that team could win the league
Eastern Suburbs AFC
what has happened to all their players from last year (as those are all Ole)?
Derek couldn't get a visa from what I have heard - Vale is at Auckland City - I'm just guessing some of the other guys may end up at Waitakere? Not sure what is happening with the OS guys.
Prattley's a loss
I know the posts here aren't anything too serious, but it is frustratnig that if a club comes out and says they intended to build local pathways and lean on local talent, some people take that as meaning literally "every player must be local and young even at the expense of the team having a remote chance of being competitive"
I know the posts here aren't anything too serious, but it is frustratnig that if a club comes out and says they intended to build local pathways and lean on local talent, some people take that as meaning literally "every player must be local and young even at the expense of the team having a remote chance of being competitive"
To be local you have to have gone to Sacred Heart. Its a closed shop.
There is no pathway, no development and bugger all local.
To be fair Eastern Suburbs themselves said they wanted to have all local talent, so it is more just calling them up on that given they now appear to be OLEastern Suburbs
To be fair Eastern Suburbs themselves said they wanted to have all local talent, so it is more just calling them up on that given they now appear to be OLEastern Suburbs
OlÉastern Suburbs is absolutely what i'm putting in programme columns this year. Ta.
what has happened to all their players from last year (as those are all Ole)?
Derek couldn't get a visa from what I have heard -
Spoke to Derek recently and he said the chairman wanted him to take up a welding job to stay there and support his visa. He felt he was a footballer not a welder. He used to work with the kids training them, but it looks like Ole are doing that now from what I have seen down at Madills.
Derek was one of my top two players at suburbs last summer so he will be a huge loss i think.
what has happened to all their players from last year (as those are all Ole)?
Derek couldn't get a visa from what I have heard -
Spoke to Derek recently and he said the chairman wanted him to take up a welding job to stay there and support his visa. He felt he was a footballer not a welder. He used to work with the kids training them, but it looks like Ole are doing that now from what I have seen down at Madills.
Derek was one of my top two players at suburbs last summer so he will be a huge loss i think.
A shame, probably more money in welding.
I know the posts here aren't anything too serious, but it is frustratnig that if a club comes out and says they intended to build local pathways and lean on local talent, some people take that as meaning literally "every player must be local and young even at the expense of the team having a remote chance of being competitive"
To be local you have to have gone to Sacred Heart. Its a closed shop.
There is no pathway, no development and bugger all local.
On a tangent, that's pretty evident through every level of football. I went to Wellington Rep trials as a kid I didn't make it because I played for Upper Hutt, while everyone else there already played for the coaching who was taking the trials.
Welcome to football in New Zealand.
I know the posts here aren't anything too serious, but it is frustratnig that if a club comes out and says they intended to build local pathways and lean on local talent, some people take that as meaning literally "every player must be local and young even at the expense of the team having a remote chance of being competitive"
To be local you have to have gone to Sacred Heart. Its a closed shop.
There is no pathway, no development and bugger all local.
On a tangent, that's pretty evident through every level of football. I went to Wellington Rep trials as a kid I didn't make it because I played for Upper Hutt, while everyone else there already played for the coaching who was taking the trials.
Welcome to football in New Zealand.
If you played for Upper Hutt surely you would have trialled for the Hutt Valley team?
went for waikato as a teenager.. got 4 goals in a 5-1 win in a trial. Didn't make it, too small!
20+ years later it still irks me.
went for waikato as a teenager.. got 4 goals in a 5-1 win in a trial. Didn't make it, too small!
20+ years later it still irks me.
Lucky Barcelona didn’t feel the same about Messi ?...
went for waikato as a teenager.. got 4 goals in a 5-1 win in a trial. Didn't make it, too small!
The Tron is a land apart.
I know the posts here aren't anything too serious, but it is frustratnig that if a club comes out and says they intended to build local pathways and lean on local talent, some people take that as meaning literally "every player must be local and young even at the expense of the team having a remote chance of being competitive"
To be local you have to have gone to Sacred Heart. Its a closed shop.
There is no pathway, no development and bugger all local.
On a tangent, that's pretty evident through every level of football. I went to Wellington Rep trials as a kid I didn't make it because I played for Upper Hutt, while everyone else there already played for the coaching who was taking the trials.
Welcome to football in New Zealand.
If you played for Upper Hutt surely you would have trialled for the Hutt Valley team?
Correct you are, my mistake. Apparently I am getting older than I think.
went for waikato as a teenager.. got 4 goals in a 5-1 win in a trial. Didn't make it, too small!
20+ years later it still irks me.
I could bitch about trials until I'm blue in the face...
I've spoken about my old school's ones on here before. Last year's first XI vs everyone else. So last year's first XI keep 90% of possession, and if you're a striker for the other team then you've got absolutely no hope.
Trials will always favour selfish, power based, loud individuals over skilful, intelligent, team players.
Trials are a TERRIBLE way of testing players. I absolutely detest them. I do a bit of coaching now and this is always at the forefront of my mind.
went for waikato as a teenager.. got 4 goals in a 5-1 win in a trial. Didn't make it, too small!
20+ years later it still irks me.
To be fair that sounds like the era when the Waikato team was made up of big lads with big northern English accents who kicked anything that moved
went for waikato as a teenager.. got 4 goals in a 5-1 win in a trial. Didn't make it, too small!
20+ years later it still irks me.
I could bitch about trials until I'm blue in the face...
I've spoken about my school's ones on here before. Last year's first XI vs everyone else. So last year's first XI keep 90% of possession, and if you're a striker for the other team then you've got absolutely no hope.
Trials will always favour selfish, power based, loud individuals over skilful, intelligent, team players.
Trials are a TERRIBLE way of testing players. I absolutely detest them. I do a bit of coaching now and this is always at the forefront of my mind.
Couldn't have put it better, though there's also a place for one or two of the first group.
sounds like a few people need lessons on how to run effective trials that identify the right people.
It's not that difficult.
Football is subjective and sometimes the worst place to be is on the fringe of selection.
The important thing is to never give up and have faith. Some of the best players were rejected time and again.
what has happened to all their players from last year (as those are all Ole)?
Derek couldn't get a visa from what I have heard -
Spoke to Derek recently and he said the chairman wanted him to take up a welding job to stay there and support his visa. He felt he was a footballer not a welder. He used to work with the kids training them, but it looks like Ole are doing that now from what I have seen down at Madills.
Derek was one of my top two players at suburbs last summer so he will be a huge loss i think.
A shame, probably more money in welding.
sounds like a few people need lessons on how to run effective trials that identify the right people.
Definitely. So that the likes of Rojas, Krishna, Vardy, and Kante, to name just a few, don't waste years playing in the wrong league. It seems to be the small skilful players who're most often misgraded, and perhaps 'every man for himself' trials (and the 'he's too small' school of thought) are to blame for that.
just my two cents here - surely the issue with trials is how they are run?
No system is ever going to 100% get the best players picked - so trials if run well are a good way to get a fairly accurate idea of your talent in a short space of time. Trials run poorly of course are not ideal.
Trials in my experience rely on two things. A general outline of how players are looked at, IE what skills should be looked for and secondly you need to have a good amount of spotters and ideally the coach of the team is not the only spotter - IE if you are trialing for an entire age group (say 14th grade) that the 14th grade coach is not your only spotter and he is not the person with overall selection calls otherwise bias comes into it.
just my two cents here - surely the issue with trials is how they are run?
No system is ever going to 100% get the best players picked - so trials if run well are a good way to get a fairly accurate idea of your talent in a short space of time. Trials run poorly of course are not ideal.
Trials in my experience rely on two things. A general outline of how players are looked at, IE what skills should be looked for and secondly you need to have a good amount of spotters and ideally the coach of the team is not the only spotter - IE if you are trialing for an entire age group (say 14th grade) that the 14th grade coach is not your only spotter and he is not the person with overall selection calls otherwise bias comes into it.
My other gripe through Junior leagues was that there was no continuity or communication between years. We're talking 9/10/11/12 sort of years here (I can't remember exactly), but I spent 2 or 3 years in my club's 2nds for whatever age group it was at the time. Player of the year, most goals, whatever you like each year. But have one average trial the following March and everything from the previous season is forgotten. Why coaches don't communicate within clubs I don't know. My other clubs are better?
In my personal case, the same year I made the 1st team was the same year I made the club's academy (1 or 2 players from each year group).
Went to Eastern Suburbs vs Waitak preseason friendly today.
Pitch was terrible and it was extremely windy, but thought Suburbs looked pretty good. I'm quietly optimistic for them this year.
I thought Waitak looked pretty mediocre.
Went to Eastern Suburbs vs Waitak preseason friendly today.
Pitch was terrible and it was extremely windy, but thought Suburbs looked pretty good. I'm quietly optimistic for them this year.
I thought Waitak looked pretty mediocre.
I thought Elijah Just was pure class. That goal in first half was as good as you will see. Not so convinced by other Ole players on the day.
Waitakere need to take their shots on gaol when presented. They over elaborated so many times and did not pull the trigger.
Suburbs look the business this year. Good mix of youth and experience. Players use the ball well, not overly wasteful but don't just sit on the ball either. No player seems overly selfish and all understand their role in the team. It is good to watch.
Beyond the usual names, I think Dom Woolridge is a very good player. Intelligent, always makes the right decision. Passes well. Etc.
I'm glad to see Dom getting some praise. He doesn't stand out in the way Eli or Cal do, but I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be one of the best centre-mids in the league this season.
just my two cents here - surely the issue with trials is how they are run?
No system is ever going to 100% get the best players picked - so trials if run well are a good way to get a fairly accurate idea of your talent in a short space of time. Trials run poorly of course are not ideal.
Trials in my experience rely on two things. A general outline of how players are looked at, IE what skills should be looked for and secondly you need to have a good amount of spotters and ideally the coach of the team is not the only spotter - IE if you are trialing for an entire age group (say 14th grade) that the 14th grade coach is not your only spotter and he is not the person with overall selection calls otherwise bias comes into it.
I really think long observation of a player in a normal game environment is far far better than a trial - so the top team coach should be observing the reserves/ B team whenever possible, and this informs next year's selection. A trial period is OK. A single or several day trial is really only useful to sort out players who are either clearly good enough or clearly not good enough for the team being selected.
I know many B team footballers who've stood out in their grade year after year and have eventually gone on to represent their region.
Mostly, the spotters (or assessors) have to be good! Rather one good spotter than one good and two dodgy ones, muddying the waters. 'Good' is subjective though and it's often the loud, strong and wrong brigade who have the most say.
just my two cents here - surely the issue with trials is how they are run?
No system is ever going to 100% get the best players picked - so trials if run well are a good way to get a fairly accurate idea of your talent in a short space of time. Trials run poorly of course are not ideal.
Trials in my experience rely on two things. A general outline of how players are looked at, IE what skills should be looked for and secondly you need to have a good amount of spotters and ideally the coach of the team is not the only spotter - IE if you are trialing for an entire age group (say 14th grade) that the 14th grade coach is not your only spotter and he is not the person with overall selection calls otherwise bias comes into it.
I really think long observation of a player in a normal game environment is far far better than a trial - so the top team coach should be observing the reserves/ B team whenever possible, and this informs next year's selection. A trial period is OK. A single or several day trial is really only useful to sort out players who are either clearly good enough or clearly not good enough for the team being selected.
I know many B team footballers who've stood out in their grade year after year and have eventually gone on to represent their region.
Mostly, the spotters (or assessors) have to be good! Rather one good spotter than one good and two dodgy ones, muddying the waters. 'Good' is subjective though and it's often the loud, strong and wrong brigade who have the most say.
Spot on - I've spoken on here before regarding it, but I didn't even make my school's first team (shark trials). 2 years later I was playing central league.
just my two cents here - surely the issue with trials is how they are run?
No system is ever going to 100% get the best players picked - so trials if run well are a good way to get a fairly accurate idea of your talent in a short space of time. Trials run poorly of course are not ideal.
Trials in my experience rely on two things. A general outline of how players are looked at, IE what skills should be looked for and secondly you need to have a good amount of spotters and ideally the coach of the team is not the only spotter - IE if you are trialing for an entire age group (say 14th grade) that the 14th grade coach is not your only spotter and he is not the person with overall selection calls otherwise bias comes into it.
I really think long observation of a player in a normal game environment is far far better than a trial - so the top team coach should be observing the reserves/ B team whenever possible, and this informs next year's selection. A trial period is OK. A single or several day trial is really only useful to sort out players who are either clearly good enough or clearly not good enough for the team being selected.
I know many B team footballers who've stood out in their grade year after year and have eventually gone on to represent their region.
Mostly, the spotters (or assessors) have to be good! Rather one good spotter than one good and two dodgy ones, muddying the waters. 'Good' is subjective though and it's often the loud, strong and wrong brigade who have the most say.
Spot on - I've spoken on here before regarding it, but I didn't even make my school's first team (shark trials). 2 years later I was playing central league.
Absolutely second this. Youth talent system, especially in schools, is terrible and rife with favouritism and valuing the wrong qualities. Around 2012 I was turned down as goalkeeper for my school's rep team, and a few months later I was offered a trial at Brighton. This was because I played for a club team the selector/coach didn't like, I was told this at the time and my family was horrified.
Sadly there's too much parental manipulation in our sports; coaches putting together teams that suit their own kids or a coaching to an agenda
The key is being prepared to bust down whatever barriers are put in your way
The best coaches I had were prepared to put any player on the park that would do a job for them
It's mad to hear this sort of stuff still happens. Well over a decade ago me and a mate got a trial for our regions youth federation team, we were given 20 minutes each in a 90m game and played out of position, despite this without being a dick we were still the two best players on the field.
We were from a pretty small club and the rest of the team were from two of the largest clubs in the region and one of the lads dads was the coach. Needless to say we didn't make the team.
You'd hope with the new changes being implemented at NZF that this sort of stuff might be knocked on the head, but doesn't appear to be...
The examples cited are all too widespread I suspect in many sports. I experienced the same with my son and basketball. Passed over for his rightful place in the school A team because the coach's son played in the same position. Today, the son is sitting on his ass doing nothing and my son is on a basketball scholarship in the US.
not happy Napier, your boy could have been the target man we are looking for ?
Callum McCowatt
What about him?
Set to be involved from next week.
Any news from the Netherlands or Sweden about Callum?
http://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/70490
#9 for ES this weekend.