Mark Wotte

[Sherps]

It's interesting to note how multiple full-time youth coaches at the SFA have resigned to take up part-time jobs at clubs in Scotland.

This.

On Sportsound last night, this point was brought up, asking why so many had left a well paid, full time coaching job with the SFA to go to part time lower division clubs. The inference was that Wotte was a self important, arrogant person.

What no one ever points out, though, is that if you wish to implement a football culture/way of thinking/zeitgeist, whatever you want to call it, training up groups players is a spectacularly inefficient way to do it.

If you train the coaches then send them out in to the world with the same thinking as you, then in this case you wouldn't just have your national system spreading your methodology, you'd have managers involved with clubs doing the exact same things.

The dissemination of ideas and methodologies is spread a lot further than the SFA's sphere of influence.

Scott Booth applied for the Stenhousemuir job with Wotte's blessing.

Booth now also has loads of interaction with the Forth Valley Football Academy because of his position.

Although I'm not 100% sure, I can imagine things would be the same in Angus/East Region with Ray McKinnon.

[wanderer]

What no one ever points out, though, is that if you wish to implement a football culture/way of thinking/zeitgeist, whatever you want to call it, training up groups players is a spectacularly inefficient way to do it.

If you train the coaches then send them out in to the world with the same thinking as you, then in this case you wouldn't just have your national system spreading your methodology, you'd have managers involved with clubs doing the exact same things.

The dissemination of ideas and methodologies is spread a lot further than the SFA's sphere of influence.

Scott Booth applied for the Stenhousemuir job with Wotte's blessing.

Booth now also has loads of interaction with the Forth Valley Football Academy because of his position.

Although I'm not 100% sure, I can imagine things would be the same in Angus/East Region with Ray McKinnon.

Also, these guys probably don't want to spend the rest of their days coaching 16/17 year olds, so chances are you will see them move on (sure Booth will have aspirations to do the same as the likes of Paul Hartley has done with starting down low and working his way to get a top job one day and coaching a SPL side)

[andyD]

Maurice Malpas is in The Sun accusing Wotte of bullying Scottish clubs.

Aye, bullying them with an offer of £10,000 to help pay for it if they introduce better training for their youngsters.

Apparently an incentive scheme for clubs to help themselves and scottish football as a whole is "bullying".

I'm left thinking Malpas is a bit of a clown.

[ShedTA]

Wotte saying many in scottish football were resistant to change. How familiar does that sound - run by dinosaurs and idiots.

[Hope]

Wotte saying many in scottish football were resistant to change. How familiar does that sound - run by dinosaurs and idiots.

Sadly true

[Khana Lagur]

Wotte saying many in scottish football were resistant to change. How familiar does that sound - run by dinosaurs and idiots.

Think we might be getting closer to the truth here. Echoes of Gordon Smith's departure methinks.

[the Sunnylaw Jag]

Surely it's about time someone mentioned Stuart Baxter for the post, whoever the feck he is?

[BremnerLorimerGray]

Wotte saying many in scottish football were resistant to change. How familiar does that sound - run by dinosaurs and idiots.

Sadly, I think this is a line in the sand. Those who seem to have power and influence are so resistent to change that they would prefer the National side to remain sub standard, instead wasting the SFA's cash on themselves. The SPFL should genuinely have no place to question the likes of Wotte given how much they've ####ed our game up over the last 25 years in their various guises.

I seriously doubt that their will be new, suitable PD appointed and it'll likely be someone like Stark.

[John_B81]

I'm left thinking Malpas is a bit of a clown.

A lot of Motherwell fans will agree with you.

[Parklife]

Wotte saying many in scottish football were resistant to change. How familiar does that sound - run by dinosaurs and idiots.

To be honest, Wotte is the biggest idiot going. So folk disagreeing with are probably correct.

[ShedTA]

To be honest, Wotte is the biggest idiot going. So folk disagreeing with are probably correct.

Parkie, whether he was the right man or not i am not sure about, the worry is what appears to be a theme of resistance to change still in scottish football. its not like we have got a lot to be proud of over the last 20 years and stuff to really cling onto. its been sh*te and in need of a radical over haul and it sounds like there is the usual resistance to change that we are all aware of.

This was discussed on sportsound last night and it was agreed there is a huge inability to embrace change in scottish football. People holding onto the old ways because thats how it has always been. This will continue to hold us back.

Look at the example of Utd engaging Cathro to run their youth and talent set up. he has no real footballing background so traditionally just would not have been considered, but look at the results. its embracing these new approaches and ideas that is the problem in our game. Wotte might not have been ideal but what is behind him leaving is worrying.

[Alan]

I'm a big supporter of Wotte and what he and the SFA are trying to achieve in terms of youth football. We won't see the real results until 2020 for senior players. What he and the SFA have done is give the coaching and the opportunity but it is up to the players themselves to be real sportsmen on a par with dedicated professionals like athletes and cyclists for example.

Most in Scottish football including the "blazers", players, coaches and especially the fans are still stumbling around in semi-darkness in terms of technique, diet, attitude and dedication. There are shoots of recovery and the performance schools are part of that. I know Dundee United started their own dedicated one first and Celtic have followed while clubs like Hamilton are delivering and even my own club Partick Thistle is on the right track from basically nothing a few years ago which includes nutrition, injuries and lifestyle.

Wotte was always going to rub people up the wrong way especially "experts" like Davie Provan. I don't want to single out one person but what has Provan ever done to improve grass roots football? He's a commentator and a columnist making a living from the game but what is he doing to improve it? We needed someone to come in and set this up and he has done it emphasising skill and 4-3-3 formation so players are more adaptable on the pitch. Maybe now the role will be more of an administrator and we can look at pushing on to getting more full size pitch indoor facilities.

Details on the schools are here

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=2660

and

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=2663

[Orraloon]

To be honest, Wotte is the biggest idiot going.

Can you give us some specific things he has done, which have led you to this conclusion?

[derbydan]

I would agree with those saying that there is a sad resistance to change from many in the Scottish football establishment.

Giving that the national team have not progressed in any tournament for years, and most clubs sides fail in Europe they should have a look at themselves rather than slag of Mark Wotte!

Could it be the clubs want the money from his salary divided up between their own youth set ups ?

Surely not!

[Scots_Wha_Hae]

I'm a big supporter of Wotte and what he and the SFA are trying to achieve in terms of youth football. We won't see the real results until 2020 for senior players. What he and the SFA have done is give the coaching and the opportunity but it is up to the players themselves to be real sportsmen on a par with dedicated professionals like athletes and cyclists for example.

Most in Scottish football including the "blazers", players, coaches and especially the fans are still stumbling around in semi-darkness in terms of technique, diet, attitude and dedication. There are shoots of recovery and the performance schools are part of that. I know Dundee United started their own dedicated one first and Celtic have followed while clubs like Hamilton are delivering and even my own club Partick Thistle is on the right track from basically nothing a few years ago which includes nutrition, injuries and lifestyle.

Wotte was always going to rub people up the wrong way especially "experts" like Davie Provan. I don't want to single out one person but what has Provan ever done to improve grass roots football? He's a commentator and a columnist making a living from the game but what is he doing to improve it? We needed someone to come in and set this up and he has done it emphasising skill and 4-3-3 formation so players are more adaptable on the pitch. Maybe now the role will be more of an administrator and we can look at pushing on to getting more full size pitch indoor facilities.

Details on the schools are here

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=2660

and

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?page=2663

I absolutely agree with this Alan. Wotte may have been unlikeable, I don't know as I've never met the man, but the strategy, systems and processes he has put in place to develop youngsters have been sorely needed for more than a generation. I am now 29 years old and can barely remember Scotland playing in a major tournament - surely this tells us that whatever has been done in youth development throughout my life has been either wrong or insufficient. New ideas are required, and those ideas should be taken from football economies where success has been experienced for long periods of time - what better methodology to use then than the Dutch?

Davie Provan has done the square root of he-haw in youth development; Mark Wotte has worked in youth development and coaching for many years and seems to have been pretty successful at it. If I wanted someone to run my business, I would employ a business specialist with a track record in that particular sphere to do it. I would not employ someone who writes columns, even if they are about business, for a tabloid newspaper.

[Dunoon_Ton]

Perhaps Wotte pulled a chronically underachieving collection of nepotistic know it alls out of their comfort zone and they didnae like it? I've noticed our youth players can now trap a ball, which they definitely couldn't 5 years ago.

I think you may be absolutely correct here. I dont think its any coincidence that since the introduction of Wotte, the PD role & the various facility improvements, our youth teams seem to be able to actually play football and compete at a decent level again. I think another factor is this has happened at the same time there is zero cash in Scottish football, which has forced clubs to blood youth within thier first teams as well. It surely bodes well for the full team in a few years, when these boys start feeding through the ages. It just so happens that a good managerial appointment has our A squad back on song as well, giving a general feeling of moving in the right direction across the board i think.

To be honest, Wotte is the biggest idiot going. So folk disagreeing with are probably correct.

100% wrong, Billy Stark is the unified world champion in the idiot category.

[wanderer]

I noticed in the build up to the Victory Shield game last Friday Sky did a big bit on one of the kids in the squad who is the first graduate of the schools of excellence that have been set up.