"The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It's nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It's about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom." - Danny Blanchflower.
Blanchflower made it clear to all how he felt the game should be played when he was a part of Spurs' triumphant Bill Nicholson squad in the 1950's and 1960's, winning simply wasn't enough, it was about winning well. Gaining points was secondary to playing attractive and exciting football, a sentiment still held by teams such as Barcelona and Ajax to this day. But with the added financial pressure applied to managers and coaches, it is an ideal that is increasingly more difficult to implement.
Think back to when you was a child, or the moment you fell in love with the beautiful game. Was it an exciting passage of play or a magical piece of skill by a club hero that first captured your attention, or was it a gritty park-the-bus one nil win?
As a coach you have to decide on which side of the fence you sit; do you want to play attractive and exciting football and be patient in the knowledge that results will eventually follow, or is winning at any cost paramount.
Stoke City are a very well organised team and Tony Pulis uses the players at his disposal perfectly, but it is not a style for children to try and replicate if they want to develop technically. On the other hand they are a perfect example of tactical discipline and perform the roles assigned to them with little fuss.
Jose Mourinho's sides flirt with both possessional domination and settling for a narrow victory. First and foremost they outplay the opponent, but when that fails to break them down they turn to whatever means are necessary to steal the points.
Trying to get the balance between technical superiority and implementing a winning mentality is an extremely difficult task but there is a perfect model to follow. The German youth development programme has created extremely technical players such as Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze, and they continue to play attractive football, but they also dismantle opposition with the ruthless efficieny you would expect from a German side.
Whatever your philosophy or your expectations from your players, try to remember what brought you into the game and ultimately remember that footballers should love the ball, not be afraid to have it for fear of making a mistake that could cost points.
Blanchflower made it clear to all how he felt the game should be played when he was a part of Spurs' triumphant Bill Nicholson squad in the 1950's and 1960's, winning simply wasn't enough, it was about winning well. Gaining points was secondary to playing attractive and exciting football, a sentiment still held by teams such as Barcelona and Ajax to this day. But with the added financial pressure applied to managers and coaches, it is an ideal that is increasingly more difficult to implement.
Think back to when you was a child, or the moment you fell in love with the beautiful game. Was it an exciting passage of play or a magical piece of skill by a club hero that first captured your attention, or was it a gritty park-the-bus one nil win?
As a coach you have to decide on which side of the fence you sit; do you want to play attractive and exciting football and be patient in the knowledge that results will eventually follow, or is winning at any cost paramount.
Stoke City are a very well organised team and Tony Pulis uses the players at his disposal perfectly, but it is not a style for children to try and replicate if they want to develop technically. On the other hand they are a perfect example of tactical discipline and perform the roles assigned to them with little fuss.
Jose Mourinho's sides flirt with both possessional domination and settling for a narrow victory. First and foremost they outplay the opponent, but when that fails to break them down they turn to whatever means are necessary to steal the points.
Trying to get the balance between technical superiority and implementing a winning mentality is an extremely difficult task but there is a perfect model to follow. The German youth development programme has created extremely technical players such as Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze, and they continue to play attractive football, but they also dismantle opposition with the ruthless efficieny you would expect from a German side.Whatever your philosophy or your expectations from your players, try to remember what brought you into the game and ultimately remember that footballers should love the ball, not be afraid to have it for fear of making a mistake that could cost points.
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