Youth Players in Scotland - What's the point?

Scotland is a small country that somehow manages to produce great football players that go on to play in Europe's finest leagues and become legends in their own right at their respective clubs. However, there's a concern in Scotlandin modern times due to the sheer uselessness of the national team. One could be forgiven for arguing that Scotlandhas nothing to worry about as it has produced some fine players in recent times such as Charlie Adam,
Darren Fletcher and Steven Fletcher and that this will continue.


Unfortunately, this is simply not the case as the next generation will prove to be even more of a disappointment. Scotland's youth system is failing and this is largely down to the attitudes taken up by the clubs themselves and the personnel which they employ to rear their young homegrown talent. There is an overwhelming amount of coaches in Scotland who are willing to turn a blind eye towards the players who show up to play at the weekend hungover, so long as they can strike a ball well. This allows for the rest of the players, including the most dedicated and committed ones to fall by the wayside due to the apparent favoritism which is taking place in the youth setup today. By allowing for this to happen, the less dedicated players rise to the top and this is not an efficient way to build a successful future national team. These boys are more interested in getting drunk at the weekend than getting enough rest for the match the next day. The attitude and diets of such players and coaches who are meant to be leading by example are absolutely horrendous. In my time as a youth football player I witnessed multiple examples but the most memorable would have to be the time whereby the coach training us at the time would constantly make the team run and give stern speeches with regards to the importance of fitness, health and in particular dieting. Rather hypocritically he himself was not in shape and showed up to the training sessions with fast food meals and soft drinks which baffled me at the time and continues to do so even now. Therefore, your efforts and your commitment no matter how solid and admirable, are wasted in this country and your best chance of making it professionally is to move elsewhere as it just isn't taken seriously enough here.


Having taken this in, let's look at the players who have made it professionally and offer a glimmer of hope to young footballers in Scotland by considering the examples above: 
- Charlie Adam was shunned by Rangers and subsequently saved by Blackpool who weren't afraid to give him a platform where he eventually shined, giving way for his big move to Liverpool. 
- Darren Fletcher was playing for a local boys club whereby he was snapped up by Manchester United and this ultimately gave him a huge advantage over anyone else in his area as he would not be subject to the Scottish system which is reluctant to take players of such dedication.
- With this being said, Steven Fletcher is an exception as he came through a hugely successful youth team at Hibernian which had multiple graduates but this is simply one exception to a rule that if you play youth football in Scotland, there's almost no chance of success due to the lack of appreciation that is present within almost all levels of football in Scotland, but even more prominent in the most important field of youth football.
We only need to look at Newco Rangers to see how youth footballers are given a chance to shine, as they largely refused to use youth players before their financial situation came to fruition and now they rely upon producing players who are proving themselves and already being linked to bigger clubs down south! So why is it that committed young players aren’t making it all the way in Scotland? It seems as though managers don’t want to take the risk and would rather give games to a 30-something journeyman who’s played for every club in the Scottish League system because apparently he’s ‘proven at that level’. Until this attitude is changed dramatically, we will never have another successful national football team.

By Brett Hampton

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Paolo Di Canio - Managerial Genius Or Nutter?

As a player, Paolo Di Canio scored over 100 league goals but when he joined Swindon to manage them not play for them in 2011, no one predicted what was going to happen to the club.


Di Canio started well with a 3-0 win over Crewe Alexandra, who also went on to be promoted last season. He immediately made the headlines not long into his reign when he was involved in a pitch-side altercation with his own player Leon Clarke, who was later exiled from the club. This sent out a message, Di Canio wasn't going to take any rubbish from anyone, he would do things his own way. 




In January of this year Di Canio claimed the Premier League scalp of Wigan Athletic, defeating them 2-1 to knock them out of the FA Cup. Di Canio's Swindon went on to reach the final of the Football League Trophy, however they lost 2-0 to Chesterfield, nonetheless an achievement in Di Canio's first season. The season went on and Swindon were promoted as Champions of League 2. An impressive impact in his first season guiding Swindon to a league title and cup final. Di Canio claimed that if his side won the league he would get a Swindon tattoo, now that is commitment. 

What made him such a good player and makes him such a good manager is his passion. Before being appointed as the manager of Swindon he had no connections with the club but put everything into the job. Di Canio also wore his heart on his sleeve when playing in claret and blue for West Ham. He wants to win on the sidelines as much, if not even more than the Swindon players on the pitch do and this means they give even more in the game.

What sets him apart from other managers is the way in which he goes about his business. He does what he thinks is right and doesn't care for anyone elses opinions, a huge risk to anyone ordinary, but not Paolo Di Canio it seems. He showed with his team selection a while ago by leaving out captain Paul Caddis due to a "change in attitude". He didn't care whether the fans thought it was a bad move, he did it because he felt it was the right thing to do. 

Di Canio has hit the headlines yet again as he substituted his goalkeeper after 21 minutes of the game against Preston. The man in question was 21-year-old Wes Fodderingham who had made a mistake, but what annoyed Di Canio was his arrogance when the keeper began to moan at other players after his mistake. He claims that he won't put him back into the team until the keeper apologises to the fans. Perhaps it is this "raw" approach that causes the players to perform, they know that if they don't act professionally then he won't stand for any of it. Di Canio has a good knowledge of the game and was an intelligent player which backs up his excellent managerial record.

Some will say Di Canio is a fool and is crazy but he is not opinion, he is a great manager. He has principles and insists that these are followed. He has found a way to get the best out of his team and this is as far from easy as it gets when it is your first season in charge. Swindon go into League 1 this season seeing another promotion as a dream however I believe consolidation would be an achievement from a club only just promoted. Whether the club's fortunes continue or not, I believe Di Canio will go on to be a Premier League manager, and a successful one at that! No matter what you think of Di Canio, love or hate, I think you'll agree that he is great for the game!

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Moussa Dembele - Potential Flop or Superstar?

Moussa Dembele moved from Fulham to Tottenham in the transfer window this Summer. Spurs triggered the release clause in his Fulham contract by bidding £15m for the Belgian but the question is, will he be a flop or a superstar?

In 2005 Dembele signed for the youth section of Willem II, however this was after Ajax had reportedly shown some interest, he had already caught some eyes with his footballing ability t seems. After progressing well there he went on to earn a move to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and they almost won the Eredivisie title but they were pipped in the end by PSV Eindhoven. From here the team went downhill and finished 12th, it was however the 2008-2009 season that was Dembele's breakthrough one. Although injured for a sizeable proportion of the season, he was recognised as one of the best players in the league, impressing many. This earnt him a £5m move to Fulham in 2010.


Dembele started his Fulham career slowly but surely, scoring on his first start for the club. He had a decent first season but it was last campaign that saw him really recognised by people. He performed very consistently and this was rumoured to have attracted a number of big clubs however it didn't seem as though any followed up their interest. I think what really swung it was the way in which he started this season. He ran the game against Manchester United in which Fulham narrowly lost 3-2 at Old Trafford. 

The Belgian prefers to play as an attacking midfielder, the carries the ball well and is never afraid to take opponents on, beating them most times. He is strong and rarely gives the ball away in midfield. He has enough pace to regularly beat his man and enough skill and intelligence to know when to release it. Dembele also carries a good shot on him and this was shown with his excellent goal that he scored on his debut for Tottenham against Norwich where he buried a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after leaving his man for dead.

I personally think Dembele will fit in well to the Spurs team, he will definitely fill the hole left by Van Der Vaart and can play in the attacking midfield role alongside Sigurdsson with Bale left, Lennon right and Parker protecting the defence I think it will make for a solid team with either Adebayor or Dempsey playing up top. What will also help him settle in is the presence of fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen who Dembele will no doubt know well. This was good business by Tottenham and Dembele will shine in a good team however I do think £15m was a little too much however if he fulfils his potential like he should then Tottenham will have no concerns in splashing out on the playmaker.

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