http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/7244803.stm
"People will look back at what we are doing in five years time and say Charlton had the vision to set this structure up around the world and from that have come these players who they didn't paying huge fees for."
Comments
forward thinking but also thinking of the community
brings a lump to the ol' throat!
Harry Redknapp was saying pretty much the same thing recently. It's really depressing that, when the incentives to succeed couldn't be bigger, young English players don't seem to want to work for it in the same way that the African players do.
For SOME African born kids the difference is between poverty and a high standard of living for you and your extended family.
Virtually every kid that really enjoys their football will want to play football for the love of the game, not for the riches it attracts. That comes later down the line.
I have a nagging doubt that in our desire to improve technique, catch up with overseas etc, we put our kids into a concentrated, almost professional set up from too young an age.
From then onwards, the desire to compete and improve slowly eradicates the desire because kids mentally are under pressure to improve and perform. Some strive on that, while others will fall back through not having the mental strength to deal with those issues, or through the fact they have simply lost their enjoyment.
I'm more than likely wrong, but it would explain why we as a nation are much more successful in producing 'utility workers' rather than technical sound, creative individuals.
I think the method of coaching would certainly effect the skills and technique of players and I think you have a point about the English system but desire is, IMHO, something different.
Boxers have always come from poor backgrounds because it was a way out of poverty. That's not to say that middle class kids like Frank Lampard can't make it but I think, as a very broad generalisation, that the poorer you are the more you are likely to have the desire to push on if you have a chance.
By the same token a lot of kids at ASEC and other African clubs will drop out and not make it for lots of reasons. Let's hope that our kids make it. I know that we could sell the players we have now for a profit if we wanted to.
The solution is to take away the houses of the families of the english lads who are part of an academy :-)
I'm guessing the the ASEC players will be at the game today.
I think this is the way forward. make them sleep on the streets until they win a first team contract. Toughen them up that will.
There was 15 of us living in a paper bag in the middle of road....
Anyone hear any snippets of how they compared against the ressies ?
The rest of the world, or least some clubs in France, already know which is IMHO why it was important to sign the deal.
You are right that some people will complain if we don't have 5 Ivorians in the first team next week but what can you do? It's difficult to manage people's unrealisitc expectations despite saying that it is a long term deal and the fact that even at Man U and Arsenal not every kid makes it.
At the AGM the PLC board were asked why we had no good youngsters coming thru like Palace do? Should we have played down the Youth cup games so people don't know who JJ Shevley is? As it is there must have been a scout from just about every club at the last youth cup game so they all know already.
As long as we're not shouting from the roof tops that we've got the next Rooney but we're not selling him (like some clubs) and so setting ourselves up for a fall I don't see what is wrong with telling fans what is going on to secure the long term future of the club and the strategy we are taking.
Optimists think "those ASEC boys must be good. Looking forward to seeing a few in the team in the years to come"
Pessimists think "Our reserves got beat by a boys team! What if we have some injuries. We'll never go up."