baggy89

I think it's a UK wide issue. Winning is the most important thing, from 6 years old on. Don't get me wrong winning is important but not at the expense of development. Been coaching youth football for 7 years with a mixed team and 2.5 with a girls team. I've never focused on just winning. Instead developing technique, decision making and not being afraid of making mistakes. To be honest it's been fucking awful and utterly soul destroying at times. You take a player who has been ignored and left a club because they're tripping over their own feet, give them game time, decent coaching focusing on them as a player and they develop only for another team to say "come play for us, you'll win more", and off they go. I estimate I've lost 20-30 players in those seven years to more fashionable teams and they hoard the better players eliminating competition, often playing atrocious football. Players that you've coached to be all round players, at the back because they're tall thumping the ball long for the short fast kid to run on to. Playing alongside some other big lad who's been with them since he was 6 but still can't kick a ball straight. I don't know what the answer is the EFA talk about coaches not being parents of a child on that team, but that I think is slightly unrealistic due to logistics. Although I understand why, as it reduces the risk of parents living vicariously through their children. I quite like the model with girls football whereby we played festivals every second month until Under 11. Parents could watch but not comment, games were short so no demoralizing scorelines and coaches encouraged to only be positive. It's still competitive as I think on the whole the girls involved are way more determined and aggressive than the lads. Only thing is you've still got folk involved who go round trying to cherry pick the best players and doing mini-leagues in their head. The only solution to that, that I can come up with is give clubs specific areas they can recruit players from. For clubs with more than one team per age group, give each team an area within their catchment area. There would need to be exceptions say a percentage per team can be outwith but league registration is only granted with a valid reason. That would force coaches to actually coach and work with what they have. Maybe even register with the league and they allocate you a team. Would stop all the A, B, C team nonsense. Compulsory Youth Module for all coaches and Level 2 within first 3/4 years. This should be funded by Sky, BT and others profiting from football. Along with EPL clubs being made to fund building of one or two all weather facilities per season throughout the UK. Grass roots clubs apply from all over the country and they are drawn from a hat. Sorry for rant but sort the grass roots out and the rest will follow, it's where everyone starts after-all.

I'm sure you're correct, although it is Ryan Jack so I wouldn't be crediting him with not talking like a retard.

Surely as we have finished above them every season of their entire existence, it is them who should be looking to challenge us...

What was Mascherano doing for the third? Standing with his hand up rather than actually defending. Dominic Ball-esque. Delighted for Croatia though. Loved them since Euro '96 Boban, Suker, Jarni, Bilic, Prosinecki, Boksic, Simic...

EFA

Not sure who's getting excited or stressed? Nae sure where you're getting that info in bold from? What about folk like Boruc, Wanayama, Van Dijk and Forster. Even Stevens Davis and Naysmith? Charlie Adam played for Liverpool ffs. Your own (former) player Scott Arfield was never a top, top flight player here. Then we have, again, your former player, Barton who couldn't hack it in Scotland. Games were flying past him and he thought he'd stroll it. James Maddison was on our bench more often than not, and now a £20 million player. Albeit we could see he had talent. Steven Caulker another former England international doing OK here but not exactly dominating the leagues best attackers. I'd agree some teams in the top league here would struggle in league one, but there is more of a financial gulf within the top league in Scotland than anywhere else in the world. Being neighbours with the richest league in the world means we all have to work harder due to the financial inequalities between the two league setups e.g. the winner of the lower league cup in england gets more in prize money than the winner of the Scottish Cup. I'd have thought your club takes more in TV money than every club in Scotland combined. So the gap at the top is less than a lot of english arrogance will ever admit.

It's like the Belgian away top but theirs is yellow. Would have been better in yellow with black stripes and shorts. https://assets.adidas.com/images/w_600,f_auto,q_auto/81d472933daf4bc7b2c8a85d00ef16ee_9366/Belgium_Away_Jersey_Gold_BQ4536_21_model.jpg[/img]

Aye, don't think I'd be celebrating the arrival of the likes of Jeff Hendrick, Chris Wood, Nhaki Wells, Ashley Westwood, or Jonathan Walters. EPL equivalent of Caley Thistle signings. Despite their over inflated EPL price tags. Don't get me wrong I'm sure they'd do a job but pretty sure you'd get equivalents for a lot less. No doubt Dyche has got Blackburn punching through discipline and organisation. But there is no doubt their tactics are based on not losing. Much the same as McInnes tries to do with us against the tims. We tend to struggle against teams that take the game to us, but will always nick a goal against the organised teams. Important thing will be not to concede at home (like that stupid one against the Cyp's last year) and ideally nick a goal there. Cosgrove will play both legs. Hopefully Yatsie and his new Macc side (including Jared Hopkiss) give them a real physical going over in their friendly the weekend prior to the first leg. Wouldn't be a Macc side if they didn't...

Was in the home end when Cheltenham beat them in the FA cup in 2002. Remember goading their keeper about "working in a chip shop", (because he was Greek) didn't make much sense to me but it seemed to amuse the guffies. That and my mate punching me in the nose when the second went in.

Well up for this een should have the better of them over the two legs.

I saw Goldson play a couple of times for Cheltenham the January of the season we got relegated out of the league. To be fair I think Shrewsbury recalled him due to potential damage a shite team heading for the drop could do to a half decent young player, but he did nothing to convince me he was better than Michael Hector (a £4 million player) whom McKenna is/will be better than.

Absolutely no way we’re letting McKenna go for that. Was the final offer (turned down) in January not rumoured to be about that? Even at double that there should be significant add on’s including at least a quarter of any future sell on.

I'd have been hauling him off. He may be very talented and comfortable taking people on and beating them but to do it over and over losing the ball and/or being fouled stopped his team developing any kind of rhythm.

Am I missing something? Why does Linneker keep saying Germany won the 1998 World Cup.

True. Sone looks like a cunt with his weave and make-up, still thick as fuck and ken’s fuck all about fitba though.

Yup, whats the bet Morocco v Iran is the pick of today's games.

Would be fucking fantastic to do them over in his first league game, after they've previously been knocked out of Europe at first attempt. Cunts.

I'd hazard it may have been a decision taken either on the back of, or as an insurance against other "big" clubs making the Spanish FA's future life difficult. Can't imagine teams with players involved in that squad being happy about potential tapping up by next seasons Real Madrid coach.

I liked him as Ken in, In Brugge and The Monk in Gangs of New York.

Is it his weird shaped heid, sunken eyes and reptilian complexion? or just that he's a hun cunt?

Always though she was a lesbian.

Jesus this boy's thick as pig shit so bound do be a decent footballer. Good to know he can do the passing and the shooting and that he can pass to lads that can do the goal scoring and maybe score some goals himself and run about the pitch a bit and maybe do some tackles, win the ball and pass to someone to score so we can win the game. :D

He's constantly in a hurry... To shovel, more pies into his gob, money into his pocket and talk even more shite.

I generally couldn’t give a fuck when folk pass. But I am properly gutted by this. Way too early. RIP Tattie.

He’d only waste it on pies.