions also from Bannan, Clark, Baker, Herd, Delfouneso and Delph show real promise for the next few seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have perhaps been disappointing seasons for Dunne, Collins, Petrov and Agbonlahor, the latter failing to live up to the promise of the previous season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gerard Houllier seems to take the blame for all of this – on several occasions, younger squad members have <a href="http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/villa-youngster-bannan-full-praise-manager-houllier-1611801">sung the praises</a> of Monsieur Houllier, whilst all season we have heard <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6839884,00.html">rumours of unrest</a> and of ‘senior’ players disliking the<a href="http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/villa-boss-houllier-wants-moaning-about-new-training-schedule-end-1331691"> new regime.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m going to stick up for Houllier, largely because I’ve met the guy, but I would rather side with the future of the club rather than the old guard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also think his transfer dealings have been spot on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darren Bent is not only worth every penny of his <a href="http://www.just-football.com/2011/01/aston-villa-darren-bent-sunderland-transfer-market-value/">‘inflated’</a> transfer fee but also every penny saved from avoiding relegation (albeit by a comfortable distance in the end).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kyle Walker has looked excellent at full- back and will soon be challenging Johnson and Richards for the England right back position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Makoun and Bradley are yet to prove themselves, although glimpses of Jean II have shown his possible value (and perhaps<a href="http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7508787"> family issues</a> have been on his mind).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely any man who’s commitment to a job ends up with him in<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13154952"> hospital</a> has got to be praised – his effort and <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/gerard-houllier-forced-to-clarify-liverpool-remarks-2154438.html">commitment toVilla</a> has been harshly questioned by some Villa fans, who really should be ashamed of themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having said that, there have been some mistakes this season – most notably an FA Cup fifth round tie against Manchester City, in another winless March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My biggest criticism was the way Houllier told the fans how<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/01/gerard-houllier-fa-cup-aston-villa"> important the cup was</a> but did not back that up with his team selection and he probably should have found a central defender who could pass if he wanted Villa to play from the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is an intense need for more creativity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too many times I’ve shouted at my computer screen to stop passing backwards and sideways and actually play a forward pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Possibly more frustrating is the lack of supporting runs to cause a need for these forward passes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess Villa aren’t going to be Barcelona and there has been some improvement on the long ball tactics that seemed to be the default method of attack last season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New recruits will be needed and I think forthcoming.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUTHzDv0FLE/TdrU5c4a0nI/AAAAAAAAADo/ZjqmrRK7B6g/s1600/milner-oneill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUTHzDv0FLE/TdrU5c4a0nI/AAAAAAAAADo/ZjqmrRK7B6g/s200/milner-oneill.jpg" width="200" /></a>January isn’t the best time to get players in, although I’ve already stated my approval of what Villa managed to achieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Summer, with pre-season training and a friendlier transfer market is the time for Houllier to build his squad and to develop the style of play that he sees best – something he was denied at the start of this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all honesty, the whole club were denied this with <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/11/randy-lerner-aston-villa-oneill">Mr O’Neill’s abrupt departure</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not going to blame Martin O’Neill, I don’t know all the details, but the situation left us in a lot of trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin MacDonald was admirable in acting up, but you have to question his ambition (and possibly ability) to work at that level when he has been in his position for so long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was disruptive for players, for the staff that were left and for the club as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Transfer plans were in disarray and the solid training with clear focus that is needed in pre-season, could not happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I personally think losing the creativity of James Milner was also a big blow (possibly a knock-out as far as MON was concerned), and Villa still need to find a replacement – bringing Milner back might do the trick!?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXOiClClcmo/TdrV13cRMtI/AAAAAAAAADs/RSBMgEiScak/s1600/houllier+shouting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXOiClClcmo/TdrV13cRMtI/AAAAAAAAADs/RSBMgEiScak/s200/houllier+shouting.jpg" width="143" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Looking forward, I feel Villa need quite a shake-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Ashley Young leaves, there is a need for a winger, definitely a creative midfielder, a fullback, at least one centre back and probably a goalkeeper to replace the ‘evergreen’ Brad Friedel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My preferences would be N’Zogbia from Wigan (or Adam Johnson if at all possible), I’d take James Milner, but probably a foreign, more technically gifted midfielder, Kyle Walker on a permanent deal and Ben Foster would do a good job in goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect Houllier has eyes across Europe and will have players in mind, especially in defence and maybe in goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be an interesting pre-season – Martin O’Neill will play some part, Gerard Houllier may not if his doctor (and wife?) have any say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Villa fans need patience, Houllier needs a bit more time to recover and to do his job and Randy Lerner will have to seriously back Houllier, whilst ensuring the financial stability of the club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lerner has proved his commitment to the club, I’m lucky enough to have met Gerard and believe he is also committed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the players are committed, and those that aren’t will be let go (Carew is already out of the door, Warnock will surely follow).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh, I forgot to mention that Birmingham City suffered the indignity of relegation - I suppose most Villa fans will be pleased with that! Only 85 sleeps until the season starts – bring it on!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-41496746202601602952011-01-25T22:21:00.000+00:002011-01-25T22:21:51.225+00:00What's wrong with English football - Intro<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TT9MNohCDmI/AAAAAAAAADU/MThD907iPgY/s1600/The-FA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TT9MNohCDmI/AAAAAAAAADU/MThD907iPgY/s200/The-FA.JPG" width="138" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Following the appointment of David Bernstein as the new chairman of the FA, I thought I would take a look at the job that lies ahead of him.<span> </span>The <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9373192.stm">BBC Sport article</a> suggests that <i>One of Bernstein's key roles over the coming months will be to appoint Fabio Capello's successor as England manager</i>.<i><span> </span></i>This seems to be the least of his worries in my opinion and over the next few weeks I will be giving my opinion on where English football has gone astray.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Perhaps I should start with the symptoms that lead me to believe there are problems.<span> </span>The most obvious symptom is the performance of the England national team.<span> </span>In the recent World Cup, held in South Africa, England reached the last 16, having qualified from their group consisting of USA (ranked 18<sup>th</sup>), Slovenia (ranked 17<sup>th</sup>) and Algeria (ranked 36<sup>th</sup>) with only one win (1-0 against Slovenia) and 2 draws.<span> </span>In the second round, they were found sadly lacking as they lost 4-1 to Germany.<span> </span>Prior to this, England failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships, finishing behind Croatia and Russia in their qualifying group.<span> </span>The last time England reached the final of a major tournament was when they won the World Cup in 1966.<span> </span>Since then they have reached the semi-final on 3 occasions – the most recent being Euro ’96, where they again lost to Germany.<span> </span>Results in themselves do not tell the full story.<span> </span>The way the team performed during the 2010 World Cup was probably more disappointing, with fans’ reactions leading to <a href="http://www.footytube.com/video/england-algeria-jun18-50218">Wayne Rooney’s ‘outburst</a>’ after the 0-0 draw with Algeria.<span> </span>Alongside this were all sorts of rumours of rift between players over personal issues, most highlighted by then England captain, John Terry and Wayne Bridge’s <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/7331044/Wayne-Bridge-refuses-John-Terry-handshake.html">non-handshake</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TT9L76tr-LI/AAAAAAAAADQ/MpBFPK8mKlU/s1600/hodgson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TT9L76tr-LI/AAAAAAAAADQ/MpBFPK8mKlU/s200/hodgson.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The League Managers Association have criticised what they term ‘<a href="http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/71567/default.aspx">chronic short-termism</a>’ amongst English clubs.<span> </span>With high profile sackings of Sam Allardyce, Chris Hughton and Roy Hodgson in the Premier League, the latter after only 31 games (only losing 9), the pressures to win are far greater than ever before.<span> </span>I’ve never played football to a high level – a bit of inter-college football at university is as good as it gets.<span> </span>I am quite a competitive person – I’ve injured a few people in my over-exuberance – but generally I play/coach football for fun.<span> </span>I definitely enjoy it more if I win, but putting that much pressure on players to win does take the fun out of it.<span> </span>I work with ‘apprentice’ footballers and if you ask them why they want to become professionals, the majority will say for the money.<span> </span>Even when they have money, players want more (allegedly!)– cue <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/22/wayne-rooney-staying-manchester-united?intcmp=239">Rooney</a> for the second time!<span> </span>It is this financial pressure that causes club owners to prematurely sack managers in a desperate search for results.<span> </span>Ironically, <a href="http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/71567/default.aspx">evidence</a> suggests that clubs are worse off after changing a manager, particularly in the short term.<span> </span>This same pressure means that young, home-grown players find it difficult to get a chance in any first team, particularly at a high level.<span> </span>Managers can’t afford to give young players the time they might need to develop and instead will buy in a player, often from overseas.<span> </span>At the start of the season, less than <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/08/jose-luis-astiazaran-la-liga-england">40% of Premier League players were English</a>, compared to over 75% of players in La Liga being Spanish.<span> </span>No wonder the England team can’t play together, they aren’t used to playing alongside English players!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TT9MwbtcYxI/AAAAAAAAADY/-kgFvLKtQps/s1600/andy-gray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TT9MwbtcYxI/AAAAAAAAADY/-kgFvLKtQps/s1600/andy-gray.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The sacking of<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jan/25/andy-gray-sacked-sky"> Sky Sports presenter Andy Gray</a> today highlights another flaw of English football.<span> </span>It is possible that the comments made by Gray and fellow presenter, Richard Keys, were made in jest.<span> </span>It’s a common occurrence in living rooms up and down the country of men being asked about the <a href="http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2010_11_e.pdf">offside rule (p31)</a> – usually during a vital game at a crucial point!<span> </span>And surely the comments made about men’s inability to multi-task are equally as <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9371621.stm">sexist</a>, or equally playful?<span> </span>However, just because something is commonplace, doesn’t make it right.<span> </span>In the case of Andy Gray, there are two separate occasions where he makes this comment and he really should know better. <span> </span>Football should be a driving force in improving society not merely a reflection of a somewhat miserable culture.<span> </span>Football looks after its own and new people and new ideas are not usually welcomed.<span> </span>Fifa have the right idea by awarding World Cups to ‘new’ nations (although that’s a whole other debate!), although don’t seem to be willing to seriously investigate better ways to officiate games, especially through the use of technology.<span> </span>The FA seem equally backward in moving forward when it comes to supporting referees, with their best offering a <a href="http://www.thefa.com/RESPECT">Respect campaign </a>that doesn’t seem to apply to the Premier League.<span> </span>Examples in <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/davidbond/2011/01/england_seek_footballing_lesso.html">Europe </a>and across the pond demonstrate much more progressive thinking, with ‘soccer’ one of the fastest growing sports in USA and nations like Spain stepping up a gear in terms of international performance.<span> </span>In this country young footballers are still made to clean changing rooms and scrub showers – this should be a thing of the past and football in this country needs to move on.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TT9L7OUKN0I/AAAAAAAAADI/pF2URYgwPH0/s1600/new-wembley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TT9L7OUKN0I/AAAAAAAAADI/pF2URYgwPH0/s200/new-wembley.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">To give it its due, English football does lead the way in some aspects.<span> </span>Whilst English fans are still some of the most feared across the world (a reputation that isn’t so justified anymore), racism is a thing of the past.<span> </span>We also have one of the best leagues in the world (despite the issues raised above), with this season being one of the most competitive ever.<span> </span>We have high viewing figures, both at grounds up and down the country, and on TV, and we have some of the best stadia in the world to, with development happening all the time – <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/manchester-city-granted-permission-for-stadium-development-1920377.html">Manchester City</a>, <a href="http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/everton-fc/1211542-everton-fc-given-green-light-for-ground-development.html">Everton</a>, <a href="http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/stadium/new-stadium">Liverpool</a>, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tottenham-reveal-olympic-stadium-plans-2182951.html">West Ham, Tottenham</a> all have designs on expanding or building, this after Arsenal recently built the Emirates Stadium and of course the new Wembley.<span> </span>English league football has one of the longest histories and should be proud of that.<span> </span>However it cannot rest on its laurels, attempts must be made to drive football forward, and thereby improve the whole of British society – something football has the power to do.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">As I said at the beginning, I intend to look at some different elements of English football and outline what part I think these play in damaging our ‘Beautiful Game’.<span> </span>I’d welcome any comments you may have (please keep it clean!).</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-53403197226317837372011-01-23T19:40:00.000+00:002011-01-23T19:40:58.645+00:00The most ridiculous question in football - Is Bent worth £24million?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TTyDLxw77gI/AAAAAAAAAC4/5Mk6fzBZgvQ/s1600/Darren-Bent-VILLA-590x382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TTyDLxw77gI/AAAAAAAAAC4/5Mk6fzBZgvQ/s200/Darren-Bent-VILLA-590x382.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Of course not - he's a footballer!!! I personally don't think a footballer is worth £1million. Maybe a scientist with the cure for cancer, or a special politician with a soultion to this economic 'crisis' - hard to believe when £24million is spent on one player.<br />
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Ok, that's enough of the real world, back to football. It's pretty hard to define what a player's 'value' is. There's no such thing as 'market value' since the market is just too varied. Would Chelsea or either Manchester club pay £24million for Bent - probably not. In fact there probaly isn't a club in the world that would. But if Villa had bid less (say £15million) would Sunderland have sold? Blackpool have rejected bids ranging from £2.5million to about £5million for Charlie Adam - Holloway wants £10million on top of that, but with his contract running out in the Summer surely they will accept less. Added to the fact that Blackpool paid £500,000, what is he worth?<br />
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If Villa are prepared to pay £24million, surely that's what he is worth. The question that needs to be asked is have Villa put all their eggs in one basket and is that basket going to be enough?<br />
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Of course by 'basket' I mean Darren Bent. So will Bent help Villa move back up the table towards the 6th place they occupied at the end of last season, or will Villa prove that no squad is 'too good to go down'?<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TTyDqeXy2UI/AAAAAAAAADE/RoqliQNed_M/s1600/Bent+goal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TTyDqeXy2UI/AAAAAAAAADE/RoqliQNed_M/s200/Bent+goal.jpg" width="200" /></a>With his goal yesterday, Bent is now level with Rooney and Drogba on 82 Premier League goals in the last 3 seasons. What Villa have lacked more than anything over the last 3 seasons is an out-and-out goalscorer. Good match then? His goal against Man City is exactly what Villa have bought Bent for - right place at the right time = goal. More often than not, Bent will be in the right place at the right time and Villa might have just bought their first 20-goal a season striker for a long time (none of Angel, Yorke or Saunders scored 20 league goals in one season). Will he get the chances? With the likes of Young, Downing and Alrighton as suppliers, Bent <i>should</i> get opportunities, although there is still a lack of creativity in the heart of midfield (possibly why 3 bids have been made for Charlie Adam). There is also some concern with the full-back areas - with Warnock not performing and Luke Young not naturally left-sided, young centre-back Ciaran Clark is filling in admirably. Whilst Houllier has addressed the right back position with loan signing Kyle Walker, he does need to strengthen on the opposite flank. So that's already 2 positions that need reinforcements and with Brad Friedel getting on, albeit still playing very well, a new goalkeeper will be needed in the Summer as well as some sort of replacement for those squad players touted to leave (Sidwell, Reo-coker, Carew, Davies, Beye).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TTyDMXeF1SI/AAAAAAAAAC8/Oxn91sKkd_I/s1600/Makoun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TTyDMXeF1SI/AAAAAAAAAC8/Oxn91sKkd_I/s200/Makoun.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So with £24million spent, what else can GH do? Well he's got an excellent set of youth players coming through - already the likes of Delfouneso, Albrighton, Bannan, Clark, Hogg and Lichaj have made league appearances and there are still players like Delph, Gardner, Baker and Weimann who are highly rated. But you don't win things with kids...so what else? Well, despite appearing to be cautious with the transfers of Martin O'Neill (£90million spent in 3-4 seasons!?!), Randy Lerner has also sanctioned the purchase of Jean Makoun for £5-6million and bids for Charlie Adam. Rumours are that more signings might happen before next weekend (<a href="http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7507267">Crouch for £10million</a> the latest), demonstrating that money is not much of an issue. Indeed, knowledge of the European market is surely one of the main reasons for hiring Gerrard Houllier in the first place. It's exciting times at Villa, if not a little nervy!<br />
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I don't really want to talk about the politics of transfers, with both Steve Bruce and Ian Holloway deciding to vent their frustrations through the media. I guess it is a symptom of the transfer window, but it wearing thin for me. Houllier will do well to continue to avoid responding.<br />
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Only time will tell if Bent is a success at Villa, or Makoun for that matter, but already there seems to be a higher calibre of player being linked (and signed) by Villa than for a few seasons - long may it continue!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-92139065569324078222011-01-06T21:56:00.000+00:002011-01-06T21:56:11.311+00:00Was O'Neill a genius?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSY5xw0a8yI/AAAAAAAAACw/XxB-qeDtyI4/s1600/oneill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSY5xw0a8yI/AAAAAAAAACw/XxB-qeDtyI4/s200/oneill.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Wherever he goes players, coaches and chairmen have loved Mr O'Neill. He is definitely a very intelligent man, proved by his law degree and often evident in interviews. He is also very principled an believes in a certain style of management - one that affords him as much control as possible at a football club. In this regard, the influence of a certain Brian Clough is very apparent (despite having a pretty tough time whilst playing at Nottingham Forest). I am not trying to write Martin O'Neill's biography (which is a good read by the way) but the question has been posed as to why Gerard Houllier, a successful manager himself, finds his Aston Villa team in the bottom 3, whereas his predecessor finished 6th with virtually the same team.<br />
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Firstly, one major consideration is James Milner. When Villa signed him I was delighted - I believed then, and perhaps still do, that he is the next Steven Gerard. Man City aren't doing him any favours, but at Villa he was the main creative attacking force - something very lacking at the moment. It's hard to say whether the sale of Milner was the reason O'Neill left - it seemed to be on the cards for a while - but what is clear is that Stephen Ireland isn't an adequate replacement.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSY5xONgb8I/AAAAAAAAACs/xbv7LEtRpz8/s1600/GH2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSY5xONgb8I/AAAAAAAAACs/xbv7LEtRpz8/s200/GH2.jpg" width="110" /></a></div>O'Neill did have a knack for making average players look good, and good players look great. Last season Dunne and Collins formed an excellent defensive partnership. Dunne has been a solid performer in the Premiership, but Collins was barely getting a game at West Ham. Agbonlahor and Young looked like star players last season, but the lack of England appearances perhaps show that they are not (yet?) able to perform to the highest level on a consistent basis. So is Houllier unable to get the best out of players? There have certainly been a lot of reports of unrest at Villa, particularly amongst 'senior' players. There were 'bust-ups' with O'Neill though, Barry and Reo-coker most notably. Perhaps these were dismissed because O'Neill was more established at the club. When O'Neill left, several players talked about how boring training was and how they didn't really get on with O'Neill. Young players in particular didn't seem to get much of a look in. The younger players are apparently very happy under Houllier - they are getting plenty of match time, and often look very impressive. Houllier also won several trophies at Liverpool - something Liverpool managers since have not been able to replicate.<br />
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Perhaps O'Neill was better tactically, or used subs better? It is widely believed that whilst O'Neill is regarded as an excellent man-manager, tactically he doesn't always get it right. Villa fans last season were often frustrated by a lack of flexibility or simply a lack of options used by O'Neill - in particular in the use of subs. Indeed, Aston Villa used the fewest players last season and by March, a month without any points for 3 seasons under O'Neill, the team had been found out and early promise had faded.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSY6We36mGI/AAAAAAAAAC0/23S5ChjotNs/s1600/KW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSY6We36mGI/AAAAAAAAAC0/23S5ChjotNs/s200/KW.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It's not possible to compare transfer records yet. Houllier has brought in just 2 players - Pires and Kyle Walker - but has already set up a more comprehensive scouting network. O'Neill didn't ever seem to look abroad for players - over 90% of his transfers were from English or Scottish clubs. I feel more confident in the players Houllier will be looking at - I just hope Villa are still in a position to attract these players to the club.<br />
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There's no real explanation for Villa's form at the moment - another terrible performance against Sunderland leaves them in real danger of relegation. You would think that they have the players to stay up and Houllier might be able to further add to the squad this month. There needs to be a change - in tactics, in personnel or in attitude. Only time will tell whether Lerner's faith in Houllier will be repaid.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-48797139146104138472011-01-02T22:12:00.000+00:002011-01-02T22:12:29.657+00:00Cause to be optimistic?Hard to say...<br />
<br />
No doubt an improved performance on the previous few games and there were opportunities to score more goals. However there are still a few basic things that need to improve.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSD25bOhSkI/AAAAAAAAACo/44M9TE0CW6c/s1600/friedel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSD25bOhSkI/AAAAAAAAACo/44M9TE0CW6c/s200/friedel.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Four centre backs looked very solid - Richard Dunne looked very sharp after his 'rest', and both Cuellar and Clark did a good job at full back, even venturing down the wings to support attacks. Friedel was fantastic in goal - he didn't deserve to concede 3 but was rightly rewarded with the Man of Match award. Emile Heskey was also a handful and Petrov and Reo-coker controlled midfield to a greater extent than any other central midfield pairing all season. <br />
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Those that know me will wonder where this positive spin has come from, well here is concern:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSD2PzGQsfI/AAAAAAAAACk/p93LULYDJTM/s1600/Clark+goal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TSD2PzGQsfI/AAAAAAAAACk/p93LULYDJTM/s200/Clark+goal.jpg" width="200" /></a>Ball control. Quite simply Villa cannot keep possession of the ball. Too many times players were caught on the ball and on too many occasions the ball was given away by wayward passes. Luckily, Chelsea were even more guilty of this and most of their second half possession was wasted. Gabby on the wing was a good idea, and going forward he provided a bit more pace and direct running that has been seriously lacking. However, he wasn't so good at tracking back and often left Clark (quickly becoming my favourite player) exposed at the back. Ashley Young had a quiet game, but there wasn't too much of the diving and moaning that he's displayed at other points of the season. Downing looked like he might have threatened, but a few shots straight at the keeper, followed by a couple of wayward shots seemed to knock his confidence.<br />
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That's all I have to complain about, and my overall assessment of the match is generally positive - a more solid defensive display (even with conceding 3!?!), a bit more constructiveness in going forward and excellent spirit. A few players in this month a Villa can start looking up again.<br />
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Added to this the very positive article by Mat Kendrick (<a href="http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/aston-villa-fc/aston-villa-news/2011/01/01/be-prepared-is-the-motto-as-villa-overhaul-scouting-system-to-scour-the-globe-for-talent-97319-27915708/">Birmingham Mail</a>) about the overhaul to Villa's scouting system and we begin to see why Houllier was more than simply the 'best choice available'.<br />
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A busy Christmas/New Year has delayed my comments on the Queen's speech/World Cup decisions, but it should come soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-65256827848999127382010-12-26T19:55:00.001+00:002010-12-26T19:59:59.631+00:00Villa players not earning their spursHmmmm...well...<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TReeqvx3abI/AAAAAAAAACc/NQvitLqS1RA/s1600/ref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TReeqvx3abI/AAAAAAAAACc/NQvitLqS1RA/s200/ref.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
I'm going to get it out of the way early, I don't think the ref had a good game at all. I think several incorrect decisions really affected the game (although not necessarily the result). There, no more need be said 'til another day!<br />
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What is wrong with Villa!?! I've said it before, but it was clearly evident against the 10-men of Tottenham. If a team is compact and defends in numbers against them, the Villa attack has no ideas. Too many passes are sideways or backwards, players aren't moving to create space and on far too many occassions the frontline are playing with their backs to goal. There were a couple of times that Delfouneso actually ran at the defence and caused some problems, but he was forced into doing this from midfield and didn't really result in a chance at goal.<br />
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Speaking of midfield - really pleased to see Delph back. He made a few quality passes and hasn't lost any of his 'enthusiasm' but were Villa really so short of midfielders that he had to make his comeback in such an important game? It was a very young team, and there were positives. Lichaj did a better job of containing Bale than most other fullbacks this season. Albrighton delivered some good balls - especially for his goal. Petrov coming back is massively important. He has a bit more control and creativity, which was lacking for most of today.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TReea9F8dpI/AAAAAAAAACY/0leKT6KwbcI/s1600/GH+spurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TReea9F8dpI/AAAAAAAAACY/0leKT6KwbcI/s200/GH+spurs.jpg" width="200" /></a>My biggest irritant is the tackling ability, particularly in defence. It was far too easy for Tottenham players, particularly the likes of Bale, Lennon, Van der Vaart, to step away from a tackle. For example, Bale running at Warnock (Bale's weaker side) on the counter attack, it is text book to stay on your feet and keep him on his weaker side, away from goal. But Warnock over-committed and allowed Bale inside on to his left foot and create the winning goal. Bleh...<br />
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With away games at Man City and Chelsea coming up, dramatic improvements will be vital if Villa are to avoid a relegation battle.<br />
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At least the cricket went well last night, I'll probably stay up to watch it again tonight!<br />
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Look out for my next post - I'll be talking about the Queen's speech of all things!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-62776481094493057852010-12-11T21:52:00.001+00:002010-12-11T21:54:36.851+00:00The man is a genius (West Brom verdict)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TQPzASKKbJI/AAAAAAAAABE/K1dxt0BSdTU/s1600/GH1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TQPzASKKbJI/AAAAAAAAABE/K1dxt0BSdTU/s200/GH1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Okay, so maybe 'genius' a step too far, but Houllier made some big decisions today that seemed to pay off.<br />
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Some of his choices were enforced by injury. With both Gabby and Young (Luke, that is) pulling out this week, the decisions were between youth and experience. Up front, GH opted for the fit again Heskey - not always the fans favourite - over the seemingly overlooked Delfouneso. Without suggesting that Nathan couldn't have done the same job, Emile's strength and direct running caused West Brom problems and despite a few rusty moments, made GH's first decision look justified, especially after getting on the scoresheet.<br />
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Perhaps a tougher decision was whether to go for the experience of Habib Beye or the youth of the American, Eric Lichaj, to replace Young at Right Back. Again GH's choice seemed to be the right one, opting this time for youth. Lichaj had a tough job against the tricky Jerome Thomas, whose pace and tricky, matched by several of West Brom's players, looked menacing. However, time and time again the American timed his tackles to perfection and calmly stepped him to disposses the West rom winger. His long throws also promise to be a useful weapon.<br />
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With Petrov, Reo-coker and Dunne all missing, Houllier made the often petulent Ashley Young, captain for the day. Whilst the theatrics weren't entirely eradicated, there was a certain maturity to Young's game as he looked back to his tricky self. On many occaisions he drew fouls in dangerous positions without quite so much of the rolling around on the floor. He took up the mantle of leadership in his stride as he looked to inspire the team after setting up the first goal with a near post flick. His delivery from set pieces, and open play for that matter, is still a cause for concern, and I'm not entirely sure why the 'better than Beckham' Marc Albrighton isn't taking them.<br />
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I've already alluded to what I think was Houllier's boldest decision - leaving out Richard Dunne at the heart of defence. I have always thought that Cuellar is a fantastic defender (and he didn't disappoint today), but to leave out arguably one of the premier leagues best central defenders over the last decade was a brave decision. A change was needed - a goal difference of -9 after today's game highlights Villa's dysfunctional backline - but one so swift and dramatic was indeed creditably enterprising.<br />
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There were some glaring frailties throughout the match. More should have been made of some swift counter attacks (perhaps a striker like Adebayor may take advantage?). In defence, players often committed themselves too early with the front men of West Brom often leaving Villa bodies stranded on the floor. Plus there seems to be no strategy for playing the ball out of the full back position (particularly on the left) other than to hit it long and hope that someone will chase it.<br />
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Priorities for transfers have to be up front and left-back (Steven Warnock has looked decidedly shaky all season). Villa could do with a creative midfielder - someone to replace Milner (like Stephen Ireland perhaps?) although the likes of Bannan with either Hogg or Clark alongside have done exceptionally well in their first real season.<br />
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There are things to be pleased with today - particularly Villa's dominance for 35 minutes of the 2nd half - but a tough Christmas could still see them near the bottom before the mery-go-round of the January transfer window.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-74846535814559817652010-12-07T19:33:00.001+00:002010-12-07T19:44:20.289+00:00Houllier's back<a href="http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7506687">Bring back Kevin MacDonald?</a><br />
<br />
There seems to be a lot of criticism levelled at Gerard Houllier at the moment. Many are justifying this criticism based on Villa's recent results and their lowly league position. Fair enough?<br />
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Well no, actually. O'Neill had plenty of time to build a 'squad' and Villa achieved sixth place 3 seasons in a row. Pretty good going, but without any real progression. You only have to look at Man City and Tottenham to see the kind of progression needed to go further than sixth, and a look at the top half of the table shows how teams like Bolton and Sunderland are also starting to progress. The noises coming from St Andrews are that Birmingham 'closing the gap' on Villa. Critics are saying that Houllier has the same squad of players as O'Neill but can't produce the results. These critics seem to be forgetting the curse of March, the sale of Villa's most influential player last season and the lack of any real incoming players. Add to that the long injury list and the fact that other teams know how we play (based on last season) and it's not a real surprise that Villa are struggling to find results.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TP6Lx3_g43I/AAAAAAAAABA/Fmpw52Ypxgw/s1600/GH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TP6Lx3_g43I/AAAAAAAAABA/Fmpw52Ypxgw/s200/GH.jpg" width="200" /></a>Houllier is trying to change the way Villa play. Unfortunately this seems to have resulted in sideways and backwards passes. A lack of strikers (or at least quality strikers) has meant formations that don't appear to be very positive - but scoring goals is not the real problem - 2 goals against Man Utd and Arsenal are proof of that. The problem is how many Villa are conceding. Whilst Houllier picks the team, he has to stand by players that have performed so well in the past - he doesn't really have many options. Mistakes and general poor performances have cost Villa, and this is down to the players. There is a lack of creativity, particularly in midfield, the defence has looked disorganised and there is no bite in attack anymore.<br />
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Houllier has moved quickly to build up a quality team of coaches and scouts to add to the already successful Academy set-up. It will take time for this to have a big effect, but rest assured it will. Villa have already been linked with more players in the last 2 months than in the whole of O'Neill's tenure and the quality of these players is a vast step up. Only time will tell whether any of these links come to fruition, but it's clear that Houllier's pulling power is much greater across Europe than O'Neill's.<br />
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Houllier needs time, players need to get much better and fans have to be patient. This is a transition period for Villa, a period that will go much smoother if people get off Houllier's back.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1136163438987761162.post-24434653378373698132010-12-04T22:23:00.000+00:002010-12-04T22:32:14.158+00:00My Bodymoor Heath visit (Monday 29th Nov 2010)<div class="MsoNormal">It’s every boys dream to play football and to score a goal for his beloved team. For most of us this stays merely a dream as we grow up and realise we are not as great at football as we thought. It then becomes every man’s desire to meet the people that are living his boyhood dream. Thanks to Bet188, I was given that opportunity and experienced life as a footballer on an unforgettable visit to the training ground of my beloved team, Aston Villa.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Any day starts of well with bacon sandwiches and this only added to with a bit of Barry Bannan on the side. Having drafted the diminutive Scottish international into my fantasy team, this was my opportunity to inspire the midfielder to score me some points.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TPrAgfgNV6I/AAAAAAAAAA0/qaUboFAz-6Q/s1600/BH+training.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TPrAgfgNV6I/AAAAAAAAAA0/qaUboFAz-6Q/s200/BH+training.jpg" width="200" /></a>Despite the sub-zero temperatures, we ventured outside to watch Gerard Houllier conduct the first team training session. With an important Carling Cup quarter final against local rivals Birmingham City, the positive atmosphere and general sense of fun was very apparent. In particular the likes of Agbonlahor, Beye and Carew, together with assistant manager Gary McCallister, were in particularly high spirits – laughing and joking whilst maintaining a high level of competitiveness. The manager even took time out to say hello and invite us to join in with the session. Unfortunately we did not have our boots, although we did offer our services for the upcoming cup tie!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TPrAkTAHn4I/AAAAAAAAAA4/a7CESYEomwI/s1600/me+and+GH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TPrAkTAHn4I/AAAAAAAAAA4/a7CESYEomwI/s200/me+and+GH.jpg" width="200" /></a>Once the players had thawed out, we posed for pictures and collected autographs before heading to the players’ dining room for some lunch. It is a very surreal feeling to be queuing for food behind James Collins and John Carew (not to mention belittling!). Again the upbeat vibe was palpable, especially from young Ciaran Clark who was obviously buzzing from his 2 goals against Arsenal.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TPrAkxGqZBI/AAAAAAAAAA8/qC9gGZZMsv0/s1600/WarYouDow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GskfrW6CZ9o/TPrAkxGqZBI/AAAAAAAAAA8/qC9gGZZMsv0/s200/WarYouDow.jpg" width="200" /></a>We were very privileged to be given a tour of the rest of the facilities, and could clearly see why Bodymoor Heath is one of the best training facilities in the country. We were also fortunate to meet some of the high class coaching team that do such a great job behind the scenes. I was particularly impressed with Kevin MacDonald and Tony McAndrew and the ethos of developing the person as well as the player.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve always been a fan of Villa and have always felt that it is club who treats their fans exceptionally well. After today, and the way all the players and coaching staff gave up a little of their time for 2 totally random fans, I am delighted and incredibly proud to be a follower of Aston Villa!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0