Tooj Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Something which I've been pondering quite a bit as of late. If you look at the last 25 years or so, most of the greatest or most talented players England have had have all come from in and around these parts. I'm talking the man in my avatar, Beardsley, Shearer, Robson, Waddle etc all fantastic players and Gazza, Pedro, Waddle all having that extra bit of magic with the ball at their feet, enabling them to all stand out from their English counterparts, and break from the typical stereotype that concerns your usual remarks when an Englishman and football are concerned. So why aren't we producing these players anymore? The same goes with Scotland as well I feel, when you look at some of the players they produced in the 70's and 80's, yet despite their recent resurgence how many of the current crop of Scots would you say actually get into their team of the early 80's? Not many I'd say. Btw before any points out to me, I'm aware Shearer was a fantastic technical footballer, he just used his in a different way to Gazza, Pedro and Waddle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Too much playing on computers, not enough football after school.. Also, schools do not concentrate on the game as much - many have sold off playing fields, and it is now politically incorrect to be a 'Winner'... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Bit harsh on Ameobi. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keefaz Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I don't think kids play as much football as they used to. I mean, some kids play just as much, but when I was a kid even the spazzos (like me) used to play football. Anyway. I'll let HTT bring this thread to a massive, thudding close. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnypd Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 i think Carrick plays an unusual way for an english player, very intelligent and doesn't simply go for the obvious pass, very good reader of the game. Bridges was another in this mould but injuries ruined his massive potential, scored 19 league goals in his first season at leeds despite the fact he wasn't a poacher but more of a sheringham type who created just as many for others as he put away himself. not sure why the production line has winded down, merseyside which has a similar interest in football as well as economy and demography to tyneside has kept on producing talent, tho rooney aside there's are more in a stereotypically "english" vein, aggressive, 100mph machines like carragher, gerrard, nolan, barton. the poor academy systems as newcastle and sunderland must have something to do with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedudeabides Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thatcher closed it down in the 80's I heard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimmy1982 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Computer games, satellite tv, etc etc. And they have to do SAT exams when they're in Year 5 these days! That's 8 years old isn't it? So I would imagine their mams and teachers are keeping them inside more to do homework and revision. I mean who ever used to do homework or exams when they were 8 years old? Also it seems that these modern academies don't help to produce inventive players... they get the kids super fit and teach them tactics and that, but its all moving towards an Italian system where they're all superb athletes and technically flawless, but never try anything different on the ball. I agree about Carrick and Bridges, they are maybe last two - both class on the ball in different ways. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Are any of the reasons given so far specific to the North East? Personally I think poverty breeds the best players. The North East and Scotland being the last places to have it eradicated (to a significant extent). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarralad Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I think we`ll see even more of an influx of football players from poorer countries those countries where all the kids dont have games consoles or computers or tv`s that they sit and watch 24/7. I cant remember the last time i drove past a field and saw a bunch of kids playing footy,when i was a kid (going back 25 years) we played every single night until it got dark. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keefaz Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Unfortunately, poverty just bred lazy, TV-addicted porkers for the past 20 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Parka Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I don't think kids play as much football as they used to. I mean, some kids play just as much, but when I was a kid even the spazzos (like me) used to play football. Anyway. I'll let HTT bring this thread to a massive, thudding close. Good point really. Also I am pretty sure playing on the streets gets you in bother with the nick nowadays. We used to play every night, carrying on until you couldn't actually see the ball and on Sundays nearly all day on a local car park. I don't see kids doing this anymore! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gray Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I don't think kids play as much football as they used to. I mean, some kids play just as much, but when I was a kid even the spazzos (like me) used to play football. Anyway. I'll let HTT bring this thread to a massive, thudding close. Good point really. Also I am pretty sure playing on the streets gets you in bother with the nick nowadays. We used to play every night, carrying on until you couldn't actually see the ball and on Sundays nearly all day on a local car park. I don't see kids doing this anymore! aye me too, and it was every night too, not just an arranged game on a weekend. The six weeks holiday would give something like 200 hours of football time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LucaAltieri Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I don't think kids play as much football as they used to. I mean, some kids play just as much, but when I was a kid even the spazzos (like me) used to play football. Anyway. I'll let HTT bring this thread to a massive, thudding close. Good point really. Also I am pretty sure playing on the streets gets you in bother with the nick nowadays. We used to play every night, carrying on until you couldn't actually see the ball and on Sundays nearly all day on a local car park. I don't see kids doing this anymore! This. I can't remember anything I did from my childhood other than playing football. That's all we did. Ever. We were still shite, though... so maybe that's not the answer either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Parka Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I don't think kids play as much football as they used to. I mean, some kids play just as much, but when I was a kid even the spazzos (like me) used to play football. Anyway. I'll let HTT bring this thread to a massive, thudding close. Good point really. Also I am pretty sure playing on the streets gets you in bother with the nick nowadays. We used to play every night, carrying on until you couldn't actually see the ball and on Sundays nearly all day on a local car park. I don't see kids doing this anymore! This. I can't remember anything I did from my childhood other than playing football. That's all we did. Ever. We were still s****, though... so maybe that's not the answer either. Yeah but I look at myself now and I have become a fat fucker since I stopped doing this. no wonder our kids are fat. Also our kids need good training but that is half the equation. Playing every night surely helps. We used to play before school, at every break and then after school. It was literally all we did. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keefaz Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I don't think kids play as much football as they used to. I mean, some kids play just as much, but when I was a kid even the spazzos (like me) used to play football. Anyway. I'll let HTT bring this thread to a massive, thudding close. Good point really. Also I am pretty sure playing on the streets gets you in bother with the nick nowadays. We used to play every night, carrying on until you couldn't actually see the ball and on Sundays nearly all day on a local car park. I don't see kids doing this anymore! This. I can't remember anything I did from my childhood other than playing football. That's all we did. Ever. We were still shite, though... so maybe that's not the answer either. I dunno. In my street, there were two kids who were blinding and the rest who were a load of rubbish. One, who was an immense player--like a fucking bull even at 14/15--could've made it, imo, but did a lot of boozing and fell in with the wrong sort. I guess that's the trouble with growing up in a poor neighbourhood, there are other attractions once you start hitting your teens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 The Championship/Football Manager series of games came out and therefore kids got sucked in and never came back... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keefaz Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 The Championship/Football Manager series of games came out and therefore kids got sucked in and never came back... Howay. The only people who play those are no-hopers like me who are too shite too play football. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest elbee909 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Truth is there's a multitude of convergent reasons. You can't blame one thing, or two, or even three. It's as much the fault of the attitude towards football changing in this country as it is the country itself. To blame it on TV or computers isn't ever going to solve anything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Aye true, I played football every night - a lot of times by myself against a wall as I lived further out of town then my mates but I practiced ALL the time. When I realised Kevin hadn't come knocking on my door then I realised maybe virtual club management was where my talent lied............to cut a long story short, Championship Manager ended my playing days and I was forced into early teen retirement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benwell Lad Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Namby parents feeding their kids junk food and letting them stay indoors has changed many of the citizens of the north east's poorer parts from the hard strong sportsmen of past eras into obese spotty charvers. Oh and the bar has been raised considerably. To make it in our top league they were once competing with the best of British talent, now they compete with the best from all around the world. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keefaz Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 This has nowt to do with anything, really, but I'll write it anyway. My dad told me about his first ever Sunday league match the other day. He'd just been called up into the second XI for a Wallsend side and was at right-back. Match kicked off, and he got the ball, turned and some fella jumped in two-footed and ruptured his cruciate. Never played again. And he plays FM all the time. He's got an A4 pad full of notes, ffs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarralad Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 When i was a kid you always dreampt of playing for newcastle i dont think money ever came into back then but im sure nowadays there are alot of kids who see all these flash gits and thats what they want from the football. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benwell Lad Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 When i was a kid you always dreampt of playing for newcastle i dont think money ever came into back then but im sure nowadays there are alot of kids who see all these flash gits and thats what they want from the football. Yeah like the young girl who told her careers tutor that she wanted to be a "celebrity" when she left school ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sittingontheball Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Ex-pat here, but do the polis still do the 5-a-side for kids? It's me only medal. You got one for getting through the first round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offshore Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Yesteryear there was no football academys, and virtually no organised kiddie football leagues but just about every bairn played football down the park or in the back lane. While we weren't exactly swamping the professional game with prospects from the North East we had enough being taken on that we could at least genuinely be called a 'hot-bed of football'. Jump a few years, no kids play football outside but the local pitches are choc-a-block with kids teams on a sunday morning being run by shouty parents in nike 'coach' jackets and we now seem to have hit a dryish spell of talent. May be only a blip and previous service will resume soonish but as the OP say, it a bit of a worry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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