Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Hans-Hubert's Last Stand...

Trust me, it's not Berti's fault.

How is it that the Moldovan players could control (first touch as well) and pass the ball to each other with no problems at all, yet we couldn't? Our movement off the ball was frankly shocking, our use of the ball was amateur, yet 'we can't fault the boys for effort'.

Big deal. We expect effort. They are playing for Scotland after all.

Whatever happened to skill? Has it been usurped by the desire for effort and stamina?

I'm angry tonight, yet if these are the best players on offer, what can any replacement manager do? Gordon Strachan certainly wouldn't be able to suddenly turn Gary Holt or Stevie Thompson (for example) into silky, skilled footballers.

The answer lies with teaching young adult footballers that skill is the most powerful weapon a footballer can have. Not strength, stamina or power. Christ, a defender heads the ball from his own box into the opponents half, and the scottish crowd gives a big cheer.

'Yay! Good header..!'.

But the ball goes straight to the opposition. Well fucking done......

The ability of our players to receive the ball properly, and to pass it on so it is able to be received properly is non-existant! Where have the basic skills of the game gone?

Time to wise up, play with intelligence and skill (and confidence in that skill). Yet we haven't got players who can do that, because they were dumped aged 15 or 16 because they weren't strong enough, or were too small, or couldn't run flat out all game.

It's madness, I say. Yet poor old Bertie will get his jotters (or resign - it matters not. The shoogly peg on which his jaicket is placed is buckling under the weight...) simply because our players can't play football.

As I said, it's not Bertie's fault....

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