Bobby Charlton once called Home Farm FC the best soccer nursery in the world.
But that's because their is no incentive for them to do otherwise.Originally Posted by eekers
The fact that there are U7 trophies and leagues to win is the problem, not that the clubs are winning them.
Also they are 2 fantastic Junior Clubs that have contributed a lot to Irish soccer. I say that as a person with the red and black in my wardrobe.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
yea there was a time Home Farm when was supplying loads of players to English/Scottish clubs. I wonder is that still the case? Didn't they fade a bit and Tolka Rovers and others pick up where they left off?
BonnieShels: it's reckoned that only about 35% of the Catalan population have Catalan as their native language, despite what the politicized hipsters would tell ya. Anyway they are forgiving when foreigners speak Spanish. And learning Catalan would be moer limiting than learning Spanish. So, no.
Ah janey Texi. I was joshing. I do like your term politicized hipsters. I may steal that.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
There was a Home Farm age group a few years back that produced something like a dozen players who were picked up by top clubs, including Darren O'Dea, Owen Garvan, Chris McCann and Shane Supple.
As for playing 11-a-side before the age of 14? I'd say most of us here probably started when we were 6 or 7.
And there was a Home Farm schoolboy team that went unbeaten for four years too wasn't there? I remember losing 1-0 to them in a cup semi-final in about the third year of that run. Don't think any of them went on to do anything though, which seems strange enough. There's a disconnect between schoolboy football and the international side. Also the fact that second gen players developed elsewhere, with no connection to Irish game (beyond a passport and, in fairness, often a genuine sense of pride too) can get into the International side with ease can't be good for the heads of players who play the game here. I don't remember Pat Byrne ever disgracing himself in an Irish shirt.. and Liam O'Brien was a better player at Shamrock Rovers before he went to Man United.. both players that Jack Charlton picked.
Can't see these things ever changing until the league here starts getting more support.
That was the same Home Farm team I think.
I can't see the league getting more support until things change. But how can that paradox be broken?
On the idea of an academies. Part of improving things has to be raising the profile of the LOI & IL. As kids are coming out of the academies at whatever age it is decided they should be moving on into local clubs, there would be the potential to have some sort of american style talent draft. It would make for a great hour or so of TV if nothing else.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
I played against that Home Farm team back in the late-80's, if I remember rightly. One thing I do remember is Eddie VanBoxtel playing for them. We played them in Blanch, lost 3-1 but not many of their players did much in the pro game. It's a difficulty that setting out to win at all costs in youth level is very destructive in the senior game. I also remember them being filthy. I was switched from left wing to right full because of injuries and they were so nasty.
I thought Gary Kelly was part of that team, no? My friend's dad coached Kenny Cunningham there and advised him to stay at school, he'd never make it!
So true, most Irish players are playing in England but the big English teams who are playing in Europe every season are not signing many Irish players anymore since they are combing the globe for the cream of the worlds top technical players.
So alot of our best players are missing out on playing other top european players every second week for half the season and this is part of the reason Irish football is in decline.
I wonder say much is the likes of Keith Andrews earning at West Brom? Would he get the same money and get his game for the likes of say FC Copenhagen where he might get much more European experience?
It's this alone that I think McGeady moving to Russia was important
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Half way to solving the problem with posts likes this. At least we're identifying the issue and we can put a plan in place to help the youths.
Heard a great argument the other day, forget national acadameys and the like, what's holding back our players is the fact that the FAI no longer allow players to go to the UK on trial at 11 and 12 years of age. Apparently not shipping our youngsters across to England at a young enough age, when 90% of them will fail and have their love of the game destroyed, is actually what's going wrong. We need to get them on the cattle boats to England before they're out of primary school and all our problems will be solved. Simple. This was a 100% serious argument put to me.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Tallaght Stadium Regular
Imagine how much better Roy Keane would have been if he had left Ireland aged 12 instead of aged 19!
While my views have not been in line with others in regards to the possibility of a National Academy, I think we all agree that we would need a stronger league to justify such a move.
The A League in Australia has one great advantage over the LOI. There are 10 teams in it and no relegation system. This ensures that the financial threat associated with relegation does not exist, and in turn, gives the clubs greater confidence going forward. The clubs are also salary capped to ensure competitiveness.
I am not saying that the league is brilliant or the answer to all our problems, but it does produce international players and many players play in it when older like Kewell and Emerton. I would also say that I don't think they have produced players of the quality of Doyle, McClean etc.
I think to also justify the point I am making, the English Rugby Union Clubs often complain about the fact that the Irish provinces are given an unfair advantage as they do not have to face relegation battles like they do. There may be some truth to it considering Irish sides have been champions for 5 out of the last 7 years.
Lads, before any of you decide to ridicule me for this inclusion, I felt it was worth mentioning in terms of the general debate on here and I am not saying it is the solution.
Last edited by gastric; 19/06/2012 at 3:12 AM.
Glossing over the rugby argument.
There is more money in the A-League than in the LOI. It is not competing with Junior Football.
When you have a league in a sand bowl of a country it's easy to just plonk a team or two into a city and go "there it is lads".
Australia's soccer history is not something we should want to replicate. Completely different story to our issues.
Also, there was no relegation in the LOI until the First Division was created in the 80's. We weren't exactly kicking arse internationally then either.
We need to look at similar countries to ourselves (Croatia, Sweden, Denmark) and then when we have appropriate structures in place then we can aspire to be like Netherlands and Belgium etc.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
I just found this article again about why Shane Supple retired. It gives an excellent insight into a player who was realistic, honest and homesick for much of his time in England. This is the sort of player who may have excelled in Ireland, if the right set up existed. Worth a look!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...ne-Supple.html
The reason players return the A-league when they're older is that they want to live at home. There's not the same geographic/cultural gulf between Ireland and the UK. Plus there's more money, etc.
It was very interesting re-reading this thread given that it was a year out from Euro2012 and the nadir that it was.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
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