Stan Collymore · @StanCollymore
13th Nov 2011 from Twitlonger
At least it's a start.....
I've been working for talkSPORT for 3 years now,and in that time have seen every England game at Wembley as well as every England game at the FIFA WC 2010.
I've supported England since 8 years of age,and have 3 England caps(called up without caps several more times),so i'd like to think i have a view in the round,when it comes to the national team moving forward.
I'm writing this because i'd like to start the ball rolling amongst coaches,journalists,players(amateur & pro) as to the best way forward for the England national team to be successful,and as successful as it's little boisterous brother,the Premier League.
Clubs have their own agenda when it comes to a grass roots vision,and it's simple.Get as many young kids through the door as possible,process them with unimaginative coaching,beef them up,and hope the next Rooney lands in your lap,saving your club a fortune,or raising a fortune when sold.
The Football Association as guardians of the game in this country should always have higher aims however.
To provide the best possible coaching programmes for anyone who wants to be involved,at an affordable price.
To provide a clear pathway for coaches to be able to make coaching a viable vocational path,rather than having to spend summers in the USA or elsewhere to make ends meet in their chosen career.If we are serious about moving the game forward in this country,we need to offer aspiring young coaches the light at the end of the tunnel here in the UK.Clubs(Premier League dripping with cash),and the FA(St Georges Park vision) should be going out of their way to attract home based coaches.Instead,we get the Portuguese version(AVB), off the peg.
To provide a clear framework and vision for English coaches to work to,not by dictat but by consensus,drawing knowledge and expertise not only from established coaches such as Tony Carr or Dario Gradi but from imaginative,young and old amateur coaches that have fresh,vibrant ideas.This is my main bugbear,as most amateur coaches that i come across do not feel their voices are heard,or wanted,and this has to change.
That framework,i'm convinced more than ever after watching the Spain game,should embrace and make clear English sporting values and principles,getting away from the "let's copy who are World Champions now" mentality that has hampered English football since we lost our way between 1966-1971.
Over the years we have talked about following the Dutch,Italian,Spanish,Brazillian coaching models,when in reality,through consensus,and talent outlined above,we should have all sat round a table and come up with our own.English core football values of organisation,discipline,commitment,tempo as the core blocks,with flair,individuality,individual in game responsibility all crucial elements on top.
The fact that we haven't done that is the biggest crime of all,and we only have to look at a succession of weak,unimaginative FA leaders,with little or no will to really revolutionise our game to see that every step the Spanish & Dutch take forward,England not only stands still but gets left way behind.
Trevor Brooking and Gareth Southgate are the faces of the change at the FA,and they are welcome,as the more people that at least take up the challenge the better,but the perception rightly or wrongly is that they offer gradual,safe evolution rather than the accelerated revolution that is needed in English football.We need people who offer new,fresh imaginative thoughts on the game,who challenge and inspire,as well as offer the current small "c"conservatism that the FA has represented over too many years.
I could write a book on the concerns of forward thinking fans,coaches,managers and journalists on the state of the direction that English football is going but it's easier to just put them in bullet points,so here goes with just a small flavour...
1.Make coaching badges more affordable for aspiring coaches.
2.Offer a clear and direct route for qualified coaches to get work both at clubs,and through St Georges Park.
3.Its our national sport and through the Premier League one of our most successful exports,so why doesn't government/Premier League/FA/PFA offer bursaries to aspiring coaches both to stay here and learn and also go abroad to expand their football knowledge?
4.Forget copying any other country,lets get SAF,Gradi,Carr,Wenger,Dalglish,Redknapp plus former great players like Zola,Bergkamp,Beckham around a table with long time amateur coaches,and young potential English AVB's and flesh out a clear and concise plan for the game moving forward.Addressing short,medium and long term objectives.We have the talent,let's use it,instead of the "safe" names that the FA currently employ.Take risks.
5.Take parents out of kids football coaching development.Too many parents want to live their lives through their kids at youth football.Drop them off,and pick them up.Let the coaches coach,without barking parents present.
6.More entrepreneurs to get involved in stand alone academies.David Beckham & Glenn Hoddle academies have proved that there is a gap to be filled by these ventures,giving young kids an alternative to learn without being merely a club stat,and again giving aspiring coaches a realistic vocational avenue to pursue.
These are only 6 points,and there could be 666 points to be honest if we are serious about change.
Please feel free to add your own thoughts on this subject,i'm passionate about seeing England do well,as are many of you guys but unless we challenge the status quo,unless more people are drawn into decision making and feeling part of the solution,then we will always be left with the same problems.
Stan