Subject: Transfer Rumours / Discussion

Jaize said: key feature to the number of injuries was the quality of the training facilities

This includes weights and the like. AC Milan (remember them, the bunch of old guys) were trialling a weight training system a few years ago, and removing the collision-type injuries from the equation, they reduced the number of man days lost to injury to, not by, 10% of the previous year. I think Blackburn and maybe Bolton have since taken this weights system on board. Weight training in European football, and the UK in particular, is about 30 years behind other sports. Until we catch up in that respect (and nutrition, which is catching up more quickly because the results are more tangible; leaner athletes vs athletes that don't get injured as frequently), we'll never get the England team to where it should be, given the talent.

I hear you. The Arse used to use the training facilities for rowing at Caversham when they were at Highbury because they needed to boost core strength.

It proves Woppa is right when a big money sport like rowing has facilities that the Arse don't...

One of their players would probably be more than the total investment into watersports in this country (not those ones...)

For me one of the biggest problems with the NT in this country is the technique, so what do we do?

We get to U11 and make 10 yr olds play on full size pitches in full size goals......what does this do? Well it makes the game more about power and size imo, asking a me to keep goal in a full size goal let alone a tiny 10 yr old is a joke.

There should be a gradual progression in pitch size up to full size imo. What does it all come down to though? Again its money.....it is too expensive to line out smaller pitches and have more than one pitch at a ground. A joke...thats what it is.

Funny enough, that is what I was saying as I left t'pub after England didn't qualify for the recent Euro Champ.

Well it is an obvious flaw when you see the Craots like Modric making total monkeys of Gerrard and Lampard, I remember on one occassion he was at the byeline with 3 England players around him and his back to everybody, one delightful flick later directly into the path of his team mate, they were on the attack again and 3 England players were left looking red faced and totally out of the equation. We need our kids to be able to do that.....unfortunately the Academies in general are interested mainly in Pace and Power, they feel they can teach the rest.....well imo you cannot teach brilliance, you must have a natural talent for the out of the ordinary flair imo. Like Gazza, Maradona, Zidane.....none of those were quick necessarily were they?

I will also add this to the equation, these new Brazilian Skill Schools are creating some fantastic players, and all they concentrate is skills, not so much on matches etc. In various tournaments these skill schools have demolished academy teams.
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If you go to Rio as I have been lucky enough to do and watch the kids train it is on sand pitches or the beach.

Result?

No running. All passing and skills as you can't get about the pitch so you need to be able to actually play.

You are right we are encouraging the wrong players which probably means that more skilful but smaller/weedier ones are left behind and go off to collect trollies at Tesco instead.

It is a fact, I have seen Charltons Academy team and they are all strong quick lads, nowhere as technical as my son, but hes small for his age. One day they played the Advanced Centre at Charlton Vs the Academy team. It was the U7 Academy vs U8 Advanced Centre, the result was a whopping 15-2 defeat for the Academy.....my son played and I asked the Academy Coach what the point was? His reply was that usually the Academy a year younger beat the advanced centre, he stated that obviously the advanced centre was a better standard than they had realised.

I knew the answer, most of the advanced players are small but highly technical skillful players, taking the size advantage away showed the worth of this skill as they demolished them, to the point where I felt very sorry for the Academy boys. When you take into account the Advanced Centre do not play together at all and the Academy train and play together the defeat was quite enlightening I feel.

I honestly can say I love watching the Advanced Centre Boys play, they are so technical and when they play the end of session matches it is just like watching a Prem match on the tv....its all passing, movement and skills.

What the Academies fail to realise is that the smaller boys are slower to grow, but in fact can end up being bigger than these boys eventually.
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There are quite a few deals done now, Hull have signed 3 including Boateng. Birmingham have signed Marcus Bent as well. I think both of those two will do well for their new clubs actually.

NEWCASTLE United are hoping to pull off the £7m signing of Argentinian midfielder Pablo Aimar from Real Zaragoza in the next 48 hours.

The word coming out of Spain today was that United have agreed the fee with their former Fairs Cup opponents and that Aimar’s agents were on their way to Tyneside.

And if a deal can be thrashed out then the 28-year-old Aimar will be on his way in the next couple of days

I really like Aimar, but you need some hard workers around him. ;)

seems keegan is planning to go all out attack again to me as aimar will be 3rd midfielder he signed if he gets him,also chasing Liverpool's Argentina Under-20 international Emiliano Insua full-back on loan

Well with all the rumours flying around about Liverpool signing god knows how many players they will need to free up some space!

We desperately need a creative midfielder down at West Ham, since we lost Yossi Benayoun its been a bit drab the style of play.

Well with all the rumours flying around about Liverpool signing god knows how many players they will need to free up some space!

One of them being David Villa! What a signing that would be! If they can pull that off, it might just be enough for them to clinch the premiership!

or maybe they can get anouther superstar like degan or cavalieri!

Norwich have signed Dejan Stefanovic (Undisclosed fee) and Elliot Omasuzi (on loan) from Fulham. I'm wondering what kind of profit they make on the shirt lettering now.

Scrabble score x £100?