Some gloomy reading on a Tuesday morning - http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/s...ll-464661.html
I'd say these journalists secretly love seeing the Irish team struggle as with so many doom merchant's on this island their is so much potential to write clickbait and get views.
It's not a bad article, and there's more to come tomorrow, but I'd like to see more made of the recent successes at underage level. No mention of Ogbene's recent trials in England either.
That's a good overview of some of the differing perspectives and competing politics at national youth development level. However, the overall message is unfortunately rather gloomy, as you say. I thought these comments by Terry O’Donovan of Cork's College Corinthians were telling and potentially ominous (but hopefully they prove not to be):Originally Posted by DeLorean
"The Dublin Schoolboys league — the best league in the country — went over to play Everton last year with their U13s. Everton had to put out a team a year younger to make it a fair match. The English academies are so strong. The Irish kids are competing against players from all over the world. Plus you see England are getting success at U17 and U19 level. Full of big, strong, powerful players.
So the FAI had a dilemma. And this is the solution they dreamt up. The principle is right, but money talks. If the FAI had money to structure it properly, put proper coaches in place, it would have a much better chance.
But finance is a problem. Can we afford to run U15 National Leagues, U13 leagues? The League of Ireland clubs can’t really afford it. But it’s being forced on them. Will it work, I don’t know. Time will tell."
Looking forward to tomorrow's instalment. Maybe Ogbene will get a mention then as the LOI view will feature. Has there been any update on his current situation, by the way? Who was he with before Cork?
Every time we miss out on a tournament, or even suffer a defeat that really exposes our limitations, we get the same laments about the underage teams and development and wondering where the players are going to come from. It's an easy piece for a journalist to write, but the reality is that far too few people actually care about developing underage talent.
At least this time we seem to have been spared the pie-in-the-sky notions of an Irish premier league team, or a Celtic league, or any of that knee-jerk rubbish.
The main thing I pick from that article is the continuing moaning of schoolboys clubs about the money they're going to miss out on with schoolboys now going to League of Ireland clubs.
None of them spoke of growing the game in Ireland.
The article references, over and over again, the lack of players coming through in England. None of the article references trying to grow the game in Ireland, outside of Dokters contribution.
Feck the schoolboys clubs. If they're only willing to think about themselves then they don't deserve the money.
It's a good thing that more players are CHOOSING to stay at home.
We may not have the finances yet, but we're going in the right direction. It's attitudes that need to change in this country above all else. People need to start pulling in the one direction if we're to see any long term benefit.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
What annoys me, and I mean it properly annoys me, is that we continually look to the Premier League - and not just the run-of-the-mill clubs like West Brom, or Burnley - and specifically the big 6 and the traditional clubs who year in year out bring through fantastic kids to the first team.
We're a small country, with no professional football history - generally speaking. We're comparing our kids against one of the biggest countries in Europe with the greatest money. It's ridiculous. We cannot and will never be able to compare to the academies of the Premier League. I really like the idea of the Underage National Leagues, but it needs to be supported financially, properly, by the FAI. I really like the question raised connecting the "non0competitive" element - that's an oxymoron for anyone who's watched an elite under 11 game in the DDSL - with the sudden impact of under 13 national league football.
I think as well, some of the "coaching" that these super schoolboy clubs are offering is over-rated. They whinge about the LOI clubs pinching their best players? WTF have they done to every community club that has ever had a decent team going back the last 30 years? The exact same. Pilfer and pillage.
I'll throw my hands up and say straight out that I don't have a lot of time for Liam Brady. He is giving a perspective from Arsenal point of view. Arsenal. They have the pick of the best players in the world, and regularly do just that. I remember them signing one Irish International a very talented creative midfielder, and the very same week signed the Italian and German (possibly) international equivalent. They don't give a sh1t. They do the same as what our "elite" schoolboy clubs do: they angle to sign the best players they can, put them together, and let them sink or swim. If they get one through to the first team every 2nd season great, if not, they'll discard the rest for fees that cover the running of their academy.
We want to genuinely see what models to follow? Go to a Southampton; Go to a Genk; go to the non-mega clubs who consistently produce kids for first-team football that we can potentially emulate.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Or what Nigel-Harps said. No biggie.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
I kind of like Brady as a person but find myself repeatedly underwhelmed by his contributions. With the football background that he has he really should have a lot more interesting things to say that aren't as obvious or well known to the average Joe Soap.
His comments are the same ones he made 10 years ago, and about the same players. He really doesn't come across as well informed at all.
Not saying all is perfect but St Kevin's have beaten Barca and Arsenal in youth tournaments and i've seen Cherry Orchard beat English clubs comfortably.
We don't have the players of 20 years ago coming through but there is a lot of very good players in the English academies that we have that could make it. All Irish born.
Of course Belvo and Orchard will be annoyed. I don't blame them. However,the greater good of the game is our best youths attached to loi clubs.
Part two is out today http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/s...us-464729.html
Billy Woods and Neal Horgan come across well, as does the coach that they interview. The Leicester scout however doesn't seem too concerned about Irish football, “There is still good talent here. And I don’t believe in all of this training hours stuff. You either have it or you don’t. Kevin’s and Joeys and Belvedere are doing as much work in the academies as they are in England.”
These journalist's must be secretly loving Ireland's failure to qualify for the WC, with all the doom merchants living on this island there is so much potential for clickbait articles like these!
Not giving out, but that's just not true. The real truth is that 20 years ago the trickle of players in that same system that weren't from English-speaking countries was starting to increase, to the point where now there is a serious wedge of similar players from all-over Europe (and beyond). That's the difference.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
just seemed that they all have there own interests at heart more than the players interest which should come 1st
That certainly made an awful lot more sense than the first article.
The Leicester scout is peddling pure self interest though, which of course is understandable, speaking from a Leicester point of view is likely what he was asked. The line about massive compensation paid out to League of Ireland clubs will hurt English academies hoovering up of players in Ireland on the cheap and that's a good thing.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Fair point but i watch a lot of schoolboy football and 20 years ago the standard in the ddsl was really top class. We had very high class youths then and while injuries and bad luck (eg graham barrett or willo flood) meant we had less than should have come through,we had a great batch. They were as good as their counterparts in Europe as they showed by winning underage titles.
My point was that the standard is still high. My understanding is that Arsenal tried to sign McCauley,masterson and Kelleher who all went to Liverpool,jack byrne and tyreke wilson who went to man city and lee o'connor who went to United. I'm fairly sure Parrott chose Spurs over Arsenal too. Brady is talking through his arse. That's still a lot of players when you think about it so his narrative is ridiculous.
Lot of really good responses on here to those articles, which had some good points but, as noted, a lot of doom and gloom as well as some selfish fiefdom protection.
I'll start with Liam Brady as chief doom-mongerer - as others have noted saying that there's no Irish youngsters at "clubs like Arsenal" ignores Masterson, Kelleher and McAuley at Liverpool, Wilson and Corrigan at Man City, O'Connor at United, Parrott at Spurs (yes Liam, Spurs are around the same level as Arsenal), Ryan Nolan at Inter Milan and, wait for it, ARMSTRONG OKOFLEX AT ARSENAL! That's nine. He then laments that this is a far worse situation than our recent "golden age" of the early years of the century mentioning the following top-class players of those teams:
Richard Dunne - came through Everton's youth team before playing most of his career in a mid-level Man City side before it was taken over by Abu Dhabi United Group and became a global power
Damien Duff - established himself at Blackburn Rovers
Robbie Keane - started at Wolves, then had spells at Coventry and Leeds before establishing himself at Spurs.
So perhaps we shouldn't be too worried that our some top youngsters are making progress at clubs like Brighton, Southampton, Stoke, Watford, Wolves, Norwich and Reading.
As regards the National underage leagues, they are clearly a good idea, allowing the best youngsters in the country to play against others of a similar level consistently and take advantage of the resources of the League of Ireland Clubs. The local schoolboys teams shouldn't be allowed to undermine this to protect narrow interests. However, there should be a way to accommodate some of the more successful schoolboy clubs by allowing them to participate in an expanded league (as St Kevins Boys have been allowed to). The geographical grouping is a good idea as it cuts costs and standalone schoolboys teams should receive support to participate.
There should also be a system of compensation for schoolboys clubs whose youngsters go via a LOI club to England. As the Leicester scout noted, when the LOI clubs get involved, compensation figures go up, so there should be a way of splitting the funds which would allow schoolboy clubs outside the National Underage League systems to remain financially viable in the longer term.
Finally, that Coerver training system sounds like a great idea and should be used in conjunction with the National Leagues.
Don't forget Jordan McEneff also at Arsenal, switched to the ROI this year.
There is - it was agreed a few years ago.
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