Sly Boots wrote:Personally I'm disappointed we didn't go down the same road Germany did a decade or so ago, when they appointed Klinsmann and Yogi Love to transform the nation's football from the bottom to the top... they're now reaping the benefits of redevelopment from the grassroots up, buy-in from the club academies and a coherent, long-term vision set down by the national team management. Every single level of the national setup, from the youth teams to the seniors, is geared around getting them to play the same way as the seniors. These are generations of kids who will grow up used to playing together and totally comfortable with the tactics they're asked to play. We get Stuart Pearce.
France did a similar thing in the years prior to their Euro and WC win (Houllier was heavily involved in transforming youth development in the country, part of the reason we later went for him as manager).
We just won't get that with Hodgson. That's not his fault, the FA were the ones who employed someone to steady the ship in the short-term, rather than just write us off for the next 3 or so tournaments but commit to a long-term vision.
Maybe they're afraid of the backlash if we go through a period of short-term pain for long-term gain, maybe they just don't know where to start with such an approach, or maybe they're quite happy for us to toddle on as we are, eternal quarter-finalists who go out on penalties.
This in a nutshell. The question is why are the FA afraid of the press, why can't they just tell them to go jump? With the press having so many problems themselves this year especially The Sun, that means they don't have the same power they used to, if the vast majority of footy journalism's going to be former players who should understand.
What you're leaving out is the fact that the bloody Premiership's blocking spots for English players, and Spurs is one of the worst offenders, big-arse new training facility down the road in Enfield opening soon, the old one turning out kids that are certainly performing well enough, just always on loan and never in our first team, helping keep Millwall up for example FFS. No first team footy equals no senior International success, say what you like about Pearce, he's taken the kids to a final and we'll see how he does at the Olympics, but then there are other English kids with Turkish parents or other ethnic descent bogging off to play for their heritage countries because they can't get a spot here, who knows what would happen if that talent was given a chance.
If Hodgson took a big axe to the big names he'd have nothing to lose, the opportunity's been lost again to deflate some egos and have a clean slate - they played better in the group without Rooney and this penalty bullshit isn't even a joke anymore, they should be taking and scoring 100 in training to just have this barrier broken down so it's gone for good and the bleedin' goalie should also train for taking as well as saving if that's allowed.
