What Has Happened To The North East Production Line?

[Guest Geordie_krispy]

Well i used to play al lthe time, every break in school, before, after.  The six week holidays that's all i did.  The "best" player in my school nows play for Stalybridge Celtic, after various haunts of rotherham, reading and notts county (i think).  The fact that kids don't play all the time is a myth, they do, but you just never see them as there's such a big group of them you try to avoid them.

[Benwell Lad]

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.

 

No doubt that these football manager dads (and mams) with their unrealistic expectations for little Johnny are detrimental to the development of kids.

[Guest Knightrider]

Nurture vs Nature...

[Syrette]

Quite simple.

 

It's not safe on the streets.

[Sparks]

Really don't think a changing lifestyle has much to do with it.

 

You only get a handful of truly great players produced every generation. The people who stay home and play FM all the time are the people who are not good enough to be footballers. Quality 13 / 14 year olds are still going to academy's and playing football at school. Doing SATS is hardly going to stop someone becoming a quality footballer is it?

 

Quality footballers are naturally talented, they don't need constant coaching and to be playing football 10 hours a day. If you know you are potentially good enough to be a Pro, you will work hard to become one.

 

Those not playing football are the ones who were never going to be good enough.

[Thespence]

A lot of the blame can be laid at Alan Irvine's door fot Newcastle. He tried to kill the local boys club by insisting that young kids either were Newcastle United pre-Acadmeny kids or players for the local boys club. The result meant Carrick (whos dad is prominent bod at Wallsend boysaaaa) & Killingworths Josh Walker (England youth captain at every level he has played at) did not join NUFC & others drifted away from the game. Also taking the fun out of football was Howard Wilkinson Acadmeny plan which meant the kids who were good footballers & played school, area, boys club & 5 a side football can now only play 30 organised games a season. In the old system they may have played 80 to 100 games but they learnt the skills on a pitch & had fun winning football games with there pals.

 

As for computer games the reason kids play these is because it is fun & they do so with there mates, LET THE KIDS PLAY FOOTBALL WITH THERE MATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest elbee909]

Quite simple.

 

It's not safe on the streets.

 

Safer than it ever was, but the media wouldn't have you believe it.

[Syrette]

Quite simple.

 

It's not safe on the streets.

 

Safer than it ever was, but the media wouldn't have you believe it.

 

No idea how old you are or where you come from but from personal experience I can make my own mind up about this, thanks.

 

I've just turned 21 and I've lived and hung out in some dodgy areas. Perhaps in some places it's better, some places it might not be.