Somewhere for Lambert to have a look?

[BlyBlyBabes 0]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3135547/Glenn-Hoddle-and-the-Spanish-team-thats-full-of-Englishmen.html

OTBC

[InLambertWeTrust! 0]

Errrr.....

where is Lappinitup when you need him? ;)

[morty 0]

Thats actually reasonably interesting, well done.

[26mjw 0]

The team is populated by players that haven''t made the grade over here. While there might be a diamond in the rough, they pro''s there are playing in the Spanish Fourth Division while there are other GHA players that are just on training contracts. The idea is a good one and it''ll give players a route back into football but only at a certain level. Generally, the players aren''t good enough for the top 2 or 3 divisions over here. Look out for Michael Spillane to pop up there in a year or two.

[Leedscanary 381]

[quote user="CT"]Errrr..... where is Lappinitup when you need him? ;)[/quote]

Much to Blys annoyance, I think you''ll find he is en-route to Doncaster

[morty 0]

[quote user="leedscanary"]

[quote user="CT"]Errrr..... where is Lappinitup when you need him? ;)[/quote]

Much to Blys annoyance, I think you''ll find he is en-route to Doncaster

[/quote]Oh yeah, his birthday present, forgot that was tonight!

[rjwc22 0]

I think this academy is a great idea both for the young footballers and as a business model.  Seem to remember reading about it a few years ago and they said that they place players at the clubs and then claim a % of any transfer fee recouped.

That said, so far they have had one success story and am pretty sure they are losing money hand over fist.

[John 0]

[quote user="thirdlion v2"]The team is populated by players that haven''t made the grade over here. While there might be a diamond in the rough, they pro''s there are playing in the Spanish Fourth Division while there are other GHA players that are just on training contracts. The idea is a good one and it''ll give players a route back into football but only at a certain level. Generally, the players aren''t good enough for the top 2 or 3 divisions over here. Look out for Michael Spillane to pop up there in a year or two.[/quote]Tsh.I''m not going to bother writing an elongated response to that, i''ll keep that one in the bag, but least to say i heartily couldn''t disagree with more. Talented players, especially in this country, have a tendency to suffer rejection when they in actual fact possess the kind of talent that would find their contemporaries unfit to lace their boots.As has been documented, many managers and coaches on this island judge by a players frame and physique as much as anything else, and that is in a strong contrast to the footballing giants of international football.I''m not going to go into the reasons in too much depth, as i''ve said read any decent related article on this subject "post World Cup" and they''ll be sure to provide the ins and outs of the matter, but i''ll just provide 2 or 3 some examples off the top of my head, some quite close to home.One notorious rejection down here in Sussex was that of Roy Keane at Brighton & Hove Albion. Like the others on this link, he was adjudged to be too tiny to have an impact in English football by the clubs coaching staff, and he was left with the only option of returning home to Ireland. Not too long after though he was been played and payed to the tune of millions by managers like Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson.One time picked but not played England international (i believe?) Jimmy Bullard was given a whole two years at West Ham United early in his career, and in this time the coaching staff didn''t think enough of him, having had a couple of years to assess him, to keep hold. Needless to say his later successes would make a mockery of such judgement, not least because they''d get relegated a year later. And the fact no other coaches at highly, or even moderately competitive clubs at the time saw reason to snatch him on a free was just as ridiculous.Two one-time England international here at Norwich in Dion Dublin and Bobby Zamora were thrown out and rejected at early ages. Dion Dublin, who was considered too weak to play at a decent level of football, went on to become one of the highest all-time Premier League scorers, and Zamora''s story writes itself. Mistake by the professional coaches who''s job it is to draft in those able to make the grade, and those not? I think so. A big one, and having seen the long line of tripe that is put through over here so often, it only emphasises the point that you can''t rely on these coaches to make the right decisions all the time (far far from it).This idea of Hoddle''s is both selflessly assisting the English game, and what''s more a perfect concept to help it. It''ll support the players in developing their game and physique in a proper footballing environment, without having to suffer the harsh incompetence of coaches here that would, without question, be foolish enough to stunt their progress on account of their perceived "inadequacies".I''d bet a lot of good comes from this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention BlyBly.

[John 0]

[quote user="John"][quote user="thirdlion v2"]The team is populated by players that haven''t made the grade over here. While there might be a diamond in the rough, they pro''s there are playing in the Spanish Fourth Division while there are other GHA players that are just on training contracts. The idea is a good one and it''ll give players a route back into football but only at a certain level. Generally, the players aren''t good enough for the top 2 or 3 divisions over here. Look out for Michael Spillane to pop up there in a year or two.[/quote]Tsh.I''m not going to bother writing an elongated response to that, i''ll keep that one in the bag, but least to say i heartily couldn''t disagree with more. Talented players, especially in this country, have a tendency to suffer rejection when they in actual fact possess the kind of talent that would find their contemporaries unfit to lace their boots.As has been documented, many managers and coaches on this island judge by a players frame and physique as much as anything else, and that is in a strong contrast to the footballing giants of international football.I''m not going to go into the reasons in too much depth, as i''ve said read any decent related article on this subject "post World Cup" and they''ll be sure to provide the ins and outs of the matter, but i''ll just provide 2 or 3 some examples off the top of my head, some quite close to home.One notorious rejection down here in Sussex was that of Roy Keane at Brighton & Hove Albion. Like the others on this link, he was adjudged to be too tiny to have an impact in English football by the clubs coaching staff, and he was left with the only option of returning home to Ireland. Not too long after though he was been played and payed to the tune of millions by managers like Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson.One time picked but not played England international (i believe?) Jimmy Bullard was given a whole two years at West Ham United early in his career, and in this time the coaching staff didn''t think enough of him, having had a couple of years to assess him, to keep hold. Needless to say his later successes would make a mockery of such judgement, not least because they''d get relegated a year later. And the fact no other coaches at highly, or even moderately competitive clubs at the time saw reason to snatch him on a free was just as ridiculous.Two one-time England international here at Norwich in Dion Dublin and Bobby Zamora were thrown out and rejected at early ages. Dion Dublin, who was considered too weak to play at a decent level of football, went on to become one of the highest all-time Premier League scorers, and Zamora''s story writes itself. Mistake by the professional coaches who''s job it is to draft in those able to make the grade, and those not? I think so. A big one, and having seen the long line of tripe that is put through over here so often, it only emphasises the point that you can''t rely on these coaches to make the right decisions all the time (far far from it).This idea of Hoddle''s is both selflessly assisting the English game, and what''s more a perfect concept to help it. It''ll support the players in developing their game and physique in a proper footballing environment, without having to suffer the harsh incompetence of coaches here that would, without question, be foolish enough to stunt their progress on account of their perceived "inadequacies".I''d bet a lot of good comes from this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention BlyBly.[/quote]... It *may* look long, but trust me when i say it could of been plenty longer.

[Lambo 0]

Agreed mate. Look at Messi, picked up by Barca who saw his talent and paid for Growth Hormone treatment for him so he can make it as a pro. Players here get judged by how tall and strong they are, not how skilled they are with a ball at their feet.