Performance Proposals

[rosscarnie]

Thoughts on this?

Brian McClair and Gordon Strachan have shared proposed plans for the Scottish FA’s Performance Strategy to the Chairpersons and Chief Executives of the 30 Club Academy Scotland (CAS) participants.

The Performance Director, Scotland National Coach and Chief Executive, Stewart Regan, also presented their vision in a meeting with the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and the Sports Minister, Jamie Hepburn, at Holyrood this afternoon.

Brian has travelled the country since his appointment last June, consulting with clubs, youth and senior coaches, players and affiliated bodies to review and make recommendations in the key strands of the strategy: including the two-tier CAS system, the flagship seven Regional Performance Schools and the National Youth Teams.

Brian was joined by the Scotland National Coach as they revisited Scotland’s proud footballing history domestically, in Europe and on the international stage. They updated on the progress so far in the four years since the conception of the performance strategy and spoke passionately of the collective work required to be undertaken to realise the 2020 Vision and ensure a more prosperous future for the national game.

In broad terms, these proposals include:

• A refining of the number of players in the CAS system (currently in excess of 2300)

• A reduction in the number of centrally funded CAS teams to maximise investment in line with the Performance Strategy’s Best v Best principle

• More provision for Regional Academies

• Consultation with clubs regarding a Draft Loan system between the SPFL Premiership and Championship to improve first-team game time for young Scottish players

It was agreed that a working group will be convened to discuss the proposals in more detail and ensure collaboration between all constituent areas of the game.

Brian McClair, Scottish FA Performance Director: “I am glad we had the opportunity to discuss and debate Scottish football’s current reality and how we can all work together to improve. The most important thing for me is that we all agree that we need to improve and that any future plans should put the development of the young player at the heart of everything we do.

“The principle is very clear and is founded on hard work on the pitch and off it. Interestingly, when I spoke to the Professional Game Board at the end of last year to share some of the ideas, the one word that came back was ‘radical’. Sometimes the most radical changes are also the most simple.

“There is a lot of good work under way with the Performance Schools and with more outcome-focused investment in CAS but we need to address why our players stop developing at under-21 level and what the barriers are to playing regular football at the critical stage of development.”

Gordon Strachan, Scotland National Coach: “I am Scotland National Coach but I am also a father and grandfather and I care passionately about the state of our game and the future of our game. Naturally I am disappointed that we did not qualify for the European Championships but Scottish football’s challenges run much deeper. We need to get back to producing exciting players again, players who can be relied upon to start for their clubs at an earlier age, players who will then become more experienced and better prepared when it comes to international football.

“We need to be honest with ourselves when it comes to assessing where we are, where we want to be and how we get there. Brian and I were fortunate enough to play for top teams in Scotland and England and represent our country at major tournaments but the work was put in way before either of us made our first-team debuts.”

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=1961&newsCategoryID=3&newsID=15864

[er yir macaroon]

No mention of changes to the 7 performance schools. I hope these are going to produce players for the national team by the early 2020s.

[Khana Lagur]

I like the idea of the draft loan proposal if it keeps young players in our leagues and gives them competitive game time. Still think a proper reserve league would be better, tho.

[Duncan Blackheart]

Scottish government should withdraw all funding until they go summer football and a pyramid and no centuries old "politics". Give the money to boxing or SOHK rugby initiatives or punctuation lessons or including mandatory lessons in cognitive dissonance in the curriculum. And then ban stuff. Coz that'll work.

But don't ban beer, coz I want another one.

[radian_13]

Being honest with ourselves, we are pretty rubbish with players who aren't mentally strong enough. I feel it will get worse before getting better. Lose the attitude of ditching players who are too small, let players with skill show it off and train footballers to be athletes instead of vice versa. Yes it's easier said than done but Copy what Belgium, Germany and Iceland have done. I'm not expecting similar results but 20 years of not qualifying it's embarrassing it's taken this long for someone to wake up and try change it. SFA are idiots who do nothing and hope by luck we qualify

[BraveheartGordon]

Being honest with ourselves, we are pretty rubbish with players who aren't mentally strong enough. I feel it will get worse before getting better. Lose the attitude of ditching players who are too small, let players with skill show it off and train footballers to be athletes instead of vice versa. Yes it's easier said than done but Copy what Belgium, Germany and Iceland have done. I'm not expecting similar results but 20 years of not qualifying it's embarrassing it's taken this long for someone to wake up and try change it. SFA are idiots who do nothing and hope by luck we qualify

This rarely happens now within CAS, coaching has improved dramatically at most clubs in the last 10 years, especially since everyone watched the 09 Barca team.

Have you seen the Belgian side now? they're absolutely huge, they're athletes who were trained to be footballers, I'm saying its the way to go or anything, you'll just struggle to find someone in their squad under 6 foot.

[Notts Bankie]

This rarely happens now within CAS, coaching has improved dramatically at most clubs in the last 10 years, especially since everyone watched the 09 Barca team.

Have you seen the Belgian side now? they're absolutely huge, they're athletes who were trained to be footballers, I'm saying its the way to go or anything, you'll just struggle to find someone in their squad under 6 foot.

Believe it or not, how does 8 outfield players sound?

Hazard, Kums, Defour, de Bruyne, Carrasco, Nainggolan, Batshuayi, Cavanda in the last squad they chose are all under 6ft.

What they do have is a spine of big lads - Witsel, Kompany, Courtois, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Benteke, Fellaini. They have a mix. Hazard and de Bruyne are arguably the two first players on the teamsheet - but are also under 6ft!

Here's a name to mention now - this boy is apparently the bees knees - Youri Tielemens who is their most promising player is also under 6ft.

Size is not everything; it can be an advantage but not essential for most positions - obviously a team of pygmies could play......

We never have had the biggest lads except the old tradition of a big boy at the back or a big boy up top. Impact footballers aren't just big any more - Technique, Awareness, Vision, Workrate, and an understanding of who goes where, who does what, and some idea of a system (the simpler the better in international football as you don't have the time to make them all into Iniesta over night. )

We can only make a silk purse out of a sow's ear at the moment - let's be honest, but the team isn't the worse it has been in the last 20 years but it hasn't been the best by a mile. With time, a cohesive approach with both Westminster and Holyrood governments, the domestic league, schools, and investment in infrastructure, ease of access (financially and proximity of facilities) to play football and probably summer football - will we see a likely upturn in our fortunes. Otherwise we will continue to be a once proud footballing nation which has one foot in the past and one foot clomping wildly & missing, while trying to step into the new era.

We might even do well to invest in even more mental & lifestyle coaching in our lads at an early age at club and international level.