think what you have said is spot on. But realistically we are only now starting to see the kids coming through that can play that style of play. Priviously possibly in the AJ and Milicich team you are talking a out the players weren't yet up to that level.
I have possibly been apart of a conversation with Alan Jones where he justified the way they played. Whilst I dont agree with the style of play they did play, they have been told they need to get results and if that's the best way with what you have then makes senses. Jobs on the line with these results. I dont think you can blame a coach of q team at that level if his instruction from NZF was to get results. He spoke about a games played in south Korea in a warm up tournament, they let the players play home they wanted playing out from the back... this was largely unsuccessful in first half and spent most of time in own. At half time it was put to players carry on playing same way or change up and go more direct, player changed and got a win against I think Nigeria... got the desired result at same time player prob realised where they actually at level wise...
This was at a time when Rojas, Wood, Barbarouses Hicks, and others were coming through the youth ranks all technically excellent players in their age groups. There absolutely were players capable of pass and move.
With respect to the South Korean warm up tournament, thats exactly when you have to go through the pain period with respect to becoming proficient at pass and move football. You dont give up at half time, it takes more than 45 minutes to progress anything.
I understand for sure, but when results are needed do you flog a died horse or try something else that is more likely to work.
You named 4 players out of a squad of what 20? 2 players you names didnt play in the team. Barbarous was to old and Wood was unavailable. More the likes of Sean 2nd touch tackle Lovemore, Dakota Lucus and Andy Bevin...
The latest u20 group would have had last 8 years or more playing out from the back, compared to the other group who hadn't had that from the age of 10 11.
It think this type of thing comes down to NZF not having a clear philosophy probable at the time where at this stage they "might".
This is the essential difference between, say Hudson's group of AWs who played Peru in 2017, and the current U20s side.
Were the NTCs established in 2011 with the Whole of Football Plan?
If so from the 13-14 players who got minutes against Peru in 2017 - Marinovic, Reid, Smith, Durante, Wood, Wee Mac and M Boxall would never have been near one. All either had their formative football education overseas or had left NZ well before 2011. And for better all worse nearly all were dominant figures in the 2017 AWs.
So it's a blatant exaggeration to say that the majority of the AWs under Hudson had come through the WoFP system.
The welcome wholesale change in style of play from "hoofball", is only now being realised from the work started 8-10 years ago.