League leaders Lille were held to a 1-1 home draw with Bordeaux in Ligue 1 on Saturday while Lorient came from behind to beat Rennes 2-1.Lille had the chance to extend their lead on second-placed Olympique Marseille to six points with a victory and it looked like happening when Moussa Sow converted Yohan Cabaye’s assist just before the hour-mark.
It was Sow’s 22nd goal of the season in all competitions for Lille and it looked like Rudi Garcia’s side would bounce back from their shock defeat to Monaco last week, but the visitors had other ideas and claimed an equaliser with 14 minutes remaining.
Serbian defender Vujadin Savic was the unlikely goalscorer, snaring his first of the season to secure Bordeaux’s fourth successive draw and deny the table-toppers.
Lorient dealt Rennes’ Champions League aspirations a further blow with their 2-1 away win at the Stade de la Route de Lorient.
Stephane Dalmat opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a low strike that found its way into the bottom left corner, but despite taking the lead, Rennes were on the back foot when a pair of yellow cards saw Samuel Souprayen sent off, giving Lorient the numerical advantage.
And it was an advantage they took full use of, with the equaliser coming shortly after half-time when Kevin Gamiero’s near-post header found the back of the net as he notched his 16th strike of the season and levelled proceedings.
The goal gave Lorient life and 12 minutes later they grabbed the winner through Arsenal loanee Francis Coquelin, who scored a close range effort to claim his first goal for the season.
Coquelin’s goal proved enough for victory, with Rennes’ defender Jean Kana Biyik also sent off, leaving the hosts with nine men to finish the match.
A late, injury-time free-kick from Dariusz Dudka has handed Auxerre a 1-0 victory over Toulouse, moving them up to 14th, while Lens did little to help their lowly position with a 1-1 draw against Brest.
Nice’s resurgence continued as they extended their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions with a 3-2 home win over Monaco.
Caen slipped into the relegation zone after being downed 3-2 by Sochaux, while Dimitri hit a brace as St Etienne defeated Nancy 2-1 to move to sixth.
England’s top football clubs have spent millions developing their academies and bringing up a large number of boys from a very young age, yet many have little, or no end product to show for it. Chelsea, for instance, have brought hardly anyone through since John Terry’s progression to the first team, and it has now become common for many clubs to scour other countries for talent, instead of developing youngsters at home. The youth development system in this country has been overhauled so many times, but have any of the changes made any difference, and are British academies failing the youth in this country?
It is over a decade since Howard Wilkinson launched the Charter for Quality document, which set out to revamp youth development in this country, by establishing the academy system that we are now familiar with. The document granted power to professional clubs, who it was thought had the coaching expertise to be able to take talented youngsters to the next level. It also geographically restricted where clubs could draw their players from, to localise and spread elite player development.
There are currently over 40 club academies, and they register children from as young as eight years old. Some have even started to look at younger children from the age of six, which makes you wonder what exactly youngsters are being assessed on. From the time when they are registered, boys are shed by clubs year on year, until there is very few, if any, left to make the jump professionally. Trauma engulfs the academy set up, as youngsters who had set their hearts and hopes on a football career, and little else, get rejected at tender ages. The ones who do come through, are more often than not given little opportunity to play in their clubs first teams, and many have to go elsewhere to develop any further. Clubs invest a lot of money and time developing their academies and youth set-ups, yet the outcome of the system is shattered dreams for the majority, with few positive results.
The way the academy system is set up, sees clubs scour the nation for the best prospects and sign up tens of thousands of children, in order to ensure that no talented child is missed. This often leads to heartbreak and disaster further down the road, as so few youngsters can actually make it in the game professionally. Only 1% of trainees will ultimately play football for a living, which shows the slim odds that those trying to make it are up against. The majority of boys will have given most of their young lives to academies only to suffer disappointment, which is a devastating blow to take after they have invested so much time and effort. Often they are tossed aside, with little thought for what happens to them from that point onwards. There certainly needs to be a better system in place to help young players, once they are cast aside from a clubs academy set-up and this is one of the main failings of the system. Another of its failings is the preference of clubs to scour other countries for teenage talent, which serves no benefit to the youth in this country at all. If you are bringing up your own kids, then what is the point of looking elsewhere for expensive talent, who will then jump ahead of your own academy prospects.
It would be easy to argue that the academy system is not to blame and that talented youngsters would come through if they were good enough, but it seems as if a lot of talent is actually turned away due to the footballing mindset within this country. If we look at the way academies select kids, they often tend to prefer the athletic, tall, strong children, whilst the smaller boys-who could arguably be more skilful-are turned away from an early age. Academy football is also played with a very rigid style, which means that true talent never really gets a fair chance. This priority of physical presence and athletic ability, has certainly not helped to develop technical footballers in this country and needs to change if we are to start developing more world class modern footballers. There is also a problem with the pressure that is put on young children at academies, instead the emphasis should be placed on putting the fun back in the game at the younger ages, with the focus on enjoyment over winning.
The changes that the Charter for Quality set out to make have not really provided the strength in depth, in terms of a bigger talent pool, that they were supposed to. However, it could be our expectations that we need to revamp rather than the academy system. Compared to the footballing superpower of Brazil, England has a much smaller talent pool to draw on, and perhaps we need to scale back our estimations as to why we aren’t successfully developing more world class players.
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The academy system hasn’t been all doom and gloom, and there are many thriving academies which have produced top quality players over the last decade. The West Ham academy is just one of the success story’s, with several of England’s so called ‘golden generation’ passing through the ranks of the famed academy youth system. The environment in the set up, is hailed as an important factor in its development, and maybe this is the problem with many of the academies around the country. You can throw all the money in the world at developing young players, but it takes more than that to produce Premier League quality players. Due to the amount of money that is around in the modern game, academies are now filled with foreign talent, which must be disheartening for the English kids, who are then told they are not good enough. The academy system was never set up to be filled with anyone outside of English youth, and it is a shame in terms of English talent that they are turned away as foreign talent is brought in.
It is interesting to look at the developments at the Liverpool academy over the last few years which illustrate that the academy system is not a total failure. Liverpool implemented changes to their failing youth set-up, taking on the Barcelona mould of developing talent during Rafael Benitez’s reign at the club, and it is already proving to be successful. Their academy has progressed at an astounding rate, and it shows that the academy system can work in this country successfully, if it is well run, and if the youngsters are given time and patience to develop, and are given the opportunity to transition to the senior team. There are success stories in terms of youth development, but there should be more if we consider the widespread changes that the academy system brought in. Perhaps it is unfair to judge the academy system so harshly, as there is so much pressure and demand for instant results in the modern game, that it has never really been given a fair shot to succeed.
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It seems as if the problems and the blame for the state of youth development in this country lie somewhere between the FA and the Premier and Football League’s. The FA can’t monitor the quality of academies as the league’s don’t want them to oversee clubs work, and there is also no central body that is in place to reform and run the system. The Premier League is set to introduce the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which is the newest reform on youth development, and it will be interesting to see if the changes that are proposed can take youth development in this country from its current state of limbo.
Changes like the EPPP, show that those in charge are not averse to change and trying something new to revamp youth development. The changes will make way for the English clubs to match continental methods of training youngsters, and it will certainly be interesting to see what difference, if any, is made. Patience needs to be the key though, as the changes will take time to implement and we can’t keep relying on short term solutions and quick fixes. It is harsh to suggest that the academy system has failed, but it is clear that certain aspects have affected the development of British youth. Despite its problems, a lot of talent is being produced by academies in this country, and perhaps the real blame lies not at the feet of the academy system, but somewhere higher up the development ladder.
Do you think the academy system has failed the young players in this country? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.
It seems one of those long running transfer saga’s may finally reach a conclusion in the next few days with West Ham and England midfielder Scott Parker finally making his way from East London onto new pastures. One long term admirer of the player has been Harry Redknapp . He has made numerous attempts to sign the classy midfielder but at this point do they really need him? I can’t help but feel the manager may want him far more than the club’s loyal supporters do.
Redknapp seems to have some sort of obsession with Parker and personally I am not entirely sure why that is. It would obviously be short sighted to not acknowledge that Parker is a top quality player, but at 30 years of age is he really the sort of signing that Tottenham should be making? If they had got this one through a few years ago it would probably have been a much more attractive proposition but at this stage is it a good move?
West Ham seems to be holding firm insisting that they will not let their captain move for anything less than £7million. Whilst I am not sure Tottenham could find a better player for that value, I still wonder if that is enough justification. There is also an issue relating to the number of bodies that they have in central midfield areas, it seems likely that Jermaine Jenas and Wilson Palacios will move on and the sale of those two would clearly cover the cost of Parker, in fact it would probably go a lot further than that. Centrally that leaves Redknapp with Sandro , Huddlestone, Modric and arguably Van der Vaart playing behind a forward.
I suppose the uncertainty over the future of the Croatian could have a big effect on any potential move for Parker. Clearly the player wants to leave and that is at odds with the desire of Daniel Levy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one go through at some point, I am sure the management team at White Hart Lane would prefer to cash in, as opposed to keep a player that is so unhappy they would continually mouth off to the press.
His exit would leave Tottenham short in central midfield and I suppose that would mean more game time for Scott Parker, but there is absolutely no way the English man is good enough, or even the right sort of player to replace the 25 year old playmaker. The money that Spurs would recoup from the sale would allow them to finance a top quality replacement and that is something that they must do.
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If we assume Redknapp will start the season using the system that he has implemented for the past 2 years, the signing of Parker would leave him with 3 players that could all fill 1 position in the team. He normally seems to deploy Modric (or anyone signed to replace him) alongside one of Huddlestone or Sandro. The Brazilian certainly is a better player and prospect than Parker, and whist Huddlestone may not be there yet, I feel that he isn’t that much worse, and shelling out money for a 30 year old that could potentially be third choice seems a little strange to me.
I have to reiterate my admiration for Parker as a player, he is of a high quality but I do not feel that he is good enough for a team chasing Champions League football. The papers report that Aston Villa are also interested in his signature, and to be honest I see them as a much better fit for Parker at this stage of his career.
Harry Redknapp has to do some rebuilding of his squad this summer, and I personally don’t see the former Chelsea man as a particularly exciting prospect for the White Hart Lane faithful. He may be committed and hard working, but I just feel he is maybe 2 years too old for a move to a club as big as Spurs.
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Steven Gerrard missed a considerable portion of last season after struggling with a long term groin injury. Over the early summer he had a groin operation to rectify the problem, but unfortunately he has now suffered complications and could be out for the first few months of the season.
A few years back this would have signalled alarm bells for Liverpool. The Liverpool side in previous years was defined by many as a two man team, heavily reliant upon Gerrard or Fernando Torres. Gerrard was absolutely vital to the Liverpool side, and his absence would have had many a Liverpool fan worried, but has all that changed?
Gerrard missed considerable portions of last season-only featuring 21 times-and during his absence Liverpool played outstandingly well. This could just be due to the revolution under Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke that took place, rather then Gerrard’s absence. However, the side did play better as a team when he wasn’t playing, with players like Lucas Leiva, Raul Meireles, Maxi Rodriguez and Jay Spearing really stepping up to the plate and performing to their potential in Gerrard’s absence.
With Stevie in the side, it seems as if the players around him try too hard, and rather than focus on their own games, focus too much on the captain’s. Gerrard is also at times guilty-probably because he has had to do it so many times in the past-of trying to do everything himself, demanding the ball, and trying to go at it alone, which obviously would have a negative effect on his team-mates and their own confidence.
With more new recruits coming in over the summer, Liverpool are certainly not lacking in the centre of the park for replacements, and they will be queuing up to fit into Liverpool’s starting 11 in Gerrard’s absence. Meireles did the job exceptionally well last year, and we saw the best of the dynamic midfielder in a free roaming role. Charlie Adam, could also slot right in there, with his deft passing and creativity. Gerrard’s absence gives others the chance to impress, and this competition for places at the start of the season can only be a good thing for the side, as each could push each other onto greater things. If Liverpool do start the season well, it then brings up the question of where Gerrard fits when he returns to fitness?
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I am not disputing Gerrard’s quality or his importance to Liverpool over the years, he has produced moments of sheer brilliance that have salvaged the club and propelled them to achieve great things on so many occasions-FA Cup, and Champions League titles-and nobody has done more in the past to save distinctly average Liverpool teams from the brink of defeat. On his day Gerrard is unrivalled, a man single handedly capable of winning a game, the heart and soul of the club, but he isn’t getting any younger and performances of that outstanding quality will now become rarer. It seems as if his role needs to evolve somewhat as a part of Dalglish’s new side. Suffering with fitness and lacking the dynamism of old, perhaps his role needs to change to become more of a team player rather than a one-man-battering-ram. There are now better players around him-which is maybe what Gerrard was lacking all along-, players that he should trust and with less pressure on him to do everything, he can concentrate on his own strengths, and we could see the best of Gerrard again.
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Liverpool showed last season that they are arguably a better team without Gerrard in the side, but they can also be a better team with him in it as well, they just need to adapt his role slightly, so that the other players and Gerrard himself can shine together. A fit Steven Gerrard should always be the first name on the team-sheet, but Liverpool certainly shouldn’t fear his absence any more, as once may have been the case.
Let me know your thoughts on how Liverpool will cope without Gerrard, by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter
Fabio Capello recently stated that he believes young Chelsea star Josh McEachran should go out on loan to aid his development. Capello believes that the development of young English stars could really suffer if they receive a lack of top flight exposure due to limited opportunities at their Premier League sides. Is it really Capello’s place to say this though?
He is the England manager, and obviously he wants the best possible squad, and wants the talented youngsters to move from the youth sides right through to the full international side. Capello does have a duty to look after the next generation, and nurture them so that they come through to be the next generation of England stars. So on the one hand he is correct, in trying to ensure that young English players are given enough opportunities so that they can successfully develop and become better players.
Chelsea’s Josh McEachran is a player that Capello believes needs some first team football elsewhere. Chelsea do not have a great structure for bringing through young players, in fact they haven’t brought anyone through since John Terry, which is a worry, considering the talent of young McEachran. During the Abramovich era Chelsea have bought big from outside, which has hindered the development of youth prospects, so you can see Capello’s point. There is a number of players who will be ahead of McEachran in the starting line up, even with Essien out, there is still Lampard, Ramires, Mikel, Benayoun and they have just signed Romeu also a centre midfielder.
McEachran has been given his chance in pre-season and impressed over the games, which may indicate that Chelsea are willing to give him a shot and he might get more playing action than the 9 appearances he made last season. However, this remains to be seen. Is it best if he sits on the bench at Chelsea, getting substitute appearances here and there, and playing in the Carling Cup competitions, or should he go out on loan to get more experience?
Going out on loan could make him a more accomplished player, especially if he is playing week in, week out at another Premier League side, learning the game at the highest level. It could also provide a platform for him to showcase his undoubted talents, which could see him force himself into the Chelsea side on his return. Jack Wilshere spent the last six months of the 2010 season on loan at Bolton, and on his return became a first team regular for Arsenal and an England international, so the loan process does work. England interntionals like Beckham, Terry, Ashley Cole and more all spent periods on loan during their progression and it certainly didn’t do them any harm. Some of Manchester United’s youngsters like Tom Cleverley and Danny Wellbeck excelled on loan last season and will likely play a bigger role with United in the season ahead.
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Capello does have a duty as England manager to ensure that young players are not stifled at bigger clubs, and missing out on this vital time in their development as players. He needs to ensure that the future of the national team is in a good place and that the excellent prospects in this country are given a fair shot to make it. However, McEachran is Chelsea’s player and it is up to them as to what they see fit for his development. Who knows, Villas-Boas may have been so impressed with young McEachran during pre-season that he might play an even bigger role in this seasons Chelsea side than we might think, which would be great for his development. However, if he isn’t going to be playing week in week out, then Chelsea should send him out on loan, if not now then in January, for the sake of the players future and the England national side.
Let me know your thought’s below or follow me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more debate.
Marseille coach Didier Deschamps has ended speculation over his future by signing a two-year extension that ties him to the club until 2014.Deschamps was reportedly close to walking away from the former French champions after strong interest from Chelsea in England and Roma in Italy.
He had one final year left on his contract following the 2010/11 campaign, which saw OM finish runners-up to champions Lille.
But the in-demand coach has not only agreed to stay on at Marseille for the upcoming season, but also for another two beyond that, following assurances from club bosses that he would be given the financial muscle to put together another championship-winning team.
“I have decided to continue my adventure with Olympique Marseille and to stay on for the long haul by extending my contract for two years,” Deschamps said in a statement.
“I now have a road map with the financial wherewithal so that from today I can prepare the most competitive team possible in a precise budgetary framework.”
Deschamps, a former captain of Marseille and the French national team, led OM to their first league title in 17 years in the 2009/10 campaign.
Tottenham are continuing their pursuit of Junior Hoilett and sent scouts to watch the Rovers ace in action at Ewood Park at the weekend, reports the Daily Mail.
The Blackburn winger is out of contract at the end of the season and it doesn’t look as though signing a new contract is an option for the 21-year-old. The north Londoners were keen on snapping up Hoilett in January, but the Canadian was advised to wait until the summer by his agent.
Spurs chief scout Ian Broomfield was at Ewood Park on Saturday to watch Hoilett in the 1-1 draw against Villa, suggesting that Spurs want to pick up where they left off in January.
Despite their interest Tottenham will face stiff competition from north London rivals Arsenal and Newcastle, it was also suggested that Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were also interested in the Blackburn player.
A move to a bigger club is on the cards and with Spurs said to be leading the chase, Hoilett’s future at Blackburn is very much in the balance.
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This week on FootballFanCast.com we are abandoning the pessimistic view taken by much of the sports press in this country that there is a dearth of young English talent, and instead are proclaiming that the future of English football is bright.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen once famously said that “you can’t win anything with kids”, a claim completely disproved by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and we think that what youngsters don’t have in experience they more than make up for in enthusiasm and talent.
So in our focus on the future of football we’ll look at the English stars of the future who will soon be carrying the hopes of the nation on their shoulders, as well as uncovering foreign talent that will be appearing at a Premier League club near you soon.
Blogs:
England’s starting XI in five years time?
Top TEN youngsters outside the Premier League ready to make the step up
Are we putting too much pressure on this young duo?
The right move for Conor Wickham?
‘Six of the best’ – Tottenham starlets to make the grade at WHL
Fergie could save millions in his search for a successor
‘Six of the best’ – Liverpool starlets set to make the grade at Anfield
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Behind closed doors – the future of football?
‘Six of the best’ – United starlets to make the grade at Old Trafford
Top TEN youngsters set to take the Premier League by storm
Rafa Benitez has yet again been compelled to defend his contribution to Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League triumph over AC Milan. His predecessor, Gerard Houllier, has previously attempted to exaggerate his involvement in the Anfield outfit’s victorious campaign and alleged that within moments of the final whistle, “virtually every player came up to me, gave me a hug and said, ‘This is your team, this is our team.’” So how accurate are Houllier’s assertions and was Benitez’s influence limited to the signing of two players?
A popular accusation levelled at Benitez implies that two-legged knock-out matches best portray his tactical aptitude, and Liverpool’s 5th place finish in the Premier League that season suggests some truth in the decree. Despite this, Liverpool qualified for the following season’s Champions League due to the holder’s rights to defend the trophy, but it is worth noting that Houllier guided the ‘same’ side to fourth in the League and only the 4th round of the UEFA Cup in his final season in charge.
The claim that the side Benitez selected in Istanbul consisted of a principally Houllier developed nucleus may hold up to an extent, but Rafa proved, in his previous post at Valencia, his capacity to mould an established squad of players in his image, supplemented by two significant signings. The Valencia side he inherited in 2001 had emerged from two consecutive Champions League Final appearances and contained the likes of Roberto Ayala, Santiago Canizares, Ruben Baraja and Pablo Aimar. Benitez procured two players, Mista and Francisco Rufete, introduced an offensive style of play and presided over a La Liga triumph in 2002 and a League and UEFA Cup double the season before he arrived on Merseyside.
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What’s more, Benitez’s additions at Anfield, Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso, played an extensive role in Liverpool’s successful European campaign, the former scoring the winning goal in the semi-final that booked their place at the Ataturk Stadium where the latter converted a dramatic equaliser to set Liverpool on their way to a fifth European Cup. The Spaniard developed the playing staff over the following two seasons and in 2007 guided a side devoid of all Houllier sentiment to a further Champions League Final. Even though Milan achieved retribution it could be argued that Liverpool’s display was more assured than in 2005, proving that Benitez’s reputation precedes him and that he retained the ability to direct teams towards cup finals long before displacing Houllier at Liverpool.
There is no doubting that Houllier’s tenure at Liverpool left an emotional imprint, not least due to the Frenchman’s unenviable medical condition, but if his influence at Anfield was so far-reaching why did the board decide to replace him with Rafa? The simple answer is that Houllier was afforded enough time, following the 2001 treble, to elevate the side to a trophy-winning standard and found in Benitez a manager who could deliver on such requirements. It is easy for Houllier to claim credit for the events of 2005, but it is considerably more difficult to achieve silverware, which is exactly what Benitez accomplished within 10 months, before securing FA Cup glory a year later.
It is clear that Houllier feels he departed during a progressive phase of his project and that he had unfinished business at the Anfield club, but in reality he is due minimal credit. Benitez led the club to two European Cup Finals in half the length of Houllier’s employment by Liverpool, and it is worth mentioning that the former Lyon manager is currently supervising an Aston Villa side approaching the final 8 games of the season just one point off the relegation zone, having finished in the top six for three consecutive seasons before he took the helm.
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John Terry is reportedly set to lose the England captaincy, as his trial over allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand is set for July.
The Chelsea defender was charged by the FA of making derogatory comments to the QPR defender in a clash between the sides at Loftus Road back in October, and these charges have been taken to court.
The Telegraph indicate that the FA will dethrone the veteran centre back from his position as England captain, as the player’s leadership comes into doubt.
The situation is made all the more tricky due to Rio Ferdinand’s probable inclusion in Fabio Capello’s squad for the tournament in Ukraine and Poland, as the victom’s brother is sure to have lost respect for Terry in the wake of the scandal.
Mirror Football have stated that one of their sources has indicated that the FA are ready to make a move on this immediately, and Terry could even be stripped of the armband in the next 24 hours.
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