I am an American and I love football.  Not the crash helmet type, I am talking about proper football, yes we call it soccer.  And what may seem even more bizarre is that when it comes to the sport, I know what I am talking about.  My door is always open to those who want to engage in a conversation, friendly or antagonistic about the matches, players, managers, supporters, etc.  You will be convinced that when it is over, “that cheeky Yank knows what he is talking about.”

In the past five months I will have spent just under four weeks observing the English version of the game from top (first team) to bottom (grass roots).  Having visited (to date)and witnessed the activities from the inside of a Centre of Excellence at Tranmere Rovers and Academies at Sunderland, Blackburn,  Liverpool, Chelsea, and Newcastle; I have noticed the tendrils of something insidious and damaging creeping into the English game.  Much like the Sirens of Greek Mythology, It is an easy trap to fall into and seems on the surface to be what is right, but when the naked truth and/or day of reckoning comes to call, there will be nothing but anguish and gloom.

If a youngster is deemed an athlete his chances of signing on the higher levels (Academies) is greatly improved.  Large bodies and pace are seeming to gain more high marks than touch and vision.   To say this applies to all with a broad stroke of a brush would be disingenuous.  But it is the standard by which club scouts are living by more and more each day. 

Let me share some things I consider to be universal truisms:  The ball and the mind will always move faster than any human at full sprint, a well struck ball will always beat Mr. Bolt in a race.  Heart and soul will always be stronger than brute strength and size.  Pace and power, while having its place in the game will never replace touch, agility (mind and body) and vision.

I have to wonder if the modern game would have room for a young Johann Cruyff,  Paul Gascoigne, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Robinho, or Cesc Fabregas in their youth Academies?

It was wonderful to watch Spain win in Austria in 2008, Italy win in Germany in 2006; were they the team stacked with the most athletes in these tournaments?

There needs to be a balance and right now in the English system the scales are leaning way too much in the favor of the athlete at the expense of the player.   England is not alone, across the pond they are making the same mistake.  A place where I have seen an equilibrium has been Argentina.  Three weeks over two visits in 2007/08 and I am convinced they are doing something right.  I would venture to say that there are as many Argentines playing in the top flights of European Football as Englishmen and they are a half a world away.

Let’s get away from Argentina as this article is about England.  In my latest stint while visiting Brockhall, I  was an interested spectator as Liverpool’s Academy teams came to play Blackburn.  At the nine year old level, I was gob smacked at what I was witnessing.  Every time the ball came into the Liverpool half and hit the foot of a red, he hoofed it.  And I do mean every time.  The keeper refused to build anything out of the back; as far away as quickly as possible was the tactic.  This actually met with some success, because of the two large fast kids up front.  The eleven year olds were no different.

To Blackburn’s credit, there was more of an attempt to work it out of their own half but when they failed to execute, they would pucker up their little buns and go the way of the reds until the cheeks relaxed.   I have to ask, where were the coaches who are paid to develop these kids?  They were watching and seeming to be fine with it is the answer.  While I do not know who actually won the match I can unequivocally conclude that the Blackburn kids got more out of the day, in terms of a developing footballer, than the young scousers.
 
Those boys will only fit into one system if they continue on the course I saw them firmly entrenched.  And it is not the systems that are winning at the highest level.  In this century, other than Gerrard and Carragher, who has been through the Academy at Melwood/ Kirby and played at Anfield on a regular basis?  By the way, they were done with Academy play before the turn of the century.  The only other one that comes to mind is Michael Owen and he is a 20th century product as well.

Current woes aside for Mr. Owen, he is the quintessential example of the English player going to the continent, back in a year because the grass is greener for him here.  What does that say about the English player?  The only current members of the Three Lions to experience any continental success would be Owen Hargreaves (isn’t he a Canadian?) and Becks (there is always an interest when the circus comes to town).

For those proponents of EPL superiority and labeling it as “English”, I must say that the last time I checked 7 of 10 players on any given day are not from Mother Britannia.  In the top four, you could field maybe ten to twelve Englishmen (and you can thank Sir Alex for that!).  And of that lot only two are under the age of 25!  Walcott and Rooney are the face of the young top level English player.  Not enough faces is my opinion.  No disrespect to the likes of Ashley Young, David Bentley, Aaron Lennon and crew, but they still have so far to go to elevate the future prospects of the national team.  Time is running out for them, they are still second choice to a generation of players in their late 20‘s and early 30‘s.

Back at the grass roots level, I recently had a conversation with a volunteer coach named Tony Robinson.  His boys just came of age to be signed by the Academies.  Tony had coached them for two years and focused on the fundamentals and let the match results , win or lose, come as they would.  Their reward, mostly victories and five boys signed with Premiership Academies and one with the Centre of Excellence at Tranmere.  This is worthy of mention and recognition but what is the most ironic twist of this achievement?  Ask Tony who his best player was and he will tell you it was the one who went to Tranmere.  “He was far and away my best player, but all the Academies passed on him because he did not have the athleticism of his teammates, but each of his mates would say that he was the one who carried them when the going got tough.”

Maybe Mr. Robinson needs to convene a meeting of those in charge of the development of English Youth and educate them on what makes a great team, a balance of footballers and athletes.  And that doing what is right instead of doing what is perceived as right, will see this island nation to the success and glory that it craves, and until recently, I thought it deserved.

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The Athleticism
of the
Beautiful Game:
Has It Gone
TOO
FAR?