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stewfil

Watford in a few years?

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Just came across an interesting article about Watford''s Academy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/17/england-world-cup-watford Imo a very good idea and one which Norwich could copy. sorry if the link doesn''t work, using firefox, anyone explain why it doesn''t show up?

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[quote user="stewfil"]Just came across an interesting article about Watford''s Academy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/17/england-world-cup-watford Imo a very good idea and one which Norwich could copy. sorry if the link doesn''t work, using firefox, anyone explain why it doesn''t show up?[/quote][url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/17/england-world-cup-watford[/url]You have to do this : [url]LINK GOES IN HERE[/url] [Y]Sorry, not too sure what to say on topic, but this should help with your technical enquiry. [:)]

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Although not as intensive as the French system mentioned, I think that it stretches the limits and is in danger of producing very narrow individuals. in a Worldly sense.

Where will it end?

There are suggestions here of the raising of Sumo wrestlers in Japan or even Eastern European shot putt throwers. Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters spring to mind. Hour after hour devoted to just one activity, one aim. These individuals made it, many, many more did not.

Australia embarked upon such a sports programme after they achieved just one gold at the Montreal Olympics. It worked for them four years later in terms of the medals table, but what did it really achieve?

How about surgical intervention at some stage, like the Italian castrati of the opera world? In footballer''s cases it would mean tinkering with parts of the brain to increase commitment or parts of the torso to improve balance. 

This last remark is made in jest of course and made to highlight the fact that such intense methods in the past have often been to the detriment of the individual for the cause of the activity, profit or even nationalism. A naturally developed talent and human being like George Best will always be more attractive to the public.

Watford seem to have a balanced approach but it does, I feel, goes far enough in interferring with the personal development of youngsters. What of those that fail to make it? It is a hard enough pill to swallow for any failed aspiring professional as it is.  

 

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As far as i understand the Watford system, they are not losing anything

academically - according to them they perform better in the classroom -

so if they don''t make it as a professional footballer, they are no worse

off. But the opportunity is there never the less. A George Best will

come through in any system.

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Agreed.

I am not knocking Watford for this just mentioning some of the dangers of an over-intensive hothouse approaches for the sake of discussion.

The overwhelming majority of these kids fail to make it.

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An interesting add on to this discussion is the announcement by the Premier League that they are thinking of using the Government''s new "free schools" system to start "Premier League Schools" which would placed added priority onto football training.

There is no suggestions that these schools are hothouses though, they still only give the students 15 hours of football training a week a small amount when you compare it to musical academies which will give students around 25 hours a week of musical training, and just as many of them will never go on to become full-time professional musicians.

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[quote user="Brendo "]Whoops - [url]                LINK GOES IN HERE WITH NO SPACES EITHER SIDE                [/url][/quote]

c''mon brendo sort it out!

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"Australia embarked upon such a sports programme after they achieved just

one gold at the Montreal Olympics. It worked for them four years later

in terms of the medals table, but what did it really achieve?"Remember seeing a documentary about aussies and rugby league where a visiting aussie coach was shocked that kids as young as six were playing ''just for the fun of it''. Didn''t seem to make much sense to him.Likewise in the late 80''s the French embarked upon an elitist system where the national team was all to the extreme detriment of all. League games were constantly rearranged and disrupted, gradually it filtered downwards whereby French football is now a second rate sport.Sport for all.

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Ajax and France... 2 names that should be cautionary to anyone who thinks Watfords idea is a good idea...Ajax last one something when i was a little boy.... France''s embaressment at the world cup was the end of what all this effort in the 80''s has reaped....beware..

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