11 Sep 2019 15:22:00
I've always admired Kris Boyd's analysis of a game of football but he's a couple of yards offside with his comment about it being a middle class sport and damaging Scotland. He says working class kids can't afford boots or goalkeeping gloves. Youth around the world are doing just fine. Just need to look at Belgium with a population less than us. To me it's the academy system. Good first touch and passing but the flair being coached out of them. Davie Cooper would be laughing his head off.
11 Sep 2019 17:31:47
Boyd will say anything for attention. his profile has to be fed . nonsense or not . in his last season for us he was probably the worst player on the park of any game . then he cut down on the pies.
11 Sep 2019 23:41:03
Hes right though, the amount of teams folding in boys and amateur football every year is unreal. The price of pitch hire now is unreal well over 100 for a 2 hour let at 4g facilities, and that's the council ones the private ones are even more expensive. Costs to keep kids playing are spiralling out of control.
11 Sep 2019 23:42:10
Cricket and rugby union are middle class sports. Football always has been the sport of the working class. Trouble is kids nowadays are more interested in their phones or iPads.
12 Sep 2019 07:15:47
interesting you say that herewego, I find in the last 15 to 20 years that too many boys clubs are run by fathers of boys playing in that team and there is to much self interest in there own kid. some of these guys have never played football yet go on a course and get a badge. if people think that football is expensive for kids then try martial arts as its just money after money.
12 Sep 2019 10:47:29
Having coached our local kids team for a few years you can see the kids who have ability from very early on.
We had one very good player who was from a very difficult home who chucked it. Out of a team of 17 or 18 kids we have one that is very top drawer and another 3 very good players. Coaching rigid systems is ok but discouraging for the guys to show individual brilliance.
12 Sep 2019 15:36:16
Doiger - I know a youth coach who says that his team is full of kids called Rory and Rupert getting dropped off in Porsche 4x4s. Working class kids are falling away from the sport rapidly. Look at the current Scotland team, particularly the younger lads, how many of them are working class?
12 Sep 2019 17:33:42
@doiger a lot of kids are on their phones and playstations etc these day but take a wee walk and you’ll see there is nothing for them to do out-with their houses. Facilities for kids are either non existent or too expensive in some areas so they tend to sit on their phones or play ps4. I’ve got a brother who is 14 and when he’s at home in my mums house he does nothing but sit on his phone because their isn’t anything to do. He stays with me once a week and when he gets here he instantly wants to go kick the ball about (I stay near the Glasgow green) . Everyone is addicted to their phones these days and kids get the addiction from seeing parents on said phones constantly.