April 4th 2004 was the final chapter of the then ailing National Soccer League (NSL). Perth Glory beat Parramatta Power 1-0 with a goal to Nick Mrdja before the league folded. Prompted by the Crawford Report, falling sponsorship, a general lack of money, falling crowds and a lack of TV presence, the league was Reborn [...]
Whenever I see a person new to coaching, the same question always arises when they talk to me “have you got a good drill for ….”, which never fails to make me smile. I was once in the same position, just as many future coaches will be when they start out. It’s hard not to [...]
Article: Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas’s footballing philosophy Author: Duncan White Date: 13 Aug 2011 Website: http://http://www.telegraph.co.uk Summary: A great interview with Andre Villas Boas, someone who I believe will be the next big coach on the European football stage.
Article: You can’t beat the system Author: Uli Hesse Date: 16 Aug 2011 Website: http://www.soccernet.com Summary: This is a great article on the development of the holding midfielder and playmaking holding midfielder within German football and the move to the 4-2-3-1 as the pre-eminent system of playing football in the Bundesliga.
Article: Author: Craig Foster Date: 18 Aug 2011 Website: http://www.theworldgame.com.au Summary: Craig Foster calls for greater coaching of our coaches in order to further the development of our players. I think this is one of the most poignant articles in the call to change our football culture. Whilst we can talk about giving our players better technical and tactical [...]
Article: Can we match the Uzbeks? Author: Les Murray Date: 12 Aug 2011 Website: http://www.theworldgame.com.au Summary: A slightly deceptive title, it references the Joeys u17 World Cup defeat to the relative minnow nation of Uzbekistan but then follows a breakdown of the faults of the current Australian Development System in relation to our Youth World Cup performances.
Article: Five years to save English Football Author: Jamie Jackson Date: 8 Jul 2007 Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk Summary: Again another article from some wiser heads in England calling for an instant overhaul of their youth system.
Article: Dutch reform pays dividends Author: Berend Scholten & Michael Harrold Date: 29 Jun 2007 Website: http://www.uefa.com Summary: Outlines how the Dutch overhauled their already impressive youth system to improve their performances at youth level. Interestingly since this article, we’ve seen both the German and Spanish systems, overhauled over a decade ago also show huge leaps in performance. The [...]
Article: England pay the price for failing to invest in youth development Author: Peter Lansley Date: 22 Jun 2007 Website: http://www.timesonline.co.uk Summary: It amazes that this article was written in 2007, yet the English still seem to have little idea of what is going wrong. Admittedly there are pockets of football fans who are now starting to ask questions [...]
Article: Possess the ball – A New philosophy Follow Up: Author: Craig Foster Date: 13 Feb 2008 Website: http://www.theworldgame.com.au Summary: An article and it’s follow up by Craig Foster from way back in 2008 which is interesting as a reference point when looking at how our youth footballers have gone at recent world cups. The first article in particular really [...]