Pet Shop Boys Community

diana wrote:I think that the referee was against Argentinia. Germans are falling easily. With another referee the end would be 1-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-1, not 4-0.
Holland has a good chance against Germany.

Undertaker wrote:The future for the England team is frightening. Our game needs radical changes
By Glenn Hoddle

After another World Cup debacle we are still asking the same question we asked in 1974 when England failed to qualify - why can't we master a football and produce enough skilful players in our country? The future for the England team is frightening, because we have never confronted the decline in standards. There is no short-term fix, this requires a long-term strategy. I run an academy in Spain for young footballers who are released by their clubs and who, in my opinion, deserve a second chance. It is a rewarding job for me, but one that also reveals many of the faults in the English game. Here are my observations. There are skilful English footballers in the system, but why are they getting lost? We need to start at the beginning, with the development of schoolboys.

Seeing the picture

We need to start with a much lower age group and work with them on ball appreciation. A high percentage of the players released by their clubs who come for a trial at my academy are small; they are talented, they have the technique, they can pass the ball, but too often clubs desire athletes - tall, fast, strong footballers. 'He's a big lad, 6ft 2in and he can run... OK, we will keep him.'

They are obviously required attributes for a professional footballer, but big and strong comes next for me. My academy team played Real Madrid and one of our lads stood out because he had instant touch, but those players are two a penny in Spain and Holland, because they are taught to master the ball from a young age.

Dipso wrote:I really enjoyed the Italia 90 programme too. I had forgotten how good a player Gary Lineker was, to be honest.