‘Playing at Pittodrie will be a dream come true’

 

Says Paul Coutts

 

By Ross McTavish

 

Published: 06/09/2010

 

 

PAUL Coutts aims to prove he is big enough to star at Pittodrie tomorrow after he was deemed too small to be a player with Aberdeen FC.

 

The midfielder is set to line up for the Scotland Under-21 side in their crunch Euro 2011 qualifier against Austria.

 

As a teenager, Coutts was let go by Aberdeen FC, admitting his size counted against him.

 

But after spells with Cove, Peterborough and Preston, the Aberdonian can’t wait to finally play at Pittodrie.

 

 

Read more: http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/1905133?UserKey=#ixzz0ynFYYwza

 

I know AFC have made a few gaffs down the years with this exact same error of judgment regarding a player's physicality but who in the name of holy fuck makes the decision to let such young players go for such a flimsy reason?

 

Other than certain clobberers, football in general (and ESPECIALLY in unders) is about skill, motivation and awareness - attributes that depend more on a kid's mentality than physicality. Even fitness is more about the willingness to train properly than natural physicality. How physically big or strong a 17 year old kid is has next to nothing to do with how he'll develop as a footballer in the years to come.

 

What pisses me off more than letting him go because whoever it was is a gormless dickhead is that Peterborough picked him up after 2 or 3 seasons playing at Cove. Fucking Cove?? What do our scouts do if they can't even notice talent in Cove? We'd be creaming over our midfield with a 22 y/o local boy who's of quality enough to be playing championship and U-21!! Perfect balance between the old boy and the youngsters coming through, or at least a nice transfer fee.

 

I suppose I'm just crying over spilled milk but this kind of short-sightedness is unforgivable imo.

 

Unfortunately this problem isn't exclusive to Aberdeen.  The amount of players released from other teams because of their lack of height etc is alarming.

 

I've started to help coach an U-13 team in Edinburgh and I've noticed most teams at this level and similar are full of big lads (for their age). The onus seems to be on physique more than ability as you say. We have one lad who imo has the potential to be a very good player but doesn't get a game, this is purely because whenever he does play he gets booted all over the park and just can't cope with the physical element.

This was always one of my gripes about Chic Mclelland.  Lads who were small at 13 or 14 were often let go.  I remember hearing from a mate who was part of the youth coaching set up that Chic used to use the youngsters parents as a guide to how big they're likely to get.  If you were small at 14 and you're folks were 5ft 7 or less then you'd pretty much had it.

Unfortunately this problem isn't exclusive to Aberdeen.  The amount of players released from other teams because of their lack of height etc is alarming.

 

I've started to help coach an U-13 team in Edinburgh and I've noticed most teams at this level and similar are full of big lads (for their age). The onus seems to be on physique more than ability as you say. We have one lad who imo has the potential to be a very good player but doesn't get a game, this is purely because whenever he does play he gets booted all over the park and just can't cope with the physical element.

 

Exactly this isn't even exclusive to Scottish Football. I'm sure I read somewhere that there is no EPL player born in August i.e. the youngest (and more than likely smallest) in their age group. I'm sure the same article also went on to say there was similar findings in most other sports all over the world.

Whatever happened to young Andrew?

 

 

 

Exactly this isn't even exclusive to Scottish Football. I'm sure I read somewhere that there is no EPL player born in August i.e. the youngest (and more than likely smallest) in their age group. I'm sure the same article also went on to say there was similar findings in most other sports all over the world.

 

A quick check shows that Joleon Lescott, Glen Johnson and Phil Jagielka from the current England squad all were born in August. Although it's an interesting idea I'm not sure it stands up to scrutiny. Maybe Mizer could od us a graph. 

 

A quick check shows that Joleon Lescott, Glen Johnson and Phil Jagielka from the current England squad all were born in August. Although it's an interesting idea I'm not sure it stands up to scrutiny. Maybe Mizer could od us a graph. 

 

In Bounce by Matthew Syed he makes a case for more sporting professionals being born in the early months of the year, purely because of their early adantage within age groups. Can't remember the specific points though.

I've been told the youth set up is brutal in terms of letting a kid go as soon as they uncover a more promising player, one in = weakest one out.

 

Obviously there will be occasions when players are released and then eventually make the grade elsewhere, because they're late developers or whatever, but I'm sure most clubs get it right most of the time.

In Bounce by Matthew Syed he makes a case for more sporting professionals being born in the early months of the year, purely because of their early adantage within age groups. Can't remember the specific points though.

 

Better than most, since he actually was a sportsman.

 

Like I said it's an interesting theory. Maybe some stats on birthdays could prove that clubs are (or were) adopting an "althlete or larger kids first" philosophy.

 

However, I still think the best will get to the top through talent and hard work.

 

 

Better than most, since he actually was a sportsman.

 

Like I said it's an interesting theory. Maybe some stats on birthdays could prove that clubs are (or were) adopting an "althlete or larger kids first" philosophy.

 

However, I still think the best will get to the top through talent and hard work.

 

Luck?

Luck, possibly, but I think that opportunities is a better word for it.

 

A case might be that AFC wouldn't take risks on kids from certain areas in Aberdeen. I'd say that was limited opportunity.

 

In Bounce by Matthew Syed he makes a case for more sporting professionals being born in the early months of the year, purely because of their early adantage within age groups. Can't remember the specific points though.

 

Is there a size advantage in table tennis? Surely players would be let go for being too big, given the Chinese abilities at the sport.

 

That sounds similar to what I read, no idea where I got the August bit though. It's something that bothers me from an academic rather than sporting point of view as my daughter was born on the 31st August. Anyway I'm off to Amazon to buy this book.

Is there a size advantage in table tennis? Surely players would be let go for being too big, given the Chinese abilities at the sport.

 

That sounds similar to what I read, no idea where I got the August bit though. It's something that bothers me from an academic rather than sporting point of view as my daughter was born on the 31st August. Anyway I'm off to Amazon to buy this book.

 

He didn't reference table tennis in that section of the book (although, as you can imagine, it gets a good going-over elsewhere) but it did show a few pieces of evidence supporting this theory. If I recall correctly the most obvious trends in Jan/Feb/March births he mentioned were in professional ice hockey.

 

It's an interesting read and certainly shatters a few myths regarding 'talent', although Syed's writing style gets a little irritating after a while.

I watched Paul Coutts play fitba as a youngster and I can confidently say that even f*cking David Blunkett could've told ye that he was good enough to be a professional footballer.

 

The fact that we let him go as a youth and then didn't snap him up when at Cove is an embarrassment. Having said that, I believe that he'll probably become a better player playing regularly under Darren Ferguson at Peterborough/PNE than he would if he had been plying his trade against the dross in the SPL.

Luck, possibly, but I think that opportunities is a better word for it.

 

A case might be that AFC wouldn't take risks on kids from certain areas in Aberdeen. I'd say that was limited opportunity.

 

I mean luck in the sense of not getting injured and the like.

Whatever happened to young Andrew?

 

 

Isn't the "too small" line just trotted out as a nice way of saying "you're nae good enough"?

 

If I'd been told whilst still in my early teens that "you're too small" then I'd leave Pittodrie thinking 'I'll fucking show them!' as opposed to having all my dreams shattered by being told I'm shite.

I'd say there's something in that ST. Only examples I can think of that don't fit that would be Shaun Maloney (he was in our youth set up at one point yeah?) and this Coutts character. Even the Coutts boy is just based on forum reports.

The rumour with Maloney was always that he was let go because he was a little to keen on ye' olde Cherry Bakewells.

Whatever happened to young Andrew?

 

I'm here. Just been away for a while. First home game of the season against Rangers

The rumour with Maloney was always that he was let go because he was a little to keen on ye' olde Cherry Bakewells.

 

I'd be astonished if that was true.  He lives near me and i see him out quite a lot, always in cafes and coffee shops when he should be in the pub.  He may well have cleaned up his act but i doubt it.  A proper little posh boy i'm led to believe. 

 

He is a tiny wee guy though, literally 35cm high.

I'd be astonished if that was true.  He lives near me and i see him out quite a lot, always in cafes and coffee shops when he should be in the pub.  He may well have cleaned up his act but i doubt it.  A proper little posh boy i'm led to believe. 

 

He is a tiny wee guy though, literally 35cm high.

 

Not saying its true or not, just that was the rumour doing the rounds when Celtic signed him up.

Not saying its true or not, just that was the rumour doing the rounds when Celtic signed him up.

 

Not saying you were right wrong or otherwise, just that i'd be astonished as when he left us the rolled up £10 note would have been bigger than him... 

My friend's son signed for Hibs at age 17 and Tony Mowbray reckoned he was destined for great things - said at the time he was the most exciting youth prospect on the books

 

Went to Doncaster last summer and was released in January and has now given up football all together

 

He was tiny

I'm here. Just been away for a while. First home game of the season against Rangers

 

Nice to see you back pal. 

Huns at hame will be my first game of the season too! 

 

That will be the first Huns at home game i've missed in 12 years