Yep, Vietnam looking the better side so far. If we play them in the final hopefully we can put in a better showing than our previous meeting, we've definitely improved as the tournament has gone on.

Forget Adelaide this Brook kid needs to go Europe ASAP, same with this Italiano lad both look technically excellent players who should try and get a decent football education in Europe instead.

They've all started dropping dead after the first goal, before the 30 minute mark even. :lol:

Need to work on our transitions and try to limit our turnovers in midfield. This is the most technical group of youngsters Ive seen us produce. Unlocking defences will not be an issue.

Implementing the new National Curriculum the next challenge
Monday, 23 September 2013 -
The morning after Han Berger released the new version of our national curriculum, I ventured to Jensen Park to see what all the fuss was about.
The morning after Han Berger released the new version of our national curriculum, I ventured to Jensen Park to see what all the fuss was about. Depending on who you talk to, 13-year-old John Roberts either typifies the problem, or represents a solution, to the issue which our technical director believes requires a 'fundamental transformation' - how to find a smarter, better, way to develop our best young players. Without a sea change in 'culture and mentality' Berger maintains Australia will quickly fall behind in the ongoing challenge to remain relevant in the world game.
More than anything, Berger hopes his updated curriculum - a 300-page document which outlines both the philosophy and the detail of his roadmap to reform - will hit the mark at grassroots level. It's here where Berger believes a 'win-at-all-costs mentality' has entrenched itself at the cost of creating the sort of good habits, and good techniques, which underpin the successful football nations. It's why, after great internal debate, Berger opted to make the curriculum available free-of-charge (via this website) rather than protect the IP. If the new blueprint is to make a genuine difference, then those at the coalface - essentially junior coaches - need to have access to the detail. A brave move, but the right one. We must all hope it works.
So where does this leave Roberts, an African-born refugee who plays for Mt Druitt Town Rangers in the second-tier of the NSW junior system? As a prime example of a player over-used in the quest for results at a level where results should not matter? Or as another example of the sort of player our game will ultimately benefit from thanks to the recent influx of African refugees - provided he's handled the right way? I went down to the second division grand finals day to find out for myself.
Roberts is quick, strong, direct, good with both feet, and adept at rolling his defender. It's why he scores so many goals. But as a 13-year-old playing up a division, his physical advantage is slightly diminished. And technically, he still has much work to do. Yet for all that, he's clearly got a future. It's what happens from here on which will decide his fate.
If you listen to the gossip, Roberts may be the hottest prospect in NSW junior football. One seasoned observer at the grand final, where Roberts scored the first goal in a comfortable win over Fraser Park, told me: ''There's 500 people here today, and there's only one player they're talking about.'' Listening to the chatter among the parents in the grandstand, it's clear there's admiration and jealousy in equal measure. The task of nurturing his talent has fallen to Mt Druitt Town's technical director Stewart Montgomery. It's a task he takes seriously.
The envy, of course, comes from the fact that Roberts - like many of our African immigrants - has the physique to dominate football at this level. In his case that's not necessarily about bulk - more about speed and power. The end result is that his goals have helped Rangers win the club championship, and earn promotion to the top tier of the NSW junior system, where - among others - they'll join their local rivals Blacktown City and Blacktown Spartans at the head table for the first time.
That's a big deal for this small club from one of Sydney's most maligned suburbs, and the fact Roberts started the season playing three grades in one day (under-13s, under-14s and under-15s) has led to accusations of overloading. In other words, Mt Druitt have flogged him to achieve results - exactly what Berger argues against. It's a charge Montgomery vehemently, and convincingly, denies.
''What we did at the start of the season was play him for 10-15 minutes in the 13s, probably 40-50 minutes in the 14s, and then another 10-15 minutes in the 15s,'' says Montgomery. ''The issue as we saw it was the cumulative effect of that game time, and we believed we were on the right path in terms of his development. But then I had a chat with 'Crookie' (NSW assistant technical director Ian Crook), and his view that we needed to look at the mental fatigue of having him at the ground from 8am right through to one o'clock. So we listened, and for 99 percent of the season he's played the bulk of his football in the 14s. If we do use him for the 13s, we get him a rub down between games, fluid him up, and make sure he gets his rest. Put it this way, we've become very conscious of his workload. We keep a very close eye on his loading.''
This story is not about villifying Roberts, or his club. It was the Rangers who found him playing local park football 18 months ago, recognised his talent, and scooped him up from under the noses of the Spartans and the Demons, who historically get first pick of the best players from the Blacktown district. It's the Rangers who have picked him up and dropped him off at the local Housing Commission for training and games, fed him, treated him, and helped his family where possible. That's a good news story for a kid born in Guinea and raised in a refugee camp in Sierre Leone before he arrived in Australia four years ago. If football can give him a better future, and Mt Druitt Town play a part in that, then everyone wins. My instinct is that the Rangers, and Montgomery, are a good fit for Roberts at this delicate stage of his development. But there are issues which need to be addressed.
As you read this, Roberts will be in Europe on tour with a private academy. There is talk Stoke City will have a look at him. Locally, the bigger clubs are queuing up to try and prise him away from Mt Druitt Town. If Rangers have their way, he'll stick around until at least next April, when they've been invited to Portugal to play in an under-15s tournament alongside Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Sevilla and Porto. Yes, that's right, the modest Rangers are off to play against the best. It's all thanks to the connections of the club's under-15s coach, Paul Ribeiro, a former Benfica player.
What it all adds up to, of course, is pressure. Too much pressure? That's the key. ''There's the pressure the kid puts on himself, and he does have high expectations, but the real pressure comes from the sidelines,'' says Montgomery.
It's that environment Berger wants the new curriculum to change. Coach education is a key, but parents, and officials, can also help. ''In a perfect world, if the structures were different, there might not be as much pressure,'' says Montgomery. ''As a concept, I think we'd all agree with that.''
To change attitudes will take time, but the new curriculum does provide the weaponry to help achieve Berger's mission of 'fundamental transformation'. In the meantime Roberts - like any promising youngster - dreams of becoming a professional.
It's how he gets there which will tell us whether we're heading the right way. I'll leave the final word to Montgomery: 'We don't keep them (players), we don't collect them. If he does make it, nobody will be more chuffed than me.''

The turnovers will decrease as this group of players age.

They were created by young players' inconsisitency in passing,and sometimes where players off the ball weren't creating sufficient space by shaking their markers (checking effectively enough, often enough). They still made a lot of mistakes, but the basics were good.

1v1 attacking

*I saw a lot of use of a dribbling technique called La Croqueta. This involves a quick left/right or right /left diagonal inside of the foot dribbling move. It often beats two played in succession in tight spaces.=d>

* They often used the shoulder feint/body swerve where one fakes with the body one way then one takes the ball in the other direction with the outside of the foot , was often used at the appropriate moment.=d>

First touch

Usually pretty good with players taking the ball away from their opponents as they received most of the time with inside and outside of the foot. However, most players need to receive with the outside of the foot with their non-preferred side, like Rogic does.


1v1 defensive skills.

* Often the defence was well positioned as a unit and kept is shape, but individually:

*Too many Thai players won 50/50 tackles.:cry:

*Dribbled around our players.:cry:

* Outmuscled our players.:cry:

This really needs improvement. It has been well coached in the past by the old guard of Aussie football. Also , most of the Aussie lads need to muscle up, which is quite easy at that age with a program of weights 3 times a week. At the same age I went from a puny runt to a big oaf using weights for two years.

What has sharpened to the old Aussie hard man common in the HAL , like Ogger, Moore, Leijer, Boogard, Pantelidis, Muscat, Jacob Burns, Rostyn Griffiths, Shane Lowry, NTS, et al?

*Passing and moving was pretty good. The team played some good football in patches. As they mature, they will make far less mistakes in possession, which precipitated the swift Thai attacking transitions.

*Handling speed was usually good.

*With so much possession , surprisingly, despite the the heat and humidity, they wore Thailand out by starving them of the ball.=d>

*Attacking interplay has improved out of sight. Most of the chances on goal came from open play, with effective combination play.=d>

* Shooting in this game, compared to the last three matches was atrocious.:cry:

There I was thinking Vidmar had done of shooting work on the training ground.](*,)

*Game sense was usually good, even if the execution was often worse than the idea.

*In terms of structure Australia nearly always had a player in the centre of the pitch, maintaining team shape with the ball and without.=d>




Edited by Decentric: 21/7/2016 10:28:24 PM

Edited by Decentric: 21/7/2016 10:28:45 PM

2013 article involving Roberts. Would have to be a Wanderers fan right?


http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/article/implementing-the-new-national-curriculum-the-next-challenge/1pwjfotwjnwjl1mx5fzepkd2p0

The turnovers will decrease as this group of players age.

They were created by young players' inconsisitency in passing,and sometimes where players off the ball weren't creating sufficient space by shaking their markers (checking effectively enough, often enough). They still made a lot of mistakes, but the basics were good.

1v1 attacking

*I saw a lot of use of a dribbling technique called La Croqueta. This involves a quick left/right or right /left diagonal inside of the foot dribbling move. It often beats two played in succession in tight spaces.=d>

* They often used the shoulder feint/body swerve where one fakes with the body one way then one takes the ball in the other direction with the outside of the foot , was often used at the appropriate moment.=d>

First touch

Usually pretty good with players taking the ball away from their opponents as they received most of the time with inside and outside of the foot. However, most players need to receive with the outside of the foot with their non-preferred side, like Rogic does.


1v1 defensive skills.

* Often the defence was well positioned as a unit and kept is shape, but individually:

*Too many Thai players won 50/50 tackles.:cry:

*Dribbled around our players.:cry:

* Outmuscled our players.:cry:

This really needs improvement. It has been well coached in the past by the old guard of Aussie football. Also , most of the Aussie lads need to muscle up, which is quite easy at that age with a program of weights 3 times a week. At the same age I went from a puny runt to a big oaf using weights for two years.

What has sharpened to the old Aussie hard man common in the HAL , like Ogger, Moore, Leijer, Boogard, Pantelidis, Muscat, Jacob Burns, Rostyn Griffiths, Shane Lowry, NTS, et al?

*Passing and moving was pretty good. The team played some good football in patches. As they mature, they will make far less mistakes in possession, which precipitated the swift Thai attacking transitions.

*Handling speed was usually good.

*With so much possession , surprisingly, despite the the heat and humidity, they wore Thailand out by starving them of the ball.=d>

*Attacking interplay has improved out of sight. Most of the chances on goal came from open play, with effective combination play.=d>

* Shooting in this game, compared to the last three matches was atrocious.:cry:

There I was thinking Vidmar had done of shooting work on the training ground.](*,)

*Game sense was usually good, even if the execution was often worse than the idea.

*In terms of structure Australia nearly always had a player in the centre of the pitch, maintaining team shape with the ball and without.=d>




Edited by Decentric: 21/7/2016 10:28:24 PM

Edited by Decentric: 21/7/2016 10:28:45 PM

Going from this thread, they have played really well. Very different outlook to that which we were discussing after the Vietnam match.

Are there highlights (or better) on youtube?

[quote=Decentric]
The No.10 Brook kid has the ability to glide past players Rogic-like

Big call.

He also got the ball trapped under his feet a few times, when he shouldn't, but he is still very young.

Before other posters make big calls on players in this team, many of them fade out before senior football. I read an article about an under 16 world championships. About 80 % of the stars at one particular under 16 tournament were not even playing football 6 years later. Think Kaz Patafta.

For some inexplicable reason some players fade out who develop early.

Seb Ryall and Leigh Broxham were both very good for their age at 17, but given such early promise they have faded to mediocre HAL players, no more. Many players of the same age would've overtaken them, who were nowhere near as good at 17.

Kristian Sarkies, Stu Musialik and Ahmad Elrich also inexplicably faded out a bit later in their careers.




Edited by Decentric: 21/7/2016 10:55:29 PM

I was also under the impression we won in regular time.

Interesting seeing the change in the tone and type of comments from that first game. I watched ten mins of that and was put off.

What's the verdict on this age group now?

Considering this team is not the strongest we could field either. Is it really third string like people were saying after Vietnam or is it more like half first string and the rest second string?

Can anyone list the players who are apparently not playing that would strengthen this team at the moment?

Big call.

He also got the ball trapped under his feet a few times, when he shouldn't, but he is still very young.

Before other posters make big calls on players in this team, many of them fade out before senior football. I read an article about an under 16 world championships. About 80 % of the stars at one particular under 16 tournament were not even playing football 6 years later. Think Kaz Patafta.

For some inexplicable reason some players fade out who develop early.

Seb Ryall and Leigh Broxham were both very good for their age at 17, but given such early promise they have faded to mediocre HAL players, no more. Many players of the same age would've overtaken them, who were nowhere near as good at 17.

Kristian Sarkies, Stu Musialik and Ahmad Elrich also inexplicably faded out a bit later in their careers.




Edited by Decentric: 21/7/2016 10:55:29 PM

Interesting seeing the change in the tone and type of comments from that first game. I watched ten mins of that and was put off.

What's the verdict on this age group now?

Considering this team is not the strongest we could field either. Is it really third string like people were saying after Vietnam or is it more like half first string and the rest second string?

Can anyone list the players who are apparently not playing that would strengthen this team at the moment?

whens the final?

Saturday at 9:30pm AEST