WORLD CUP

[paulg]

"If England want to do well then it will require a long-term strategy that focuses on ditching the 'English way' of playing, i.e. running around like headless chickens for 90 minutes is more important than technical abilities. We need to start teaching kids that technical abilities are more important than lumping it up to the big lad up-front and 'getting rid' whenever the ball's in defence."

Precisely. Unfortunately our whole football culture is geared towards rewarding energy & effort rather than technical ability. We're the only country in the world where fans cheer a striker for charging down a full-back's clearance to concede a goal kick. Our media also like to fixate on personality-led scandals/issues rather than fill their pages with astute technical analysis. Big match previews in England focus on 'war of words' between Wenger/Mourinho etc, whereas in Italy they'll focus on how the team's on-field tactical approach will affect the game.

Today is a case in point - the journos are all over Suarez-gate, giving them the perfect opportunity not to have to write a 'boring' analysis on the technical issues that have led to another World Cup failure. Suarez obviously deserves plenty of negative coverage but in terms of extent it's another example of off-field coverage dominating on-field issues. Hodgson's take on yesterday's 0-0 draw was staggeringly naive but he's got away with it.

[Trek]

I recall reading after our Euro2012 exit that we had in the region of 3000 qualified coaches, I believe at UEFA B level, and that Spain, France and Germany each had at least 30000 qualified to the equalivent level.

[SouthRushdenJFC]

The problem is between Level 1 and Level 2.

Level 1 we have over 26,000 qualified coaches, Level 2 we have less than 7,000.

Read my thoughts here https://wordpress.com/read/post/id/55313468/51/

[Trek]

Read my thoughts here https://wordpress.com/read/post/id/55313468/51/

Is there any way to read this without registering to Wordpress?

[SouthRushdenJFC]

Try this

http://davidcockings.wordpress.com/2014 ... -football/

[Trek]

If England want to do well then it will require a long-term strategy that focuses on ditching the 'English way' of playing, i.e. running around like headless chickens for 90 minutes is more important than technical abilities. We need to start teaching kids that technical abilities are more important than lumping it up to the big lad up-front and 'getting rid' whenever the ball's in defence.

Waddle and Lineker must have read this forum, they were saying much the same tonight. Waddle also said 'we havn't learnt anything in 20 years'.

[Brownie]

One crap game of football but at least the little man was the instigator of what looks like bring the winning goal. Nearly spoke to soon!!

[Pigman]

One crap game of football but at least the little man was the instigator of what looks like bring the winning goal. Nearly spoke to soon!!

The one bit of quality in the whole game - my pre-tournament favourites plod on through. If you stop Messi you stop Argentina !! Very ordinary side with an extraordinary player !! Poor game - but they just keep winning !!

[sussexdiamond]

Please could Holland and Costa Rica give us a game to savour later this evening. We have now had 3 quarter finals of dross which followed 6/8 boring games in the previous round.

Of all the games played at this tournament only two stand out, Holland v Spain and Belguim v USA.
( to be fair I did not bother to watch every group game, but did see most of them).

All any aspiring player could have learned so far is how to foul by raising your foot or blatant obstruction and how to get caught offside. The quality of free kicks is pathetic, USA excepted.
The 3 semi finalists to date are as predicted but not one of them has produced an exciting performance, and Messi is the only player of real class amongst them.

If this continues we would be better watching the Diamonds play cricket next sunday until 10 in the evening!

[SouthRushdenJFC]

There have been some great goalkeeping performances.

The Brazil Columbia game wasn't that bad.

To be fair the officiating has been worse than we see in the UCL, which is just plain rubbish