Your answer lies in your own posts, seek and yea shall find.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blog/2014/09/24/necessary-step-our-evolution

If he wants to know the ins and outs of Queensland football he should interview me.

How come whenever they come around they always talk to the people who are responsible for holding the game back instead of the ones who want to push the game forward.


Edited by krones3: 28/9/2014 12:34:45 PM

Abrams can unite youth development
September 2014 - Michael Cockerill

​Eric Abrams, on first impression, seems a good listener. Big plus. Australia's new technical director also seems genuinely humble, perhaps surprised, and certainly proud, of his new role.
The perception is he can't believe his luck that, at the age of 57, he finds himself in a country that was always on his bucket list doing a job he loves.

All good reasons to be hopeful that Abrams is perfectly equipped to meet the greatest challenge of the national curriculum: Implementation.

It's six years since the first curriculum was rolled out, and less than 12 months since an updated version was released.

Abrams won't be re-inventing the wheel - the 4-3-3 remains the mandated system for the elite pathway - but he will be working on what he describes as 'details'. Fair enough.

The doctrinal nature of the curriculum has been arguably its greatest weakness. If Abrams can create a bit of breathing space around the implementation process then he's a great chance of getting a more receptive audience.

Is this the end of the Dutch era? Probably. Rob Baan, and then Han Berger in his footsteps, brought the KNVB philosophy to Australia, and their greatest legacy is that we now have a structure, a system in place, which provides the foundation for the technical improvement of our game.

That is an achievement which should not be underestimated.

Where Berger and his protégés struggled was in their perception of our game. That nothing had been done before they arrived, and that Australians didn't understand the nuances of the game. In other words, we were a backwater, years behind the times.

We weren't. We aren't. What's been lacking has been a unity of vision, not football knowledge, or culture. It's a critical point of difference.

Much as Berger's era created a healthy debate about technical and tactical matters, it also became divisive. Those in the Dutch camp; and those who were not.

Abrams has the difficult task of patching up these differences if we are to see the curriculum blossom into its full potential. I'm backing him to get it right.

Abrams has been here before. For 14 years he was part of the Belgian youth system, from the ground-breaking Topsport program in Genk to the national youth team structure.

We all know about the enormous progress Belgium has made in that time. Abrams has played a part, at various times, in the development of many of the Belgian superstars of today, among them Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Thibault Courtois and Dries Mertens.

What excites Abrams is that the talent pool in Australia is much larger. The fact that he has a history in youth football - whereas Berger came from a senior club background - suggests he will be able to address the key weakness of our system - talent identification.

I've never bought the claim that we don't have talent coming through. We simply haven't been good enough in finding it.

Abrams role, among other things, is to work alongside the national coaches Ange Postecoglou and Alen Stajcic, not - theoretically - above them. My guess is Berger, now working for Sydney FC, would see this as a downgrade of the role. David Gallop vehemently denies this.

Either way what we know is that the national coaches will now have greater input into the teams which underpin them.

Postecoglou and Stajcic are delighted to have the extra responsibility. What it should do is create a much smoother progression from the national youth teams to the senior teams. Abrams will be a key figure in supporting these relationships.

Abrams's first priority will be to travel the country keeping his ear to the ground. He might like to consider gathering a group of tribal elders for an informal chat.

Coach education, for better or worse, has been in place here since 1973. Our game has a 134-year history, in which time the influences from abroad have been many and varied.

We are a melting pot of ideas, and philosphies. We are not one dimensional, as many prefer to believe.

If Abrams is to understand, and appreciate this culture, he could do worse than sit in a room with the likes of Raul Blanco, Les Scheinflug, Rale Rasic, Branko Culina, Steve O'Connor, Ron Smith and Miron Bleiberg - among others - and listen to what they have to say.

There is nothing to lose, and plenty to gain. To take the game forward, it's better to know where you've been.

http://www.socceroos.com.au/article/abrams-can-unite-youth-development/ze063cpv5w71f57xxbcvpz4t

Craig Foster said he would be crucial when evaluating the current ways of developing the younger players(under 16), i wonder if he will evaluate the whole entire coach education content and structures in that age group does that need changing anyway? :-k

He sounds promising.

Well with berger at sfc and this guy in canberra we are effectively running two academies right?

Eric Abrams named new technical director of Football Federation Australia
September 24, 2014 - 2:02PM
Sebastian Hassett
Football reporter

Football Federation Australia has finally named its new technical director, with Belgian Eric Abrams taking over from the long-serving Han Berger.

Abrams, 57, has an extensive background in youth development, and played a key role in developing the current generation of Belgium's much-lauded national team, who made a big impact at the recent World Cup in Brazil.

"Eric has an impressive background in elite youth development in Belgium and has played an integral role in producing what the technical experts believe is one of the strongest groups of international players in world football," said FFA chief executive David Gallop.

"Eric has all the skills and attributes we were looking for when we set out on a world-wide recruitment process.

"Eric will head all of our elite pathway and youth development structures in line with the National Curriculum that has been in place since 2009."

Abrams, who has spent much of his time specifically focusing on developing players in the 14-18 age bracket, says he's excited by the challenge of replicating his success with Belgium.

"I'm excited to be starting work with the youth structures in Australia," Abrams said. "I have heard a lot about Australian football and I look forward to working with the players and coaches to help develop young players for the local leagues and national teams."


ERIC ABRAMS – BIOGRAPHY

Professional experience

2013-2014

Head Coach Al Ahli U15 – Winner of King's Cup in Saudi Arabia

Co-ordinator Al Ahli U15-U14

2002-2013

National Team Head Coach Belgium U15-U17

2011-2013

Coordinator Topsport schools(5) for the Flanders Football Federation

1993-2013

Lecturer Federal Coach Education KBVB (Belgian FA) for Uefa B, Uefa A and Uefa A Youth Elite, Uefa A Pro License courses

1998-2011

Coach/coordinator Topsport Foot-Elite, Highschool Genk

Players coached as National Team Head Coach during the period 2002-2013

Vincent Kompany (Belgium A-international-Manchester City)

Eden Hazard (Belgium A-international-Chelsea)

Romulu Lukaku (Belgium A-international-Everton)

Kevin Debruyne (Belgium A-international-Wolfsburg)

Thibaut Courtois (Belgium A-international-Atletico Madrid)

Jan Verthongen (Belgium A-international-Tottenham Hotspur)

Dries Mertens (Belgium A-international-Napoli)

Steven Defour (Belgium A-international-Porto FC)

Simon Mignolet (Belgium A-international-Liverpool)

Anthony Vandenborre (Belgium A-international-RSC Anderlecht)

Kevin Mirallas (Belgium A-international-Everton)

Axel Witsel (Belgium A-international-Zenith St Petersburg)

Jelle Vossen (Belgium A-international-KRC Genk)

Mehdi Carcela (Morocco A-international-Standard Liege)

Koen Casteels (Belgium A-international-Hoffenheim)

Toby Alderweireld (Belgium A-international-Atletico Madrid)

Paolo Mpoku (Belgium U21-international-Standard Liege)

Maxim Lestienne (Belgium U21-international-Club Brugge)

Thorgan Hazard (Belgium U21-international-Chelsea)

Dennis Praet (U21-international-RSC Anderlecht)

Malanda Junior(U21-international-Wolfsburg)

Football experience

2013 - 2014 Head Coach Al Ahli U15 – Winner of King's Cup in Saudi Arabia

2002 – 2013 National Team Head Coach Belgium U15-U17

2001 – 2002 SK Tongeren (3rd Division, Belgium) - Head coach

1998 – 1999 KRC Genk (Premier League, Belgium) - Academy Director

1987 – 1988 Wellen VV (4th Division, Belgium) - Player Central Defender

1985 – 1987 Hoeselt VV (3rd Division, Belgium) - Player

1984 – 1985 Verbroedering Meerhout (4th Division, Belgium) - Player

1979 – 1984 Sporting Alken (4th Division, Belgium) - Player

1975 – 1979 KFC Winterslag (Premier League and 2nd Division, Belgium)- Player

Education

Bachelor Physical Education
UEFA B
UEFA A/Elite Youth
UEFA Pro License



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/eric-abrams-named-new-technical-director-of-football-federation-australia-20140924-10lbg5.html#ixzz3EDUoVcTp

Edited by Damo Baresi: 24/9/2014 05:41:19 PM

some exciting times ahead for australian football

FFA appoint Eric Abrams, key player in Belgium’s golden generation, as new technical director
AAP September 24, 2014 12:36PM

FOOTBALL Federation Australia (FFA) has appointed Belgian youth coach Eric Abrams, a key player in the development of Belgium’s golden generation, as its new national technical director.

Abrams replaces Dutchman Han Berger, who held the position since 2008 before joining Sydney FC at the conclusion of the Socceroos’ 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign.

He will head all elite pathway and youth development structures, FFA chief executive David Gallop said on Wednesday.

Abrams, who holds a UEFA Pro License, was Belgium’s youth team coach between 2002 and 2013, where he coached Barclays Premier League stars Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Romulu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, Kevin Mirallas and Jan Verthongen.

“Eric has all the skills and attributes we were looking for when we set out on a worldwide recruitment process,” Gallop said in a press release.

“Eric will head all of our elite pathway and youth development structures in line with the National Curriculum that has been in place since 2009.

“Eric has an impressive background in elite youth development in Belgium and has played an integral role in producing what the technical experts believe is one of the strongest groups of international players in world football.

“We look forward to Eric continuing the refinement of the youth and coach education structure to ensure we develop world class elite players for the Socceroos, Matildas, the Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League.”

“I’m excited to be starting work with the youth structures in Australia,” Abrams said. “I have heard a lot about Australian football and I look forward to working with the players and coaches to help develop young players for the local leagues and national teams,” Abrams said.

He will start work once his Australian visa is finalised.


http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/ffa-appoint-eric-abrams-key-player-in-belgiums-golden-generation-as-new-technical-director/story-e6frf4l3-1227069002877

Edited by Damo Baresi: 24/9/2014 05:10:46 PM

FFA APPOINTS BELGIAN ABRAMS AS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
24 SEP 2014 - 12:14PM


Belgian youth coach Eric Abrams was unveiled as Football Federation Australia (FFA) Technical Director to oversee the Elite Youth Player Development and Coach Education strategies of Australian football.
Source AAP, Football Federation Australia 24 SEP 2014 - 12:14 PM

Abrams, 57, who holds a UEFA Pro License, joins FFA after a long career in youth development where he guided the youth structures in Belgium from 2002 to 2013.

During his tenure as Belgium U-15 and U-17 national team coach, Abrams help guide the youth careers of Belgium's FIFA World Cup stars Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Romulu Lukaku and Jan Verthongen.

"We are delighted to announce that Eric Abrams has been appointed as Technical Director," FFA CEO David Gallop said on Tuesday. "Eric has all the skills and attributes we were looking for when we set out on a world-wide recruitment process.

"Eric will head all of our elite pathway and youth development structures in line with the National Curriculum that has been in place since 2009.

"Eric has an impressive background in elite youth development in Belgium and has played an integral role in producing what the technical experts believe is one of the strongest groups of international players in world football.

"We look forward to Eric continuing the refinement of the youth and coach education structure to ensure we develop world class elite players for the Socceroos, Matildas, the Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League."

Abrams's arrival to replace Han Berger marks the end of a Dutch-inspired era at FFA.
During Berger's tenure, Pim Verbeek coached the Socceroos, Jan Versleijen was Australia's national youth coach and Hesterine De Reus presided over the Maltidas.

Berger was preceded by another Dutchman in Rob Baan, a former Dutch national team assistant coach who was in charge when countryman Guus Hiddink led Australia to the 2006 World Cup.

The new structure follows a review of FFA's technical structure by FFA Head of National Performance Luke Casserly, which highlighted youth technical development as a key area for improvement.

Under the new structure, Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou will oversee all the underage and senior national men’s team and Matildas coach Alen Stajcic will oversee all the underage and senior women’s national teams.

Abrams will take responsibility for nurturing elite players and the coach education to assist the programs for male and female players up to the age of 16, with the aim of providing a bigger pool of technically gifted players for national selection.

"Eric's appointment is the result of a formal review of the youth structures of Australian football and a long recruitment process to ensure we found the person that compliments where we thought we had some holes in that elite pathway," Casserly said.

"A big part of his role will be to work with Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League clubs and our State and Territory Member Federations to ensure our programs are aligned and world-class.

"He will be responsible for elite players up to the age of 16 and then work closely with Ange Postecoglou and Alen Stajcic as the National team head coaches, who will play a broader role to ensure consistency through all of our National teams from U17s through to the Socceroos and Matildas."

Abrams will commence work once the necessary visa requirements are finalised.

"I'm excited to be starting work with the youth structures in Australia," Abrams said.

"I have heard a lot about Australian football and I look forward to working with the players and coaches to help develop young players for the local leagues and national teams."

Football experience
2013-2014 Head Coach Al Ahli U15 – Winner of King’s Cup in Saudi Arabia
2002 to 2013 National Team Head Coach Belgium U15-U17
2001-2002 SK Tongeren (3rd Division, Belgium) - Head coach
1998-1999 KRC Genk (Premier League, Belgium) - Academy Director
1987–1988 Wellen VV (4th Division, Belgium) - Player Central Defender
1985 to 1987 Hoeselt VV (3rd Division, Belgium) - Player
1984–1985 Verbroedering Meerhout (4th Division, Belgium) - Player
1979 to 1984 Sporting Alken (4th Division, Belgium) - Player
1975 to 1979 KFC Winterslag (Premier League and 2nd Division, Belgium)- Player

Education
Bachelor Physical Education
UEFA B
UEFA A/Elite Youth
UEFA Pro License



http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/single/332763203619/abrams-lands-ffa-td-role

Edited by Damo Baresi: 24/9/2014 05:11:30 PM

Edited by Damo Baresi: 24/9/2014 05:27:55 PM

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/ffa-names-belgian-youth-coach-national-technical-director


Cannot find out much about him, other than what is covered in the article.

Thankfully, the Belgians have imported methodology from Holland to improve their player quality. They are on the same page as the four big European powerhouses.

:d

Its the Belgian lads.

Cant possibly see how Edwards makes a good candidate for a country that wants players at every level and everywhere selected purely on ability.
Definitely sends out the wrong message IMO

hoping the belgium technical director rumours are true.

Edwards fits the first two criteria.

I don't know him well enough to know about 3 - empire building.

I don't mind who it is as long as 1) they are very well qualified to know what they are talking about, 2) they have the development of the game here as their 1st priority and 3) they are not just bullshit artists intent on building empires for themselves.

If it is not the Belgian who Barca said may be appointed, I'd like to see Ali Edwards appointed.

Krones expresses genuine reservations, but he is quite approachable and not a 'blazer.'

Kelly Cross - Sydney's new Academy Director:

As revealed by FourFourTwo earlier this month, assistant national technical director Kelly Cross has left Football Federation Australia to head up Sydney FC’s new academy.
The Sky Blues officially announced the appointment on Monday.
Cross, one of Australian football’s most successful producers of young talent, will be the club’s new Academy Director as the A-League outfit heads in a bold new direction.
"One of the club's ambitions is that every young player dreams of playing for Sydney FC," Cross said.
"Part of that is that the Sydney FC first team is an exciting team and it's bold and it's ambitious.
"What the academy will add is relationships with all clubs, or as many as possible across the city of Sydney and beyond, so that not only is there an expectation that players come to Sydney FC, but those players, their families and those clubs, buy into the Sydney FC vision."
Cross is expected to take up the role once his current job as the FFA’s Assistant National Technical Director is completed.
He said he is excited by the challenge of producing the next generation of Sydney FC players.
“The club’s plans to develop Australia’s leading elite football academy are second to none and I’m looking forward to getting started,” he said.
“Sydney FC will lead the way in providing talented young players with an elite pathway to aspire to become professional footballers, and hopefully future Socceroos.”
He added: "What I'm excited about with the club is that is has a clear philosophy and clear vision for the future and is prepared to invest the long-term development of players.
"I'm excited that the right talent is identified and developed in the right way to maximise the chances of Sydney FC's success and that the players will also reach their ambitions and play for the national team."
Cross is Australia’s only FIFA Coaching Instructor and the country’s only Pro Licence Instructor.
He is also Deputy Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Asian Football Confederation and is a member of FIFA’s global list of Strategic Consultants.
Chief Executive Officer Tony Pignata believes the appointment of Cross as Academy Director is a major coup for the club.
“Kelly has a proven track record of producing players of the highest quality and we are delighted to welcome him on board,” he said.
“Sydney FC’s Academy is one of the central pillars of our strategy moving forward and will only serve to deepen the relationship Sydney FC has with community football.”
Cross, who was heavily involved in developing FFA’s football philosophy and National Curriculum, will have a key role in establishing and implementing Sydney FC’s long-term philosophy, playing style and youth training program.
His experience in educating and mentoring many of Australia’s top coaches will be valuable as he is keen to identify and train a team of first-class youth coaches who can bring the Sydney philosophy to life.
“To have secured someone with Kelly’s calibre and experience shows how crucial we believe this Academy to be. His knowledge of world football and overseas youth development is incredible and can only help bring about future long-term success for the club,” Pignata added.
Cross comes to Sydney FC with a wealth of experience, having helped the likes of Harry Kewell, Brett Emerton and Jason Culina develop into Socceroos during his time as Head Coach of the NSW Institute of Sport and Football Director at Westfields Sports High School.
He also had a role to play in forging careers for a further 30 players in the national team and as professional footballers, including Archie Thompson, David Carney, Brett Holman and Luke Wilkshire.
Having also worked as the FFA’s Head of Coach Education between 2006 and 2013, he is credited with having increased the standard of Hyundai A-League coaching during that time, with the likes of Tony Popovic, Mike Mulvey, Phil Moss and Rado Vidosic all coming under his tuition.
FFA Head of National Performance Luke Casserly thanked Cross for his influence on the game at a national level.
“FFA would like to thank Kelly Cross for the tremendous contribution to football over the last eight years, especially in relation to the implementation of key coach education programs and the National Football Curriculum. We wish him all the best in his new role at Sydney FC,” Casserly said.

Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/sydneys-new-academy-director-sky-blues-should-be-every-young-players-dream#CzBbWWlHVKgBbj1C.99




I guess that's him out of the running for the National Technical director, which is good. I like the professional background etc. of the Croatian guy, Romeo Jozak.

[ by Damo Baresi: 22/9/2014 03:21:36 PM[/i]

Edited by Damo Baresi: 22/9/2014 03:24:09 PM

I think the finishing skills of players coming through arent improving even though every other aspect is?
I hope the new technical director can keep what is good and tweek slightly what seems to need tweeking

Until his Perth Glory sojourn, Alistair Edwards was being groomed as Berger's successor, according to those within FFA.

I would be quite happy to have him. The only issues are his own kids' careers and the type of football they played at Glory.

He would also be a lot cheaper than coaches from abroad.

Edited by Decentric: 13/9/2014 12:48:56 PM

True.

Cross is what you call a 'blazer', Krones. He would have no interest in bringing external expertise into Australian football. His agenda would mainly be to entrench his own position. All our new curriculum has come from importing outside influences, Guus and Pim as national team coaches, and Baan and Berger changing the curriculum.

Cross has only fine tuned the modules for coach education. Before 2005 he was coaching the old, non-existent curriculum, producing players who are now deemed as inadequate. However, any coach can change over time. This can be seen in Ange P.

I don't think we're ready yet for a local TD

Sometimes local means being too close to the people who are holding you back. An overseas TD has no local alliances

I don't think an overseas TD is the direction to head in at all. The curriculum is already there, it has been developed and just needs to be followed. We need a local who knows the scene to do whatever it takes to ensure the current 25% compliance becomes 90%+ compliance. That will be the single biggest contribution our next TD can make and I'm not sure an overseas person is the one to do it.

@johnnydavidson on twitter has tweeted that he's hearing the foreign candidate isn't the Croatian TD it's a Belgian TD instead, who to believe? :-k

Edited by Barca4life: 12/9/2014 10:09:15 PM

I'm not that concerned by his 'individual calibre' but with his training.

Is it compatible with what has been implemented in Australia in the Berger/Baan years?

I'm concerned that he doesn't perceive formations as being an integral part of a development system. They do in Spain, Holland, France and Germany. The powerhouses agree one has to be trained in one system well and incrementally, to learn others, after becoming conversant with one. There is also a lot of convergence in what they do. One can easily extrapolate from one to the other.

In terms of recent Aussie coaches, Guus and Pim were thoroughly trained in the system- 1-4-3-3. Holger wasn't. It is now becoming apparent from players there was little structure in Holger's training sessions and game plans. I've seen Pim coach and there was a lot of structure, similar to what I've done in Dutch and FFA courses.

Croatia' s football performance has been admirable for a country of its size. My Croatian friends in football off forum tell me that coach educators are highly trained in Croatia, like Serbia where it is a tertiary course.

For me it is the issue of compatibility, consistency and building on the platform we already have. Our curriculum and methodology is even recognised in England. The FA were thinking of sending coaches to Australia to learn, because we have football methodology based on the four big European Proactive powerhouses. They have also seen improvement.

Last night I watched Switzerland and England play. I was in Switzerland a few months ago and read an article about their football development. They claim Roy Hodgson has been the architect behind recent Swiss success.

Given they have a population of 8 million they have had recent success. The Swiss Federation considers the success is based on close links between pro clubs and their constituents. Is this simply a Golden Generation?

The Swiss, like Croatia, and England, have no mandated development formation. Given the success of France, Spain, Holland and Germany, I'd rather implement what they do, rather than any ad hoc approach.

When I watched England play Switzerland last night, there was no evidence of either team playing a particular style of football particularly well. I also thought the English national team play worse together than they do with the big EPL clubs.

Even though Australia has been criticised lately, they could and maybe should have beaten both Holland and Chile in Brazil. This was achieved by unanimity of purpose and having a prescribed system. Australia was beaten, but given the cattle, they over performed.

When countries like Germany, Holland, France and Spain get together in camps for national team level, they are all familiar with a national playing style and variations of a 'parent formation'. This is also now apparent with Belgium and Australia.

Instead of Golden Generations, powerhouses with systemic holistic methodological systems, produce production lines of top players. Golden Generations are a phenomenon that are consistent with developing football nations, not powerhouses.

Romeo Jozak has far better credentials than Kelly Cross to be a national Technical Director. He has spent a lot of time working in a professional club environment. I'd just rather someone with one of the Proactive European powerhouse backgrounds.








Edited by Decentric: 10/9/2014 06:58:35 PM

nice cheap Balkan labour, as slaven bilic got 50k UK for managing national team.

There is plenty of his course work on youtube, I suggest those that are genuinely interested to go and have a look. I think its a fantastic appointment. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with his coaching philosphy, his coaching techniques and his outlook on football. He is just the sort of appointment we need to take our football to the next level.
I watched about 30 mins of one of his course videos and came away very impressed. I feel better than ever about our youth development and about Australian football progressing forward. Well done to the FFA on the appointment.

UEFA licences are generic. If training is done in Italy, Spain, Holland, France or Germany the training is usually a lot better.


Having said this, I stand corrected. I wasn't trying to get anyone to bite. This elucidates Hrzina's tenure wit SU.

If Hrzina has only been at SU for two years, he would've had little influence on technical attributes and game sense of senior players.

One would hope his tactical knowledge was having an effect if he has had any role coaching seniors.



Sydney Croatia, do you have any interest in football outside Croatia and Sydney United ? I've known others to be the same, but I think you feel displaced. Croatia has a wonderful coastline and spectacular scenery. The coastline is somewhat similar to Tassie's east coast. I wonder if you are homesick for your homeland? Everybody who goes to that area from Split/Dubrovnik and upwards loves it. Might be time to relocate?

The best thing I did was leaving England nearly 40 years ago and moving here for me.:)

I have English origins, but totally support Australia in all sports.





Edited by Decentric: 10/9/2014 09:11:56 PM