Hillsborough Remembered - Updated

Been busy moving house – back to blogging and where to start? Last time it was lamenting the woes of young Wayne and other villains. Honestly, there is a long list of players one could comment on! Good guys? Well, Michael Owen didn’t make the list but he is good egg, Scott Parker too. Now, as for meanies I could have dipped back into time and mentioned half the Leeds team of the 70’s or Argentinian teams of the past. Zinedine Zidane? That’s an epic.

Going through personal items as you move house is a really great experience. You get to cleanse possessions yet remind yourself of so many great memories. I have so many West Ham shirts it is ridiculous – quite a few England too but always worn with disappointment. I found the claret and blue flag I waved as I sat in the Arsenal end of the old Wembley in 1980. I remember little from that day, just riding on the tube to Wembley Park, the excitement, Brooking’s goal (13^th minute and my lucky number) and simply the enormity of the event. I even dug out the 2^nd Rayleigh cub scout outfit I wore as a cover to get picked for the cub soccer team. Now that takes me back to misty cold mornings and collared shirts smelling Persil clean. I sit have those boots I polished so often the toes turned purple. My mum pulled them out of the bargain bucket from a shoe store called Bata. Apparently that company has sold 14 billion pairs of shoes world wide – 25% of them to Imelda Marcos. I have no idea how much they cost back then, maybe $5? My mum would remember and my Dad probably still has the purchase written in pencil in the accounts he kept – we ran a tight and efficient ship. I now own a personalized pair of Adidas Predators worth $300. How things change…

Sorry, rambling a bit here! In looking through the newspaper cuttings my dad kept about West Ham I found some great pics and stories. I want to save them for a blog coming soon. I need to read and pull them together – but I can say it includes:
West Ham team photo with Moore, Hurst, Best, Heffer and Greaves.
Picture of the man with the planet’s biggest chin – Jimmy Hill.
A story from around 1970 entitled ‘Soccer will succeed in the States’.


But instead, April 15th 1989. Sheffield.

A friend shared a story with me about the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster. For many English football fans it was a ‘JFK’ moment – where were you at the time. It was a semi-final cup match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. In those days the semi finals were played at a select few grounds around the country that could cope with the crowds. The investigation has never been made public up to now and many has been pushing hard for this to released. It was a turning point in football ground safety. The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry Report, also known as the Taylor Report changed stadia for ever. 96 people died, 94 at the ground itself. The Police failed to open the gates that released onto the pitch – these were the days following many years of crowd violence and one solution was fences around the terraces. Many thought the reason for the deaths were fans arriving late and crushing those already there. Many families still lack the truth about this horrific and terrible event.

The most significant outcome of the Taylor Report was the requirement for all British Stadia to be all-seated. Other points introduced control of the sale of alcohol, turnstiles, ticketed seating and safety revisions. That being said, in 1989 fans were crammed into a space impossibly too small for the number of people present.

The incredible fact is this entire event was broadcast live on TV.

Listen to the story here..... 

The ‘terraces’ were always a special place to watch soccer. At Upton Park my dad remembers how the men would pass the boys over their heads as the ground filled up. The boys were sat on the pitch side of the low wall around the ground. When you stood at West Ham in the old stand you were lower that pitch level and kids would stand on milk crates to see over the wall. The only way you avoided people being crushed were the placement of bars in certain spots. This was an attempt to contain the crowd as they surge forward when a goal is scored. That was part of the excitement - everyone getting squashed while cheering. 

The story is really worth listening to. Football is the beautiful game but as Bill Shankly said "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that." 

March 24th 2012 Update:


With another anniversary approaching, government papers have been leaked to the BBC - it shows how Merseyside Police blamed 'drunken Liverpool fans' for the disaster. Below are some links to BBC webpages that give a little more detail. Just click to pull them up:


1) BBC reports the 1989 papers have been leaked


2) Reaction from a victim's mother

 


 James Aspinall - 18 when he died at Hillsborough. His mother, Margaret, is the Chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG). You can visit their webpage, find out more and see how you can help - just click on the logo - left.


    3) Subsequent and ongoing government inquiry into the leak itself


Sept 25th 2012 Update:
 
The release of secret government papers finally brought the truth to the public and those who had been battling for justice for the 96 who died at Hillsborough.

 Prime Minister Cameron Apologizes... 

Bishop James Jones of Liverpool, who led the panel, said the documents offered clear evidence of failures by British authorities. He said they showed authorities' extensive attempts to shift blame for the tragedy onto fans and some proof that a number of Liverpool fans were denied medical treatment that could have saved their lives

"The tragedy should never have happened," Jones said. "There were clear operational failures in response to the disaster and in its aftermath there were strenuous attempts to deflect the blame onto the fans."

Liverpool v Manchester Utd Tribute on the BBC 

 

The tribute held at the recent Liverpool v Man Utd game also raised some important issues re supporters treatment of each other.  A little too much emphasis was placed on the 'handshake' between Evra and Suarez, nevertheless, efforts by both clubs to do the 96 justice were achieved. 

 

Heroes and Villains

Wayne Rooney's red card was to be expected. I am not sure if he should have played or whether the blame lies in the sensationalization by the media of his father's arrest. I bet the Montenegro players spent the game calling his dad a jail bird.


So, it got me thinking about soccer's heroes and villains. My opinion of them, of course. So maybe this will get you thinking about the players you love or hate. The blog is being read in 52 countries now - we welcomed Malaysia, Kuwait (hi rick!) and Japan. Regulars include the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Netherlands, India, Russia, Australia and France. It is quite simply a miracle that we share the love of soccer. I wonder who the villains are in Russia, India or the Reunion Islands?


OK - here's the format. Two players per round. Villain - Hero


Round 1
Wayne Rooney - yes. The golden boy of English soccer. He's the face we see when FIFA pump World Cup montage through our TVs. He is the face of English soccer. A good player? Of course - mercurial, for Manchester United mostly and only this season. If it wasn't for his soccer talent I'm sure he'd be outside the 'Puss in Boot's in Macclesfield involved in a punch-up. Villain.




Theo Walcott - with wings, literally as he blasts down the right wing. The golden boy of Arsenal and now has Jack Wilshire to speak English with at the Emirates. He is the shiny new coin of soccer but this is what scares me - there are a bunch of really good players around the age of 27/28 who are being bi-passed as we go in search of the next 'group' of talent. Theo is a good boy - but does have a tattoo - so girls may still find him sexy in that bad-boy way.

Round 2
John Terry - booo. He may have played at the West Ham Academy but I like to think we Hammers fans turn a blind eye to the fact. Good player? Yes. Thug? For sure - both in the night clubs and his bedroom (depending on who is there with him). If Terry was in a Xmas Pantomime he would be the Villain with a patch on his eye, mostly because he got pissed the night before and ended up with 5 stitches above his eye. Wayne Bridge clearly took John off the Xmas card list.


Scott Parker. I know, he does play for Spurs, but he supports them so in a strange way (as a Hammers supporter) I have tremendous respect for a man who does a spectacular job week in week out for one of Tottenham's rivals. Parker is a hero both on and off the field. On the field he is a constant worker always making those tackles which count, then turning defense into attack and never giving the ball away. Spurs have dramatically improved since his arrival and the Hammers have gone off the boil since his departure. I remember walking past Avram Grant's office on practice day at Chadwell Heath. He was talking to Parker and the rest were outside. Parker walked out and ran past me to the training ground. Grant stayed put. I knew who was motivating that team.


Round 3


Vinnie Jones. Now a somewhat famous actor (Snatch / Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels). He was the bad boy of the Wimbledon 'crazy gang' and was infamous for a number of pranks that most players would have run home to mummy and cried about. The picture below says it all.

Paul Gascoigne. See above. If Shakespeare could write a modern day tragedy it would be about a charismatic man called Paul de Gascoigne, who despite his flamboyant and gregarious nature squandered his fortune only to live his life out as a poor merchant selling dreams. Gascoigne is one of my heros. He was simply a wonderful player and funny with it. True story - a number of years ago a friend met him in California. He was dating a friend of her sister and it was arranged they would all have dinner together. Gascoigne arrived drunk. He 's antics are on video for me to keep. He got very sad about his son after seeing a picture of my Henry. He then proceeded to talk to the camera (knowing I was a big fan) and tell me his date was 'ugly' and that it was a full moon - to which end he turned and dropped his pants to the camera. I showed my family that Xmas. It didn't go down well. I still have the signed picture to me and the signed picture to Henry. I love Gazza.


Round 4
Chris Waddle. I'm sorry, but the penalty he missed v Germany in 1990 sticks in my throat. Sorry Chris - I know Ben Illingworth and you went to school together. It might have been the mullet haircut - he was a success story coming late into the game. Those tight shorts and the step over were mesmerizing. Oh well, I am not sure that move is as convincing with a nice buzz cut.





Gary Lineker. OK - the man is practically St Peter. He scored goals against Poland with a broken arm. He scored goals against Germany in World Cup Semi-Finals. The man was magic. I once watched England v Hungary from behind the goal at the old Wembley. Terrible seats - couldn't see a thing apart from Lineker make those lateral runs all night. 










Round 5. David Beckham. He is the yin and yang of soccer. Hero to villain to hero to God status. Let the pictures tell the story....

More? Maybe not tonight. Trevor Brooking was always a hero of mine. I was just a little too young to tune into Bobby Moore, but he is to all Hammers fans the very epitome of honor and class. My friend Paul Heffer has the same qualities. He was denied the chance to play a full career but has been continually responsible for a long line of talented players.

All work and no soccer makes coach a dull boy...

It may be advisable to not contemplate success or failure so close to the event. I think it is worth something. If you feel your blood boiling and want to take someone out people suggest writing a letter and then tearing it up.

This is may be that letter. I like wearing the heart on the sleeve – balanced analysis can come later. I am writing for therapy and to mark the moment.

We lost 4-2 this evening. I am trying to build a picture of why and what the take away is for future plans. Losing means the formal season is over. Practice started August 1^st. The season was done today, October 3^rd.

So, to summarize and with a little analogy...

Sack the Coach?

Steve McLaren was sacked today as coach of Championship team Nottingham Forest. A team back on the rise but with a few historical hang ups having won the European Cup. Languishing in the backfill of the Championship, Forest should be a top 6 team. McLaren got the boot, which was interesting as he also managed England, unsuccessfully. What were the expectations for our high school team? Should I step down as someone who has led and failed to take the team to a sectional final for the last 3 years? Not a question requiring an answer here. Just a thought.

Blame the players?

At the end of the day the players have two 40 minute slots to get the job done. There are no time outs, referee review, lite beer commercials etc. The game ebbs and flows and the coach may bark instructions but he / she has limited control during the open nature of the game. It’s a fundamental reason why FIFA are reluctant to place goal-mouth technology in place for soccer. It stops the flow of the game. Were the ISI players to blame? Did they not execute the plan or plays? No. So why do we see reasons to be so concerned? Many of them simply do not play enough. Learning is not a linear function. You have to do provide the typical human with a reason to adapt. Quite simply, 85% of ISI players only play for ISI. That quite simply means they not kick a ball from Oct 5^th until June the following year. We have to build something / expect something to enable players to take it to the next level.

Attribution Theory?

I’m not a sports psychologist but let me explain. Attribution Theory deals with the how humans attribute success / failure to outcomes. You can place results within or outside of you locus of control. So, if you win you are better to attribute success to things you control, like effort of ability. Alternatively, failure can be passed off as a lack of luck or poor officiating. We protect ourselves in this way. The pitch we played on tonight was a cow field. The ball rolled like it was possessed by Yoda on meth. Is that a factor? Yes, when you spend a season playing the game based on a decent field and then are confronted with a field which presents an health and safety issue. Officials? The refs played it like a pre-season run out and made a couple of fundamental errors. Even the host school failed to give us benches or pretty much anything to honest with you. Do these things matter? Maybe not when you are a seasoned pro who has been around the block a couple of times. Indiana, lets get real here. You wouldn’t play with a flat basketball or on a court without decent markings. You wouldn’t put a fat, potbellied official in a spot that requires keeping up with Indiana’s fastest kid over 100m. But soccer is ok to do that. There just are not enough decent officials in the state blah blah blah. Sorry folks, your getting paid and for that you should have higher standards. I did the job for years never earning a penny. A few people should stop being an official and try playing the game before a one off certificate qualifies you to be responsible for 22 players.

Tradition versus pioneerism?

There is a massive movement with the current youth from US based traditional sports like football and baseball to soccer. This weekend I took my 6 year old Hannah to a party. At 3pm we walked in and the Sunday afternoon NFL game was on. When I picked Hannah up at 5pm, the Arsenal v Spurs game was on the TV. There were a bunch of 11 to 15 year kids watching – I joked that the Hammers would be a better viewing option. One lad was a Chelsea fan – we joked about who scored a hat-trick this weekend and which youth academy he came from. Indiana is changing. The pioneerism that soccer has be painted with is changing the game and the next generation are more interested in the exploits of Lionel Messi than Terrell Owens. Still soccer lacks it true working class roots here. Back in the grotty back streets of Macclesfield, soccer as been played by poor people.

Honestly, I miss my kids. I miss Jill and the chance to move into our new house and start a new chapter in our lives. I am tremendously proud of the exploits of our seniors, Mitchell, Drew, Ross and both Henry and Sam, the former having knee surgery recently and the latter suffering from a third concussion. Of course, the list of people to thank is long. I miss benches to sit on during the game. I know my friend Scot would make that happen...

And relax. Or maybe not.

'all work and no soccer makes coach a dull boy...'

Time to face the music....

In the world of Indiana high school soccer we have reached the moment of truth. Sectionals.


I suspect the majority of the soccer / football playing people out there grew up with a lengthy season with a couple of key elements:
1) A league structure with fixtures (games) home and away versus each team.
2) Some kind of knockout 'cup' competition played alongside but independently of the league fixtures.

Alan Curbishley - 1979 season

I grew up with the English 'Football League' - 4 divisions in which West Ham played in either division 1 or 2. The league had a vertical design with promotion up and relegation down for teams based on end of year positions. The Hammers spent a total of about 5 years at different points in division 2 and trying to get back up. We had 2 cup competitions - the League Cup and the blue ribbon event, the FA Cup. Straight 'names out of a hat & knockout' competitions. No seeding - only a later entry point for bigger teams. The 3rd round in the FA Cup was always the best. I've written before about some heroic 'giant killing' teams who have taken division 1 opposition on at their small and oppressive stadiums - and then ceremoniously dumped them out of the competition.


I was always comfortable with this system. My love of the predictable security of tradition made it easier to deal with the Hammers' short comings. I rebelled a little when the League Cup picked up sponsorship. From 1982 it has been the... Milk / Littlewoods / Rumbelows / Coca Cola / Worthington / Carling Cup. I chuckle to see the progression from milk to coke to beer. It's lucky the first sponsor wasn't Marlboro Cigarettes, by now it would be the 'Meth Cup'......  

Guess who.....

The first placed team in Division 1 went on to represent England in the European Cup the following year. The winner of the FA Cup did the same in the European Cup Winners Cup (now the Europa Cup). Then, to bring the entire deal smoothly together, the season opener each year was the league and FA Cup winners playing in the Charity Shield, now the Community Cup. 


As I grew up different teams got a name for league or cup success. Teams such as Liverpool, Nottingham Forest were dominant in the League and went on, alongside others like Aston Villa, to enjoy European Cup success. Others, such as Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham seemed to be cup teams yet lacked the consistency to win the league. Arsenal have made the most dramatic changes since my childhood days. Read Nick Hornby's 'Fever Pitch' and you'll get a feel for the 'boring, boring Arsenal days. A very 'white' defensive team with a reputation for winning 1-0. Pat Rice was part of that set up as a player - what a great job he and Arsene Wenger have done to convert that set up to what it is now. Arsenal are one of the few teams I would happily pay to watch.


Spurs and West Ham really sat as cup teams, having an old West Ham Academy graduate Harry Rednapp as coach, I suspect Spurs will stay in that mode. Comparing the successful teams now to then (the late 70's and 80's) - this was the deal....

And it was this big - no, really, I kid you not....

Manchester United - inconsistent. Even West Brom & Leeds were better than them. 
Chelsea - pretty awful. Always geographically trendy but more famous for a 'Chelsea grin'.
Manchester City - also awful. And the Chairman wore Britain's worst comb-over..
QPR - pretty good actually but then they put a astro-turf field in and we all hated them.




Here is the league table in 1979 (when I was 10 years old).

1	Liverpool
2	Nottingham Forest
3	West Bromwich Albion
4	Everton
5	Leeds United
6	Ipswich Town
7	Arsenal
8	Aston Villa
9	Manchester United
10	Coventry City
11	Tottenham Hotspur
12	Middlesbrough
13	Bristol City
14	Southampton
15	Manchester City
16	Norwich City
17	Bolton Wanderers
18	Wolverhampton Wanderers
19	Derby County
20	Queens Park Rangers
21	Birmingham City
22	Chelsea

No West Ham in site. They finished 5th in Division 2, but would win the FA Cup the next year beating Arsenal 1-0 at the old Wembley. 


So, let's get back to my issue. Our team, like all in Indiana, has played since August. We were allowed to train 'officially' Aug 1st - and now we reach the first week in October and the season is about to end - unless you keep winning of course. We play in a 5 team sectional requiring a 'play in' game to get the number down to 4. For the the last two years we have been drawn in this game and lost. 2009 we were sucker punched by a poor Arsenal Tech team (who, by the way play in green and white - I mean, come on! IPS urban team with the same name as the Gunners? They needed to change their colors years ago and get on the phone to Arsene!). 2010 we played local rivals Park Tudor and lost 2-1 with literally the last kick of the game in extra time. 


This year we play Cardinal Ritter. A team we can beat and lose too depending on what we bring to the table. I actually dreamt we lost 2-1 and was crying - it's my Hammers' roots showing through there... If we lose it will mean three years of abrupt misery. It'd be like going to the movie theatre / cinema to see the latest and greatest Spielberg blockbuster starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and the entire range of Hollywood superstars - and then, in the opening 30 seconds all of them dying leaving us with 118 minutes of 'and who the hell are you' type actors. Yes, deflated and entirely let down. 


So - considering the wide range of things that could go wrong next weeks blog will be fun. We could be Sectional Champions by this time next week.....or muppets.


Last thought - I shall shake the hands of the officials and introduce myself to them before the game. I may be nice. I may warn them to get the calls right or I'll make their 80 minute experience a living hell.

It was dug for you, Chelsea F.C.

OK - one needs to play a little catch up over the last couple of weeks...

Not me. But could be in 25 years. Nice hole buddy.

 Chelsea first - I was starting to dig a nice deep hole in the garden a couple of weeks ago and invited Chelsea to come to hide in it before their visit to Old Trafford. Their 3-1 loss was a great game with some incredible missed chances. Villas-Boas was very upbeat post match despite printing mapquest directions to the goal and handing them to Torres for next time. I've got $50 on Torres being the next target for the Barcelona team - to spend a year telling him, and us, and the press he should go back to Spain. Fabregas all over again.

Sir Alex claimed the game was like basketball. Mmmm.... interesting analogy. Didn't know they played that game in Scotland - which is has every inch of land covered with either a golf course or a pub. The score was 3-1. sir. OK, so even if a typical NBA player hits around 35% of his 3 point shots, that's still 30% better than Torres. OK, so could it have been basketball....? Maybe, but we need to slip back in time to 1954 Indiana high school basketball state championships.

Left to right - De Gea, Cleverly, Ferguson, Rooney.

For your reading pleasure (and the rest of the world) and if this was a movie...
Ferguson would be a slick pomade garnished coach with a questionable past and a drinking problem. Oh, that works already. Rooney would be a troubled, yet talented player who is a game changer on the field and a dark moody git off. Mmmmm, Alex may be right after all. The refs would always be on the take and stitching Ferguson's team up for which he would blow up and get thrown out - also refusing to speak to the local community about tactics or post game analysis. Coach takes a bunch of young players on a whirlwind tour of a season and performs miracles. 

Venison Sausage. Yummy...

I see it now. Ferguson's entire career and coaching style has been loosely based on the storyline and character played by Gene Hackman and the movie 'Hoosiers'. Footnote - that movie is called 'Best Shot' in the UK. Apparently no one has heard of a Hoosier there. Sorry Indiana - it's a big planet. Oh, while we on that, corn dogs are a mystery to others also. The closest to that in England would be sausage toad-in-the-hole. With gravy...proper brown gravy.

Moving on..... West Ham haven't lost for a while. So I've upped my medication as I cannot cope. Losing at least half the time was in my supporters contract. It's been refreshing even if yesterday's 1-0 home win was not that impressive. Bottom line is this - 3pts. The Irons are up there and gathering momentum to return to the Premier League at first time of asking. Sam Allardyce is the right man for the job. The squad has strength, experience, youth and talent. Players like Henri Lansbury and David Bentley want to be at Upton Park right now - it is a big club and the carrot of a move to a 60,000 seater Olympic stadium has to be worth something.


Numerous articles have placed the Academy at West Ham United in the top 5 worldwide. I'm glad to read what a few of us have known for years.


Last weekend I was in Vadnais, MN running a West Ham United International Academy regional player ID camp. We worked inside a great dome with a full sized FIFA turf field. There were some great kids - and a couple like Alex and Michael who had attended the WHUIA National Camp at the Darlington School in Georgia. Go back to July to see the blog, pics and video about that week.


All the players were great, from Jack and Liam, the two goalies, to little Bella, Sydney and Jordyn - the three girls who are developing as good players. I worked with Ole Frøystad, who played professionally in Norway and was a great help. We put the players through the same drills used at the Academy in London over three days. The local club is Minnesota Thunder, but other clubs were represented and we were impressed with the level of play. 


Despite covering a broad range of skills and game aspects we really focused on vision and awareness. Now, to spare those of you who have heard me say this before - I'll be brief. Right - you've got to know what you are doing before the ball arrives at your feet. To do that you have to look up, around and see the changing picture as you play. Frank Lampard checks over his shoulder all the time. Alex, who attended the National Camp and was invited to visit the Academy this coming Spring, is a great example of a player with heart, soccer intelligence, vision and technical ability. He played, alongside a few others, with the U15s as an 11 year old. Physical size may have an impact but the older players were impressed with the ease with which he fitted in with them. I do not have the full range of pictures and video from the camp - indoor lighting is a pain at times - but I've included a couple here.

Saint Paul is a lovely city - worth a visit. You can see the origins of the Mississippi - and I would strongly recommend a visit to the W.A. Frost restaurant. The tasting menu is a must - perfect paired with wine also. It was a meal that ranked with the best, and that includes (for me)...

Cibero - Florence. Refined Tuscan.
Corrigan's - London. Sophisticated English cuisine
Le Jules Verne - Paris. French (unsurprisingly...)
Oakleys Bistro - Indianapolis. Bistro American / French (yes, Indianapolis).


Next trip to London will include a Ramsey and Oliver restaurant - and oh, if you are wandering through Piccadilly on a lunchtime you must pop into Richoux and order (amongst other things) un Croque-Monsieur. Tres beajoulais.

Right corner - comfy seat. That was our spot....

In need of a laugh? Chelsea will this time next week.

Something special happened yesterday. West Ham United won at home for the first time in 6 months. I mean, come on guys - I go to the dentist every six months and that's because I'm supposed to. The good news is the Hammers are nestled nicely right behind the top 2 having picked up some good players - I hope they slowly start to dominate the division. I'm glad to be out of the premier league right now - two games against Manchester United is enough to give anyone a heart attack. I also spoke about the outstanding Academy last week. Another source, the www.sport.co.uk site listed West Ham as the fourth best Academy in the World. Well, there it is. I sometimes struggle to comprehend that, whichever team you support why wouldn't you invest in something as fundamental as a youth program?

It's Rooney - quick...run away...

Oh, Benfica and Chelsea. If I were you I'd spare yourself the embarrassment and save a few quid by not arriving to play Man Utd this coming week. Poor old Arsenal and now Bolton. I suspect Leeds are having second thoughts about the Carling Cup visit of the Champions. It was supposed to be a giant killing cup night - might just turn their season into a dismal disappointing nightmare they never recover from, like a visit from a Demontor.




Ok - so now I slipped a little Python in there (if you pardon the expression). I suddenly feel the need to produce a top four greatest comedy moments according to the all knowing selfonsoccer.


In no particular order and with some video for your entertainment:


1: Faulty Towers. Mrs. Richards. I can do the entire script. 

2: Harry Hill. The 'mash -chop' ratio.

3. Morcambe and Wise. The Stripper.

4. Kevin Turvey investigating Leisure

OK. I feel better now. Was there any soccer content in the blog? Nah, not really. I was thinking  earlier in the week how proud I was of the performance of my JV team as they were being smashed 6-0. The lads are all young and physically small. Their opponents, solid country boys, were big and fast so anything in a one on one race was a non starter for us. Despite this imbalance we played the far superior football and moved the ball around excellently at times. It's often the case that the less physically developed players have to over emphasize the quality of the technique and vision to compensate. In the end we all grow up - so there comes a point we the initial advantage of a growth spurt is negated. Joe Cole was always small at the Academy. We hope his career gets a boost following his move to Lille, France. 


Next week I'll be up in Minnesota running a Regional Player ID Camp for West Ham United IA. You can see more details at www.westhamunitedacademyinternational.com.


I hope the comedy put a smile on your face - September 11 is a tough day in the US. Especially on the 10th Anniversary. Like the Kennedy Shooting, we all remember where we were at the time. I was back in the UK at school teaching. Someone mentioned buildings coming down in New York around 2pm. I was a hour away from a big soccer tournament at my school. We still played and no one said a word. It was very surreal to come home to the news. I flew through Newark about 2 weeks later. Never seem so many guns in an airport in my life. 


I hope your Sunday was peaceful. God Bless - whichever yours is.


Have a good week.

Is that really her son playing for West Ham United...?

Since the embarrassing 6-0 International loss (the high school team I coach) much in life has improved. Back to back victories 11-0 and 4-2 followed by that 2-1 loss started by a 'muppet' ref giving a penalty with 12 mins left for penalty box dive. More recently the lads dissected their opponents on Monday night with an effective 2-0 home win. It's lovely when the kids you are coaching move the ball around in a manner that simply wears the opponents down and  'lets the ball do the work'....  Also the Happy Hammers are indeed smiling again. A surprisingly fun 4-1 win away at Forest was cracking plus some additions as the transfer window closes and only the departure of Scott Parker (for a few million quid to Spurs). The surprise was to see a couple of academy graduates move on, Stanislas and Hines - still the talent coming through beneath them is superior and the Academy made the club money. He's my take on some of the incoming players...

A lot better looking than her

David Bentley - out of favor mercurial talent, was said to be the new and better Beckham
Guy Demel - friends with Chelsea's Drogba so must be good
Brian Montenegro - from Paraguay, also must be good if named after an entire country
Papa Bouba Diop - anyone with 3 names making no sense is a winner
Sam Baldock - just the letter c away from a last name horror story - talented player
Henri Landsbury - grandson of Angela but a lot better looking

International earned a #16 seed ranking going into the 1A HS season, but the 6-0 thumping put a stop to that. Still, we'll be operating in stealth mode now, slipping quietly under opponent's radar - the best way to see how we are doing in relation to others in Indiana is to go to the Hoosier Futball high school page - here.

The International players have all been down in Southern Illinois at a camp, not for soccer though. Magic place near Ozark, IL. Team Building etc around sandstone gorges etc. Back to business on Tuesday v Cardinal Ritter. Target - a win and conceed no more than 2 goals.

Elliot Lee - WHU

Back on the talented players coming through line - one to watch for is Elliot Lee, son of Robert Lee. There are a number coming through which I hope will be the next round of of Academy Graduates that we talk about when coaching young players around the US and Canada. It's been Ferdinand, Lampard, Johnson etc but you can see the England team moving on as a crop of talented young players come through, like Smalling etc.  It is interesting that the attention to younger players that Arsene Wenger has is now more prevalent across the Premier League. Manchester United have been destroying teams with an average on field age of around 22. At one point in the Community Shield v Man City Ashley Young (26) was their oldest player. 


It's an interesting debate - the extent to which clubs commit to a Youth Development Program and whether those players get a chance to play first team football. My friend Mark Roberts, whose son, Matthew, is a hard working lad playing in Toronto sent me these stats on this issue:

By Club- Academy graduates playing professionally
1. Real Madrid (27)
2. Olympique Lyonnais and Barcelona (18)
4 . Stade Rennais (17)
5. Toulouse FC, Atalanta Bergamo (13)
7. Espanyol, AC Milan (12)
9. Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, Athletic Bilbao (11)
12. AS Saint-Etienne, Manchester United, West Ham, Juventus, AS Roma (10)
By Club- First team opportunities
1. Barcelona (9)
2. Athletic Bilbao (8)
3. Stade Rennais, Toulouse FC (6)
5. AS Saint-Etienne (5)


I find the last club-first team opportunities 'list' interesting - there they are, Barca, the team that is re-writing the game of soccer. From what I have seen this year in the Premier League, Manchester United are the closest to adapting. Arsenal have believed in the future of young players but currently are in free-fall following the 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford last weekend. It's also been a shocking start for West Ham's north London rivals Spurs. Following the London riots the opener for them was cancelled. That left an away trip to Man Utd and a home game v Man City. Both ended in defeat for Spurs who find themselves at the foot of the Premier League. I'm sure Spurs will recover, but the Modric transfer talk has clearly unsettled the squad. It'll be interesting to see how soon the media start using that terrible phrase 'too good to go down' if Spurs cannot get some quick points under their belts.


The media have a lot to answer for with respect to unsettling teams and players. Currently Arsenal are spinning out of control, which is incredible considering the intelligence and commitment Arsene Wenger has shown at Arsenal since 1996. Fabregas has been targeted for nearly two years. The constant diatribe from the media has suggested he has been on the way to Barca for ever. Nasri gets added more recently and amid all the uncertainty, which includes Spainish national team players telling Fabregas (via the media) to move to Spain, Arsenal try to start the season. Ultimately they lost both - one to the inescapable pull of Catalan football and the other to a fat wage packet. Spurs have endured the same with Modric. It'll be a challenge to see how they deal with a player who has not moved on but clearly wants to. Modric requested to not be played in the Man City game - Rednapp chose to select him then brought him off at halftime during the 1-4 home loss.


West Ham escaped some of the media attention in the end. Parker made a unsurprising move to Spurs and a few big wage earning players who were out of contract moved on. Hammers fans will be happy to see the back of Upson, Dyer and McCartney. Spurs may end up owing their premier league status to Parker, who has the quality and passion to make a difference. Gareth Bale is the litmus test for me. When he is targeted by clubs, media or both as a transfer possibility in the January window then Spurs fans should really worry. Oh, don't be surprised if Jermaine Defoe jumps ship too. Just ask any Hammers fan what we think about him...


OK. Final notes for the day. England - well done for grabbing a professional 0-3 win in Bulgaria - Wales - an even bigger well done for beating a talented Montenegro side 2-1. 

U18 Squad - Nick (left center coach)

Lastly, Well done to Nick Haycock and his U18 side - fabulous start to the FA Premier Academy League. I also posted the three Paul Heffer interviews below. I know you can see this at the video sidebar on the blog, but I wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to listen to Paul. 


Have a good week. Happy Birthday Dad.


Interview One

Interview Two

Interview Three