Fletcher, Sunderland.

Massimo Luongo, Tottenham Hotspur.

Bradden Inman, Newcastle.

Corey Gameiro, Fulham.

Jamie McLaren, Blackburn (though might be favoured with Scotland right now).

Just the EPL ones (u20) I immediately remember (at least on professional terms anyway).

There's the younger ones too (Tombides at West Ham, Brad Smith Liverpool, etc).

The technical issue that they have appear to have hit is how to effectively provide the information in the plan to the grassroots in a way that it will be cost effective, easy to implement by unskilled coaches and actually provides the fundamentals required to successfully underpin the more detailed standards of the later ciriculum.

The priority is taking the talented (elite) kids to a better level via improved coaching and providing a better competitive environment at around age 16, 17 and 18.

Frankly, I don't give a shit if the rest of the weekend hackers gave up sockah for ballet. For them it's only a weekend leisure activity.



Edited by judy free: 3/5/2011 02:20:00 PM

But the more kids receiving better coaching at a younger age the better the elite youth will be and the more of them there will be at that age bracket. The weekend hackers will still be hackers, but our opinion of what a hacker is may change. What if our development system gets to the point that the majority of the kids currently in the elite pathways are deemed hackers, even with the number of spots for elite youth having quadrupled?

Berger is extremely good at what he does, he should be held in high regard by the FFA and they should follow his suggestions.

keep it up lads loving the debate (y)

I am a Southampton fan so I, of course, would argue this is the greatest achievement that can be made in Europe.

However, there are a couple of points to be made here.

1) Where did I say Berger had been a success? I think you should re-read my original post. I said we should wait to see how these players develop as they get older to see whether they are a success.

2) I believe way too much stock is being put in to a few players to measure the success of our development programs. Even the worst development program in the world will still output great players every now and then. It might be a contentious point but a development program did not give Lionel Messi his foot-eye co-ordination, and a great development program will not turn me in to Lionel Messi.

A good generation of players is the marriage of hard work and a lot of luck, especially when we have a few hundred thousand players, as opposed to many millions in Brazil, for example.

The issue of players in Europe is often cultural as opposed to a question of talent.

Eddie Bosnar is on record as saying a number of Japanese players are good enough to play in Europe, but that life as a footballer is too good in Japan to leave, unless moving to a top club.

Which of our players are good enough to play as starting players in the EPL, La K Liga, French Championat, Serie A, Bundesliga, Eredivisie and the Russian League?

Schwarzer, Wilkshire, Cahill, Holman.

Not much talent is coming through.

Grella, Bresc, Emmo, Neill, Harry are at the end of their careers playing in weaker leagues or bench sitters.

If any Australian players are good enough, they are desperate to go. Many others go to Europe with questionable talent.

With cultural differences, agents and players in many Asian countries may be diffident about careers in Europe.

In terms of talent below age 25, there would probably be more Korean and Japanese players good enough to play in the better leagues in Europe than we have.

Our top European players are much the same standard as top Japanese, Uzbek, Korean, Omani, Iranian and Iraqi players, even ones who ply their trade in Asian leagues.


There is also a possibility that a number of Asian domestic leagues are of a higher standard than the A League.

This is a neo-colonial type comment. Also, one that doesn't recognise the improving strength of the Asian teams.


Oman have proved to be a very difficult opponent for Australia at full strength even with all Euroroos available.

Kuwait have probably had a better win/loss record against Australia since we joined the Asian Confederation.

Quoting eddie bosnar FFS.

You really are a fool.

What the hell do you base your comment that our top european players are on a par with top jap, korean,uzbek, omani,iranian and iraqi players?

Jap and korean maybe but as for the rest well it is just laughable that you can come on here and make such outrageous claims and people lap it up.

Fair enough, but marquee injury should be exempted

I haven't done a FFA Licence since I did KNVB training.

The former FFA coaching course was nebulous in content when I did a Youth Licence in 2007.

KNVB is very structured. It provides a prescriptive framework, but with the onus on coaches to adopt a level of eclecticism within that structured framework.

From what Andy Jackson says, there is much more KNVB content in the advanced courses from C Licence upwards.

With the community coaching , from Senior Licence downwards it may be different. I'd like to see STFA Striker provide more detail about his recent FFA Senior licence.

Once again, you pontificate on supposed flaws in our Dutch coaches, but you proffer no alternatives, Chips.

Edited by Decentric: 3/5/2011 06:42:51 PM

He's right you know

Excellent idea, GA.

I'm meeting the state TD on Thursday about FFE. I will bring this up.

Would all these same players be picked up by European clubs now in a different epoch?

The game is much faster now. Players have to operate in ever diminishing time and space, given the advances in intensive full pressing and squeezing that top teams in 2011 utilise.

European scouts are much more active in world wide recruiting in 2011 than in the early nineties when many Australian players started to make their mark.

There is a greater talent pool when one actively scouts Africa, Asia, Central America and North America, as opposed to South American talent in the early nineties.

I've supplied detail ad infinitum on this issue over the years.

Gee you post some shit.

What the hell you base this on?

Edited by rabid: 3/5/2011 05:11:35 PM

Edited by rabid: 3/5/2011 05:12:22 PM

It was interesting to note a local AFL junior club training a few weeks ago.

As a football coach one is often by themselves with no offers of help.

At this AFL junior club, whereas fathers often drop their kids off to training for football, there were fathers everywhere, helping the two coaches at many different learning stations or centres. The fathers were encouraging their own children and others. Kids enjoyed all the adult attention. The parents were desperate to be involved because they had a passion for the game.

The contrast with suburban football coaching was poignant.

Have a look at the different demographic in the EPL.

The world has also become a smaller place with modern communication. This s not a rabid comment.

No one piles on unsubstantiated w@nk like my old tassie mate, decentric.

He'll do anything to build up his interweb sockah profile.


FFS. :lol:

Edited by judy free: 3/5/2011 05:28:24 PM

What has clearly been established in this thread is that the $650k blow in dutchy is falling way short in his duties.

I wonder if he's been given a clear job description by the FFA and delivery dates and/or milestones?

Who's critiquing this mugs performance? The rower, the afl bloke or the rent collector?



Edited by judy free: 3/5/2011 05:21:38 PM

The 4-3-3 system has many variations.

I'll add them into the KNVB thread in Performance soon.

Not entirely true Chips, but the most important aspect of his job description has not been implemented quickly enough. We still do not have a true support network available to the grassroots which will enable it to grow and develop without having unreasonable costs bourne by it.

Out of interest maybe Decentric may know this too, but the implementation of the NC (National Ciriculum)is easier at the elite level but implementing it at the grass roots level is more difficult due to the fact its a cost factor or software issue??? :-k

And is the FFA working on this, because this is a major issue for aus. football!

Who are you?

Someone from the old TWGF no doubt.

Arthur also coached at the AIS prior to his current post.

Nevertheless, even with good players one still has to organise systems of play, tactics, and coach the teams in possession football, team organisation without the ball, and the offensive and defensive transitions.

Edited by Decentric: 11/5/2011 11:00:04 PM

I couldn't honestly say. I actually think it is a cost factor in conjunction with the issue of there being so few people with any background in the sport being involved in the game at all the levels under 13 year olds - specifically the school systems.

Why should it matter who the hell i am?

deal with my posts rather than who i am.

Once again i am not questioning arthurs coaching ability but your uninformed claim as to where he currently sits as a coach.

He has proven nothing yet.

I don't quite understand what you are getting at here, D...

Are you saying that top Aussie players in the nineties had an easier ride into European clubs, because European scouts had narrower horizons, and there was less competition?

So who's fault is that, GA?

Someone has to take responsibility.

If you're paying someone $650k pa you'd want to ensure you're getting value from the investment, no?

Which numerical SSGs were used to coach which shapes?

How did the SSGs progress to 11 v 11 in sequential and incremental form?

Chips, if what you say is true about exemplary practice in a secret location in Sydney, why has Australian football been technically deficient?
Our players have been evaluated by FIFA technical analysts as lacking technique, game intelligence, ability to change the rhythm of games and tactical naivete.

Why have we produced good athletes and physical footballers lacking technique with game sense to match, if you contend there were sound coaching practices being employed in the eighties and nineties in Australia?

Edited by Decentric: 3/5/2011 06:33:39 PM