The Complete Restructure Begins

[A face]

So ... whats gonna happen ... the current system of not optimally developing players here is not working. The FAI cant rely on players playing in England now.

Are the FAI ever going to sit down with everyone involved in football on this island and sort it out once and for all.

They were able to get away with it before but every country is now improving at a rate of knots so hoping things will work out just isn't enough anymore.

[CollegeTillIDie]

Send all our players to continental Europe instead of England. There they will learn two basic things 1/ Kick a ball with BOTH feet 2/ Pass to someone in the same coloured shirt as them on a consistent basis

[Dan K]

So, how exactly do we convince continental clubs to sign our players?

[CollegeTillIDie]

We can send the players over to train with people like Ajax when they are young. We might have to pay for the privilege but it would be worth it in the longer term.

[A face]

We can send the players over to train with people like Ajax when they are young. We might have to pay for the privilege but it would be worth it in the longer term.

If you're not taking the p!ss ..... Why cant we train them ourselves .... its not like we have been trying .... info@fai.ie

[Volcán Masaya]

Send all our players to continental Europe instead of England. There they will learn two basic things 1/ Kick a ball with BOTH feet 2/ Pass to someone in the same coloured shirt as them on a consistent basis

A-fcvking-men to that!!

Why do we have one of the most technically deficient groups of players on the planet? We have a woeful first touch, we have one player (Duff) that can take on defenders and dribble and our passing is far from pin point presciion.
Even the likes of Cyprus make us look like a Junior "B" Gaelic football team.

It's a national embarrasment.

Lad's.... the only solution is to naturalise all those Brasilians living in Gort.... and impregnate all the Brasilian women up there. There must be a couple of thouosand of them there at this point.

[TheOwl]

Lad's.... the only solution is to naturalise all those Brasilians living in Gort.... and impregnate all the Brasilian women up there. There must be a couple of thouosand of them there at this point.

Yes El Presidente!

[thejollyrodger]

Ireland has been doing international soccer on the cheap. Our domestic league has to be taken into the 21st (some say 20th) century. It might take 10 years but it will be worth it.

[drinkfeckarse]

If you're not taking the p!ss ..... Why cant we train them ourselves .... its not like we have been trying .... info@fai.ie

I don't think we have the facilities or the coaching staff here. I think it would be a great idea to send players off for a year or so to continental clubs. Our clubs here could easily set up links with plenty of continental clubs like i.e. Man Utd with Antwerp and it would be great for young players to be involved in something like that.

It doesn't necessarily have to be about "you can have first option on signing our best players" but even at least a swap of young players for a few months so they can experience a different set-up and a different culture.

I despaired last night watching us. While part of me accepts that our strengths lie sometimes with route one football, there is another side that says a hoof up the park is bread and butter for any decent defender. Kerr convinced me last night that he has to go now, completely out of his depth. Either that or the players don't have enough respect for him because they certainly didn't burst their nuts trying:mad:

[Macy]

I said in the Kerr thread, most depressing thing for me last night was that we were technically outclassed. We just aren't capable of knocking the ball around like the swiss were last night.

I also think the irish media and therefore the irish public vastly underrate the swiss and vastly overrate our team.

Has to be a root and branch overhaul of our structures here. Driven from the top down - i.e. the eL down. Have them the focus of schoolboy football as well as the senior game, rather than the nursery clubs sending over kids to be fooked off with football in England.

There's been enough players sent abroad - we don't need to be sending them still just to different countries. Instead send the coaches to the likes of Ajax to learn the coaching techniques and teach kids in Ireland how to play with the focus on getting them into the eL. The cream of the crop will still go abroad, I've no doubt, but we should have a pool of players playing regularly in this country available to make up the bulk of the international squad. I wouldn't be opposed to central contracts to facilitate this either.

Obviously all pie in the sky - too much vested interest in the FAI structure and ultimately the people at the top care more about personal power and wealth than they do about the game (and that includes all strands of the game).

[mchurl]

Obviously all pie in the sky - too much vested interest in the FAI structure and ultimately the people at the top care more about personal power and wealth than they do about the game (and that includes all strands of the game).

Exactly the problem with irish football. We should develo the structurs at grassroots level to esure the future is bright but we don't seem to now how to do this. Why don't the fai go over to the dutch fa and see their infrastuctures and then develop ours from there. The dutch probbl have some of the best young players around.

[Macy]

Exactly the problem with irish football. We should develo the structurs at grassroots level to esure the future is bright but we don't seem to now how to do this. Why don't the fai go over to the dutch fa and see their infrastuctures and then develop ours from there. The dutch probbl have some of the best young players around.
Yes, but in all these places the focus is through their domestic league. The likes of Ajax have the academy's, with the kids in there from 8 or 9 isn't it (if not lower). It would mean the "nursery" clubs being out of the loop, and god forbid actually concerned with kids playing for their club for the sake of playing - not some sick role call that ignores all the unfortunates that were sent and didn't make it.

It won't happen as the school boy section has too much pull, in the same way the eL wouldn't give up some of their power to allow the necessary changes to be made....

[pete]

Yes we have to take control of our own destiny asd a footballing nation. Can't assume english clubs will train our kids in the future.

Complete overhaul of National coaching structures. Focus on developing players at home & offering professional future in the eL. Best players can then move to big clubs instead of the Football Hoofball league.

We can importing coaching talent ionto Ireland if don't have it in-house.

[A face]

I don't think we have the facilities or the coaching staff here. I think it would be a great idea to send players off for a year or so to continental clubs. Our clubs here could easily set up links with plenty of continental clubs like i.e. Man Utd with Antwerp and it would be great for young players to be involved in something like that.


Were you still drunk when writing this ??


It doesn't necessarily have to be about "you can have first option on signing our best players" but even at least a swap of young players for a few months so they can experience a different set-up and a different culture.

It would most definitely be about "we'll rape you league of all it has" if were to go cap in hand, please help us out .... for nothing !! :eek:

It would WITOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT be cheaper to train our own, there is no argument. I cant believe you are even suggesting that.


I despaired last night watching us. While part of me accepts that our strengths lie sometimes with route one football, there is another side that says a hoof up the park is bread and butter for any decent defender. Kerr convinced me last night that he has to go now, completely out of his depth. Either that or the players don't have enough respect for him because they certainly didn't burst their nuts trying:mad:


We played hoof ball and it was never going to work. We need to develop players so they are more technically able to play.

[Green Tribe]

Maybe it is worth sniffing around the USA, see if there is any talented Irish-Americans willing to play for us......:o

[drinkfeckarse]

Were you still drunk when writing this ??


No:confused: it's a simple enough concept Face, I don't think we have the facilities or enough decent coaching staff in Ireland to do this at the moment.


It would most definitely be about "we'll rape you league of all it has" if were to go cap in hand, please help us out .... for nothing !! :eek:

Did you read my post?? I suggested a link up where our best young players could sample a continental way of life for a short period and vice-versa. That couldn't be anything less than beneficial.

It would WITOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT be cheaper to train our own, there is no argument. I cant believe you are even suggesting that.


We can train our own all we like but we don't have enough decent coaches to give them proper training.Long term maybe, if we invest in coaching now but not at the moment. All they get now is a typical kick and rush style of play. Why would sending some youngsters to i.e. Holland for a few months be anything less than good for them


We played hoof ball and it was never going to work. We need to develop players so they are more technically able to play.

And where better to learn better technical skills than on the continent??




I only had 4 pints last night btw :D

[NY Hoop]

We can send the players over to train with people like Ajax when they are young. We might have to pay for the privilege but it would be worth it in the longer term.

Hope you're joking. What makes you think the Dutch would want technically inferior players? Havent we been shipping off players to england for generations?

Dolan was right last night. A whole new broom needs to go through Merrion Square and we need to start again. Proper structures, proper facilities, the EL clubs to have schoolboy nurseries all the way down to U10s. Its sad that when our U17 national squad is announced not one player plays for an EL club.


KOH

[thejollyrodger]

lads, we could be facing in for a long pre jack charlton period. The players arent making it at england anymore. they are all journey men. We lack a real competitive edge and real leaders like we used to have in the late '80s and in the '90s. We arent technically great either and a bad combination of both has sent us sinking.

We could really fall down the rankings now

[colster]

Most Irish kids go over to England at 15 - 16. The development of skills etc. needs to start much earlier than that e.g. from 7/8 upwards. Thats when the Dutch do it. We need to start then and not rely on others to do it for us.
We should approach some foreign coaches and look to them to provide us with technical direction.

[hoops1]

Right here we go
The reasons we are poor are
1. Poor facilities everywhere,Grounds,training facilities,
have we got even 1 academy anywhere for developing our promising kids?
2. State of our national league,Pat Dolan touched on this last night We must be the only country in Europe that doesnt produce some of our national teams
players if we could produce 3 or 4 players even it would make the us much better all the time.Until this is addresssed we will never be any good.
All you non supporters are to blame aswell!
Pat said we pretend we want to get better but we dont and the state of the national league highlights this.
3. The competitiveness of our schoolboy football!Pat Dolan said'we can fight
but we cant play this is true' Les Kershaw chief Man Utd scout also said something simliar.And this is because while our schoolboy football is tough
to much emphasis is placed on winning.
I have witnessed schoolboy tournaments involving Ajax,AC Milan,Munich and
other big names and our schoolboy teams, where our kids have won alot because we are trying to win while there players are being developed!Go figure
4. The coaching system in this country. every muppet with time on his hands
can get badges. This people then go out and ruin kids because they think
that FAI badge makes them Mourinho.They dont understand the real value of the game i.e like John Giles.They play formations with tactics and fall into the sky sports rubbish.Instead of giving them the basics to pass and play from the back without fear of losing the ball or the match

[geysir]

Has to be a root and branch overhaul of our structures here. Driven from the top down - i.e. the eL down. Have them the focus of schoolboy football as well as the senior game, rather than the nursery clubs sending over kids to be fooked off with football in England.

There's been enough players sent abroad - we don't need to be sending them still just to different countries. Instead send the coaches to the likes of Ajax to learn the coaching techniques and teach kids in Ireland how to play with the focus on getting them into the eL. The cream of the crop will still go abroad, I've no doubt, but we should have a pool of players playing regularly in this country available to make up the bulk of the international squad. I wouldn't be opposed to central contracts to facilitate this either.
I like your comments, I haven´t a clue about the politics of the different factions involved in Irish football that you allude to but does it really matter if the under age national squad teams u17 to u21 for a while don´t actually have to win tournaments? I don´t see why that the brunt of the underage squads should not be home based. Instead of financing the travel expenses etc of overseas coached youngsters back to Ireland and their international experience, fund the coaching of the top home based 17 - 20 year olds. Give out contracts. (Irfu style) and sub contract them to EL clubs. If anyone is good enough and want to travel on then sell the players contract on for millions. Some structure that is mutually benifitting both the national and club structure.

[A face]

Has to be a root and branch overhaul of our structures here. Driven from the top down - i.e. the eL down. Have them the focus of schoolboy football as well as the senior game, rather than the nursery clubs sending over kids to be fooked off with football in England.

There's been enough players sent abroad - we don't need to be sending them still just to different countries. Instead send the coaches to the likes of Ajax to learn the coaching techniques and teach kids in Ireland how to play with the focus on getting them into the eL. The cream of the crop will still go abroad, I've no doubt, but we should have a pool of players playing regularly in this country available to make up the bulk of the international squad. I wouldn't be opposed to central contracts to facilitate this either.


I like your comments, I haven´t a clue about the politics of the different factions involved in Irish football that you allude to but does it really matter if the under age national squad teams u17 to u21 for a while don´t actually have to win tournaments? I don´t see why that the brunt of the underage squads should not be home based. Instead of financing the travel expenses etc of overseas coached youngsters back to Ireland and their international experience, fund the coaching of the top home based 17 - 20 year olds. Give out contracts. (Irfu style) and sub contract them to EL clubs. If anyone is good enough and want to travel on then sell the players contract on for millions. Some structure that is mutually benifitting both the national and club structure.

Great posts ..... would love to see something like the central contracts ... or at least a degree of consideration and a resolution !!

[Volcán Masaya]

I like the idea of a national academy. We have such a small talent pool that weneed to zone in on the potential good ones at a very early age at develop them to the best of their ability. We are WOEFULLY deficient in technical ability. It's not even funny anymore.

We need a boarding school type set-up, up in Kildare somewhere where lads can be groomed as well as recieve a bit of an education. Keep there as late as we can, 17... even later if possible, that we could sell them on for a bit of money. We can't be relying on lower divisiion clubs in england and Celtic to do it for us.
Bring in good foreign coaches, South Americans, Eastern Europeans, some Dutch fellas, and really drill the young lads.
Even the yanks have copped on to this with the USSF academy in Bradenton in Florida and they've reaped rewards.

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

I like the idea of a national academy. We have such a small talent pool that weneed to zone in on the potential good ones at a very early age at develop them to the best of their ability. We are WOEFULLY deficient in technical ability. It's not even funny anymore.

We need a boarding school type set-up, up in Kildare somewhere where lads can be groomed as well as recieve a bit of an education. Keep there as late as we can, 17... even later if possible, that we could sell them on for a bit of money. We can't be relying on lower divisiion clubs in england and Celtic to do it for us.
Bring in good foreign coaches, South Americans, Eastern Europeans, some Dutch fellas, and really drill the young lads.
Even the yanks have copped on to this with the USSF academy in Bradenton in Florida and they've reaped rewards.

Think you've hit the nail on the head there. That's a realistic objective which we should be trying to achieve.

[Stuttgart88]

We've definitely got a lot to learn from the IRFU approach.

The latest Genesis report also had some constructive offerings on how to improve the domestic game but its brief was very narrow. The total brief should have been how to improive the league and how to reduce our dependency on English clubs to produce our international players.

Root & branch reform is critical as it's absolutely clear that there must be a viable alternative to going to the UK aged 15. It's not to say that everyone should stay at home but there must be another choice.

[homersimpson]

the advent of human cloning and genetic engineering really excites me i would seriously consider asking our all time greats such as Paul McGrath, Liam Brady, Roy Keane, Frank Stapleton, Kevin Moran, Gary Doherty ( Um maybe not maybe we could use him as a guinea pig) to give us a sample of their DNA for this much needed cause.

[Metrostars]

Maybe it is worth sniffing around the USA, see if there is any talented Irish-Americans willing to play for us......:o

There is a talented young center-half Michael Parkhurst who plays for Steve Nicol's New England Revolution, his parents are from Ireland. He has said he would play for Ireland if called but they will have to act fast as his stock is rising and will probably be called us by Arena after next years World Cup if he continues to progress at the rate he is.

Plus there is Ronnie O'Brien who in my view, is playing better than any of our current central midfielders.