Adam Dennehey WAFU manager
In my business we have a very simple formula for sustaining our talent for the future.
Our method is to attract the best graduates and then train them, give them challenging work and opportunity. After that it’s up to them to deliver but this simple system has proven itself over a 60 year period.
During those 60 years success has been constant but for most teams it is transient. However if you want to see the future, come and see our graduate pool as that’s where our future leadership is coming from.
And so to Team GB, this is our future and we can measure it against Brazil to see what 2020 is going to look and feel like. Yes it’s scary.
We have 60 million people and leagues of every level, training from the age of 4 and yet Brazil made us look silly.
Why can’t we coach our talent to beat a man, why do we just kick and chase, is Tom Cleverley really our best product?
Neymar is so far ahead of Danny Sturridge it’s embarrassing. We have no hope.
All my life we have debated a centre of excellence model and yet Lilleshall – the Uk’s centre of excellence for elite athletes – has produced only talent like Scott Parker. My point is that these brutal destructive players are the product of our elite academy. We produce people who can tackle but can’t pass because that’s all we value.
We might all wonder if Barca football is exciting but as my mate Frank Passi once told me, the French Academy team that possession means the other team can’t score and why do we boot it away like we want the ball gone ?
In the Euros we saw Steven Gerrard and Parker fear possession whereas Xavi and Andres Iniesta cherish it.
Until we build a team and a league where people keep the ball we will just make up the numbers while Brazil continues to pick up the medals.
It’s really as simple a formula as my own business.
Why can’t the FA see that?
By Steve Burrows CBE @ifollowsteve
Are you thinking of placing a bet on Team GB at the Olympic’s? If so why not come and check out all of the latest betting odds at http://betting.betfair.com/ today! Don’t miss out!
Harsh on Cleverley, he never wastes possession and always looks to pass and move and he can beat a man also. The problem is there isnt enough english midfielders who can link up with him in the same way. He's obviously not as good as xavi or iniesta (who is?) but he tries to play the game in the same way, which makes him very un-english like in his style. If you had actually watched him you would already know this.
south americans play street football from their childhood.. It makes them fearless to dribble through any number of players.. And their physique is far better than the english players..
You're right, I have not seen much of Cleverley as I only watch all first team games and he hasn't featured much due to his injuries. When he plays I see a tidy player who improved most in his absence, the press defined his season as he didn't feature much but his return was heralded as though a Messiah was returning .
Cleverley, like Wilshere, is a tidy academy product where he is more about avoiding mistakes than taking chances.
He is not box to box like Keano, he's not explosive in the box like Scholes. He is…..competent. I hope he mproves a lot because Carrick is also competent, and so we tend to have an average midfield.
Compare to that Chelski have bought and City have bought. Yes bought.
Toure and Silva vs Carrick and Cleverley. It's not fair is it ?