Seems like there's something morally wrong with scouts telling parents their six year old is good enough to play for Arsenal one day (a promise he's so far failed to keep)
Bad call by daddy Afobe. How many Arsenal "starlets", like Chelsea's, fail to break into the first team squad, go out on loan after loan and end up, arguably, doing less well than if they had started at a smaller club where chances and first team exposure are more likely?
Talent is only one small part of the jigsaw. Sometimes scouts get over-excited about bigger kids who fall by the wayside as they get older. Sometimes they don't have the work ethic or attitude or decision making ability to make it.
Never believed that you can tell how good a kid will be at the age of six to then focus everything on Football is a massive mistake as very, very few make the grade. I am sure we all remember Sonny Pike he was going to be the next Maradona where is he now? Friend of mine's son was at Wigan and even played a couple of Carling Cup games he is a cracking little player but still didn't make the grade. Fortunately his parents encouraged him to continue with his education and not over focus on the Football so even though he had that diappointment he now has a great job working for Delta Airlines in the US and plays semi-pro.
Strange move by his Dad - if someone is good enough to play for Arsenal then at some point down the line they will, whether it be via a club in the division below or whatever.
If his Dad keeps a close eye on Football at Championship/League One level (I suspect probably not considering how small he thought we were) then he'd be kicking himself after seeing how well Jonjo Shelvey and Carl Jenkinson have done.
Talent is only one small part of the jigsaw. Sometimes scouts get over-excited about bigger kids who fall by the wayside as they get older. Sometimes they don't have the work ethic or attitude or decision making ability to make it.
Totally agree with this. Kids develop at different speeds and physique is a better way to select what teams they play in rather than age. Boy's clubs oftenn use the physical attributes of a lad (which make them stand out) but this means that in many cases they don't focus enough on their weaknesses in their game and in later years when the differential is not so pronounced they fall by the wayside. Doesn't help the smaller kids either playing against a boy that has a great physical advantage. Still, as long as many youth coaches and parents put more emphasis on winning and less on development - this will always happen.
As for this lad- maybe Jonjo Shelvey's and Carl Jenkinson's dads made massive errors and held back their careers. Maybe Gus Poyet hasn't got a clue about football either
Comments
Very niave of his dad to assume that to make it as a top division player, you have to start at their academy.
If his Dad keeps a close eye on Football at Championship/League One level (I suspect probably not considering how small he thought we were) then he'd be kicking himself after seeing how well Jonjo Shelvey and Carl Jenkinson have done.
Bit of a non-story all in all.
TBH honest I think most parents would choose Arsenal over Charlton. They may not to correct to do so but hardly a surprise that they would.
As for this lad- maybe Jonjo Shelvey's and Carl Jenkinson's dads made massive errors and held back their careers. Maybe Gus Poyet hasn't got a clue about football either
His Maths is rubbish as well, seeing as he only scored 5 times for The Terriers.