May 17, 2013 by eachgame

Redefining sport – The FA’s relegation of Doncaster Belles

The word “sport” is defined as “competitive, physical activity”. It is certainly the case that any sport that wants to take itself to a professional level, requires some form of competition within it, both on the field of play or in terms of how participants’ success is measured. Therefore it is upto the governing body of a particular sport to ensure that not only is it competitive, but also fair. One could argue that in modern day football, there are plenty of things that go on that are far from fair, but it isn’t usually the case that such a clear example of the football authorities ignoring the basis of sport and competition, than the case of Doncaster Belles.

We will go on to describe the case below, but for a far more comprehensive coverage, we encourage you to read the blog here. You will also be able to keep up to date with any further developments from this source.

The FA Women’s Super League started life in 2011. It was set up to try and improve the standing of the Women’s game in the UK, by introducing a new higher league than the Women’s Premier League, one that would run mostly during the summer months (so when the Men’s game was in off season), with the hope that this would attract more spectators and sponsors and a better standard overall. The third season has just kicked off, and there has been positive news with the plans to extend the WSL to a second division as from next season, allowing more clubs to take on a more professional set up. However it is the announcement of the two league structure that has caused an issue, as current WSL team Doncaster Belles have been put in WSL 2 (despite having only played one game so far this season), to be replaced by Manchester City, who currently play in the Women’s Premier League. The announcement was made on the WSL website on April 26th, a brief statement, including that no further comment would be made…a kind of “this is what’s happening, end of story”.

For those of you who haven’t followed the Women’s game over time, Doncaster Belles are one of the most successful and longest running clubs. Formed in 1969, they progressed through the Sheffield and Nottingham leagues, losing just one game in fifteen years, and winning the Women’s FA Cup six times between 1983 and 1994. They were the winners of the inaugural Women’s Premier League title in 1991, with a mere 100% record. They have produced two players who sit in the Football Association’s Hall of Fame; Gillian Coulthard, the previous holder of the record number of England caps, with 119 international appearances to her name, and Karen Walker, who hit nearly a goal every other game during her 83 cap career. They play their games at Doncaster’s Keepmoat stadium, a community ground shared with Doncaster Rovers and the local Rugby League club. This and a number of other factors, formed part of the requirements for the club to gain a “licence” for inclusion in the WSL. From brief research, it seems Doncaster Belles pass most of the criteria quite comfortably, so why the decision to move them down a league?

This is where it gets all the more baffling, and unfortunately, points more to money than performance. If Manchester City were walking away with the Women’s Premier League this season, they could have an argument for what will effectively be a double promotion. However they currently lie in fourth place, some 15 points behind leaders Sunderland who also have a game in hand. Third placed Leeds United, who still have a shout of winning the title with two to play, are themselves 11 points ahead. Indeed, if results don’t go their way in the final games, City could finish as low as 6th. This is also Manchester City’s first season at this level. Interestingly, Leeds United have not managed to gain a licence for the WSL in either division. Current leaders Sunderland, and second placed Watford will both play in WSL 2 from season 2014, along with, amongst others, London Bees Women’s FC, a rebrand of Barnet, who will finish bottom of the Women’s Premier League with just 4 points and no wins all season.

As previously stated, there are some strict criteria to be met in order to gain a WSL licence. The FA outlined these in response to some initial feedback regarding Doncaster Belles’ situation, stating Financial and Business Management, Commercial sustainability and Marketing, Facilities, and finally Players, Support Staff, and Youth Development. Ok, if you want to set up a professional game, you can understand these criteria. What is worrying is the complete absence of anything regarding competitive merit. After all, to get into the Football League you have to meet certain ground requirements and the like, but in the first place, you have to finish in a promotion position in the Conference.

So perhaps Doncaster Belles have not been performing in the WSL? Well granted, they haven’t come close to emulating their success of bygone eras, and have finished second bottom in both season 2011 and 2012. On both occasions, the team finishing rock bottom were Liverpool. It won’t take a genius to work out which league they’ve been selected to play in after the restructure, yes WSL 1. In addition, Doncaster Belles themselves have been given no explanation for their relegation, with the players and staff absolutely gobsmacked by the decision. It seems it’s all down to money and having a bigger “name” in the top league.

This is our opinion, destroys not only the credibility of the WSL as a competition, also further dents the FA’s reputation as a capable governing body, and furthermore, sets a dangerous precedent. What is to stop the same thing happening in the men’s game. How many times to do we hear commentators bang on about how certain clubs “deserve to be in the Premier League”, simply because they are regarded as a big club? What is to stop them deciding that as from next season, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United will be back in the Premier League and they will replace Norwich and Fulham (no disrespect meant to any of these clubs by the way) because they’re bigger clubs with more fans. If Manchester City Ladies are that great a club, surely they would have walked away with the WSL 2 title in their first season, and just maybe replaced Doncaster Belles in the top league? No one would have argued the case then. To make the move just because the FA feel like it redefines sport and is wrong in every sense.

You can get involved with Doncaster Belles’ case by signing the petition against the decision here.

March 17, 2013 by eachgame

CPD (Continuous Professional Development)

One of the FA’s requirements for the development of coaches is Continuous Professional Development (CPD). A coach who wants to retain their official coaches licence, has to complete a certain number of hours of CPD each year, the amount depending on the level they coach at. For example, a Level I coach is required to do three hours, with Levels I to IV required to complete five hours. For a coach serious about improvement, this should be an absolute minimum. With the completion of St George’s Park, the FA are able to put on a number of sessions and seminars to enable coaches to complete their hours. In addition, county FAs are also able to put on events that enable member coaches to gain CPD hours.

As a licenced Level III coach, just attending the FA Coaches Conference in December has given me 12 hours CPD, so in addition to completing the UEFA B Licence, I’ve more than met the minimum requirements for the year. However, in future years, it may be more difficult, due to some disagreement between the FA and some of the local FAs, in what content should be in the sessions they put on. The FA, backed apparently by UEFA, feel that content should be relevant to the skill level of the watching coach for them to earn CPD hours.

Brian Eastick, England U21 Coach recently presented for London FCA. Image: Getty Images

So for example, a coaching session put on by say a Premier League first team coach may be deemed worthy of CPD hours for a Level III or IV coach, but not Levels I or II. So some of the watching group will earn CPD hours while other won’t, despite watching the same session. The solution for local FAs is to put on sessions specific for each skill level, so for example a session for Level I or II would be far more low level, which may of course mean that coaches with higher badges have little interest in attending. Similarly, the more high level sessions are pointless for Level I or II coaches to attend in terms of gaining any CPD hours, although of course they may feel that the time spent is worth it for them anyway.

However this isn’t always practical for local associations, who often put these sessions on for their members free of charge. There is also some resistance to the theory of denying CPD hours to some members and not others, and this is a point that most coaches who I’ve spoken to seem to agree on. After all, why would one coach learn something from a top class session and another not benefit, irrelevant of the level at which they coach. Personally, I’ve seen a number of sessions this season, and have picked up little things from each one that will benefit my own coaching sessions, motivate me to improve, and inspire me to take my coaching to the next level. And just because I gained my Level III badge this year, hasn’t changed the benefit I will gain from each session. The FA’s current standpoint creates a divide at local levels that is wholly unnecessary.

The result of this is that a number of local FAs are simply not applying for CPD hours accreditation for their sessions, which is sad for a number of reasons, but also totally understandable. They will continue to provide regular sessions for their members despite no CPD hours available, and numbers at the sessions I’ve been to, mostly by Surrey and London FA’s coaching associations, continue to be very high. The sessions put on also continue to be of the highest quality, with presenters such as Brain Eastick, Steve Wigley (both England u21 coaches) and Arsenal’s Steve Bould providing rich learning experiences.

The FA have been making huge strides in improving coaching, with the opening of St George’s Park, the improvement in courses, and the introduction of licencing. It would be a shame to dilute this by making it less beneficial for coaches to attend local sessions, and instead insist they attend specific events, a lot of which are held at St George’s. Coaching is still very much a voluntary or low paid occupation, and if the FA dig their heels in, it will only suggest that they are looking after the top end of the game and penalising grass roots, which for me is where a lot of the issues in the success of English football start.

March 16, 2013 by eachgame

Pre Season Predictions – how are we doing?

So as the football season reaches what’s commonly known as “the business end”, as clubs focus on the last 10 or so games to cement their position for promotion, try and escape relegation, or try and focus the players away from their forthcoming holiday and to keeping on playing to the maximum even though there’s nothing left to play for. We thought it was worth looking back at our pre-season predictions, made on the first day of the Championship campaign back in August.

Premier League

Champions: Manchester City

As we write, City are a goal down at Goodison, and with Manchester United having a home fixture against a demoralised Reading this afternoon, the reigning champions could find themselves fifteen points off the top spot with just nine games left. Even taking into account United’s capitulation last season, it looks like the trophy is staying in Manchester, but with United. In our defence, we did believe that City had to strengthen, and in terms of first choice players, they haven’t really been that busy compared to previous years.

Rest of Top Four: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea

We could end up correct about the top four, but certainly Spurs, and as an outside bet, Everton and Liverpool could end up having a say. We reckon Spurs will get third, with the other teams slugging it out for fourth spot. Looking at our outsiders, it’s taken Liverpool longer than we expected to get going, and Newcastle haven’t really performed until Alan Pardew got busy in the transfer market in January.

Relegated: West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City, Reading

Ok, we were way out with West Brom, but to be fair we’re delighted that a decent coach like Steve Clarke has made the successful step up and kept the team improving. We were also impressed with the way the club dealt with Peter Odemwingie’s petulant behaviour in January. Norwich had a sticky start, but Chris Hughton didn’t panic and has brought the team to relative safety of lower mid table. A couple more wins and they should be fine. Reading however look like, along with QPR, the most likely of the bottom teams to go down. They just haven’t been strong enough or consistent enough to survive, and the sacking last week of Brian McDermott smacked of panic measures. We’re not big fans of QPR here, and they could be in all sorts of trouble if they do, as expected, end up back in the Championship next season. The final club to slip through the trapdoor could be one of about four clubs. Wigan look like they might be showing their traditional springtime return to form, so it’s a tricky one to call between them, Villa, Southampton, and Sunderland. We think the Wearsiders could be dragged into the battle, and may be the traditional “thought they were safe but…” team.

Championship

Champions: Bolton Wanderers

Promoted: Cardiff City

Although they could sneak into the play offs with some decent form of late, it’s been a season of struggle initially, with the sacking of Owen Coyle resulting. With a large contingent of Championship club supporters writing for Each Game As It Comes, we should know better. Although to be fair, we did tip Cardiff for promotion, which seems the least they will get. We reckon they’ll hang on for the title, with the second spot going to either Hull or Watford.

Play-Offs: Leicester City, Leeds United, Middlesborough, Brighton & Hove Albion

Leicester and Middlesborough have done their best since the turn of the year to ensure they spend next year in the Championship, despite very promising starts. Leeds have struggled for any sort of consistency, which is vital for success in one of the most inconsistent leagues there is. Brighton are fighting for 6th place with the revitalised Forest and Bolton. We haven’t forgotten the surprise package of Crystal Palace, who may still sneak an automatic spot, but we think they’ll be in the end of season lottery with Brighton, Leicester, and one of Hull or Watford.

Relegated: Barnsley, Bristol City, Ipswich Town

The bottom three are currently all locked on the same points and the same number of games. Barnsley’s recent run has seen them just sneak out of the bottom three, just behind Ipswich who had a shocking start and have only really recovered thanks to some good work by new manager Mick McCarthy, but could still get dragged back in. City have struggled all season, and we think they will be one of the unlucky three, along with the poorly managed Wolves, and one of either Barnsley and Peterborough.

League One:

Champions: MK Dons

Promoted: Swindon Town

After a mixed start, followed by a strong pre Christmas, our prediction looked good, however the Dons have slipped back to sit solidly in mid table. It’s so tight in the top 7, that Swindon could still realistically finish champions or miss out altogether. The pantomime involving Paulo Di Canio probably hasn’t helped, but we can’t help thinking the recruitment of Kevin McDonald might prove to be a shrewd move. As it is, Doncaster have recovered from a disastrous season last campaign, and look a good bet to bounce back, with Sheffield United in a good position to join them.

Play Offs: Brentford, Crawley Town, Scunthorpe United, Sheffield United

Brentford have done well in the FA Cup, pushing Chelsea, and have been around the top six for most of the season. We reckon they will hang on to one of the play off spots. Crawley are with MK Dons firmly entrenched in mid table, so we were way off with that one, but not as far as we were with Scunthorpe, who look like slugging it out with Oldham for the final relegation spot. We think Brentford and Swindon will be in the play offs, joined by two of Tranmere, Yeovil and Bournemouth.

Relegated: Portsmouth, Walsall, Hartlepool United, Doncaster Rovers

Walsall have more interest at the other end of the table and are a good outside bet for the play offs, whereas Doncaster look favourites for automatic promotion. Portsmouth have predictably struggled, and look likely with one of our other tips, Hartlepool, to ply their trade in League Two next season, that’s if they survive as a club at all. Although they currently have a couple of games in hand, Bury’s form does nothing to suggest they will escape, and the final spot looks to be between Oldham, Scunthorpe and Colchester. Oldham’s cup heroics might have distracted them, but you kind of hope for their sake they can raise their game to similar levels for the cup finals that await them. And they do have the games in hand as well, so we think they’ll just about have enough to get out of trouble, which is bad news for the Iron.

League Two

Champions: Bristol Rovers

Promoted: Gillingham, Southend United

So we need to brush up on our League Two. Until John Ward’s return to the Memorial Stadium, Rovers looked more likely to exit the league in the other direction, however they now have a nice buffer between them and the bottom, certainly enough to survive. Maybe next year for them. Gillingham were a good call, with Martin Allen’s side well clear and good bets for the title, which we think they will win. Burton Albion and Port Vale are in good positions to join them, although Rotherham and Northampton may still fancy their chances with games in hand on the teams above them. Southend are a little off the pace, but could still be outside bets for the play offs.

Play Offs: Bradford City, Cheltenham Town, Chesterfield, Wycombe Wanderers

So is one out of four any good? No? So Cheltenham could be our only play off prediction that we get right. We obviously saw the potential in Bradford of course, but their energies seemed to have been focused on the League Cup, with the incredible achievement of reaching Wembley. Exeter are five clear of Fleetwood in eighth place, although the Lancastrians have a game in hand. We think the top seven will be good for the final positions.

Relegated: Barnet, Burton Albion

Another total misjudgement, with Burton more interested in the other end of the table. Barnet have had an interesting season with Edgar Davids taking charge, but have continued to struggle. It could be any two of seven to go, we worry for Plymouth, not only if they do go down, but how good a position they will be in to return. Barnet might just have enough to hang on, with perhaps Accrington the most likely to drop out of the league.

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts!

January 30, 2013 by eachgame

A question of rotation

Ever since Claudio Ranieri was labelled “The Tinkerman” for altering his Chelsea team and using other players in the squad, the issue of squad rotation has been the subject of much debate on the terraces and in the press. Does such a policy allow the team to be freshened up, or does wholesale changes to a team disrupt it to such an extent that it’s not worth the risk? There were plenty of examples in the FA Cup at the weekend, where Premier League teams made wholesale changes and ended up the victim of cup upsets, however it could be argued this was more down to the clubs in question not regarding the FA Cup as important as their league campaigns.

Did I really pick him?

This was brought into focus much closer to home with the rearranged game last night between Bristol City and Watford, rained off on Boxing Day. The home club came into the game bottom of the table but buoyed by a new manager in Sean O’Driscoll, and a good result against fellow strugglers Ipswich Town at the weekend. Watford are one of the division’s form teams, and their last two results had seen victories of 4-0 and 3-0, with six of the seven goals scored by their front pairing of Matej Vydra and Troy Deeney. To burden you with another stat, City were the division’s lowest goalscorers at home, Watford the highest goalscorers away. There could only be one result then surely?

Of course, one of the wonderful things about the second tier of English football is its unpredictability. Who would have forseen Peterborough ending leaders Cardiff City’s unbeaten home record at the end of last year? Gianfranco Zola, the Watford manager suggested as much when previewing the game, warning the increasingly confident Watford support that the result was far from a foregone conclusion. And so it was proved, with Bristol City emerging 2-0 victors on a wet and windy night at Ashton Gate.

Taking a look at the Watford forums and Twitter posts, there has been much derision of Zola’s decision to make six changes to the team which won at Nottingham Forest. Going back to New Year’s Day, Zola made a similar number of changes for the home game with Charlton (who themselves were on a poor run of form at the time), and Watford lost the game 4-3, in a performance notable for some dreadful defending. Fans are therefore pointing the finger at the manager, saying he hasn’t learned his lesson, that he gave the home side the initiative by not selecting the in form strike pairing, and even one of the Bristol City scorers has come out and suggested the former Italian international showed his side no respect.

Let’s firstly look at the changes made. At the back, Fitz Hall replaced club stalwart Lloyd Doyley. Doyley was not even on the bench, which suggests the possibility that he may have been injured, although nothing has been confirmed. Doyley has recently returned to the side after a spell injured, Hall has been an important member of the back line, and has been on the bench recently after his own return from injury. Many cited the absence of Hall as a reason for the defensive shambles in the Charlton game, so his return was hardly unwelcome. In midfield, John Eustace and Jonathan Hogg replaced Nathaniel Chalobah and Christian Battocchio. Club captain Eustace has spent most of the first half of the season injured, and Zola had admitted he needed time to get back up to match fitness, Hogg had been a regular in the side before an injury kept him out just after New Year. Battocchio has only recently had a few starts in the side, whereas the Chelsea loanee Chalobah has been first choice for most of his time at the club, but on occasions has shown a need for a break…he is after all only 18 years old. Perhaps the strangest decision was to replace wing back Marco Cassetti with youngster Sean Murray, who burst onto the scene last season. Former international Cassetti is 35, so may not be as fresh as others if playing three games in seven days, but Murray had not appeared at wing back before, and has been out of the squad in the last few months. More notably, up front, free scoring Vydra and Deeney were replaced by fans favourite Fernando Forestieri, who recently signed for the club permanently, and Alex Geijo. The rotation of the front pairings was a regular feature before Christmas, however recently with Deeney and particularly Vydra scoring so many, they have tended to retain their places.

What do you mean you don’t agree with the teamsheet? Photo – Blake-Ezra Photography

Looking back over the season, Zola’s decisions to make changes are more regular than just the examples of the Bristol City and Charlton games. In the first half of the season, Deeney for example would have runs of three or four games in the side, then be on the bench, usually replaced by Geijo. Forestieri was preferred earlier in the season to Vydra, with Zola feeling that the young Italian-Argentinian offered more to the team than his Czech team mate. Nevertheless, Vydra made appearances again every few games, notably replacing Forestieri at Leeds in a game in which Zola again made a raft of changes to the team and Watford ran out 6-1 winners.

It has been well publicised that Watford’s squad this season is on the large side, and after the game, Zola defended his decision to use some of his squad, and quite rightly pointed out that the players who came in were of a quality that most sides in the division would be delighted with, and from personal viewing he’s not wrong. The players came in would have been fresh, hungry to show the manager why they should be playing, and more to the point, will have probably been working on training on what they needed to do in the game, playing in a well practiced formation, and if they had shown signs of not being up to scratch, it’s doubtful they would have been anywhere near selection.

It’s all very well for those that sit behind a keyboard, or view the players for 90 minutes, and think that since the team were flying on Saturday, all is well and they’ll just turn up and steamroller a struggling team three days later. I’ve been fortunate to listen to talks from sports managers and coaches from many different levels, and the contrast between such simplified views and the reality are huge.

Many football clubs in the top divisions these days are in the position where they can not only afford to have larger squads of first team quality players, cover in every position, but also a large team of staff, who can keep the players well looked after. Watford are in the position of having a good medical department, and who is to say that several of those rested last night were not showing signs of tiredness following Saturday’s win, and with another game coming up on Saturday a decision had to be made on whether a particular player took part yesterday or risked picking up an injury. Who can say that one of the players left out had not performed well in training on the Monday and his manager therefore felt that the time was right to give the player a break to give him a nudge that his performances were slipping.

Players are not machines, and managers are employed to make these decisions based on what they see and understand on a daily basis. None of us on the outside are privy to this, all we can do is trust that the manager will get it right, knowing he will be only too aware of the cost of getting things wrong in the modern game. The changes could have been planned weeks ago, and if a Geijo header in the first half had gone in, or City’s fortunate first goal hadn’t, maybe the result would have gone the other way, suddenly Zola’s a genius again. To say that an unchanged Watford side would have won is impossible to say. Comparing last night to the Leeds game for example, Watford saw the home side reduced to ten men, then nine men with still more than half an hour left of the game. These things happen, and sometimes it’s just not your day.

Over the season, Watford have improved from a stuttering start to producing some top class football from some technically gifted players, under a very likeable manager. Perhaps the club doing so well has raised expectations to such a degree, that tolerance for the occasional slip up has decreased. But like any football team, Watford are far from the finished article, and the learnings from games like last night will benefit them in the long run. The home team battled well, defended for their lives and took advantage to gain three valuable points. That’s what keeps the game we all love so interesting.

December 5, 2012 by eachgame

The FA Licenced Coaches Conference 2012 – A Review

As has become an annual event at the end of the calendar year, the FA Licenced Coaches Conference took place over the weekend just gone for coaches with Level 1 or 2 qualification, and on Monday and Tuesday for Levels 3 to 5. The conference, titled Shaping The Future, had previously been held at Wembley Stadium, however with a brand spanking new facility at Burton upon Trent specifically for development of coaches, the event this year was the first opportunity for many to experience what St George’s Park has to offer.

Having recently stepped up to Level 3, I had the opportunity to experience the more senior event for the first time. It was quite surreal, as of course many of the attendees were recognisable faces from the professional game, from players taking their first steps for potential future coaching careers, to established coaches and managers.

The event was hosted by BBC’s Mark Clemmit (viewers of The Football League Show will be familiar with him), and featured a broad range of interesting interviews, workshops and case studies. Monday began with an introduction with Sir Trevor Brooking, this was followed by a very interesting presentation from Dr Steve Peters, whose name you may recognise from the success of the British Olympic Cycling team. Dr Peters was the Consultant Psychiatrist for the team, and has also worked with Liverpool FC and the snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan. Peters is also the author of the mind management model, covered in his book; The Chimp Paradox. The model, based on research, is that the human brain is effectively three different brains; a logical human brain, a survivalist “Chimp” brain, and a rule driven computer brain, which can nevertheless experience a few gremlins. The idea of the book is to help individuals take control of their own minds by learning when one brain is dominating the other and making the inappropriate behavioural decision. Funnily enough, the book had been on my Amazon list for while, but the inspiring presentation convinced me to make the purchase, and a review of the book will be posted in due course.

Next up was a presentation, hosted by the FA’s Head of Coaching John Peacock, featuring Gines Melendez Sotos. If that’s a name you’re not familiar with, he is the Spanish FA’s Technical Director, and has an impressive CV spanning more than 10 years, of bringing success to various age groups of Spain’s national teams. There was some astonishing statistics that backed up the high performance levels that Spain have achieved, and also some examples of some of the theories that go into the way the team play. This was followed by a practical demonstration on the full sized indoor “Sir Alf Ramsey” pitch. As an aspiring coach, there was much to take in, but the general theme was much use of the ball, repetition, and each drill is a development of the previous one, and involving players in their particular positions, from a simple game of “Rondo”, up to Patterns of Play drills on half a pitch. Spain have 35 patterns of play, based on three starting moves. The comparisons with a game of chess are not lost! The Spanish director was assisted by a translator (who himself was a knowledgeable coach), and the academy players from Championship side Derby County.

Gines Melendez Sotos works with Derby County Academy Players

Next up on a packed first day was a choice of practical demonstrations. As someone who has previously coached in the Women’s game, I observed a session on possession by Julie Chipchase, Regional Coach Development Manager, using the players from Stoke City’s ladies academy. It wasn’t one of the more popular sessions, I think there was as many of the girls’ parents as coach observers, but it was interesting to see the way the session was built and developed, as well as the difference in the way the coach dealt with players and coached them – it was a softer approach with great emphasis on encouragement. The enthusiasm levels were high on what was a very cold evening on the outdoor Wembley replica pitch!

After a closing presentation on the Advanced Youth Award, there was the opportunity to tour St George’s Park, which a large number of attendees took advantage of. It certainly is a high tech set up, from an extremely comfortable hotel, to a cutting edge Sports Science and medical set up.

The Elite Changing Rooms at St George’s Park, complete with England Euro 2012 Squad shirts

The first evening also featured an optional Gala Dinner, with speakers including PFA Chairman Gordon Taylor, and former Birmingham and Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish. McLeish also kicked off the following morning with some question and answers, joined by former Hull City manager Phil Brown. Next up was a review of the Olympics, with guest speakers Hope Powell, Stuart Pearce, and also Toni Minichiello who coached Jessica Ennis to heptathlon gold, and Jeff Davis who is the National Development Manager (Disability). Minichiello is an entertaining speaker and has spoken at this event previously. Davis was also an engaging speaker, showing passion for the work he does and the efforts of the athletes at the paralympics certainly demonstrated that disability is no barrier to sporting success.

Next up was a real treat, a coaching session from the England manager Roy Hodgson. The lucky participants in the session were the Wolverhampton Wanderers u18 team, and the session was watched not only by the conference attendees, but also the Sky Sports cameras. Hodgson’s session was on attacking play in the final third, and worked on patterns of play. The one disappointment was that the England boss was not mic’d up, so we couldn’t always hear his coaching points, however it was interesting to see one of the country’s most experienced and prominent coaches at work. It was also interesting to see some similarly experienced coaches taking plenty of notes.

A grainy photo, but unmistakably Roy Hodgson, speaking to the BBC’s Mark Clemmit

After lunch came another choice of workshops to observe. These ranged from a Foundation phase session (u12s), to a Goalkeeping session. I chose to watch the Professional Phase session, run by the FA’s Elite Coaching Manager Dick Bate, and again the Wolves u18s were the players used. Bate mentioned he would be conducting the session as an A-Licence session (so the next one up for me), and it was fascinating the way the session was constructed. The subject was transitions. Although it was probably sped through in comparison to reality, with the session taking just under an hour, the level of detail – from organising the defensive set up to ensuring a fast counter attacking game, the structure of the session, and the way the players noticeably improved was exceptional, and listening to comments from other coaches, I wasn’t alone in being inspired by the workshop. I have several pages of notes to write up, and it helped me forget the winter chill!

The Umbro Pitch at St George’s Park, a desso surface that is an exact replica of the pitch at Wembley

Finally, we had updates on the Elite Coaches Award (effectively the Pro Licence for coaches), and the forthcoming updates to the Licenced Coaches Club, rounding off a thoroughly enjoyable couple of days. I have plenty of notes to write up and lots to take into my next coaching sessions. As well as earning hours of CPD to maintain my coaching qualifications, it is fascinating to watch the best coaches in the country (and in Europe) at work. As a coach, you cannot help being inspired to go and work hard to try and get to the same level. English coaching can hopefully continue to move in the right direction and help improve the game in this country.

November 14, 2012 by eachgame

Completing the UEFA B Coaching Badge

Last month saw the conclusion of a long two year journey to gain the UEFA B Coaching Badge (otherwise known in the UK as FA Level 3). I started the course way back at the end of 2010, and this was my first reassessment having been deemed not yet competent first time round. I started the course very soon after gaining the Level 2 badge, and the jump between the two proved to be quite big, but along with the other successful candidates, I was delighted to have reached this level, and am looking forward to increasing my experiences as a coach and helping players improve at the game.

I always intended to write about my experiences on the course, but decided to wait at least until I’d been reassessed. The disappointment of not being up to scratch first time round was very hard, and I deliberately took some time out to practice, observe other sessions, do some reading on theory, to make sure I was better prepared. The first time pass rate at this level is around 30%. That’s quite a damning statistic, and bear in mind that Britain is way behind other European nations in terms of the number of coaches with a minimum of the UEFA B Coaching qualification. I did pose the question last year at the FA Coaches Conference at Wembley, and the response suggested that the revised course which started this year, should develop coaches much better and see an increase in the standard of coaching.

The FA Coaching Pathway when I started the course.

Let’s take a look at the basic coaching pathway to get an understanding of how coaches develop. Assuming you’re not someone with experience at the top level of the game, your first port of call is the FA Level 1, which I completed about ten years ago. Effectively what this teaches you is how to organise a coaching session, gives you a selection of sessions to use, and as with all other courses, you have to complete a first aid course and a child protection awareness course. I seem to remember pretty much anyone who turned up to all the sessions and assessments passed the course, and for anyone with the remotest football knowledge, it wasn’t taxing, but I also remember our assessors being selective with who they suggested move on to the next stage.

Level 2 is quite a jump, because here you actually have to coach players, not just put on a session. You have to understand the techniques involved in the game, and make relevant coaching points within the sessions you put on. You are coaching from technique (unopposed) to a skill (opposed) to a 4v4 game situation, and have to be able to coach all players involved. In addition, there are tasks on nutrition, football fitness, and putting together a programme of sessions, so it is more for coaches involved with a club. Passing the course certainly wasn’t as straightforward as Level 1, I seem to remember the pass rate in my group was about 75%. I would say from my own experience, that those with the Level 2 badge can say they can coach the game, rather than just put on a session.

As I found out, the jump to UEFA B is again quite big. Suddenly you’re not just coaching the game to small groups, but thinking about coaching in areas of the pitch and phases of play, so not only what the player on the ball is doing, but players around the ball, and players away from the ball. I found this one of the hardest things to grasp. It’s very easy to follow the ball and see what’s going on in that particular area, but you have to look at a bigger picture, how other players are assisting or could be doing so better in other areas of the pitch. It seemed to crop up time and time again in our practice sessions where our tutor would say “you coached a good Level 2 session there, but….” and explained about other players in the session. Another issue with completing the course, and this may be a reason why the course is now done on a national scale, is getting bodies to take part in the session. If you imagine you’re putting on a session that involves 15-20 players, you need them there to practice. The particular association that are putting on the course need a steady supply of willing players to take part. In my reassessment group, we were fortunate to have a group from a local pro club’s community scheme who came down to take part. They were a very talented and enthusiastic bunch and it helped no end.

As well as completing the coursework, which involves more on nutrition, football fitness, planning a complete coaching programme and match analysis, the final assessment involves delivering a functional practice, that is a particular topic in an area of the pitch and involving 10-15 players, and then a phase of play practice, which would be on anything from half to two-thirds of a full-sized pitch, and involve 15-20 players. One topic would be defensive, the other attacking. A couple of bits of advice certainly helped me to get a clearer picture of what the assessors are looking for. Say for example, you have a defensive topic. You have to go into the assessment with a clear idea of what you are going to coach, and what you want the players to do. So for example, the first coaching point might be the nearest player to the ball. Then you coach the supporting players to the first player. Then you concentrate on the cover players. All the time, ensuring you are correctly coaching defending, so pressure on ball, delay, support with correct angle and distance, forcing play in a direction, compactness, tracking, recovery runs, communication. The second bit of advice was delivering the coaching points, and making sure the demos were ‘live’. That is, ensure the ball is moving and other players are moving as you demonstrate and then get the coached player to demonstrate. Otherwise, the demonstration is not realistic.

Once I had got my head round these two points, I really felt my coaching sessions improve, and though the assessment wasn’t perfect, the assessor felt I had shown enough to earn the badge. Now starts the work of improving my coaching further and progressing to the next level, whichever path I decide to take.

It’s interesting to reflect on the coaching pathway at this point. Ever since completing Level 1, and particularly after seeing the jump to Level 2, I’ve thought that the Level 1 badge was very basic, and really doesn’t teach a candidate to coach the game. Surely there could be a way to bring in some of the excellent methods used by the likes of Coerver Coaching, to ensure that even the base level qualified coaches are teaching players are to master the ball. I’ve said before, that if we more of our young players mastering technique, it will improve the quality of players coming through the system in years to come.

Surely there is room for techniques like that taught by Coerver in the FA’s Coaching pathway?

The UEFA B badge, as mentioned previously, has now become a national course, meaning it will cost each candidate a minimum of £1000 to complete, far more if they decide to take it at St George’s Park. Will this mean that a large number of coaches will be unable to afford the course, and therefore whether the course is improved or not, the limited numbers taking part will continue to stall the improvement in coaching in the UK? Similarly, those that are not making a full time career out of coaching may not be able to spare the time to complete the course. While I agree there is a need to improve the course and ensure the quality of coaching is of the highest standard, funding at the grass roots level has got to be improved to ensure there are no barriers to those that want to improve their skills and pass on the knowledge. It is all very well the FA and Premier League throwing money at the top level professional clubs, but every single professional player started at grass roots level, and that’s where improvement in coaching standards and therefore young player’s technique will have the most impact overall.

Postscript: for those interested, some links below to some sources I found very valuable when completing the course.

World Class Coaching – particularly the forums and session diagrams

Grass Roots Coaching – written by a coaching assessor, sessions are useful and can also be found on YouTube

November 1, 2012 by eachgame

Why this whole Clattenburg situation stinks

I sit here and watch Chelsea v Manchester United for the second time in four days, and fortunately enough, the entertainment value is just as good this time round, with the visitors as I write, leading thanks to a marvellously executed goal by Nani. Let us hope that all the headlines from this one are about the quality of the football.

Sadly Sunday’s game is going to be in the news for a while to come for all the wrong reasons. There was certainly some controversial moments in the game. Two red cards, both for Chelsea players, and United’s winning goal appearing to be scored by a player in an offside position. For me, the referee Mark Clattenburg made one major error in the game, and that was when he deemed that Fernando Torres had dived over Jonny Evans’ challenge, and issued the Spanish striker with a second caution. In my opinion, Evans’ tackle was rash, unnecessary when he had cover, and appeared to catch Torres’ leg. Having said that, you could understand the referee coming to the decision he made. Torres was in a 3 v 1 situation with little support, and plenty to gain from winning a free kick in the position he was in. It’s also worth remembering that Torres’ first caution was for a very poor challenge on United’s Tom Cleverley, and there would have been plenty of referees who would have deemed the challenge reckless, and worthy of a straight red card.

Come full time, Chelsea were obviously feeling aggrieved. We’ve all been there, seen our team fall foul of what we believe to be poor refereeing decisions. Then it came out that Chelsea were reporting the official for use of inappropriate language towards two of their players. As the week has gone on, the two players have been identified as John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata, and it is alleged that Clattenburg’s language was racist towards both players. The FA have launched an investigation, and following an independent complaint, the Met Police have launched an investigation as well.

Mark Clattenburg issued two red cards during the game

Mark Clattenburg in the headlines for the wrong reasons

Let me be clear first of all on one thing. Whoever is in the wrong here, should have the proverbial book thrown at them. If Clattenburg did use the language alleged, he should not referee again. If however this is nothing but a witch hunt from a collection of players feeling hard done by, then those players should feel the full force of disciplinary action.

Much of the information so far revealed however is paper talk, so it’s difficult to tell what actually happened during or after the game. Which is why it’s more than a little surprising that the Society of Black Lawyers, led by Peter Herbert, were responsible for making a complaint based on little more than media reports and social networks, hardly the base of water tight evidence. And since the accusations came to light, the supposed evidence appears to be springing more than a few leaks. Firstly, unlike the John Terry episode, there doesn’t appear to be any video evidence. Secondly, Clattenburg was miked up, so the other officials could hear everything he said, and they have all stood by the referee in declaring his innocence. Then things get even more shaky. Apparently, neither Mikel or Mata actually heard the referee use the alleged language, but it was overheard by David Luiz, and Ramires. Both players are of course Brazilian, and the latter’s grasp of the English language in particular is said to be limited. Given also that Clattenburg has a Durham accent, it’s difficult to believe in a loud, passionate, football ground atmosphere that either player heard anything clearly.

It’s also worth mentioning the behaviour of one of the alleged victims Mikel when he remonstrated with the referee after the game. Despite how upset someone may be, there is a way to deal with issues, and supposed aggressive behaviour towards the individual is not it – again, this is all paper talk so has probably been much exaggerated.

The involvement of the police in this incident would be understandable had the complaint come from one of the players involved. For a independent organisation to make the complaint based on nothing but rumour seems rather odd, and while I can understand the Black Lawyers Society’s determination to see proper justice when dealing with such cases in the game, I can’t help thinking that their involvement here is at the wrong time. To be seen to be backing a case where, as above, the evidence released so far is so flimsy, could do damage to their own reputation. It is also interesting to note that this comes at the same time that they are backing calls for black players to create their own union away from the PFA. They claim this is to ensure that cases involving black players get proper treatment, however creating divisions only adds to the issues involved, and will only encourage those who seek to discriminate. Such a policy in my opinion, although well intentioned is horribly misguided.

The pressure is now on the FA to deal with the issue swiftly and appropriately, to not only drive any issues of racism out of the game, but also deal with potentially, cases where individuals are using the increased awareness of the issue for their own vindictive gain. I really hope on this one it is a case of a huge misunderstanding, otherwise somewhere in the game things really have taken a turn for the worse.

October 17, 2012 by eachgame

A shambolic and shameful night for football’s governing bodies

In some parts of Europe, there was international football of the highest order. Berlin saw an astonishing comeback by Sweden, trailing 4-0 to a confident and powerful German side with less than half an hour of the game remaining, they somehow managed to fight back to earn a 4-4 draw. Northern Ireland, for so long seen as international minnows, held a 1-0 lead in Porto with less than 15 minutes remaining, and even Helder Postiga’s late equaliser will have done little to change the feeling that Michael O’Neill’s men well and truly spoiled Cristiano Ronaldo’s 100 cap party.

However our very own country saw contrasting sides to the game and neither does the governing authorities any credit at all. The main national team should have played their Group H game in Warsaw against Poland, but not only was the game postponed but it was done so in scenes so shambolic, you wondered whether those organising the game had ever attended a game of football before. And in Krusavec, the u21 side were subjected to the kind of abhorrent behaviour that would be frowned upon in the most heated Sunday League game, let alone an important international competition.

Let’s look at the situation in Poland first. A magnificent, state of the art stadium will all mod cons to ensure that the highest standard of international football takes place. The first and most publicised point, is that the stadium has a retractable roof, so there should never be a case where so much rain falls on the pitch that the very possibility of a game being completed is in any doubt. Unfortunately, the Polish coach apparently decided that a wet pitch would be a great leveller to give his team a greater chance of getting a result (has he never been to England? We get rain here too you know…), so the roof was left open, can’t be closed while it continues to rain, which it did for five hours and left much of the pitch under water. But what followed bordered on the ridiculous. FIFA were so determined that the game should take place that they insisted the referee perform a further pitch inspection some 45 minutes after the scheduled kick off…after again no roof, more rain, same result. FIFA seemed to be playing the part of a host on the Titanic saying “sit tight, everything will be fine and the ship will stop sinking shortly”.

Meanwhile the fans…remember them? The lifeblood of the game, many of whom had paid large amounts not only for tickets but also for significant travel and accommodation were left without any sort of update as to what was happening. The fact that the game will be replayed today is of little compensation to those booked on flights home, or who work locally. Nor is the offer of a refund of ticket money, as that only forms part of the total outlay. Those of us watching the game at home were subjected to an hour and a half of padding by Adrian Chiles and his guests. I lost count of the number of times the question was asked as to where the groundsman was with his fork, like that would make any difference at all (and overlooking the fact that many modern pitches can’t be forked anyway). On the bright side, at least Andy Townsend wasn’t brought into the conversation.

Warsaw Pitch before England game in World Cup Qualifying

Warsaw – the pitch was a bit wet

Perhaps in future, international game organisation, including taking care of potential weather issues will be left in the hands of those in the know, rather than a coach wanting to get one over on the opposition. And perhaps a plan is put in place so that if the worst happens, there is something in place to organise rearrangement and compensation quickly, and ensuring that the most important people, the spectators, are not left in the dark and out of pocket.

Meanwhile, several hundred kilometers south, England’s under-21 team were overcoming their Serbian opponents in the second leg of a Championship Play Off match. Leading 1-0 on aggregate in the final stages, and with Serbia pushing hard for an equaliser (including the goalkeeper in the attacking third), the visitors broke away and Sunderland’s Connor Wickham slid home the winner. Celebrations took place, and this inflamed an already poisonous atmosphere. There had already been racial abuse directed at England’s black players, of which there were several. In the aftermath in which sadly coaching staff and players got involved, Danny Rose was somehow singled out for kicking a ball into the baying crowd and shown a red card. The referee did not appear to take any action against punches, verbal abuse or the like.

This is not the first time Serbia have been involved in problems. Only last year, Italy were awarded a 3-0 win after crowd disturbances caused the abandonment of their qualifying game after just seven minutes. At the time, the UEFA President Michel Platini warned Serbia this was their last warning. One hopes this is the catalyst therefore for proper action, however the cynic in me fears a paltry fine and the words “this really, really is your final warning, and we really mean it this time”, as the thugs that disgraced last nights game laugh loudly in between impersonating monkeys. England has past experience of such problems and only by being hit hard with sanctions did it finally get its house somewhere near in order. Serbia has a difficult recent past, but if the country is to take part in what should be a civilised spectator sport, they have to be seen to be taking the problem seriously. The fact that several of the Serbian playing and coaching staff seemed happy to escalate a situation suggests a problem more widespread than just in the stands. The behaviour of the players and coaches has at least been recognised by the host nation’s FA…sadly they have stuck their heads in the sands when it comes to the behaviour of their fans, denying there was any problems at all. I only hope that UEFA’s response this time hurts the perpetrators of such scenes, and shows restraint to those, like Danny Rose, who were more victims of unchecked provocation.

No one expects perfection from any governing body, but what the paying public should be able to expect is that lessons are learned to ensure things don’t happen again. Fans continue to play an important part in the game, this does remain after all a spectator sport. Their interests should always be the consideration when staging a game, and therefore the situation in Warsaw last night cannot be repeated. However when those who come to support, or be involved in the game, are unable to do so without staining it with their poor behaviour, it is also appropriate that they are dealt with accordingly, and if their national organisations are incapable of doing so, then the governing body has to take a stand. We wait to see whether UEFA and FIFA are willing to take a proper stand against those ruining our game.

September 26, 2012 by eachgame

The “Pozzo” Family Club

Regular readers will recall my views on the takeover of Watford over the summer. The season is now nine games old, so it seemed an appropriate time to take another look at the club and its progress since the Pozzo family moved in. It also seemed an apt time to comment following a couple of journalists deciding to make their feelings known on the subject. Michael Calvin did a piece shortly after the takeover, and unfortunately, despite being a known Watford supporter, completely misrepresented the viewpoint of the majority of Watford fan’s following the change of ownership, and the subsequent dismissal of Sean Dyche. Today, Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail added his piece, taking advantage of Watford’s fairly mixed start to the season. But more on his thoughts shortly.

Personally, I’ve seen all but one of Watford’s home games, and one on their travels, plus a couple of the preseason fixtures. There are several things that have become clear. The new manager Gianfranco Zola has a desired way for his team to play, and nothing is going to change that. The players, whether the original squad, or the incoming signings, need to play that way or learn pretty damn quick. There is also no apparent bias towards the new blood, youngsters, or the older guard. If you’re fit and in form, you stand a chance of inclusion. Players seemingly on their way out the door at the end of last season have regained their places. Youngsters have been given opportunities and extended contracts. Players who aren’t fit are nowhere near the team until they are 100% ready. In terms of performances, ball retention has, as expected, been the key and generally pretty well executed. Some of the attacking play has been superb, sometimes more limited. The defending, particularly with players not used to the Championship way of doing things, has been mixed, best evidence being a 5-1 hammering at Derby County. It’s work in progress, and the manager deserves time to get it right.

Off the pitch, there have been suggestions that things behind the scenes last season were even worse than thought, and that the Pozzo takeover may well have halted a road towards similar problems to those experienced by the likes of Portsmouth. There has been a large amount of recruitment, primarily on “loans” from the likes of Udinese and Granada, although the term loan is incorrect, as such a thing doesn’t exist internationally. Also brought in have been experience in the form of Fitz Hall and Manuel Almunia, and exciting youth in the form of Chelsea loanee Nathaniel Chalobah. This has left the squad rather bloated, but gradually the players not in the side, particularly the younger ones, are being loaned out to get games under their belts, and one suspects there will be further outgoings during the loan window and in January.

Perhaps one area that has caused more concern, is the decision by the club to apply only for Category Three Academy status as the new EPPP system comes into force. I will cover the EPPP in a forthcoming piece, but there are arguments for and against the plan. It still isn’t clear what the long term strategy is concerning the club’s reputable Academy set up, but as mentioned previously, two of Watford’s most highly rated youngsters have been given long term contracts with the club, and there has already been another debutant this season for a player brought through the Academy.

So while things are far from perfect, the foundations are there for Watford to progress, and despite some setbacks, Zola is predictably upbeat, and the fans in general seem onside. However, it seems that the view on the outside is less positive, given Martin Samuel’s article today. It has already received some feedback from Watford fans, including myself, and although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it would be nice if a piece written by a well respected journalist did not contain elements which are so ill informed.

Martin Samuel – not a fan of the Pozzo way of doing things

It has been suggested that some of the negativity in the piece, particularly towards Zola and Gianluca Nani the club’s Director of Football, comes from the fact that Samuel is a West Ham fan, and therefore has a grudge to bear. It does seem a bit odd that he has chosen to highlight what he sees as an example of Nani’s poor judgement, without doing a lot of research into the background. He mentions the signing of Savio from Brescia in 2009, citing the fact that £9 million was spent. A small bit of investigative journalism here (checking on Wikipedia), will tell you that much of the £9 million was based on appearances and other factors. With only 10 appearances, it’s unlikely he cost West Ham anywhere near that amount. It also suggests that Savio was some unknown having only played a handful of games for Brescia, again overlooking the fact that Savio was part of Germany’s u19 squad, and very highly rated. The fact his moves haven’t worked out are more down to illness (of a mental kind so perhaps as per usual this is just ignorantly dismissed as a player being weak), than lack of ability. And it’s not the first time such a figure has been splashed out on a very young player. Even Sir Alex Ferguson spent in the region of £10 million on a player with only a handful of appearance behind him. The fees are more about modern day football than an inability to spot a decent player.

Samuel also criticises the recruitment of players primarily from the other Pozzo owned clubs, Udinese and Granada, saying that filling the team with Udinese Reserves is wrong. Using the teamsheet from Saturday’s match against Bristol City, he informs us that only two of the players from the final game of last season have survived, surely a sign we’ve been taken over by foreign mercanaries. Again, that’s an easy argument to make given the right examples, but lets look at the facts. Three players (Loach, Mariappa, Taylor) from that starting XI have moved on in arguably moves beneficial for their careers. Three of the players (Hogg, Eustace, Buaben) are injured, and in all likelihood the first two would have played had they been fit. Three were amongst Saturday’s substitutes (Deeney, Doyley and Iwelumo), and the first of these has only just come out of jail (oh how the Daily Mail missed an opportunity there). So that makes 11 in total. Hardly a Udinese takeover. It is a surprise also that Samuel overlooked the Football League ruling limiting the amount of non home grown players allowed in the match day squad, so in reality it’s never going to happen anyway. Samuel also lists some of the players brought in and suggests we’d never have heard of them before. Given he includes a former Italian international, a current Swiss international who scored against Celtic in the Champions League last season, and two current Czech internationals, it again suggests Samuel’s vast knowledge of the beautiful game is not as good as he would like to think. And in a typical Daily Mailesque xenophobic remark, he comments on the non British names on the list, despite including Chalobah who happens to be one of England’s bright young talents.

Nathaniel Chalobah – exciting young talent getting his opportunity at Watford

The overall tone is the suggestion that what is going on at Vicarage Road is a stain on football itself. How can it be that a club can import a load of players from another with no limits at all? He has a case here, in that it is loophole that has been taken advantage of, however this is more an issue with football governance as a whole. As previously mentioned, international loans don’t actually exist in reality, they are deemed permanent transfers. And the evidence from previous movements between Pozzo clubs suggests that the players that remain in and around the first team squad at Watford will be around for years to come, unlike previous season’s loanee stars that disappeared back after six months or a season, thus this is a more stable route to take. More importantly, given the state of modern day football, what alternative is there? Would it be better for Watford to continue to tread water both on the pitch, and off it financially, watching other clubs overstretch themselves to the point of extinction trying to get to the promised land of the Premier League. Surely a sustainable business model, with the intention of bringing on the pitch success, is the way forward for modern football as a whole, rather than the boom or bust policies of which there are sadly too many examples, and of which Watford have survived becoming one by the skin of their teeth on two occasions. Agreed, there is no guarantee of success, and the whole thing might fail miserably, but the Pozzo family have a track record to suggest that they can bring improved fortunes to an unfashionable club without bankrupting them in the process. Given the choice between this possibility and the likelihood of a club in administration, you can understand therefore most Watford fans accepting what has happened and giving the new regime the opportunity to work.

For a further excellent response to Martin Samuel’s article, see here.

September 26, 2012 by eachgame

Hillsborough and the need for justice

The 12th of September was a momentous day. Yes, Apple launched the long awaited iPhone 5. Fans had been waiting months for the sought after smartphone, however for a group mostly based in the North West of England, there was news on a different subject that they had been waiting for, not for months, but for more than 23 years. The conclusions from the Independent Panel looking into the Hillsborough disaster were to released. To many in the footballing world, they were a surprising revelation. For others, it was what they were trying to say all along.

I was just 14 years old when the disaster happened, and had been going to watch live football for about five years. As news filtered through on the car radio that afternoon of problems at the FA Cup semi final, it didn’t seem as important as finding out how Watford’s stuttering promotion campaign was getting on at Swindon. And I guess as the majority of my football watching had been done at the relatively safe and friendly environs of Vicarage Road, no need for fences, ID cards and heavy handed policing there, it was perhaps a sheltered existence in comparison to the, in general, pretty shitty facilities to stand or sit and watch your team of choice.

Fans desperately trying to escape the crush

I do remember however, that as a football fan you were branded the same, a foul mouthed yob. Around the same time, I was travelling on the tube in London. Sitting opposite me was a young boy with his Mum. The little lad asked a couple of questions about some security practices on the train, I can’t remember the details, but they were things to ensure people didn’t do things they weren’t supposed to be doing. Anyway, the mother explained these things to the boy, adding that such measures were to prevent bad people “like football fans”. She used the same expression twice. I was angry and hurt, but didn’t have the balls to say anything to her, to challenge her on her ignorant views. I was a football fan but knew how to behave and being a football fan did not mean I was going to start smashing up a tube train. I was a football fan because I loved going to watch my team on a Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, this particular lady’s views were shared by many in charge of not only the sport itself, but also looking after those who attended games. Fans were animals and were therefore treated as such. A look into the background of the causes of the Hillsborough disaster show as much, and such views meant that not only could the authorities get away with providing a third class service to the supporter on the terrace, but could also cover themselves by pointing the finger whenever questions were asked. This pretty much sums up the reasons it’s taken nearly a quarter of a century to get the truth out about what happened that fateful spring day.

I have to admit that I was blissfully ignorant of how much the bereaved families have had to put up with until reading the chapter on Hillsborough in David Conn’s excellent book, The Beautiful Game. It certainly openend my eyes to exactly how much of what happened at Hillsborough got covered up, and provides the sort of journalism that should have been listened to, rather than the ill informed rubbish that the Sun newspaper has taken a mere 23 years to apologise for. There is a saying that something can be “a disaster waiting to happen”, and very rarely could it have been more apt than describing the whole set up at the FA Cup Semi Final in 1989. An FA who’s main concern on selecting the ground to stage the event, was the capacity and location, completely overlooking the fact the ground had not held a safety certificate in 8 years, and ignoring the previous problems, not only in 1981 where there were injuries to more than 30 supporters due to a crush on the same terrace, but also overcrowding problems at semi finals in 1987 and 1988. A police force who epitomised the previously mentioned authority viewpoint on football supporters. The hosting club itself, who ignored the need for the required safety certificate, who kept a stadium in poor design and poor repair, and arrogantly dismissed any suggestions that problems could occur. Then on the day itself, a police official in charge, completely ill prepared for the possibility of problems, and emergency services not following a pre-written plan for what to do. A finer combination of arrogance, ignorance and incompetence you could not find anywhere else surely?

Sir Irvine Patnick – MP at the time of the disaster, and played an active part in the smear campaign to cover up the authorities failures

And so the disaster happened, and after a mass loss of life you would expect, in a modern country with a revered justice system, for the lessons to be learned, and for those at fault to hold their hands up and admit that they were wrong. Not a bit of it. Not when there is a tarnished group that could be blamed, and with a popular press more concerned with sensationalist headlines than actually producing accurate news stories. To be at fault is one thing. To not admit your mistakes is another. To then apportion blame to an innocent group whose safety you were responsible for is even worse. To do so to a group of people already suffering the unbearable loss of friends and family is abhorrent.

Sir Norman Bettison – calls for his resignation

And this is the part that really sticks in the throat of every decent football fan in this country. Fine, football fans had a reputation and therefore the authorities decided in general to treat them according to that reputation and fail to provide adequate or even safe facilities. Lessons learned, things improve, we move on. Sometimes people get away with dreadful errors in their working lives, and in this situation, errors that have disastrous consequences for others. They escape justice and you only hope that they can look in the mirror each day knowing what they have been responsible for. However, no matter how much time passes, the covering up of evidence should not be overlooked. It goes against the whole idea of a fair system of justice. The outright lies of certain individuals who were not only in positions of trust and authority back then, but remain in those positions now. Bring those individuals out of their hiding places, away from their lives of ignorance and arrogance and get them to face justice. Allow the friends and families of the Hillsborough victims to see their 23 year wait was not in vain, and that they can finally get closure, the victims can rest in peace, and the city of Liverpool can go back to debating how to get their team back to championship winning ways.