Youth team development: Page 130 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

Youth team development

Don Pacifico

Ricky1985 wrote:
http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal/arsenal-suspend-two-coaches-after-allegations-that-bullying-forced-starlet-marcus-mcguane-to-leave-the-club-1-5514389

Arsenal have suspended two U23 coaches after complaints from players about bullying. The coaches in question are Steve Getting and Carl Laraman and there's a suggestion that Marcus McGuane, the kid that left for Barcelona in January, left to get away from it.

I personally can't stand either of the two coaches in question. Very arrogant and old-fashioned in interviews I've seen them in and features the club have done on them over the years. And I'd say they are also both very average coaches that have been at the club longer than they should have been. Gatting did win the U23 League this season but with Willock, Nelson and Nketiah it would have been hard not to. He's had a very poor time of it before that.

Innocent until proven guilty and all that but I hope they're done at Araneal regardless.

Where did you hear this was linked to McGuane? And are you able to elaborate on them being arrogant and old-fashioned?

Klaus

It says McGuane in the link address.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Didn't he rubbish it yesterday?

Ricky1985

Yep, McGuane has since come out to distance himself from the story:

[Twitter][/Twitter]

Don Pacifico wrote:
Where did you hear this was linked to McGuane? And are you able to elaborate on them being arrogant and old-fashioned?

I can't give specific examples, no. I didn't like the way in which they expressed themselves after matches. I felt they spoke a lot of rubbish; full of cliches and questionable analysis, laced with an unwarranted arrogance that grated on me. On top of that I feel they have been turning out poorly coached teams for years and somehow seemed to just keep on trucking. Everything I have ever seen and heard from them have given me the strong impression that they were not very nice people that were not competent enough to deserve such prestigious positions.

I always had a suspicion that the Arsenal Academy was a bit of an old boys club and these two had been there ages and fit in rather than being presently deserving. Arsenal tried to change it up a few years back, and move on from the mess Brady let the setup devolve in to, with Jonker and his Dutch revolution. But these two worked mainly with the U23s and so were somewhat removed from the lower age groups where pretty much all of the changes were made. Even then there were strong rumours that there was a bit of disharmony between the English coaches that remained and the Dutch coaches and management that came in.

Burnwinter

Man, this is all so interesting. Ljungberg's appointment seems like great news.

Clrnc

Ricky1985 wrote:
On top of that I feel they have been turning out poorly coached teams for years and somehow seemed to just keep on trucking. Everything I have ever seen and heard from them have given me the strong impression that they were not very nice people that were not competent enough to deserve such prestigious positions.

That's interesting. Always felt that our youth teams was a bit of a joke over the past 5 years or so and many talented players stagnate at that level.

Klaus

Ricky1985 wrote:
Even then there were strong rumours that there was a bit of disharmony between the English coaches that remained and the Dutch coaches and management that came in.

Got any more info about this, Ricky?

Ricky1985

If I remember correctly, it started with the club choosing to appoint Jonker instead of Terry Burton when Brady left the academy. Burton left in a huff and was very good friends with all the Arsenal old boys that made up Brady's coaching staff.

Lots of rumours there after that the English and Dutch coaches had very different ideas and approaches and there was a divide between the two. There were also complaints from parents that felt the new coaches were too regimented with the kids and that created further problems. It was all just a big mess for a while. Jonker did well with improving recruitment of talent - an area we had fallen way behind in - but I don't think he was there long enough to get out the likes of Gatting and Laraman and install enough of his own coaches to change the quality and culture. They were all gone soon after Jonker left for Wolfsburg.

Freddie coming in to work with he U23s is a very good start to closing the gap to Chelsea in terms of coaching quality. And hopefully Mertesacker can create an environment where high standards are expected across the board, and accountability for the guys thay aren't up to scratch.

jones

I have great hopes for Mertesacker and the work he'll put into the academy. Not only is he easily the smartest footballer around but I liked very much his intention to create some sort of safety net/introduce educational or vocational training for those kids who don't make it because as it is it's a certainty a good chunk of them turn to crime

Klaus

Great point Jones. I didn't know that about Per, but it just makes me like him more. I read a book a few years ago authored by a bloke who failed as a youth player at Inter, and it had a huge impact on me. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called, but it was written by a young swedish guy with - I think - yugoslavian roots. So many of these youth players who don't make the grade end up suffering from deep depressions if they don't end up on the streets, discarded like trash after being told all life that they could make a living from playing football.

Klaus

Ricky1985 wrote:
If I remember correctly, it started with the club choosing to appoint Jonker instead of Terry Burton when Brady left the academy. Burton left in a huff and was very good friends with all the Arsenal old boys that made up Brady's coaching staff.

Lots of rumours there after that the English and Dutch coaches had very different ideas and approaches and there was a divide between the two. There were also complaints from parents that felt the new coaches were too regimented with the kids and that created further problems. It was all just a big mess for a while. Jonker did well with improving recruitment of talent - an area we had fallen way behind in - but I don't think he was there long enough to get out the likes of Gatting and Laraman and install enough of his own coaches to change the quality and culture. They were all gone soon after Jonker left for Wolfsburg.

Freddie coming in to work with he U23s is a very good start to closing the gap to Chelsea in terms of coaching quality. And hopefully Mertesacker can create an environment where high standards are expected across the board, and accountability for the guys thay aren't up to scratch.

Cheers Ricky, that makes sense. I think I remember reading somewhere about clashes between the old and the new in the youth setup. I just goes to show that if you want to rejuvenate an organisation you might as well do it properly. If a lack of adaptability is the fundamental problem with the old staff then I guess it's naive to expect them to suddenly change just because a new guy is in charge.

Ricky1985

[Twitter][/Twitter]

Pipped Nketiah to the award. Well deserved. Now sign that new contract, young man!

Ricky1985

[Twitter][/Twitter]
[Twitter][/Twitter]

Good for Nketiah getting promoted from the U19s. Looks like we have plans to include him, Willock and Nelson in our pre-season plans.

Iloveyouarsenewenger

Ricky1985 wrote:
[Twitter][/Twitter]
[Twitter][/Twitter]

Good for Nketiah getting promoted from the U19s. Looks like we have plans to include him, Willock and Nelson in our pre-season plans.

Do you think Willock has a future with Arsenal? Has always looked a nothing player whenever I've seen him play for the first team.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Willock indeed looks a nothing player. I was only half impressed with him in one of the away games early on in the Europa campaign

I'm more excited about Nketiah and Niles than Willock and Nelson.

Ricky1985

No, he's not a nothing player because of the mix of abilities he has. He doesn't have the technial brilliance of someone like Reiss Nelson, but he still has some strong parts to his technical game and has no glaring weak points you can point to.

His touch is good, he has good close control, can pass short and long, he can carry the ball and has good ball striking technique. On top of his overall good technical ability, he has serious physical potential. 6'2, fast, strong, good build and good engine.

I've mentioned it before but in the space of 2 years, he's grown 6 inches and that has impacted his agility and movement. He has alluded to the difficulty he has had adjusting to the growth spurt himself recently. So there could be more to come from him in terms of his dribbling and agility - traits that were a big part of his game at youth level - and even more once he learns how to properly use his strength and frame.

Klaus

I'm fond of Willock too personally. Not too flashy, but he has good basics and a good head on his shoulders. Kids like him rarely tend to get a chance unfortunately so opportunities might be scarce outside Arsenal, but you can see he's a good player right away.

goon

He’s already got good strength on the ball, but if he really wants to make it here he needs to take that up a level and become a real powerhouse. He could do worse than modelling his game on someone like Dembele at Spurs.

Ricky1985

https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2018/may/19/per-mertesacker-book-extract-arsenal-academy-manager?CMP=share_btn_tw&__twitter_impression=true

Reading that has made me very happy. I'm extremely excited to see what the big man can do. Can only hope his beliefs and attitudes catch like wild fire throughout the club and isn't confined to the youth team only.

Mirth

Is that book available in English? I'd happily read it.

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