@bj1904 I'm not surprised quite frankly especially about the lack of technical training.
When South Melbourne brought the Brazilian Coaches here it was seen as cutting edge.
This didn't work because Brazilian coaches don't teach technique. They don't need to.
Fathers and the family unit teach technique, the nations Football encourages and demeands technique.
In Brazil when there are football trials the variation in technical ability is not that great, their outliers in technical ability are the Neymars of this world.
So who to select? Naturally you pick the biggest fastest ones or the ones with exceptional technique.
And we talk of exceptional technique lets make it clear that we don't even rate by their standards.
Its no different in the Major Football Nations.
http://www.espnfc.com/india/story/3067772/aiffs-proposed-baby-league-explainedhttps://soccerfitnessgols.com/2016/09/26/3-things-canadians-can-learn-from-uruguayan-youth-soccer/http://www.rednationonline.ca/Articles2012/TheTrainingEdgeTheStructureofUruguay.aspxThe links to the Uruguay Baby Leagues show its no wonder they can produce a Suarez.
Our competitions are over regulated and our current Football Experts don't know how we didi it in the past.
A-League franchises having junior teams in the NPL won't work in terms of the outcomes most think will occur or to what our experts theorize what will occur.
My reasoning is based on the fact that without change in the pyramid and an open playing field in Football Culture, Football Structure and Football Bureaucracy needed to improve the level and quatity of grassroots players we will not have the desired "Critical Mass" to develop top line talent.
We focus too much on elite and not enough on grassroots.