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TAFKAC

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Everything posted by TAFKAC

  1. I had a look at the St Kitts and Nevis side. Some very good full time players in the squad. You can see why they won.
  2. I think that's the reason he is in the Alba party.
  3. There are always some bizarre comments after defeats but I've never seen anything as bad as this. You do realise that they will have been doing patterns of play for most of the week based on the team selection. Or do you think they all turn up on Saturday to see which number shirt the manager will give them.
  4. I can't quite get my head around what rules are actually being followed here. I have a slightly more pragmatic example from Charlton, although it is slightly dated. My lad used to train on a Tuesday night. If there was a midweek game, we would not be able to get to the Valley until just before half time. When the barriers became automatic, it was easy to keep one turnstile open for each area of the ground with a steward on the door. Before that, that steward would check the ticket and then radio through that they were letting someone with a ticket into the ground. And that was into a ground with 16,000 other people already in place.
  5. I agree completely that Dougie is the best thing to happen to the club since Rooney. But Rooney won things. And had us competing in the top tier. I accept it was in a different era, but the potential is there for something similar and equally special to happen.
  6. Still on a high from last night, and that's after doing a 32km training run for the London marathon. I thought Oakley was superb, Wilson and Power dominated the midfield until the second set of Motherwell substitutions and the defence rarely looked troubled. Imrie is creating something very special.
  7. I was joking, but never mind. Here goes. A bit of background. Those that have been around since the Topica days will know that I worked in the Philippines in the late 90s and played in the Philippine National League for two seasons - it was a mix of quality, with a few better players possibly Lowland League level. I was in the lower end quality wise, but was a reasonable finisher. The club I played for had the best playing facilities in the country, as it was part of a sports club complex. My colleague from the Dutch Embassy organised a tour by the Ajax/Feyernoord old boys to the Philippines. I got a place on the League select team bench for the match and got on for 10 minutes at the end. Rep played up front for them and was astonishing. He barely moved, everything stuck, every pass hit his target and he scored 3. I went up to him at the end of the match and in a proper creepy fanboy told him that he'd made me cry as an 8 year old. His quality response was, in a classic comedy Dutch accent "Yesh, I meet many Shcottish people. They all tell me that. Let me buy you a beer." He got a case in and told us all about the plan in 1978 and what they could cope with. They always felt that they could score if they needed to, and that they thought Rough was the weak link. But the Gemmell goal spooked them, hence his long shot. He was a top man.
  8. You said "I later told my close friend since teenage years, John McMaster, and he told me it took him 7 years to get into Aberdeen’s first team." According to McMaster's book and Wikipedia "McMaster signed for Aberdeen in 1972 at the age of 17, and was loaned out for a full season to Peterhead in the Highland League. He broke into the Aberdeen first team in the 74/75 season and then played 21 games in the 75/76 season, when he was 20." Who are we to believe?
  9. McMaster signed for Aberdeen in 1972 at the age of 17, and was loaned out for a full season to Peterhead in the Highland League. He broke into the Aberdeen first team in the 74/75 season and then played 21 games in the 75/76 season, when he was 20. You should read his biography, McMaster and Commander. An interesting read, co-authored by my old man's cousin. If a kid can't play one touch football in a controlled environment, then they're not getting beyond park football.
  10. Can I tell my Jonny Rep story? It is true, and he's a lovely bloke. And when is someone going to let DOT in on the secret of who the hustler is?
  11. I wouldn't worry, Alibi. I've been reading your comments since the Topica days, and I don't think he's accusing you of being an intellectual. Best just to ignore him and accept that he appears to be using this as some form of therapy.
  12. I watched Sportscene this morning and was surprised to hear Steve Lovell's description of how Morton play. He was tremendously complimentary about the constant attempt to play football, moving the ball and general enjoyment he got from watching us.
  13. With the best will in the world, probably best to stop digging now. Rensenbrink never coached at any point after he stopped playing - his last club was in France after a spell in the US. He also never played in the Netherlands after he left in 1969. Wikipedia has a wonderful function which allows you to view the page in different languages - the dutch page is surprisingly more detailed than the English one. As I said in a earlier post, always sensible to sense check the facts of story before going big.
  14. And always worth checking Wikipedia to check what people were up to and, more importantly where, before one starts dropping names.
  15. I really shouldn't as you can't help yourself, can you? Give us the year, when you released yourself from your trial with Den Haag? I get the sense that you're in your early 60's so I'm guessing this was in the late 70s/early 80s.
  16. Just want to support the last para. This is key to youth development and is a great opportunity for the player and the manager. For the player it is a chance to show he belongs in the first team squad and cope with the mental element of it. And for the manager to judge their temperament amongst older more experienced players. Going back to the personal - best thing my lad did was to skip the second year of under 18 county football and go straight to lower level adult football at 17. It got him his move to a senior county side in the second season and then step 5 as he was able to show temperament as well as ability. Loads of better players than him didn’t have the mental strength and a lot have stopped playing completely.
  17. But Garrity hasn't been released. I have some experience of how this works - not personally as I never got beyond trials with Killie boys club in the early 80s. But my lad was at Bromley until 16, and has played at step 5 and 6 when at uni. He had trials at league clubs, but never quite made the cut. I also coached at a decent youth level in SE London and I have one kid still at a league club and a few still playing at step 2,3 and 4; at one point I had 2 at Chelsea, 2 at Millwall, 1 at Charlton and 1 at Gillingham but they all got dropped at various points, despite one of them being the Chelsea and Polish under 15s captain. I had a decent relationship with the scouting teams at Millwall and Charlton, but really didn't like the bigger clubs approach to it all. Basically league clubs will have one kid in each age group they are focussed on. The other 15-19 lads in that age group are there as fodder. Sadly parents all think that their kid is the one. It becomes horrible at under 16s, especially if the kids are not academically minded or have parents looking to cash in on them. Lots get released at this point as under 16s becomes under 18s and two year groups need to filter into one. The amount of kids who stop playing football at 16 is massive and depressing. All of that is a long winded way of saying - kids will be told why they are being released and will be given other options including dropping down a few levels or sixth form colleges for the bright kids. The kids may not listen and deflect, but ultimately it is up to them to make the right decisions. The lad I coached who is still playing pro went to Arsenal at under 10s. Was dropped at under 13s, played local youth football until 16 and then got picked up by Colchester after attending an open trial where he was up against loads of kids being dropped by the big clubs. None of what happens on the training ground or between manager and players should be communicated to fans, however entitled you may feel yourself to be.
  18. Ok, I'll bite on your straw man argument. Why should Dougie tell the fans about his approach to coaching young players who he sees having a future at the club, and what does that have to do with him releasing players in the past who weren't good enough?
  19. And how many of them have pulled up trees elsewhere? Rejection, and dealing with it, is a key part of football.
  20. I first noticed it in the video the club produced showing the first year under Imrie. Robbie celebrates like a madman whether he is the scorer or not.
  21. If you're a fan of MBV, have you listened to the new Slowdive album?
  22. It is true, but I had no idea that Herriot had played for us. My Mum watched the original series in the 70s and I remember my Dad coming out with this nugget. Herriot was playing for Birmingham against Man U.
  23. It's really clumsy challenge and he's mistimed it. Looking at it in full speed you can see why the ref has given him the red card - no attempt to play the ball and looks like a drag down the achilles. One of those strange ones that look less troublesome when slowed down. But an appeal would be wasted.
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