I say bollocks to that
Anthony Hudson (FAT Technical Director | Thailand)
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He directly contradicts many of his previous comments. Before he was banging on about having only one game per window so he could maximise contact time.
Now he contradicts himself.
Mate that's called playing the party line. Early on he's obviously just put a positive spin on it for the media and fans to keep everyone happy but perhaps privately said we need two games. Now he's obviously just sick of it and had enough of the penny pinching. I get the sense he'd take one game a window rather than none!
What I don't get is how come three weeks ago Gourdie painted s rosy picture of a well thought out 2016 programme with names of opposition supposedly on the calendar. What the hell happened over Xmas apart from Lewis and Dyer having too much pudding and doing SFA training?!!
This saga just highlights how essential the Nix are to NZF- the only professional outfit in every sense of that word. I am surprised that the AKC u20 players have let Hudson down as assumed Ramon would have them on a close proxy to a professional regime.
This also highlights how naive Hudson may have been to scrap all the professional over 23 year olds in favour of Lewus, Dyer and co. I bet now he wishes he could have a pro like Keat in his squad over those young guys!
Keen for you to further explain your point of view.
OK but forgive me if this is long and verbose.
A couple of years ago Raymond Verheijen ran a coaching clinic in Auckland. I attended. The first thing he did was talk about how soft NZ was as a country, how we were safe and middle class and everything in general life was easy and pleasant to for us. He talked about how we lacked mental toughness and a hard nosed desire to succeed because of this and all the while the vast majority of us there nodded in agreement. First thing with his little effort was that it was his first time in NZ, in fact his first time in Australasia, he had in fact been picked up from the airport only that morning but was telling us all how safe and lovely it all was here. How did he know how "spft" we were if he had never spent time here before? What he failed to recognise is just how often in our history NZ sports people had been successful precisely because they had the "right mentality". One of the things kiwis like to spout is that per capita we are one of the best achieving sporting countries on earth, the Olympics being a good example.
SPARC and GACU run free coaching courses. They are not sport specific but the various courses cover areas of coaching that apply to all sport. One area is mentality, motivation and how to work with athletes in those areas. Most of our successful sports people have had excellent coaches working with them and one area that many of our other major sports have been working but Football here hasnt is in the area of mentality and motivation. A guy called Gilbert Enoka recently was awarded an honour in the Xmas honours list for his services to sport. He has been working with athletes in multiple sports in NZ for decades, he is one of a number of people who do this sort of work in various sports in NZ yet in football we have nothing like this.
So why are people Like Gilbert Enoka important in sport today? Well people have differing ways of being motivated or motivating themselves, not just for sport but also for most other aspects of life. Some people are able to work out if they are intrinssicaly motivated or extrinsically motivated. Some people arent aware enough to know the differences or if they are dont know how to do this for themselves. So some athletes have the desire and motivation but dont know how to harness it to the best result etc. Coaches need to understand these issues and also know how to lift and motivate their athletes. Im not talking about when to give an athlete a pat on the back or a rebuke but I am talking about being able to assist an athlete to find their own methods to motivate themselves to do some extra training in awful weather or push themselves harder in areas they are weak in etc. Athletes will often know where the problem may lie but often wont know what tools can be used to solve problems.
Its interesting that the All Blacks use these sorts of things so much considering that many will have an impression its a very physical game played by Neanderthals with no need for intelligence. If anyone watched the rugby WC semi final between NZ and SA they will have seen at half time the tv footage of the two teams dressing rooms at half time. NZ were struggling at the break so something needed to be done. The SA dressing room showed the SA coach hammering out his message to his team who were all seated in a semi circle all looking and listening to him speak. In the AB dressing room players were gathered in groups of 4 or 5 talking through the problems in the game. The reason this is important is that modern sport requires more than inspiring speeches from coaches at half time, it requires intelligent problem solving which encompasses everything from inspiring words through to solving game and moment specific problem solving.
If Hudson has been working with all of these players over the last 2 years why is he complaining about the football culture?. Good coaches need to be able to motivate and inspire their athletes but even more importantly they need to be able to help athletes motivate and inspire themselves.
I have been coaching for long enough now to see the time and effort a lot of our players put in from an early age. We have well motivated and dedicated people in NZ, proof of that is in the success other sports people in NZ are able to achieve. Whats missing in football is a lack of understanding and implementation of mental skills work from our football coaches. I would love to see Hudson tell Ben Sigmund that he lacks a mental toughness to succeed.
Bottom line is the problem lies with the need to take our football coaching culture up another level. We are doing lots of good things in coaching through the ages but we have not yet started to work with coaches on helping players with their mental skills. I have done every coaching course in NZ at least twice over the last 30 years and the first I saw of the mental skills side of things was on SPARC and GACU courses I attended in the last 4 years.
Self motivation is something some can do naturally and others need assistance with how, why and when to do things.
Hudson highlighting what he believes is a mental weakness is only highlighting where he has been deficient with his own players.
Alf having listened to the interview and read the article I don't think he is saying they are not "mentally tough". He is saying they "lack professionalism". His is talking about guys who are All Whites, albeit fringe young guys, but All Whites who say that they want to be professionals and for whom Hudson has been trying to arrange trials etc only to find out that over the Xmas break they have been slacking off etc. His reference to being "soft"is that they aren't prepared to put in the effort not anything to do with being "mentally tough" - although I admit you generally need to have extreme discipline to be a true professional and there is some cross over with being mentally tough but I don't think that was the angle he was coming from.
You can have the heart of Ben Sigmund but if you don't have the work ethic you'll never reach your potential. I think that's what frustrating him on top of the lack of support from NZF in organising games.
For me it's no surprise that he has figured out that some of the u20's want it on a plate. The more shocking thing for me was that we don't have any bloody games organised in March!!! What has happened since Mr Gourdie visited?!'
I can give Hudson a hundred reasons why us Kiwi's are as hard as nails
I'm not going to though as I don't want to make a scene or hurt his feelings.
E's Flat Ah's Flat Too
I can give Hudson a hundred reasons why us Kiwi's are as hard as nails
I'm not going to though as I don't want to make a scene or hurt his feelings.
Guys that's not what he is saying. He is saying our youngsters don't have the work ethic. Two different things but one usually provides the basis for the other.
I can give Hudson a hundred reasons why us Kiwi's are as hard as nails
I'm not going to though as I don't want to make a scene or hurt his feelings.
Guys that's not what he is saying. He is saying our youngsters don't have the work ethic. Two different things but one usually provides the basis for the other.
I appreciate what you are saying. There is a difference between being mentally tough and not being professional enough. However both do fall under the mental skills umbrella and again in other sports where there is use of mental skills coaches we see NZ athletes performing at a high level.
I would argue that our youngsters do have a decent work ethic, I have watched so many of them over the years put in many hours of training each week for 50 weeks of the year from age 10 through to 17-18. I dont believe this perceived lack of work ethic is the issue, I think the problem is the motivations of players and how their own motivation is being helped/pushed and how those around them are motivated etc. I think our young players do put in the hard yards, I have watched many of them do it, maybe the issue is that they are not exposed to coaching which helps them find the mentality to push for the next level.
I can give Hudson a hundred reasons why us Kiwi's are as hard as nails
I'm not going to though as I don't want to make a scene or hurt his feelings.
Guys that's not what he is saying. He is saying our youngsters don't have the work ethic. Two different things but one usually provides the basis for the other.
I appreciate what you are saying. There is a difference between being mentally tough and not being professional enough. However both do fall under the mental skills umbrella and again in other sports where there is use of mental skills coaches we see NZ athletes performing at a high level.
I would argue that our youngsters do have a decent work ethic, I have watched so many of them over the years put in many hours of training each week for 50 weeks of the year from age 10 through to 17-18. I dont believe this perceived lack of work ethic is the issue, I think the problem is the motivations of players and how their own motivation is being helped/pushed and how those around them are motivated etc. I think our young players do put in the hard yards, I have watched many of them do it, maybe the issue is that they are not exposed to coaching which helps them find the mentality to push for the next level.
It sounds like Hudson has got some specific young proteges in mind. It sounds like he's done things like helped get Musa a club at one point and worked for others. Can understand that part of it.
What the hell happened over Xmas apart from Lewis and Dyer having too much pudding and doing SFA training?!!
This saga just highlights how essential the Nix are to NZF- the only professional outfit in every sense of that word. I am surprised that the AKC u20 players have let Hudson down as assumed Ramon would have them on a close proxy to a professional regime.
This also highlights how naive Hudson may have been to scrap all the professional over 23 year olds in favour of Lewus, Dyer and co. I bet now he wishes he could have a pro like Keat in his squad over those young guys!
Reading your comment above (I have not heard the interview just yet), it sounds like he named players. Thats quite a bold step if he has.
Grumpy old bastard alert
I'd imagine any coach would find it difficult motivating both himself and his players when he has no game for them to play. I'd walk myself. Except my CV now presents a bit of a problem....
"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...
I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...
Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."
I've just listened to the interview and perhaps I was a bit harsh on him in my 1st assessment in him setting himself up to exit.
He has chucked a massive ticking bomb under Andy Martins seat though. Jesus he will be pissing into his eggs benedict when he reads that from his holiday locale.
Grumpy old bastard alert
And of course big Kev doesn't like it. Again, same old problems - somebody says something about NZ football and a whole bunch of people get defensive assuming it's a direct attack on them. Remember folks, it's not paranoia if they're really after you
And of course big Kev doesn't like it. Again, same old problems - somebody says something about NZ football and a whole bunch of people get defensive assuming it's a direct attack on them. Remember folks, it's not paranoia if they're really after you
Big Kev's response was the weirdest the Herald printed. I think he was drunk. Second weirdest was Sam Malcolmson, who turned it into a whine about how no-one is offering the generation of '82 any part-time jobs so they can provide their vast experience of... something.
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
And of course big Kev doesn't like it. Again, same old problems - somebody says something about NZ football and a whole bunch of people get defensive assuming it's a direct attack on them. Remember folks, it's not paranoia if they're really after you
Yeah Fallon comes across poorly: he knows that some thin skinned people will support his defence of poor old NZF, and comments accordingly, even dragging out the hoary old " whingeing pom " to get heads nodding. Any strength to his argument is lessened by his pathetic condescending comments about Hudson, referring to him as a " little lad " and " young boy ". Fallon comes across as some washed up old macho man, who once ruled the roost and now can't bear to see a younger man doing the job he once had. Is he an alpha male or what?
"Self-defence is an art I cultivate"
And of course big Kev doesn't like it. Again, same old problems - somebody says something about NZ football and a whole bunch of people get defensive assuming it's a direct attack on them. Remember folks, it's not paranoia if they're really after you
Big Kev's response was the weirdest the Herald printed. I think he was drunk. Second weirdest was Sam Malcolmson, who turned it into a whine about how no-one is offering the generation of '82 any part-time jobs so they can provide their vast experience of... something.
Sam Malcomson couldnt coach his way out of a wet paper bag, still runs the same drills I did when I played in the 70's. He is one of the most active in making hay out of being an 82 AW
And of course big Kev doesn't like it. Again, same old problems - somebody says something about NZ football and a whole bunch of people get defensive assuming it's a direct attack on them. Remember folks, it's not paranoia if they're really after you
Big Kev's response was the weirdest the Herald printed. I think he was drunk. Second weirdest was Sam Malcolmson, who turned it into a whine about how no-one is offering the generation of '82 any part-time jobs so they can provide their vast experience of... something.
Sam Malcomson couldnt coach his way out of a wet paper bag, still runs the same drills I did when I played in the 70's. He is one of the most active in making hay out of being an 82 AW
That can be said for Brian Turner coaching ability as well who he suggested should be offered a job.
Recipe for mentally soft entitled player
Take a technically ok player at school boy level throw him in to a manufactured team playing in your domestic league as he wouldn't get a contract in any team in the league. Tell him he's the next best thing since sliced bread in the U20's touting him as a future pro. Give him an Olly whites gig over older more experienced players who are in pro environments. Give him All Whites caps like they are candy without having to work for it. Return him to the domestic league where nobody will sign him. Stir well Becomes entitled mentally soft player not willing to work hard or make personal sacrifices to get to the top.
That's a mess of Hudson's own making who's blowing smoke up who's ass now.
UNDERDOG: One that is expected to lose a contest or struggle
The NZ Football conundrum = "tough" players go overseas for higher leagues - and "better" coaching according to Malcolmson and Utting - check out their coaching videos/sites if you can find them, @reinvent the obvious rant.com,
then tough player gets gig in top league and can't come back to play for AW because he will lose his place in the starting team
- then they are back to NZ
Stay = shark
Go = shark
I've got my tickets for Russia 2018 already @optimist.com
"Ufuk with the Club, Ufuk with the Country".
If your girlfriend's got gloves, she's a keeper.
Recipe for mentally soft entitled player
Take a technically ok player at school boy level throw him in to a manufactured team playing in your domestic league as he wouldn't get a contract in any team in the league. Tell him he's the next best thing since sliced bread in the U20's touting him as a future pro. Give him an Olly whites gig over older more experienced players who are in pro environments. Give him All Whites caps like they are candy without having to work for it. Return him to the domestic league where nobody will sign him. Stir well Becomes entitled mentally soft player not willing to work hard or make personal sacrifices to get to the top.
That's a mess of his own making who's blowing smoke up who's ass now.
Possibly fair but doesn't have much relevance to do with the process of trying to secure a pro contract.
A fan is a fan.
Love this quote from that piece.
"I respect them hugely, they have done a great job for the game here but it doesn't make me happy or sad that they have an opinion about me. But the game has changed. International football has changed in relation to clubs. It's not how it used to be many, many years ago."
GET YOUR SHIRTS OFF FOR THE BOYS
I'll give Hudson credit for coming at them front on rather than a knife in the back
Grumpy old bastard alert
"I met with a handful of players over the Christmas period and was just really disappointed with how things were and how laid back everything is here," Hudson said. "For an international manager the media is very important because we don't have a lot of contact with the players and the media is another source for us to get messages out to the players to set the culture."
If only there was some kind of electronic version of letter writing that would help the mass distribution of info. Something more efficient than a fax.
"I met with a handful of players over the Christmas period and was just really disappointed with how things were and how laid back everything is here," Hudson said. "For an international manager the media is very important because we don't have a lot of contact with the players and the media is another source for us to get messages out to the players to set the culture."
If only there was some kind of electronic version of letter writing that would help the mass distribution of info. Something more efficient than a fax.
Hudson has said that he has received a lot of verbal support from the players. Of course he will get support from the players regardless, as they want Hudson to select them for future games
Whilst he has a point about the quantity of games I think Hudson is taking out of his arse about meeting a handful of players over the Xmas period. If I was the CEO I would be calling his bluff and asking for dates, names and what each player actually said.
Then I would be asking Andrew H was that one young player who should have never have been selected by you in the first place to play for his country who wanted to go to Rhythm and Vines really worth that knife in the back you stabbed me with.
Auckland will rise once more
Great article by Anthony Hudson.Have 2 agree 100% with it.The All Whites need a hell of a lot more support from NZ football 2 be successful!
16 retweets
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Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
Are a lot of people just bagging Hudson's message here because they've already decided they don't like the guy? I believe Dura has now retired from international football so he has no reason to suck up to him (in fact, wasn't there a conspiracy theory that Dura had fallen out with Hudson?)
Ramming liberal dribble down your throat since 2009
This forum needs less angst and more Kate Bush threads
Whilst he has a point about the quantity of games I think Hudson is taking out of his arse about meeting a handful of players over the Xmas period. If I was the CEO I would be calling his bluff and asking for dates, names and what each player actually said.
Then I would be asking Andrew H was that one young player who should have never have been selected by you in the first place to play for his country who wanted to go to Rhythm and Vines really worth that knife in the back you stabbed me with.
There are two pieces to the argument. 1) players are unprofessional. That's not really going to rub up Martin the wrong way other than as his boss I'd ask him "so are you saying you have plucked up your strategy?". 2) not enough games. This is the direct criticism of his employer. So I'm not sure he's stabbing NZF in the back re the kids not training and going to Rand V as you say but rather than candid "how can you muppets expect us to qualify if you won't organise any games".
The thing is that I haven't heard anyone actually say that what Hudson has said is wrong. A couple have said he probably could have gone it about this differently (that's me wildly paraphrasing Kev) but no one has said he isn't correct.
Interesting Dura has come out so publicly. Given he put his lot in for the Brazil World Cup with NZF he has seen this shambles before. I respect him and he wouldn't do that lightly.
The March window is on the 21-29. That's 9 weeks away. Not a lot of time to organise a professional tour, logistics, spare fax paper etc.
Yes I am dubious about him as to me he is a Flash Harry. I am also not a fan of NZ Football who have been inept over many decades. However, bagging your employer in public is not wise and could lead to his dismissal as there would probably be clauses in his contract around this.
it's hard to bring your employer into disrepute when they have 1) stuffed up the eligibility o do layers and 2) sent wrong messages to team re selection etc. Hudson could argue that NZF are doing a good enough job of bringing themselves into disrepute... But yes you are right he is treading a fine line. But stuff it - we can't keep going on with this amateur she'll be right attitude.
Are a lot of people just bagging Hudson's message here because they've already decided they don't like the guy? I believe Dura has now retired from international football so he has no reason to suck up to him (in fact, wasn't there a conspiracy theory that Dura had fallen out with Hudson?)
I don't particularly like him, but think there are some truths to his comments. Interesting way to go about it though, have to admit my initial thought was "exit strategy"
Allegedly
Are a lot of people just bagging Hudson's message here because they've already decided they don't like the guy? I believe Dura has now retired from international football so he has no reason to suck up to him (in fact, wasn't there a conspiracy theory that Dura had fallen out with Hudson?)
I was hot on Hudson initially and then went really cold on him. However regardless of my current thoughts, he has valid points on player 'entitlement' (for lack of a better term) and the amount of games. He has been here 18 months and coached 5 games (excluding his involvement in the 20s and 23s) That's one hell of a junket for any national team coach so I can respect his position and criticism. I'd also argue it's not a knife in the back to NZF but more likely a bank heist. He's rocked in to the bank with a gun in plain sight and said give me the money. He'll either get his money or get taken down. It's up to NZF how they react.
As for criticisms of NZF as a body, it's more around that his team does not have enough games. He has not spoken of anything else or cast dispersion over anyone else and their roles, jobs etc.
The comments from Dura are telling and he is not one to throw his opinion around lightly.
Grumpy old bastard alert
Yep, mine too. @Tegal.
I think the World cup run started with Seatter spending money and getting us playing games, touring Europe etc etc. Soon that isn't going to be an option with UEFA stopping friendlies. We must play more for the AWs to be anything.
However, surely Hudson has some culpability in the eligibility saga? He's part of the system of checks right? All his eggs were in the Olympics basket. Also our team has been in rankings free fall so it may be difficult to get a decent game and NZF surely aren't flush with $$...
Big Kev's response was the weirdest the Herald printed. I think he was drunk. Second weirdest was Sam Malcolmson, who turned it into a whine about how no-one is offering the generation of '82 any part-time jobs so they can provide their vast experience of... something.
Malcolmson's response wasn't weird.........for him, it's what he always does, everything was better in 1982 he knows he was there!
the only thing I liked about the responses, was that they went to David Chote (Steve Sumner must be on holiday) and he spoke a little sense
Wish the press would try others who are more involved these days rather than just go to the 1982 lot who are happy to be mouthpieces for anything
https://thejourneyfan.blogspot.co.nz/
New Zealand Football Media Association Website of the year 2015 & 2016
This thread is a microcosm of the NZ football community. Sadly.
I can only ask if you disagree with Hudson cause the majority of posters seem to agree with Hudsons take along with others like Hay (not a forum favourite) and Utting (mad cut snake incarnate) and 2 players in Durante (supposedly hates Hudson) and Brockie (supposedly can't get picked by Hudson). If you are sad about this place and the voices agreeing with Hudson, you must think its ok.
What the majority of posters seem to be over is the constant harping of the class of 82 and their commentary about how things were better/different in their day. They were also part of the muppet brigade that never capitalised on the appearance in Spain so are equally as guilty as todays lot only time seems to be a great revisionist of history for them. For all their 'we are better than you' garbage, how did they leave the game in better shape in terms of coaching, participation... any kind of legacy. You can argue that Big Kev still advocates the big bash style of the game now popularised in Australian cricket but how is it in touch with todays game?
As much as every one has an opinion, its the old fudgeers (me included) that have to learn to keep up and move with the times or shut up. I hate todays music and could close my eyes and pretend I have a joystick in one hand and a spacie buttons in the others such is the crap that it is but my opinion is not relevant. Just like with football, Kev and co did some great stuff in their day but their comments show they have just not moved with the times and hence why they get treated with skant regard. More disappointingly, the media keeps going to them cause Kevin and Malcolmson are never going to say no to their names in bright lights but their opinions are no longer relevant.
Grumpy old bastard alert
I'm not sure if that was deliberate or not considering this is a football forum and we are a small group of supporters.
More a reflection on the disparate views driven (understandably) by everyone's relative situation and/or experience.
When an organisation or community has a lack of leadership and vision (and therefore strategy), progress is naturally inhibited. This is the case in NZF (both as an organisation and a community). I believe Hudson came in to develop and implement a strategy but hasn't received the support he probably believed he would get (again, from both org and comm). In some ways this is due to the variation in player development pathway/s, but it's also enhanced by people having an unrealistic view (globally) of their own ability and/or importance - or delusion if you will (which he did lol).
It's (likely) a conscious move to shock the system (again, both org and comm) and will result in one of two outcomes. Either; there is a realisation that the game needs to lift (so to speak) and plans are implemented to do just that (fixtures, pathways, management, players, etc)... or; the heads remain in the sand and Hudson walks (or is pushed), the status quo remains - and our performance and development continues to go nowhere.
Meanwhile, the various interests/factions raise their defences to repel any attacks (real or perceived), stones are thrown by all and sundry believing attack is the best form of defence, and the NZF (org) leadership are at the beach.
Shambles.
E + R + O
Graham Seatter on with Devlin shortly.
By tomorrow we'd have heard from the Taihape under 13 B's boss... but probably not from the NZF CEO or Chairperson.
E + R + O