[quote=“caoimhaoin, post: 57119”]Rocko - I have no problem with the Elite squads of course, you need them to develop the best lads, but i just think they should be going back to better set ups. Even if the lads themselves brought something back (a kinda of train the trainer effort), or there was a scheme where his club coach also got to tag along on occasion to see what goes on, and learn from the experience as well. The coaches who bring these players through will get a certain amount of satifaction from that as well. Its much easier to convince a coach he may need to change if he see’s an elite squad training and see’s how good it can be (he’ll adapt himself) , rather than a Development officer coming out some wet thursday night and telling him this is the way you HAVE to do it. It may be a softer approach.
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I agree with your points here, Kev. There simply isn’t enough money in the game in Ireland for individual clubs to finance development academies but I certainly think the FAI should be looking to set up a central one that the best young players around the country attend before going back to play with their clubs at weekends. Like you say, their own club coaches could be brought in on rotation to learn from this best practice and so on - they players would take classes as well as devoting a serious amount of time to football. Similar to the much heralded French youth set up that the great Gerard Houllier pioneered.
Well we were originally talking about LOI players making the step-up so it doesn’t really matter how they’ve gained their experience, the key is getting the best coaching to the elite players.
Lads of 14, 15, 16 can’t go overseas by themselves. They can only move if their parents move when they’re under 16 - you need to be 16 to move clubs internationally within the EU, you have to be 18 to move internationally otherwise as far as I know.
This shift has actually helped Irish football in that it allows us to be more responsible for the central development of our players until they’re 16 anyway. After that it’s up to them where they go but obviously a talented 16 year-old won’t always make it and they’re key years for development. It’s really the older guys who are 17 and 18 that I’d like to see getting the coaching outside the UK - be that in Ireland or in Europe. It’s not necessarily a criticism of the UK but they haven’t been great at developing players historically and understandably they’re not focussed on nurturing young Irish talent.
Oh ideally these lads would be with the LOI Youth squads till 17-18, creating a very strong youth league system, and that they tend to only move then. I actually had heard players have to go with parents before 16 but had forgotten, sure isn’t that why Messi’s whole family were brought over?
I think the conversation has moved away from the LOI being crap now, more into development and structures. Well its not crap, but its just not as good as it was.
Anyway, as i said back along, i think all 3 major organisations in Ireland have these great fancy ideas, plans blaa blaa blaa, but don’t have a really good grasp of the realities yet. And whats actually happening right now or the diffficulties they will face.
That’s what I was saying. They need their parents to move with them if they’re under 16 which doesn’t happen that often. There are rules around education and the purpose of the move too though, you can move for education purposes but not exclusively for footballing reasons or something like that.
The direction of the legislation is towards stopping kids moving anyway so it’s imperative that our resources are up to scratch in Ireland.
Interesting that nobody in the media,or indeed here is mentioning Mark Yeates in terms of an Ireland call up.He is having a reasonable season with Sheff Utd.
2 Sligo players ya? Colemans profile will have helped the lads no end, without insulting them in anyway.
Forgot to say, Bandage, after Sunday the McCourt thing doesn’t sound so ridiculous now. He is a rapidly changing player. And his strength and fitness has clearly improved, technique was never an issue. I take back my slagging.