Show Racism the Red Card

In the run up to Euro 2012 there is growing concern about racial abuse. Theo Walcott's and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's families have decided not to travel to the tournament and Sol Campbell has advised fans to watch it at home. UEFA have tried to assure people that they have a "zero tolerance" policy on racism and that racism is "only a problem at domestic level".

I feel there is a lot of hypocrisy regarding racism in football. Europe's governing body declare they have zero tolerance but then in the same breath admit there are domestic racism problems in Poland and Ukraine. Fans will racially abuse players from opposing teams but will cheer a goal scored by one of their team's black players only a few moments later, seemingly ignorant to the fact that their abuse will be heard by and affect their own players too.

The problem does not lie solely with racism, but also with sexism and homosexuality. Kick it Out and The Justin Campaign are doing their bit to fight the problem but more needs to be done to by other organisations.

If UEFA are aware of racial issues at any level they should commit to their "zero tolerance" policy and enforce strict and severe punishments. Not only should fans be punished as individuals, but UEFA should punish the clubs and FA's in charge - maybe this would lead to clubs and national governing bodies tackling the problem head on instead of putting on a bravado.

There is no room for racism or any discriminatory behaviour in modern society, and especially not in a sporting environment. Athletes, and all people, should be judged on their merits not their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Here's to a future when we finally have kicked it out!

Same Old Same Old

Alex Ferguson was once famously told "You'll never win anything with kids"....we all know what happened next. If you don't give untested players the opportunity to shine they never will. As the saying goes: if you don't bet big, you won't win big.

In my opinion the England squad selection shows a lack of bravery, but more importantly a lack of planning and ambition for the future. In the same way people choose an iPhone, or kids pick the new Nike boots, Hodgson has picked the same old trusted names even though there are better options available. I am not criticising Hodgson as a manager, but I think he could have made a statement of intent in his selection.

Many people will raise eyebrows to certain names being included, and more will raise their eyebrows to players who were excluded, but it feels as though Hodgson has taken the easy way out. Players such as Gerrard and Lampard have been fantastic servants for England and have played in numerous international tournaments, albeit in a disappointing fashion, but have they performed better this season than Britton or even Carrick?

Graham and Holt are the archetypal number 9; big, strong, good in the air, with good hold up and link up play. But both players have done something Carroll hasn't this season and that's score goals. If these players were at a more fashionable club would they have been selected?

England are unlikely to win the Euro's so maybe Hodgson could have had an eye on the next World Cup and given some more young players some experience at an International tournament. Germany did it at the last World Cup and they surprised everybody.

Only time will tell how the Euro's and ultimately Hodgson's England career will turn out. I just hope he doesn't make the same mistake as countless other managers and picks the best players for his system instead of building a system around England's so called best players.

Style over Substance?

"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.

It's a team game

Joga Bonito. The beautiful game. It brings us all together. It shows us the importance of working as a unit, how to compete within a collective, it is the ultimate team game…or is it?

At what point does football become a team sport?

In my opinion football is less of a team sport then many believe, especially at youth level. As a young aspiring player you cannot play the game based solely on fitting in to a team. Understanding how to operate as part of a team is essential, but without outstanding individual technical ability you can all but kiss goodbye to your dreams.

As a young player your game is about you. You need to improve your dribbling and passing techniques, you need to learn the roles and responsibilities of each position, you need to develop the tactical understanding needed to operate in a number of formations; in essence you need to progress to a level of dynamism that exceeds your teammates if you want to be noticed, and you need to continue to grow and shine in order become a professional footballer. However part of this process is to develop the intelligence and understanding of when to release the ball, to identify when a teammate is in a better position, that as creative and attack minded as you may be you still need to work on your defensive qualities. When the opportunity to become a professional has bypassed you, then the game is more – but not exclusively – about the team.

But what about the professional game?

Many times I have heard the phrase “the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” and it is something I agree with, but it helps when all of the parts are of such an exceptional ability that the weakest link is stronger than the opponent’s best player. Even in the greatest teams there is a stand out player, and when things are not going well this is who the rest of the team look at for inspiration and a match winning moment. Often you see players neglect certain responsibilities because they are aware that another member in the team will pick up the slack.

Maradona widely receives plaudit for “single handedly” winning Argentina the 1986 World Cup; he also brought a failing Napoli two Scudettos, one Coppa Italia, one UEFA Cup and one Supercoppa Italiana. Where are his teammates in the recognition of success?

Players’ that can bring championships alone are few and far between, Barcelona would often drop points without the consistent and undervalued Victor Valdes, Makelele’s defensive grit and ball winning was essential in Chelsea’s success under Mourinho; even the greatest players need support from the rest of the squad.  Football is the ultimate team game, but maybe it is more important to learn how to operate in a team than as a team.

Nature vs Nurture

"It's a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get"

Arnold Palmer, the great golfer coined the phrase that I heard as a young boy and carry with me to this day. Too much emphasis is placed on luck. I am not disagreeing that an element of luck can be instrumental in success; lucky to be in the right place at the right time, lucky that your boss likes you over your promotion rival, lucky that your team had a good day and your opponents didn't. Luck definitely has its part to play. But the key ingredients are talent and dedication.

Like luck, "natural talent" often tips the scales of importance in the mind. People believe Messi is such a good player because he is naturally talented, Ronaldo, Xavi and Iniesta too.

Natural talent definitely exists. Genetics mean Ronaldo has more fast-twitch fibres and therefore possess the explosive and electric speed he utilises so well. Xavi and Iniesta are intelligent men, as well as footballers, and this helps them read situations more quickly and identify space others do not see. From an early age Messi has been able to dribble with the ball seemingly glued to his feet. Without doubt some find the game easier than others, some need to train less but still improve, but the thing that distinguishes the good from the average and the great from good is their dedication, application and unwavering desire to improve.

From grassroots football to full time professional it takes around 10,000 hours of football. That is 10,000 hours of high exposure to the ball to improve technique, high tempo tatical and functional practices, friendlies, league and cup matches, and tourments. It also helps if you have a kick around in the park/street/school, try to compete against yourself in ball juggling, and kick a ball against a wall or uneven surface to improve passing, first touch and reaction time. Suddenly the talent does not seem so natural.

Maybe people do not know that Ronaldo goes to training early to work on stretching and breathing exercises, or that Beckham would spend an hour or so after training working on set-pieces. This extra commitment and hard work makes it look easy. Xavi and Iniesta are able to play one and half touch football because their football education at Barcelona's La Masia has conditioned them, making their widely admired style of play second nature.

Education is very important, receiving the correct imformation makes all the difference. Realism in training gives you the skills to take into games. A good coach teaches you not only how to play but also to understand instructions; and maybe more importantly, how to take criticism and how to develop the attitude to learn from it.

Like everything in life, to succeed in football you can not rest on your laurels. Natural talent will only get you so far, the rest is hard work, dedication, application, the right attitude, and desire to be the best you can be. And if all of these added together are not enough, you can at least rest assured you gave it everything and avoid a lifetime of regret.

Stat's not good enough

In American sports a player’s performance comes down to one thing, statistics. Stats are the story, they define a player’s game, and ultimately his career. In the NFL a single moment of game winning creativity can be overshadowed by the Quarterback rating; a complex formula where the number of attempted passes, completed passed, total yards gained, amount of touchdowns, and intercepted passes are multiplied and added together, divided by 6 and then multiplied by 100. Now please do not take this as me insulting American sport, I love NFL and have admiration for the attention of detail put into their statistics; but using only quantitative data to analyse a performance does not always give you an accurate portrayal.

Now on the flip side in our version of football, statistics are in relative infancy. We collect information on the distance a player runs in 90 minutes, how many shots he has on/off target, his goal per game ratio – these make for an interesting read and great ammunition when discussing which player is better, but what do we really learn from it?

I know that Lionel Messi has scored 228 goals in 311 games for Barcelona giving him an impressive ration of a goal every 1.36 games, I also know that Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 247 club goals in 449 club games giving him a fantastic record of a goal every 1.81 games. Impressive as these statistics may be and as wonderful as they are to know, how can they be used to help someone improve their game?

As a coach it is important to understand the game, it is vital to know the action areas, where goals are scored from, it is helpful to know the average breakdown of goals scored by position, and what percentage of goals are scored in open play or from set pieces.  Knowing this information can give you an edge, it helps in planning sessions and creating realistic situations.

For example, conducting my own research of Europe’s top leagues and the Champions League I know that 85% of goals are scored from inside the penalty area, and that over 70% of all goals are scored with a 1 touch finish. This information tells me that the majority of shooting practices should take place inside the penalty area and encourage high tempo, quick reactions, shooting early, and finishing in congested areas.

Trivial statistics have their place in football, they are interesting and create conversation; but as a coach it is important to look a little bit deeper and as with American sports, use the correct stats to give you the developmental and winning edge.

Football's Renaissance

In the wise words of a pessimist: You cannot prolong the inevitable. It happens to all of us, none of us look forward to it and some even try to deny, but age eventually creeps up on us all. Football is a relatively short career, in your mid to late 30s your speed starts to diminish, your muscle density starts to decrease, you feel the ache of the previous game/training session more than ever; at this point that nagging thought can creep into your head – is it time to call it a day?

With the improvements in training methods and advances in medicine and science, football is welcoming a new type of player – the resurgence man. Many players who are considered past their best and placed on football’s scrapheap are demonstrating that hitting 35 is not a career-ender. We can all think of at least one of these players, someone widely to be considered a has-been that did not accept that enough is enough.  

Ryan Giggs was labelled "finished" shortly after his 30^th birthday, with a transfer to Bolton Wanderers on the cards in the summer of 2004, few could have imagined what would happen next: over 300 games, over 40 goals, 4 Premier League winners medals, 3 League Cups, 3 Community Shields, 1 FA Cup, 1 Champions League, PFA Players’ Player of the Year, and a 1 year contract extension at the age of 38.

Giggs is not an anomaly – Clarence Seedorff continues to be instrumental at AC Milan, Raul has a new lease of live at Schalke, Frank Lampard is still scoring for Chelsea, Paul Scholes is showing that his decision to retire at 36 was very premature, Brad Friedel is as agile as ever, the list continues to grow year by year.

If players take advantage of the improvements in medicine and training techniques, if they allow themselves adequate rest for recovery, if they look after their diet then age loses the upper hand in the battle to end a career. Science and medicine can only do so much, two more ingredients are essential; determination and desire. Without the drive to want to carry on playing the battle is lost, but add these essentials to science and medicine and it will only be a matter of time before 40 really does become the new 30.

It appears you can prolong the inevitable!