22 Mar 2017 19:25:50
Ed 1 . In regards to yout earlier comments about academies being a problem. I completely agree. I feel the generation of the majority of players currently is extremely worrying. I've had to come away from coaching myself purely for the reasons you stated previously. Many years ago as a young player we had to work so hard to step up a level but nowadays it gets handed to you. It also stems before academies. Take my local club for instance. There used to be a 1st team, 2nd team and 3rd team. You would sign for the club and work your butt off to get to the 1st team and when you did you were so nervous about it. You would look upto all the experienced players around you and you would be worried that you might be dropped for the next game. Now they have a 1st team and an academy. and these academies are everywhere. They are full of youngsters who play with there mates and they're not worries about playing for the top team. Some of these players have such ability but the attitude is appalling. The generation these days are a nightmare to coach and they often make coaching un-enjoyable. It's a big worry. I've lost my track here now and I'm not sure of my point. Possibly the fact that this goes way deeper through to local football.

{Ed001's Note - it is a problem, everything is given to people these days, they feel entitled. People should earn what they have, not be given it.}

1.) 23 Mar 2017
23 Mar 2017 11:36:29
100% Xabi, young lads want to be footballers now for the money not for playing football. Don't get me wrong money has always been in football difference is If you signed for a club back n the day from cleaning boots doing jobs it made you think and realise what to work towards and you were more thankful and grateful if you got to the first team level.

2.) 23 Mar 2017
23 Mar 2017 12:05:55
Xabi i thin your post is spot on in the most part i don't think the academies are the main problem although there are academies everywhere you look. I visited ajax when young and they took things to another level the way the sweep all under tens that they can off the streets to coach and also instilled discipline and learned them to achieve things on and off the field. Todays generation are spoiled i think in the main because parents always want their kids to get it better and easier than they did and they feel entitled (like arsenal fans today. lol) and don't know how to work hard for something. When i coached kids here they wouldn't believe it when i told them how hard myself and my friends worked to play, like a normal week when i was 15/ 16 would be school, part time job, train for my local youth team and the local irish league team, train for gaa team and three matches a week. I believe if kids had to go through half what we all did in the 80s they wouldn't be the demanding, over demanding brats that some of the kids coming through the academies seem to be today (well most seem to be) . sorry for the story just thought id share.

3.) 23 Mar 2017
23 Mar 2017 12:25:44
Couldn't agree more, this is why I think England in particular have been so poor in recent years with youngsters thinking they have already made it. Look at Wilfried Zaha, rejection from England spurred him on and he's become twice the player he used to be.

Young players have lost sight of what it means to be a footballer and mostly just care about the lifestyle, problem is without a salary cap I don't know what else can be done about it what with social media giving players semi-celebrity status from their teens. It seems clubs are too precious about offending their precious young talents in case they move elsewhere (as is this generation) which in turn has damaged their motivation.

4.) 23 Mar 2017
23 Mar 2017 13:23:48
As much as I agree to the general view, I don't think any parents would wish their kids to struggle and suffer to earn. They will want their kids to get into the best institution.

5.) 23 Mar 2017
23 Mar 2017 14:30:48
Any parent with a backbone knows that their children will have to go through hardships to learn and earn in life, of course they would want that for them, it's the only way they'll survive, to be a wolf amongst wolves you need to be hungry less and less people are hungry nowadays. It's the same problem with English football at the minute, English players and managers aren't hungry enough to evolve and learn abroad etc because everything's nice and comfortable right where they are. Everyone wants the easy way out, that is the English mentality sadly.

6.) 23 Mar 2017
23 Mar 2017 22:44:34
Nothing to do with mentality. They are paid handsome money. English managers and players have always been average to below average over the years. Lacks quality precisely.
If the Money ball shift to Italy or Spain you could see the players and media moving there.

7.) 24 Mar 2017
24 Mar 2017 07:34:44
Don't talk tosh Harry. England have had some unbelievable players even just in my generation. Ferdinand, Terry, Ashley Cole, gerrard, lampard, scholes, beckham, Owen, fowler, Rooney (until about 5 years ago), Adams, seaman, gascgoigne, macca - I'm sure there are others.

In terms of what Ed has said, he is 100% right. (Most) kids nowadays don't have to work for anything, haven't heard the word no enough and as a result are self entitled. It isn't about making your kids go without but learning the value of earning something through hard work and patience. This scenario only becomes further exaggerated in football where there are 17/ 18 year old earning vast amounts of money.

8.) 24 Mar 2017
24 Mar 2017 11:12:02
Look at Barcas academy.

It has nurtured the finest players in the world saving the club millions in transfer fees

I think it's the way the young players are integrated to the first team that is the problem as there is a huge difference between them

Hopefully we will take a big step in solving the problem when the academy and first team are all in the one facility.

9.) 24 Mar 2017
24 Mar 2017 13:09:48
Dermot, that has not stopped Barcelona from spending near a billion pounds in the last 20 years in the TW, either.