TO ADD TO THAT...

I wasted my opportunity to take a ton of photos on the subject of football in Rio De Janeiro. Everywhere I went on a bus or in a taxi, I spotted perfect examples of small street football courts and promised myself I would venture back to find. This pathetic excuse of inauthentic imagery you're about see will tell you that I never got around to doing that.
But, in continuation of the last post, hopefully these photos go some way to explaining what I tried to in my eventual conclusion.
When courts and tiny homemade goals like those below are being played on across the globe.....


....is it any wonder these kids grow up to dominate when what they have to aim at, eventually becomes this...


I witnessed small homemade wooden goal frames (like the ones seen in picture 2) all over South America. Perhaps it's time we think about bringing them to the UK.

THE U19 EUROPEAN CHAMPS....

First of all let me begin by revealing how annoyed at myself i am. I was rather oblivious to the start of this tournament and as a result have missed most of the games up to this point. The last U19 Euro's and youth World Cups all held me captivated not only as great matches ensued, but as the stars of the future exposed their talents and - perhaps more in importantly in this day and age of consumerism - names to the world.

Before i go on, let me quickly mention that if you missed Calvente's penalty against Italy, do yourself a favour and give this piece of genius and confidence the attention it deserves.

Now then, England. England, England, England.
This post comes as a response to my homelands well deserved 3-1 loss against a silky smooth Spanish side.
Yes the year group competing in this years competition is actually my own. I know a few of the players in the team on a local level. Therefore i also know that this group of players is, to be blunt, nothing special. It's years like these that make me rue the fact that I quit the beautiful game. I was a technical player who literally grew up with a ball at his feet. Alas, i lost confidence at a crucial age so I have no one to blame but myself really. What can i say, maybe i should have attended a continental academy such as Lille or various other Spanish and French centers because it seems that, to grow up in England as a technician of the game, is virtually impossible.

Anyway this isn't about me. This is about England's lack of ability to produce a quality team and great players. I was one of the loudest voices post-World Cup in suggesting that there are fundamental problems in England's coaching and academy system. Problems that are halting the Junior, and more importantly Senior teams from lifting the World Cup once again. The 'get your foot in' and 'long ball culture' that has become ingrained in England's attitude towards the game is really beginning to expose us as a talentless nation. Especially i hasten to add, in a day and age when the speed of the game has increased to a rapid rate. The one touch football, quick feet and speedy counter-attacking school of thought perfected by Barcelona, seems to be the general direction the game is heading in. After all, it is the superior tactic, be it a tactic that requires much technical ability and intelligence. Slower less skillful teams and Nations are being left behind, unable to compare when it comes to actually getting the ball down and playing. Speed and strength will never out-do creativity, intelligence and skill. Skill that can only be learnt from playing the game at a very early age, all day everyday.

To relate back to the title and theme of this post, Spain's U19's really gave England's team of the same age a masterclass in how the beautiful game should be played. What's more, the second goal scored was a good shout for one of the best goals witnessed this year. This being a World Cup year, that's saying a lot.

The inspiration for me to make this post came in the form of a quote from The Guardian Newspaper's website. Perfectly depicting the game and England's lack of 'game' in general, Owen Scrivens had this to say:

"All game I've just been thinking that the English have picked a squad
of athletes and roughly organised them into a football team. In comparison
the Spanish are not especially big, strong or fast, but they look like they
have been playing football all their lives. In fact this sums up the problems
in the English league's youth systems, scouts favour pace, strength and organisation
flair and technique."

Re-read that quote, but this time bear in mind that English press actually hyped this team up as a possible surprise bet to redeem the efforts of the Senior team earlier this Summer. Ridiculous.

I grew up playing alongside a young man named Anthony Edgar. I say that not as a name drop, but to give credibility to what i'm about to say. Anthony is in the West Ham Reserve team. For a skinny short kid, that's further than most his size could ever achieve in the English system, even if they do happen to be cousin to Tottenham player and England International, Jermaine Defoe.
From the age of 6/7 it was already clear that Anthony was ahead of the game. He could do more kick-ups than any other kid his age and dribble past a whole team with ease. It seemed as if he could do no wrong.
I actually recall one time as 7 year olds we were 5-0 down at half time. Anthony arrived late, came straight on in the second half and banged 5 goals in one after the other. He quickly drew the attention of West Ham who snapped him up that same year. Having the pleasure of playing against him years down the line at various school matches and trials for England's youth team, i was able to witness the progression in him as a player. Not standing for his greed on the ball, West Ham forced him to pass or face not playing. Eventually, he managed to evolve in to one of the best passers of the ball i've ever seen. His game had matured. At 16 he was looking like a young Fabregas with vision surpassing any other of his age.

What I'm trying to get at here is, why the hell is our National team not packed with players like Ant? As opposed to these fumbling idiots who look like they've only been playing the game a few years, if that. Any decent footballer can tell how experienced another man is with the game within seconds of seeing him play. The majority of the current England U19 squad control the ball with a hesitation and uncomfortable nature that betrays their lack of playing years. The elite players; the Ronaldo's, Messi's and Zidane's all had a ball at their feet virtually since they could stand on their own two, and it shows. Rarely, if ever, will you see a Spanish or Brasilian player tripping over the ball or getting caught in possession with the ball trapped under his feet. Their technique and touch is such that they create time and space for themselves through their fundamentals.

The solution. Well in my opinion that comes in the form of culture and training. Watching a few of the World Cup matches with my friend's 'typically English' family, it's easy to see that the English attitude of calls to 'hoof it!' or 'kick it keeper!' need to change. In England the 7 a-side game is played until the age of 11 at which point the youngsters move to the standard 11 a-side pitch. This needs to change. In most continental and Latin countries football is played in the streets on small 2 a-side goals, and in the school and club systems 7 a-side is played until the ages of 16 in some cases. This teaches quick feet and short passing in a small confined spaces with limited time availability. This system and culture aids in greatly advancing a player's technical ability.
Football needs to be played more widely on a street, local level. Everywhere i went in Brasil, the nation was obssessed with fiddling around with a ball at their feet. If we could turn football in to a city game like basketball is in the States, increasing the number of PowerLeague and other specialised football courts dotted around, then we're in business. A culture of street football will, eventually, breed a culture of fast paced technical players. This, i think is the solution, not their hair brained government schemes, constantly given air time on the BBC, about increasing competition in school sports. That can and most likely will, work for sports such as Athletics. Increased inter-school competition and school pride out on the track will give birth to more interest in track events. The proof there is in Jamaica. Though with a sport so culture orientated as Football whereby, the best teams are more likely club teams than school, increasing competition in school will do little to increase quality outside of school.

That's just my humble piece of opinion on the quality and nature of football being played in England at the moment. I may have to come back and add to this ramble as and when i see fit.

Feel free to comment about anything football related.

OLD FACES BRINGING NEW LIFE TO OLD DREAMS.

In connection with my last post some strange thoughts have been bugging me since I went down to the track that evening. As I was going through my warm ups I spotted some guys playing football towards the end of the field, in fact they can just about be seen in that second pic (previous post). Having played football at a pretty high level as youngster I pretty much know who's who of the up and coming young players in the whole industry. Therefore as I began to run laps I was pretty sure that if they were a decent bunch of players then I would most likely know one or two of em.
Turns out there was a couple i knew, one in particular was a guy i met in my last couple years of high school (my school was a football and basketball academy). He approached me as I was running so i pulled down the headphones (i know i said i hate people interrupting my training but i was almost done, he had just finished his own session and he's an old friend anyway so hush up) and we caught up a little. But as with any conversation with an old friend/footballer, it usually dominated by who's made it, who's on the come up and who's still striving.
I gave up ballin a long time ago, a few years back to be precise, i was actually real good in my younger days playing on par with some names you may recognise cropping up now. Had a few professional clubs asking about me, but due to parental guidance i didn't end up attending any of the trials offered to me, instead being told to wait until i was older. So the story goes, i lost interest a little, things became way to serious way to early, the enjoyment was sucked out, alotta politicin' involved and i eventually packed it in.
However since visiting the Mecca of football (Brasil) i can say with some caution, that my passion for football has been re-kindled. Well at least a little. Seeing how relaxed and fun the Brasileiro's attitude to the game is reminded me of how it should be played. I met little kids with so much talent and technical ability that were they to be in England, even at such ripe ages as 8 and 10, they would still be snapped up by pro clubs.

I've digressed quite a bit here from what i intended to talk about which was meeting that old friend. So, this guy to say the least didn't impress me much on our last meeting, he flopped at school, didn't bother with uni and had a somewhat non-existent football career. That was the impression i gained last summer when coming across him doing some pre-season training, he looked flabby, slow and overall way outta shape. But i must say after speaking to him this time round, he'd lost weight, he appeared motivated and he even went as far as providing me with hope.
Even though this guy currently earns a decent wage web designing he admitted to me straight away 'i'd rather be out here though.' I was surprised, my mother basically made it out to me like 'if a pro club aint picked you up by 16 then it's probably not going to happen.' Yet here this kid is, still trying at 20, and we even spoke about the numerous people that made it after 20, most notable being the famous Ian Wright.
So my boy here has been picked up by Nike's academy team whereby they recently went to Barcelona to play their youth team. Despite being smashed 6-0 it would have no doubt been a great experience. I also don't doubt that the quality of that Nike team is nothing special (of course with all the best players playing soley for their pro club teams) but still, the training will be of a high standard and it's still a stepping stone.
My man had so much confidence and determination in the way he was talking to me that it would do nothing but surprise me if he doesn't now go on to make it somewhere in this world of football. He's seen the 'normal world,' a '9 to 5' and now i think it's really hit home, son is gonna run, eat right and do drills everyday to attain his dream. Moreover he has inspired me to reconsider my future, maybe a degree in journalism isn't for me, heck i love sports more than anything, it would be a dream to play a sport that i love everyday such as football or coach elite athletes everyday on the track.
I think I'm gonna find a team or group to start training with to see if my feet still have it in em. I tore up the local 7 a side courts the other day but now i think it's time to start playing with the big boys and see if i can still do my thing amongst those of a similar standard to me. If i can stay away from those OVER serious coaches and maintain confidence, then shit....i'd loved to play this game for the rest of my life.

It may sound clichè but it really is never to late to give up on your passion. Well it's at least later than you think (50+ year olds don't be trynna make the NBA draft now). If everyone in the world managed to find their passion instead of just accepting a certain route, a certain career path, then i'm positive we would have a world of experts. It hit me that I was so good at football when i was younger because I didn't even realise I was honing my skills practicing all day everyday. If you asked m opinion then, I was just having fun, doing kick ups all day, trying to kick a ball in to cupboards from the other end of the house. Without even realising I was moving way ahead of my class. So when the passion went so did the playing in the house, going everywhere with a ball at my feet etc...
It's like I said to my Girlfriend who play's basketball for the U 20's national team, if you aint bouncing a basketball near enough all the time, if you don't wanna play near enough all the time, then maybe this game aint for you. None of this 'I feel like playing today let's go down to the park' bullshit, it's gotta be subconcious. Way too many people try to force it. Making themselves go down to the park and shoot 100 shots without actually wanting to do it. If it aint fun for you anymore then, sorry to tell ya but it is most likely no longer your passion. The best players in any endevour all had passion for what they did. Therefore they subconciously repeated the task or activity time and time again without realising they are actually practiving. Once you realise you're practicing, then it becomes work.

The hardest thing in life isn't the becoming good at something part, it's the finding that special something that you love part, once you find that, your set!

Find your passion, and do it everyday. It may not make you a million bucks but it'll give you a life time of happiness and make you the best and whatever your passion happens to be.


Peace.

Lukas the star to be born (Rio De Janeiro)