15 Jan 2016 06:18:19
Hi Ed001,
Report today saying our head of youth policy will be leaving at the end of the season. Are you able to confirm this? Also are you aware of any improvements with our academy structure since LVG came in? When I spoke to you previously you mentioned what a shambles our academy had become. TIA.
{Ed001's Note - it is youth recruitment, Darren Langley, that is expected to go. I believe it is correct, though I am not convinced he is leaving of his own accord from what I am told. So far LvG has mostly been concerned with having the whole academy structure vetted and seeing what needs to be done. I believe, contrary to what is being reported, that Langley is seen as one of the changes that need to be made. I also believe this to be correct, as his youth recruitment has not been good, in my opinion.
From what I am told, there is likely to be a top to bottom revamp of the whole academy. Recruitment is set to see a new head and changes in scouting, including more focus on statistical analysis (in fact that will be right throughout the club, that the focus on stats analysis is being increased). The facilities are to be upgraded, with the aim of bringing them in line with the latest youth facilities around the world. More pitches, not just full sized ones, but smaller ones for training variants such as 5, 6 and 7 a side games. Plus I was told futsal and other variants that focus on technique would have a place.
I am also told that the academy could get one of those footbonaught machines that Borussia Dortmund use, though I would think it is for use by the entire club as it is extremely expensive. There is set to be an increase in the number of coaches, that was one of the main recommendations made. Personally I think that is the most important thing, more coaches is a priority. Even if the coaches are just there as assistants to carry out orders, they are needed.}
15 Jan 2016 08:18:23
Great answer Ed-Prime. I think it is long overdue.
15 Jan 2016 08:18:32
Thanks for the great response Ed, that's a pretty major overhaul. Will these changes go ahead irrespective of who the manager is? (I presume these changes are one of the aspects of the long term plans Ed002 mentioned) .
Also what's your prediction for Sunday? Think your high press game will cause us one or two problems!
{Ed001's Note - yes, the changes are one of the reasons for van Gaal's appointment, but they want to make them anyway. I don't do predictions for my own team as they bring me bad luck!}
15 Jan 2016 08:40:52
Football evolving and we need to evolve to keep up.
15 Jan 2016 08:45:30
Well since its youth recruitment maybe they should hire good old Ronnie since he seems to know every half decent U18 player out there.
15 Jan 2016 10:44:39
Haha fair point Ed, you didn't strike me as the superstitious type! On a side note I bet you're laughing that MUFC are planning to implement more statistics; your favourite bug bear isn't it?,
{Ed001's Note - me? I am ridiculously superstitious mate. When I had a season ticket, I would have to get a cup of tea and packet of wine gums from the same vendor on the way in and Tommy Mac, who sat next to me, had to have all the black wine gums. If I didn't buy them, we lost. If I bought them and there were no black wine gums we drew. Each time we won I would wear the same top, just to matches, until we stopped winning. I haven't watched us play against Spurs in years because I missed it once and we slaughtered them, so I wouldn't watch us face them again until we didn't win!
Advanced statistical analysis is actually my thing, it is the moronic use of stats out of context, or with no actual context at all, that annoys me. They are very difficult to use on their own in football anyway, because the spread is so small. It only takes a minor anomaly to completely throw out the basis of the stats due to the small number of goals in a game in general. That is why they are so much more powerful of a tool in US sports. You have much more easily statistically analysed moments, especially in a game like baseball, where they play hundreds of games a year, or a sport like basketball, where they rack up a hundred points per side in a game.
What you end up with is people making judgements over a tiny sample size, and that is simply not going to give you a fair sample. Just using stats on their own like that can twist things to give an unfair view of a player. For instance, Stewart Downing in his first season at Liverpool got 0 assists, so people assume he offered nothing. If you looked closer, then you would find he created the most goal chances in European top flights, so that suggests it was not actually him that was offering nothing. When you sit and just watch him play, you realise the truth is somewhere in between. He wasn't top class, but he was far from as bad as he was made out.}
15 Jan 2016 11:12:52
Thought Langley was due to retire anyway?
I agree ed his recruitment hasn't been great and this is long overdue. And more coaches is always good.
Couple of questions if you don't mind.
What's a footbonaught machine?
I thought you weren't keen on statistics in football so how will that work especially at youth level.
I know a lot of foreign clubs kike Ajax as an example focus a lot on smaller games like 5v5 etc at youth level. Is this something as both a club and a country we've neglected?
{Ed001's Note - footbonaught (I hope I have been spelling it correctly) is a machine that clubs such as Borussia Dortmund use to improve players' first touch and technique. There are videos of it on the net if you look it up mate. Extremely expensive (when I saw one originally it was priced in the millions, though I am not sure what currency that was it) but Dortmund swore by it.
It is statistics used out of context and on their own that I object to. I gave a short explanation above.
As a country? In recent years yes, Liverpool's era of domination was based around a training regime that pretty much consisted of 5 a side and later 6 a side matches, since then it fell out of fashion a fair bit.}
15 Jan 2016 12:21:29
Great answer Ed001, I think it is things like this that people fail to see when they want instant success and if we aren't winning the league every season they want the manager out. I don't think LVG is doing very well and I was one who wanted him out, but listening to what Ed002 had to say and hearing what good things LVG is doing behind the scenes I do think we may have made the right decision in keeping him, and we may see the fruits of this in 5-10 years rather than 5-10 minutes that most fans seem to want these days.
{Ed001's Note - you wanted him out? Wow, things must have got bad!}
15 Jan 2016 13:29:25
Thanks ed will have look for the gizmo.
15 Jan 2016 13:40:39
Ed001,
After the Norwich game I couldn't see a way back to be honest, the fans turned and I didn't see much choice. Interesting from the board to stick with him through that and we will see if that was a good decision. I feel like if he didn't go then (after defeats to Bournemouth and Norwich) then he is going nowhere until at least the summer.
{Ed001's Note - ah right, I can understand that.}
15 Jan 2016 13:38:28
Found a link of Jamie redknapp testing out the footbonaught machine.
goo.gl/lyP5yy
15 Jan 2016 14:39:20
ED 001 is correct about the footbonnaught machine -youtube have lots of clips especially with dortmund players -it looks deceptively simple idea and worth viewing .
Cantona would have been brilliant in using it .
On the other hand, you know when you were a kid spinning round and round and yer mum shouted "stop you will make yourself dizzy and fall over and samsh something" That machine is Phil jONES nemesis . he will be hearing his mums voice in his head forever if he gets a go with it.
15 Jan 2016 14:58:52
Or like in mike Bassett England manager when they go to that high tech sports park an they put the dude in the giant hamster ball. That whole scene cracks me up. The bit withe the simulator as well. Pele. Maradona. Mark Lawrenson. We ran out of money.
15 Jan 2016 15:19:10
Mort,
What a film, had a feeling somebody might mention Mark Lawrenson when the footbonaught thing was brought up, hilarious.
15 Jan 2016 15:49:53
I was waiting for it.
Great film saw it in cinema with a palace and rangers fan.
15 Jan 2016 17:26:14
Three cheers for Ramirez!