The Joy At Six.

[Fritz]

I was watching a piece on SSN there involving a couple of English students who took off to Brazil to coach football and teach English.

" We`re really surprised how good they are.....they`re coaching us ". Now, the fact that this pair of idiots were surprised that Brazilian kids are already good at football before they arrived there to ' coach ' them is amusing but not the point i`m trying to make.
These kids live in a favela, an overcrowded, dirty slum where space is at a premium. They always, however, manage to find a bit of space to play football. Many or most of these children live awful and hard lives but the looks of joy on their faces while they kicked a football around a patch of wasteground surrounded by corrugated iron buildings and debris was a sight to behold. Genuine love and enthusiasm for the beautiful game.

I often read in the papers or hear on TV and radio about a lack of resources, about a lack of proper pitches, pundits whinging about not having enough all-weather pitches and not having the correct training gear. A lack of cash investment is to blame for the decline of the quality of our young players. Maybe that`s not true. Maybe it should just be about finding a bit of grass and letting youngsters fall in love with a football. I remember us kids kicking one of the previous nights beercans around the street as someone found a couple of bits of refuse to use as goalposts. You used what came to hand (or foot!).....you didn`t need to have a Mitre size 5 to get a wee kickabout going. You never see this now.

I just think that there`s maybe too much emphasis....or blame, attached to a " lack of resources " than there needs to be. I`m pretty sure Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith and Law, Dalgleish, Baxter and Jinky didn`t need facilities, cones and adidas training gear to develop the wonderful skills they had. I suspect they kicked an old tennis ball about and played fitba in the street, every day for hours on end.

 

[PILTONSTANY]

If Brazilian kids could afford games consoles,cinemas and fast food they'd be shit at football too....

 

[Sauzee's Teeth]

If Brazilian kids could afford games consoles,cinemas and fast food they'd be shit at football too....

Precisely. Just so much more distractions for kids nowadays, back when my dad was growing up football was the only thing to do really.

I'm 22 and even when I was younger there wasn't so much other things readily available for kids to do as there is now.

 

[hibzboy]

I was watching a piece on SSN there involving a couple of English students who took off to Brazil to coach football and teach English.

" We`re really surprised how good they are.....they`re coaching us ". Now, the fact that this pair of idiots were surprised that Brazilian kids are already good at football before they arrived there to ' coach ' them is amusing but not the point i`m trying to make.
These kids live in a favela, an overcrowded, dirty slum where space is at a premium. They always, however, manage to find a bit of space to play football. Many or most of these children live awful and hard lives but the looks of joy on their faces while they kicked a football around a patch of wasteground surrounded by corrugated iron buildings and debris was a sight to behold. Genuine love and enthusiasm for the beautiful game.

I often read in the papers or hear on TV and radio about a lack of resources, about a lack of proper pitches, pundits whinging about not having enough all-weather pitches and not having the correct training gear. A lack of cash investment is to blame for the decline of the quality of our young players. Maybe that`s not true. Maybe it should just be about finding a bit of grass and letting youngsters fall in love with a football. I remember us kids kicking one of the previous nights beercans around the street as someone found a couple of bits of refuse to use as goalposts. You used what came to hand (or foot!).....you didn`t need to have a Mitre size 5 to get a wee kickabout going. You never see this now.

I just think that there`s maybe too much emphasis....or blame, attached to a " lack of resources " than there needs to be. I`m pretty sure Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith and Law, Dalgleish, Baxter and Jinky didn`t need facilities, cones and adidas training gear to develop the wonderful skills they had. I suspect they kicked an old tennis ball about and played fitba in the street, every day for hours on end.

yeah seen that,little kid who is already signed for botafogo had a great left foot and his technique is awesome.taught they students a thing or two.

 

[aggie]

If Brazilian kids could afford games consoles,cinemas and fast food they'd be shit at football too....

100% this.

My summer holidays were spent up Arthur Seat opposite Parsons Green primary, or using No. 16's driveway gates as goalposts. Until it got too dark to see the ball.

It also looks to me like kids imagine they need training tops, replica gear, etc to be serious about football. I got my first pair of Adidas Kick at about 12 and thought I couldn't go much higher.

 

[PILTONSTANY]

Tbh we need to stop comparing ourselves to countries with 5 or 10 times our population that will always have a larger pool of players to choose from,we need to look at successful similar sized countries and learn from them. Our culture of Booze doesn't help either.

 

[Fritz]

If Brazilian kids could afford games consoles,cinemas and fast food they'd be shit at football too....

I agree with you completely on that but that`s not really the point i was trying to make. I know there`s plenty of distractions for kids nowadays that we never had, but there are still plenty of kids who play and want to play football. My point was more about a media obsession with a lack of money being spent and little resources available. I`m fed up hearing pundits waffle on about it whenever this subject is raised.

More positive spin should be put on the chaps who give up their own time every week to coach kids, most of whom probably lack resources but who carry on anyway trying to pass their love of the game onto local kids. I`m trying to suggest that football shouldn`t be an expensive game to learn and to love. You only really need a ball, a patch of ground and a desire to play the game. We shouldn`t be conned by media spin that we are pish because we dont spend enough on indoor pitches and specialised training equipment. Just my own thoughts of course.

 

[Dub]

Tbh we need to stop comparing ourselves to countries with 5 or 10 times our population that will always have a larger pool of players to choose from,we need to look at successful similar sized countries and learn from them. Our culture of Booze doesn't help either.

:shock:

Brazil has a population 37.15 x greater than that of Scotland, so aye, they are bound to have a chance of producing better players as they have a lot more to choose from.

Do you think the booze culture really affects our young kids that much. I'm talking here about bairns playing football in the street or whatever. Drink might theoretically influence them when they get a bit older I'll grant you.

 

[Deansy]

I was watching a piece on SSN there involving a couple of English students who took off to Brazil to coach football and teach English.

" We`re really surprised how good they are.....they`re coaching us ". Now, the fact that this pair of idiots were surprised that Brazilian kids are already good at football before they arrived there to ' coach ' them is amusing but not the point i`m trying to make.
These kids live in a favela, an overcrowded, dirty slum where space is at a premium. They always, however, manage to find a bit of space to play football. Many or most of these children live awful and hard lives but the looks of joy on their faces while they kicked a football around a patch of wasteground surrounded by corrugated iron buildings and debris was a sight to behold. Genuine love and enthusiasm for the beautiful game.

I often read in the papers or hear on TV and radio about a lack of resources, about a lack of proper pitches, pundits whinging about not having enough all-weather pitches and not having the correct training gear. A lack of cash investment is to blame for the decline of the quality of our young players. Maybe that`s not true. Maybe it should just be about finding a bit of grass and letting youngsters fall in love with a football. I remember us kids kicking one of the previous nights beercans around the street as someone found a couple of bits of refuse to use as goalposts. You used what came to hand (or foot!).....you didn`t need to have a Mitre size 5 to get a wee kickabout going. You never see this now.

I just think that there`s maybe too much emphasis....or blame, attached to a " lack of resources " than there needs to be. I`m pretty sure Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith and Law, Dalgleish, Baxter and Jinky didn`t need facilities, cones and adidas training gear to develop the wonderful skills they had. I suspect they kicked an old tennis ball about and played fitba in the street, every day for hours on end.

Apologies Fritz, slightly off-topic - but Englishmen teaching Brazilians how to play football ??. I sometimes think England are the international version of Hearts - an ever-so-slightly misplaced belief of themselves and how others see them !

 

[PILTONSTANY]

I agree with you completely on that but that`s not really the point i was trying to make. I know there`s plenty of distractions for kids nowadays that we never had, but there are still plenty of kids who play and want to play football. My point was more about a media obsession with a lack of money being spent and little resources available. I`m fed up hearing pundits waffle on about it whenever this subject is raised.

More positive spin should be put on the chaps who give up their own time every week to coach kids, most of whom probably lack resources but who carry on anyway trying to pass their love of the game onto local kids. I`m trying to suggest that football shouldn`t be an expensive game to learn and to love. You only really need a ball, a patch of ground and a desire to play the game. We shouldn`t be conned by media spin that we are pish because we dont spend enough on indoor pitches and specialised training equipment. Just my own thoughts of course.

:shock:

Brazil has a population 37.15 x greater than that of Scotland, so aye, they are bound to have a chance of producing better players as they have a lot more to choose from.

Do you think the booze culture really affects our young kids that much. I'm talking here about bairns playing football in the street or whatever. Drink might theoretically influence them when they get a bit older I'll grant you.

I think we produce decent players at Youth level it's just when they get into their teens other influences come into play,Booze and pals being one of them.

 

[Hammi]

Do you think the booze culture really affects our young kids that much. I'm talking here about bairns playing football in the street or whatever. Drink might theoretically influence them when they get a bit older I'll grant you.

There's folk at like 12 year old nowadays getting drunk or spend half the day stoned, I know it sounds a bit exaggerated but it really isn't. I think weed is more common than drink in kids just now but

There's not enough effort to pull kids away from it and into sport, not enough people get a chance to play sport at school now. I'm 24 and I never had primary or secondary school football teams.
I played for boys clubs before signing for Hearts but even folk in the boys clubs were strolling up on sundays hungover, even worse nowadays.

 

[Purple & Green]

Tbh we need to stop comparing ourselves to countries with 5 or 10 times our population that will always have a larger pool of players to choose from,we need to look at successful similar sized countries and learn from them. Our culture of Booze doesn't help either.

Croatia?

 

[Daddy 'O' Hibee]

Tbh we need to stop comparing ourselves to countries with 5 or 10 times our population that will always have a larger pool of players to choose from,we need to look at successful similar sized countries and learn from them. Our culture of Booze doesn't help either.

Aye it does, I just cannae bring myself to watch it sober.