How mad. Apparently 11 v 11 50 matches (dream) a young player will be in contact with ball for about an hour. vital then, are the skills & tactics players do & plan with their mates off & away from the ball. big & small areas . Get these red hot & those rare contacts ignite .

Popular saying - ‘the technical makes the tactical possible’ - really ? if tactics is seen at an individual level as well as group and team level - simply getting the upper hand over opponents, and not getting beat. then surely the ‘tactical makes the technical possible !. Bingo

Mistakes in player decisions are accidents not deliberate sabotage. once is an incident , twice is a co incidence & 3 times + is a pattern - spot patterns. don’t sweat the incidents. Most important. Does it really matter oh & watch for self correction. Now there’s a player .

I wonder how many young players will be pressing this weekend like mad to win the ball back without any thought to when to press and when not to . Stick a ‘when’ in front of every topic and the tactical learning goes thru the roof 👍

I wonder how many young heads this weekend are going to be filled with targets & stuff related to their long term futures but not on what faces them ‘today’. Every game is such a fertile learning ground but only if young players are free to get immersed and ‘lost’ in it.

I wonder how many kids played a whole game last weekend. I bet more didn’t then did . Imagine how much more we see in players when they can start & finish games. The benefits are overwhelming. But it appears, it is still a rare experience reserved for most.

Academy phases are based on what ? unless players are at least full time are they not in a foundation phase ? Great basic skills will liberate players on the pitch . If the ball or opponent is always a threat, how do we expect them to be tactical wizards ? No chance .

many young players ( teenagers especially ) still not sorting out their individual tactics to get an edge over their immediate opponent ,they can tell you everything about formations and free kicks though - Really ! Get the individual tactics right and the team will flourish 👍

Why don’t we call GKs or defenders skilful unless the ball is at their feet . What about all the other skills that go on Like anticipating ,intercepting, timing a tackle or plucking a cross out the air . Bring the glory back for these skills & more skilful kids will turn up.

Anyone who cares about young players should track ITV at the moment and how they are exposing a potential mental health time bomb -zero tolerance of poor practice would help. but don't hold your breath.

Young players should be allowed to play a full game every week unless injured. Why subs ? No kid wants to watch their mates play . Recently I counted 30 kids on the sidelines across 4 matches . How can that be any good for anyone . ??

So, elite sports are still go. Elite means, Greatest, out of sight, out of this world, top drawer, top notch, world class. If the football doesn’t look ‘elite’, Kids certainly are. stop the elite /non elite label at such a young age ? Its just Another trap to fall into!

I’ve jotted down over 30 physical , mental and social benefits of young people playing football . I’m sure there’s more . If that was a drug . We would live forever . No wonder kids get down when they can’t play or are not selected

Bonkers

I think all young midfield players should play without numbers on their backs - that would stop the 'i'm a 10 or 8 or 4 nonsense.maybe we would get some all rounders out of it. - 'you are in midfield & thats it sunshine' sort it out. maybe we should abandon numbers all together !

young players need to get immersed and engrossed in games. They need to get bombarded with all the emotions that the game chucks out and learn to manage them not eliminate them . Bit like being lost in a great film. Your eyes and ears are saturated and you remember every word .!

If there was ever a time to focus on the social and mental bits of football it’s now. Let’s let all our young players get immersed and ‘lost’ in football games without butting in . lets help them find one place where there is clarity

I asked a young academy player what big questions your coach posed you this week . ‘Can you see my screen’ was the reply . Oh dear .

The premier league is as close to grassroots as it will ever be . A few loud people watching who swear a lot , no real home advantage ,changing in probably temporary areas , lots of goals and penalties and a take away after . Absolute poetry .

Surely the gov’t shouldn’t be putting the clocks back this month . Isn’t it common sense to give the kids more light to play football or anything else. Surely it’s a no brainier during these tough times . Dont hold your breath .