The
subject of British footballs failings is one that I do not wish to add to. It's
become quite a vertitable epitaf, leading me to think that our game has
actually died & we are going through a post mortem. Contrary to belief
there is a future for our game out there, and the answer may be closer to home
than we think.
If
we were to caricature the archetypal British footballer he would likely be the
captain of your team. He would be fit, energetic, focused, hard-nosed, physical
but above all else have a bravery that would see him fear no-one. Strange
though that if we were to paint a similar comic-strip soccer star from Spain,
he would likely have guile, balance, tremendous skill, whit and be able to
caress the ball with both feet. While I am casting some quite outrageous
generalizations, for every Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Kenny Dalglish &
Paul Scholes we've created, we have had 100 Neil Ruddock's & probably even
more Terry Hurlock's. *Google that one if you're not sure! But why has our
footballing landscape created so many "Hammer throwers" as once
coined by a bushy moustached Graeme Souness, while as Rangers Manager.
Well
we as people in the UK truly value work ethic & hard graft, and as such
have an ingrained attitude that giving your all is to be expected. It's probably
the last common trait that many fans assimilate with in footballers, however
should this be wanting, our fans aren't slow in making that player abundantly
clear they want more. That said we also want to be entertained, so why do we
have to settle for 1 or the other? Why can't we have our cake....or in many
cases, steak pie....and eat it? So as we enter a time of patronage and self
exploration, what can we do as football educators to rip up our public image,
and re-write our footballing avatar?
I
take you back to the final phrase I used in my depiction of a british
footballer, bravery. Bravery
is a forgotten trait in talent identification, as to many how they quantify
bravery is not usually on par with how it should be effectively graded. In our
culture it's regarded as a combative quality, that usually occurs in defensive
situations. Old school pro's can be heard describing bravery as
"bottle" or "character" and is a gauge of a players ability
to come back from defeat, or deal with a largely negative psychological
challenge. In many ways, these traits have made us what we are as people,
probably more deep rooted than even the sport of football. Harking back to the
depression or war torn Britain. That said, we are talking about football, so
how can we best use this character trait, and make it more relevant to the
modern game.
Since
coming to America my ability to watch professional football from any of the
CONMEBOL countries has increased significantly, due to the vast TV coverage the
US networks provide. In doing so it's become abundantly clear to me that their
bravery trait lies in their undying attitude toward beating their opponent. Clearly
it doesn't take turning on ESPN deportes to find out Brazilian's like to
dribble, but even in the lower reaches of the Chilean Primera Division, they
seem to share a passion for solving problems through individual bravery. A
recent example of this could be Neymar Jr, who became a one man army of sorts at
Santos in Brazil. His ability to go past players and use his quality to score
goals, was in large down to his vast array of skill sets, but what made him
special wasn't his rainbows or snake tricks. He managed to produce moments of
quality under intense pressure on a consistent basis, largely due to his
bravery in 1on1 situations. He would come up against some stern defensive
displays, many of which were charged with hacking him down, but he got up &
kept at his task until he succeeded.
Neymar
Jr is still to reach the peak of his career, but even those who have a few more
years on him still have the ability to display bravery in a creative form.
Let's look at Andrea Pirlo with Juventus. One of footballs most decorated
players, and largely regarded by all as a one of the games true greats. His
displays are often overshadowed by his calm & well thought demeanor, but
dig a little deeper & bravery pours out of this guy. He is the lynch pin of
the Juventus team that continues to dominate Italian football. While there are
players who operate around Pirlo, it's his ability as a deep lying play maker
that allows Lichtsteiner to get forward and join the attacks, and gives Vidal the
time to break into the box and get on the end of a knock down. His bravery is
not displayed as a swash buckling back four protector, it's simply to pick out
passes that give the team a quick avenue to goal. This requires vast levels of
concentration. Not only does he need to assess the pressure around the area he
intends to pass into, but he also has to equip the receiving player with a pass
of high quality. More often than not he achieves both, but it's how he turns a
high % of failure into pinpoint accuracy that displays his true quality. Being
a midfield architect will bring failure, that's inevitable, but it's his
bravery to return to the blueprint & continue to build upon his vision that
impresses me so.
As
we embark upon changing the course of our footballing landscape in the UK,
surely we have to re-evaluate where we apply our bravery trait? If every player
channeled the same levels of bravery they display in "not losing a
tackle" or "winning their headers" as we do into dribbling in
tight areas or making a killer pass, surely our game would instantly benefit?
We live in a society where cutting corners is not tolerated, and were honesty
and integrity are valued. Yet in football it seems we have become accustomed
with short-termism, and a total disregard for where we should exert our
energies. Coaches bark from the sidelines on a weekly basis, "Keep it
simple" & "Pass the ball" but what if that world disappeared
and we had educators who could inspire the use of bravery in creative
situations? We'd have players who felt comfortable in expressing their desires
to attack & turn situations which may have a low % rate of success, into achievable
goals. We'd also have players who didn't let short term failure cloud their
judgment, but would merely serve to stoke the fire which burned inside of them.
Let
me be clear, we have acres of space to improve upon our technical teaching as a
nation, however we do have players of quality in the game. What I feel holds
them back, is their apathy in their use of what moulds them as people and us as
a society. In every practice you take part in as an educator take time to
praise your players for thinking out of the box, and daring to dare. If we can
start to alter bravery as a creative state rather than a defensive one, we will
set ourselves on the road to a new dawn in the British footballer. A player
that embodies a true leader, remains as equally hard-nosed & determined as
before, but one that can win a game for his side through his ability to impact
the game with both technique & bravery.
Posts
