England u19s v Spain.....semi final.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

To be fair, Spain is BY FAR the team of the tournament. They have been simply stunning. One of the best sides I've seen at that level since France around mid-90's. And I've been following these tournaments for a long time now.

Like I said on England U19 topic, which no one replied to, when the competition started, it looked to me like England were set up to win games first and foremost. Oh, and that Emile Heskey lookalike is still shite.

[Ted Hughes]

To be fair, Spain is BY FAR the team of the tournament. They have been simply stunning. One of the best sides I've seen at that level since France around mid-90's. And I've been following these tournaments for a long time now.

Like I said on England U19 topic, which no one replied to, when the competition started, it looked to me like England were set up to win games first and foremost. Oh, and that Emile Heskey lookalike is still shite.

It's the same with every tournament at every level I've seen, including Pearce's U21's; they don't enter the tournament like they're trying to to build players for top level international football, they play to be as solid as possible & go as far as they can whatever it takes. It's like we're resigned to the fact we can't compete by playing football, have no intention of improving, so we work on being hard to beat instead. Just like a Championship side in the FA Cup or a Peter Reid team.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

To be fair, Spain is BY FAR the team of the tournament. They have been simply stunning. One of the best sides I've seen at that level since France around mid-90's. And I've been following these tournaments for a long time now.

Like I said on England U19 topic, which no one replied to, when the competition started, it looked to me like England were set up to win games first and foremost. Oh, and that Emile Heskey lookalike is still shite.

It's the same with every tournament at every level I've seen, including Pearce's U21's; they don't enter the tournament like they're trying to to build players for top level international football, they play to be as solid as possible & go as far as they can whatever it takes. It's like we're resigned to the fact we can't compete by playing football, have no intention of improving, so we work on being hard to beat instead. Just like a Championship side in the FA Cup or a Peter Reid team.

I can (barely) understand that at U21 level you are already preparing near finished articles to tournaments in next level where you are supposed to win something. But at U19 level it really is (or should be) about developement of country's supposedly best talent. Getting accustomed to playing against teams from other countries and getting confidence moving the ball around against them. When you consider the fact that only about half of them will make it at professional level ANYWHERE and maybe 4 to 8 (and that would be REALLY special age group) will ever play in Premier League (out of those maybe 1 to 3 will ever get full cap for England) it should only be about developement of skill regardless of results. Ok, England win U19 tournament keeping tight formation and defending..... what's the use of that really?

Furthermore, I feel that at this level there should be carefully selected coaching set up that does NOT change from tournament to tournament depending on results. They should have the freedom to help these players improve and they need to be good enough to do that. Obviously if there's no results over long period of time, their places need to be checked but not according to one tournament or one qualification campaign. This will give them sight of longevity and get them work according to players, not according to results. But here's the real problem, most of the players in England and Scandinavia already have their position selected at this stage and they stick to it til the end of their careers. Brazilians and Dutch kids aren't necesserily very succesfull but neither have they selected positions and tactics because AS A PLAYERS THEY AREN'T READY YET.

[Ted Hughes]

To be fair, Spain is BY FAR the team of the tournament. They have been simply stunning. One of the best sides I've seen at that level since France around mid-90's. And I've been following these tournaments for a long time now.

Like I said on England U19 topic, which no one replied to, when the competition started, it looked to me like England were set up to win games first and foremost. Oh, and that Emile Heskey lookalike is still shite.

It's the same with every tournament at every level I've seen, including Pearce's U21's; they don't enter the tournament like they're trying to to build players for top level international football, they play to be as solid as possible & go as far as they can whatever it takes. It's like we're resigned to the fact we can't compete by playing football, have no intention of improving, so we work on being hard to beat instead. Just like a Championship side in the FA Cup or a Peter Reid team.

I can (barely) understand that at U21 level you are already preparing near finished articles to tournaments in next level where you are supposed to win something. But at U19 level it really is (or should be) about developement of country's supposedly best talent. Getting accustomed to playing against teams from other countries and getting confidence moving the ball around against them. When you consider the fact that only about half of them will make it at professional level ANYWHERE and maybe 4 to 8 (and that would be REALLY special age group) will ever play in Premier League (out of those maybe 1 to 3 will ever get full cap for England) it should only be about developement of skill regardless of results. Ok, England win U19 tournament keeping tight formation and defending..... what's the use of that really?

Furthermore, I feel that at this level there should be carefully selected coaching set up that does NOT change from tournament to tournament depending on results. They should have the freedom to help these players improve and they need to be good enough to do that. Obviously if there's no results over long period of time, their places need to be checked but not according to one tournament or one qualification campaign. This will give them sight of longevity and get them work according to players, not according to results. But here's the real problem, most of the players in England and Scandinavia already have their position selected at this stage and they stick to it til the end of their careers. Brazilians and Dutch kids aren't necesserily very succesfull but neither have they selected positions and tactics because AS A PLAYERS THEY AREN'T READY YET.

I wonder what Brooking is doing. He knows all this I'm sure but since he's been in a high level position he seems to have achieved nothing. I can only assume he's running into a brick wall of the 'old boys club' & doesn't have the balls to come out & fight. Another one protecting his job perhaps. I had really high hopes for him.