Time for change (2 Viewers)

[covboy1987]

We have issues well documented, along with many other clubs through the leagues the latest Hereford utd who went out of business last week - taking all of this into consideration along with England's poor showing being knocked out in the 1st round the last time 1958 - The whole of English football has to change as in Germany our situation could not happen

In Germany, there is the "50 + 1" rule, whereby the association or club has to have a controlling stake, commercial interests can't gain control, In Bayern Munich, for example, Audi and Adidas each own 9% but the rest is controlled by the members via the club.

The average cost to get through the turn -stiles at a top German game is £10- in England it starts at approx £30 for a premiership game making it unattractive to many who simply cannot afford to go

The champions league final between two German teams saw of the 26 players from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund squads in this final - these players were homegrown and eligible to play for Germany.

Germany look strong currently and definitely in contention to win the world cup

was not always like this as In the year 2000 Germany finished bottom of there group and the following year England thrashed them 5-1 in Munich with Michael Owen scoring a hatrick

Time for a change with the set up of English football

 

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[shmmeee]

Haven't you heard? All fans are idiots and we need hard nosed business people to make the club a success!

 

[tim07]

There are so many fundamental things wrong with our structural setup it's hard to know where to start.

We (or rather the FA on our behalf!) have taken a completely different strategy to that of our counterparts. Our governing body choose to throw money and support at the 'elite' end of the structure in the belief that finance and development will 'trickle down' to grassroots.

Hence the ill conceived and fiscally crippling spend on a new Wembley (£1,000m) & St George's Park (£120m).

We've seen Alan Curbishley speaking some hard truths this morning about how we teach basic skills and develop talent across a broad Base at a young age. He correctly says we've talked the talk for many years but never actually done it.
Of course we haven't. Where would we even do it? At St George's Park?

How many quality facilities would £1,000m have provided around the country?

Have you ever travelled into rural France, Netherlands? There are villages too small to warrant a newsagents or convenience store....but they have a state of the art sports facility where kids aged 6 upwards can play in a safe environment, on a good surface, with quality equipment.... at no cost.
They have access to coaching as well.

We are light years behind. When did you last see Premier League revenue trickle down to provide this for our Grassroots entry level kids?
Or that of our governing body?
Hilariously, a senior figure at the FA responsible for development of the national game even had the cheek to lay the blame for the parlous state of our game at the feet of the government's austerity measures. In other words, the taxpayer.

Oh really?

I'd say again....

How many quality facilities would £1,000m have provided around the country?
Or the £5m pa paid to Roy Hodgson. Or the salary still being paid to Capello. Or Mclaren. Or Sven. Monies well spent? Remember how Brian famously said he would have done it for nothing....it is after all, essentially, a part time job.

We could multiply our pitiful current investment at grassroots by a factor of 1000. It would still take us 50 years or more to even reach the same playing field that our continental neighbours are on.

What's wrong?

Pah.

 

[covboy1987]

excellent reply, in summary german and french football is run for the people, English football is all about money and financial rewards -

 

[tim07]

The lesson to be learned is simple enough, build from the bottom up. Any structure needs solid foundations.
We regard grassroots as an expense we cannot afford.
Guess What? We can't.
Perhaps that's the taxpayers fault....but I don't think so.

 

[Chinny_Hill]

I agree with all of this. The other truths are that there is no one connected with the game at international level who has the first clue of how to change the malaise. We are completely crippled by the sheer number of failures attached to our game. You can not watch a match without a collection of these "experts" telling us where we are going wrong. All of these experts neglect to mention that they never succeeded at the top level of international football. For all of our "experience" we still refuse to field a team at major tournaments where players play in the positions and systems that they do at their clubs. The "celebrity" culture of the modern English footballer perpetuated by the media is part of this issue, it ensures that our "world class" (please) players are beyond reproach, sure we'll argue the toss but the reality is that they will always play, regardless of form, or if they fit in the system, just because of who they are.

We are not good enough, we are good enough to qualify, and will do for the Euros. The definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result so I can tell you now what the outcome will be.

PS whoever the eventual winners of the World cup are, there will be the usual talk of "we need to be more like them, we need to follow their blueprint" again indicative of an organisation without a plan. A closed society people by experts, who really are anything but.

 

[Senior Vick from Alicante]

The premier league has a big effect on our national team. This is why we have a dirth of talent in an England shirt. The ex player celebrity culture as referred to will not slag of the league that has made them multi millionaires. English players of any ability are snapped up at a young age by big clubs and taken from competition and bounced straight into reserve sides with no prospect of breaking through, this is because owners want instant returns on massive investments. They will not wait and nurture the talent as it used to be. The other problem is price, English players are considerably higher in comparison to foreigners and the number of home grown UK born players will get lower and lower as they are never given their chance. No offence to Ricky Lambert but is he really the international player we should be turning to at the age of 32, if that's the best we can do then it shows the paucity of the talent pool available to the national manager. 8 of the German national team that played together the other night were in the under 21 side together, our under 21s seldom get to take the next step as most of them only ever get experience in lower league teams out on loan, theirs a massive step up in quality between the championship style of play and that of the premier league. The other question to ask is how interested are the big clubs in having a great national side? Fact is they would rather not have their expensive products possibly injured on a wet Tuesday night at Wembley. The game has been fucked by money and their aint no turning back now as the cash incentives for owners and players to reach the premier league out ways the old principles of loyalty, fan participation and country before club.

 

[The Prefect]

I'm not convinced that grass roots is where the problem is. I respect managers like Curbishley but I think it shows the elite game (where the problem actually lies) blaming grass roots football where it doesn't.

When players join the professional ranks, many have come through the academy system - and have been for many years. There aren't many players that enter an academy at 14 and make it to professional ranks - the bulk will have been signed many years earlier so their development or lack of it will be down to their club.

Having watched my own son play for two professional club's academys I was shocked at the vast difference in the quality of the coaching. One club (a fully funded academy) did little more than fitness work and kick-abouts. The second (a centre of excellence) taught tactics, skills, agility and 'the game'. It is no surprise to me that the first club is in decline and the other a rising star.

Over the years I have spoken to many parents that have had children play academy football. In the vast majority of cases clubs knew who they would sign on professional forms when the players were aged 12 or younger. Pre-requisites were being tall and athletic with power and presence - and not much else. Occasionally highly skilled players come along - Theo Walcott being one - and it is obvious that they would be a success. Technically strong players that were two footed and excelled in a role that wasn't played by the first team were just thrown aside. Their first team play 4-4-2 so holding midfielders aren't needed. Ever wondered why England don't have one decent holding midfielder when many international teams play with two?

To deflect the lack of performance at the Elite end of the game and move it to grass roots level is wrong. Grass roots has improved over the last five or six years but the performance of the elite end of our came has collapsed. That is not the fault of the grass roots but of the professional clubs and the FA.

 

[Leicesterfox]

There are so many fundamental things wrong with our structural setup it's hard to know where to start.

We (or rather the FA on our behalf!) have taken a completely different strategy to that of our counterparts. Our governing body choose to throw money and support at the 'elite' end of the structure in the belief that finance and development will 'trickle down' to grassroots.

Hence the ill conceived and fiscally crippling spend on a new Wembley (£1,000m) & St George's Park (£120m).

We've seen Alan Curbishley speaking some hard truths this morning about how we teach basic skills and develop talent across a broad Base at a young age. He correctly says we've talked the talk for many years but never actually done it.
Of course we haven't. Where would we even do it? At St George's Park?

How many quality facilities would £1,000m have provided around the country?

Have you ever travelled into rural France, Netherlands? There are villages too small to warrant a newsagents or convenience store....but they have a state of the art sports facility where kids aged 6 upwards can play in a safe environment, on a good surface, with quality equipment.... at no cost.
They have access to coaching as well.

We are light years behind. When did you last see Premier League revenue trickle down to provide this for our Grassroots entry level kids?
Or that of our governing body?
Hilariously, a senior figure at the FA responsible for development of the national game even had the cheek to lay the blame for the parlous state of our game at the feet of the government's austerity measures. In other words, the taxpayer.

Oh really?

I'd say again....

How many quality facilities would £1,000m have provided around the country?
Or the £5m pa paid to Roy Hodgson. Or the salary still being paid to Capello. Or Mclaren. Or Sven. Monies well spent? Remember how Brian famously said he would have done it for nothing....it is after all, essentially, a part time job.

We could multiply our pitiful current investment at grassroots by a factor of 1000. It would still take us 50 years or more to even reach the same playing field that our continental neighbours are on.

What's wrong?

Pah.

Absolutely brilliant post. I have always said that if Leicester can become an established Premier League team full of foreigners I'd take it, as I prefer club footie to International. However can't believe how sad I feel with England disappointing yet again then maybe something has to be done at grassroots. Leicester will win the FA Cup before England win a World Cup