Comments on: Allardyce stirs the nationalism pot

By: LRV

LRV — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:05:58 +0000

You guys have put your fingers on the pulse of the problem. A combination of very bad managers,very poor academies and very poor backup system, plus of course bad mentality is at fault here. You could see that even the p(l)undits are bereft of sound ideas about how the game should be played and a dire knowledge of the laws of the game. But of course, their xenophobia will not let them acknowledge their real problem. Just look how bad our Referees are! If they all want to hide behind one finger, that’s fine by me because I know that my club will not listen to them.

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:55:29 +0000

Great comments by everyone, I especially enjoyed the surprising insight into youth football being played on full sized pitches. That’s just crazy.

By: Marbles

Marbles — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:12:45 +0000

DAF – I’ve said exactly the same thing for years. My boy hit that age and his team scored loads of goals, by just hitting it over the keepers head. Seeing these little kids running about on a full size pitch, with full size goals, trying to master offside, makes you want to cry. Diamonds do come through, but a whole lot more could, if we played on smaller pitches up to 14/15 and concentrated on touch and technique. You could still tackle and have the passion, but learn to control the ball better as well. I lived in Spain for 2 years and the touch that the kids had at that age, was much better than comparable ages in England. The warmer weather helps, being to play outside more, but they dont run around on full size pitches, with full size goals, they’d think that was loco. They also play more on hard surfaces, rather than grass. Our kids are running around for most of the winter on water-logged pitches with six inches of mud, not being able to pass the ball. So for most of the season its booting the ball down the wing or long keeper punts and the forwards casing after it, not very creative. Until they change these things, we’ll never have that extra 5-10% of class that will enable us to win things.

By: DAF

DAF — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 07:07:13 +0000

Until boys in our youth teams as young as 11 yrs old stop playing meaningless 11-a-side football (on near as damnit full size pitches with full size goals) then English football will not progress.

One big shot anywhere on target at that level and the ball flies into the goal (as the keeper is too small to get anywhere near it). No wonder they are all encouraged to practice long balls and kick and rush from such an early age.

Revert to the smaller goals and team sizes as they do in France, focuson ball possession and skill and ‘voila’, England may be able to catch up once more.

WHY ARE THERE NO GOOD ENGLISH MANAGERS? Because none of them are intelligent enough nor schooled the right way. They were all brought up on long balls and kick and rush.

By: goonergerry

goonergerry — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:39:08 +0000

Allardyce is really dredging the bottom of the barrel with this piece of hypocrisy- His own club cannot afford top English talent- and if they do produce a great player-they will be relieved of them by the Manchester clubs. The fact is the EPL has never been a level playing field- it is an uncompetitive monopoly-only the billions of Arab and Russian oil money can get anywhere near counter balancing the monopolistic grip that United has on the EPL-they are the only ones who can afford the absurd wages and transfer costs of top English players. Tell me another English club apart from the 2 mentioned who could afford Rooney’s transfer fee and wages?
Buying foreign players is the only strategy Arsenal and Pompey can afford. It also offers better value because these players are generally better coached as youngsters.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:58:47 +0000

@MikeSA, Good point. Ancelotti seems worried too, he called out Arsene Wenger's prediction that Chelsea would drop points. Calling him a "magician" if he thought he saw some vulnerability in Chelsea. He also said that there are "no unbeatable teams" which just shows what he knows about Arsenal and the history of the EPL.

By: MikeSA

MikeSA — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:52:01 +0000

You can bet your bottom dollar that pig-boy allardyce’s bleatings mean one thing and one thing only:

fungusbum has started seeing us as a threat to his beloved manusa again.

Pig-boy’s bleating is specifically in support of his bum-chum to unsettle us in any way they can.

Along with the scummy pond-life in the British football media we can from now on expect a constant stream of lies and invective targeting us as the “foreign threat” damaging “stout, honest” england once more.

By: avenell

avenell — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:27:27 +0000

We should organise a game between Blackburns English players v our English players and see who is doing more for English football..

Tbh.. the answer That Fat Sam gave was to a question that Sky asked most managers and Sam was the only one that bit. They were just stirring it up.. Home grown when it suits or English when it suits..
No mention of Ramsey of course or the Scottish chap at Portsmouth..

By: Twitted by 7amkickoff

Twitted by 7amkickoff — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:26:58 +0000

[...] This post was Twitted by 7amkickoff [...]

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:18:11 +0000

Senderos is a kid?

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=719623&sec=england&cc=5901