England's demise in soccer.
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I suppose like many who watched England's performance in the Euro soccer last night we'd all agree Italy deserved to win. The penalty shootout at the end is a natural fearful experience for a team that has little success in the final showdown. I remember reading a book many years ago about the British Lions rugby tour of South Africa in 1974. It was written by the Lions players themselves and one chapter written by Scotland's player Gordon Brown talked about how they coped with the initial pressure in the buildup to the first test match against the Boks. He summed it up well when he wrote something like: If you think that you're beaten you are If you think that you won't you don't If you think you can win but know that you can't It's almost a cert that you won't. To Gordon Brown and the others in that amazing team they had the belief in themselves. Last night, you could see the air of resignation in the player's faces and that before they took the first kick. Next time, perhaps.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
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I suppose like many who watched England's performance in the Euro soccer last night we'd all agree Italy deserved to win. The penalty shootout at the end is a natural fearful experience for a team that has little success in the final showdown. I remember reading a book many years ago about the British Lions rugby tour of South Africa in 1974. It was written by the Lions players themselves and one chapter written by Scotland's player Gordon Brown talked about how they coped with the initial pressure in the buildup to the first test match against the Boks. He summed it up well when he wrote something like: If you think that you're beaten you are If you think that you won't you don't If you think you can win but know that you can't It's almost a cert that you won't. To Gordon Brown and the others in that amazing team they had the belief in themselves. Last night, you could see the air of resignation in the player's faces and that before they took the first kick. Next time, perhaps.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
PHS241 wrote:
If you think that you're beaten you are
If you think that you won't you don't
If you think you can win but know that you can't
It's almost a cert that you won't.Well said, Even the word "Can" means you aren't there yet.. We all should believe in phrase "I should and I will" which give you no excuses to lose. I have read somewhere.. it quotes.. "Don't doubt your skills, doubt your motivation" and I always believed in it. ~ Vijay. Amusement of a speculative mind...[^]
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I suppose like many who watched England's performance in the Euro soccer last night we'd all agree Italy deserved to win. The penalty shootout at the end is a natural fearful experience for a team that has little success in the final showdown. I remember reading a book many years ago about the British Lions rugby tour of South Africa in 1974. It was written by the Lions players themselves and one chapter written by Scotland's player Gordon Brown talked about how they coped with the initial pressure in the buildup to the first test match against the Boks. He summed it up well when he wrote something like: If you think that you're beaten you are If you think that you won't you don't If you think you can win but know that you can't It's almost a cert that you won't. To Gordon Brown and the others in that amazing team they had the belief in themselves. Last night, you could see the air of resignation in the player's faces and that before they took the first kick. Next time, perhaps.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
What demise? When have England ever been any good at the game, a fluke of a win on home soil aside? It is all to do with how English managers and coaches approach the game. It will be interesting to see how Brendan Rogers does at Liverpool, a man who saw very early on that the way British players we being taught and asked to play was wrong, who went abroad to see how they did things differently, and who firmly believes that British kids have all the technical potential to be as good as any other national's best player, if only they didn't get it coached and yelled out of them before they make a first team anywhere. That Dutch coach who was with Speed at Wales, and was with Russia at the Euros has also been saying some interesting things again, mainly laying into how football is coached in England, and how the Dutch go about things. Footballers need confidence in themselves to try things, and need to know that if they try something and it goes wrong they have the support to try it again next time. They need that confidence instilling from a very, very young age, and they need coaches and managers as they progress that will no stamp it out of them. Too many academies in England are obsessed with the physicality of kids. A mate of mine was chatting to a Man Utd academy scout a few years ago, and the scout told him they looked for size and for pace, they could teach them to play football if they had the physical attributes. Which is true to some extent, but you need the small kids too, the natural flair, and football has to be fun, English football has a massive problem right through the game, and they are currently putting in some of the infrastructure that might put it right, but I doubt if the mentality to really go for it is there. We need a change in how kids are coached, a change in how they are encouraged, a change in how fitness is managed. And those changes need to go right up to the very top of the Premier League, touching every other division on the way.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Shed Petition[^]
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What demise? When have England ever been any good at the game, a fluke of a win on home soil aside? It is all to do with how English managers and coaches approach the game. It will be interesting to see how Brendan Rogers does at Liverpool, a man who saw very early on that the way British players we being taught and asked to play was wrong, who went abroad to see how they did things differently, and who firmly believes that British kids have all the technical potential to be as good as any other national's best player, if only they didn't get it coached and yelled out of them before they make a first team anywhere. That Dutch coach who was with Speed at Wales, and was with Russia at the Euros has also been saying some interesting things again, mainly laying into how football is coached in England, and how the Dutch go about things. Footballers need confidence in themselves to try things, and need to know that if they try something and it goes wrong they have the support to try it again next time. They need that confidence instilling from a very, very young age, and they need coaches and managers as they progress that will no stamp it out of them. Too many academies in England are obsessed with the physicality of kids. A mate of mine was chatting to a Man Utd academy scout a few years ago, and the scout told him they looked for size and for pace, they could teach them to play football if they had the physical attributes. Which is true to some extent, but you need the small kids too, the natural flair, and football has to be fun, English football has a massive problem right through the game, and they are currently putting in some of the infrastructure that might put it right, but I doubt if the mentality to really go for it is there. We need a change in how kids are coached, a change in how they are encouraged, a change in how fitness is managed. And those changes need to go right up to the very top of the Premier League, touching every other division on the way.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Shed Petition[^]
Chris, you make some good points. It ties in with my experience when I played rugby. I played for my school team here in the UK and later at Rosslyn Park (yeah, I know, they're a second-rate team without much to boast about) when I played in their second XV. Alternatively, I also played rugby in South Africa. The difference in coaching between the two countries was very different. In the England system at the time, the emphasis seemed to be (a) which school do you play for; (b) how fast can you run; (c) can you jump over 1ft in the line out (no lifting in those days); in other words, not strictly skill related, and when you were coached, it was predictable and therefore defendable. In South Africa it was very different, (a) here's a kitbag full of straw, crash tackle it; (b) here are some sticks, go ball-in-hand and sidestep and weave through them; (c) can you punch your opposite number in the face, that sort of thing. I once did and got sent off. The game erupted into a bloodbath and our prop kicked one of their forwards in the knee because he spat at him; there were no prisoners. Back at the changing room our coach laughed about it and told us to forget about showering and to get on the bus asap as some irate players and parents were rumoured to be heading our way, such was the feeling whenever an anglophile team played an afrikaans school. It wasn't nice, but he supported us. We were taught to be creative in open play. Game plan, yes, but look for chances. If they don't work, hold the ball until you've got next phase support. I left SA a far better player than I I would have achieved playing under the English system of training in effect at the time and playing in SA. I think rugby is now a model of excellence. A chap I work with coaches a juniors team at Crawley rugby club; he loves it and despite the erratic nature of their play he encourages them to develop their skills and with that comes enjoyment. Not all of them will go on to continue playing senior rugby but they have a better chance in the English system now than they ever had not so many years ago when putting 50 points or more against the national team was almost expected. Look how its changed now. Compared to soccer you have a different mindset in the game. I never really played the game so never understood it very much. I still don't but have listened to many people talk about it (everyone in the England is an expert, after all :-D) and I can appreciated the validity of your comments.
"I do not have to forgive my enem
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Chris, you make some good points. It ties in with my experience when I played rugby. I played for my school team here in the UK and later at Rosslyn Park (yeah, I know, they're a second-rate team without much to boast about) when I played in their second XV. Alternatively, I also played rugby in South Africa. The difference in coaching between the two countries was very different. In the England system at the time, the emphasis seemed to be (a) which school do you play for; (b) how fast can you run; (c) can you jump over 1ft in the line out (no lifting in those days); in other words, not strictly skill related, and when you were coached, it was predictable and therefore defendable. In South Africa it was very different, (a) here's a kitbag full of straw, crash tackle it; (b) here are some sticks, go ball-in-hand and sidestep and weave through them; (c) can you punch your opposite number in the face, that sort of thing. I once did and got sent off. The game erupted into a bloodbath and our prop kicked one of their forwards in the knee because he spat at him; there were no prisoners. Back at the changing room our coach laughed about it and told us to forget about showering and to get on the bus asap as some irate players and parents were rumoured to be heading our way, such was the feeling whenever an anglophile team played an afrikaans school. It wasn't nice, but he supported us. We were taught to be creative in open play. Game plan, yes, but look for chances. If they don't work, hold the ball until you've got next phase support. I left SA a far better player than I I would have achieved playing under the English system of training in effect at the time and playing in SA. I think rugby is now a model of excellence. A chap I work with coaches a juniors team at Crawley rugby club; he loves it and despite the erratic nature of their play he encourages them to develop their skills and with that comes enjoyment. Not all of them will go on to continue playing senior rugby but they have a better chance in the English system now than they ever had not so many years ago when putting 50 points or more against the national team was almost expected. Look how its changed now. Compared to soccer you have a different mindset in the game. I never really played the game so never understood it very much. I still don't but have listened to many people talk about it (everyone in the England is an expert, after all :-D) and I can appreciated the validity of your comments.
"I do not have to forgive my enem
PHS241 wrote:
I once did and got sent off.
I got sent off once playing rugby, for eye gouging after grabbing an opponent around the throat attempting to hand him off by a referee who was a teacher from the school we were playing who was so pissed he couldn't run straight or talk properly. Must be 25 years ago and I'm still annoyed about it. Been sent off twice playing soccer, both times for punching my brother and the only two occasions I've played against him. Little shit knew exactly how to wind me up. Got sent off playing American Football once too, a midget running back kept butting me in the balls until I snapped, hurled him to the floor and kicked him in the ribs. Referee came over after a bit and said because it was nearly Christmas I could play again after half time if I calmed down.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Shed Petition[^]
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I suppose like many who watched England's performance in the Euro soccer last night we'd all agree Italy deserved to win. The penalty shootout at the end is a natural fearful experience for a team that has little success in the final showdown. I remember reading a book many years ago about the British Lions rugby tour of South Africa in 1974. It was written by the Lions players themselves and one chapter written by Scotland's player Gordon Brown talked about how they coped with the initial pressure in the buildup to the first test match against the Boks. He summed it up well when he wrote something like: If you think that you're beaten you are If you think that you won't you don't If you think you can win but know that you can't It's almost a cert that you won't. To Gordon Brown and the others in that amazing team they had the belief in themselves. Last night, you could see the air of resignation in the player's faces and that before they took the first kick. Next time, perhaps.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
Look on the brighter side - it was not a completely bad day for the English. The English cricket team chased down a stiff T20 target of 172 and won the match (rather comfortably) in the end.
Build your own survey - http://www.factile.net
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PHS241 wrote:
I once did and got sent off.
I got sent off once playing rugby, for eye gouging after grabbing an opponent around the throat attempting to hand him off by a referee who was a teacher from the school we were playing who was so pissed he couldn't run straight or talk properly. Must be 25 years ago and I'm still annoyed about it. Been sent off twice playing soccer, both times for punching my brother and the only two occasions I've played against him. Little shit knew exactly how to wind me up. Got sent off playing American Football once too, a midget running back kept butting me in the balls until I snapped, hurled him to the floor and kicked him in the ribs. Referee came over after a bit and said because it was nearly Christmas I could play again after half time if I calmed down.
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Shed Petition[^]
:-D :-D :-D Sounds familiar. The English rugby fullback, Dusty Hare, was once told to make sure his tackles count. He apparently told the skipper not to worry and he'll make sure to "get his tackles in early, even if they're late!" :)
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
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I suppose like many who watched England's performance in the Euro soccer last night we'd all agree Italy deserved to win. The penalty shootout at the end is a natural fearful experience for a team that has little success in the final showdown. I remember reading a book many years ago about the British Lions rugby tour of South Africa in 1974. It was written by the Lions players themselves and one chapter written by Scotland's player Gordon Brown talked about how they coped with the initial pressure in the buildup to the first test match against the Boks. He summed it up well when he wrote something like: If you think that you're beaten you are If you think that you won't you don't If you think you can win but know that you can't It's almost a cert that you won't. To Gordon Brown and the others in that amazing team they had the belief in themselves. Last night, you could see the air of resignation in the player's faces and that before they took the first kick. Next time, perhaps.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
The overpaid, primping primadonnas in the Premier League are so full of themselves when playing with each other that they forget that you have to up your game to play internationally - and that doesn't mean just trying for a more convincing dive when an opposing player gets within ten feet of you.
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I suppose like many who watched England's performance in the Euro soccer last night we'd all agree Italy deserved to win. The penalty shootout at the end is a natural fearful experience for a team that has little success in the final showdown. I remember reading a book many years ago about the British Lions rugby tour of South Africa in 1974. It was written by the Lions players themselves and one chapter written by Scotland's player Gordon Brown talked about how they coped with the initial pressure in the buildup to the first test match against the Boks. He summed it up well when he wrote something like: If you think that you're beaten you are If you think that you won't you don't If you think you can win but know that you can't It's almost a cert that you won't. To Gordon Brown and the others in that amazing team they had the belief in themselves. Last night, you could see the air of resignation in the player's faces and that before they took the first kick. Next time, perhaps.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).