Euro 2012 (Football)

[csThor]

Well ... Germany is now reaping the rewards of what was started in the dark days after the World Cup 1998. Then the focus was shifted towards better training methods and environment for the youth teams, with the DFB supervising. All national teams (from the U15 up) were reorganised, the trainer staff was made more professional and the philosophy was harmonized. Most of the current and coming national players went through this school - Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Badstuber, Hummels, Boateng, Özil ... It takes a lot of time and investments - and even more patience - but it does work well.

As for England. I do see the greatest problem of England in the form of the Premier League. Right now it's not more than a totally overpriced economical comedy totally focused on squeezing every pence out of the fans. For over a decade money was blown out of the chimney for expensive "superstars" (most of them not from England) by rich people who treat the football clubs as their personal toys - or by greedy club bosses who financed everything from loans. Where would Chelsea be without Abramovitch? Or ManCity without their Sheikh? Bancrupt, the pieces sold and playing in some local amateur league. And the english national team is paying for these developments - and have been paying for them for a few years already. As long as the insane procedure of pumping a few million pounds into a few foreing football players every year continues the national team will continue to decline. We in Germany had this in the 90s and the World Cup 1998 and the Euro 2000 showed drastically where this road led.

With the advent of the "financial fair play" as the UEFA calls it this way of operating is going to end, anyway. It'll be a crunch for a few leagues, most notably the Premier League and the Primera Division, but in the end it will lead to a healthier football and less economical gamblers.

[Osprey]

Don't get me wrong here, I think Germany are a better team 'on paper' than England, but England are capable of beating them should we meet, if we got a spot of luck. We have a new coach and he's drilled in some organisation, we were solid for most of the game versus France and dangerous on the break. Holland were very poor value but you could see that if you have a couple of pacey players against Germany then holes appeared. Sneijder and Robben got behind the fullbacks a few times, but the side was a bit of a mess and couldn't make anything of it. Germany though are very patient and keep possession really well which I think is their biggest asset.

Portugal had a better team a few years ago imho when they had that little dirty dog Deco playing in central midfield plus the only real 'striker' they had in Luis Figo. They now rely on Nani and Ronaldo, and the latter doesn't appear to be playing at his best right now. For me Spain are still very strong. They played an excellent Italian side and punched holes in them at times, I think they are still the team to beat - the Irish will get a pasting tonight

Regarding the long term problems in English football, csThor is dead right but it's going to get worse. Because EPL clubs don't develop many players themselves last Summer they have bribed the majority of the 72 EFL clubs below them to vote in the EPPP, which is a system where the EPL can take any young player from any club at any time for a nominal sum. They got this through because 3/4 of the 72 don't have academies and are unlikely to ever get into the EPL so they voted for the cash. My club, Crystal Palace, have an excellent Academy so what will we do? Possibly Abolish the academy because it won't be worth it. Our present side has several academy player in it - 2 players to watch for the future are Jonathan Williams and Wilfried Zaha

[pupo162]

there, this thread is the living proof i suck at predictions, and why i dotn bet lottarys......

croaci 1 -1 italy. Another great goal for the Euro, the italian one.

EDIT:

soooo Torres scored... and the only portuguese player did manage to create one hell of an opportunity for the spanish team (After taking down a irish player),


shame the portuguese is the referee

[Bewolf]

Originally Posted by pupo162

there, this thread is the living proof i suck at predictions, and why i dotn bet lottarys......

croaci 1 -1 italy. Another great goal for the Euro, the italian one.

Told you not to underestimate Croatia. They have some real fighting spirit. Another example of a small country capable to holds it's own against one of the greats in football.

Was a very fine game that.

Ireland right now under a lot of pressure, but they also giving everything. Even bevoming dangerous at times. I hope Ireland manages to get past the group stages, even though I doubt it.

[pupo162]

nah... spain is dominating. ireland is out...

Im Pretty confident Spain will win the group, the question is who will pass? croatia or Italy? A draw beetween spain and cratio would be enough wouldnt it? ill be doing the math later.

BTW, have you checked the math behind our group? lol, anything can happen (except the garantee that Germany will keep on), but other than that, IReland Danmark and Holland are still possible candidates for the next phase.

[Bewolf]

Originally Posted by pupo162

nah... spain is dominating. ireland is out...

Im Pretty confident Spain will win the group, the question is who will pass? croatia or Italy? A draw beetween spain and cratio would be enough wouldnt it? ill be doing the math later.

BTW, have you checked the math behind our group? lol, anything can happen (except the garantee that Germany will keep on), but other than that, IReland Danmark and Holland are still possible candidates for the next phase.

I like our group, great games and lots of eventualities. Even the Netherlands still have the theoretical chance to move on

[pupo162]

lets hope not... and score quite a few agains Danmark will you?


soo torres scored again! i really like this player, tough he failed to succed at the english league, he has done 2 great matches (he played 15 min the first, and so did spain) and scored 2 goals... more will come.

[Osprey]

Originally Posted by csThor

As for England. I do see the greatest problem of England in the form of the Premier League. Right now it's not more than a totally overpriced economical comedy totally focused on squeezing every pence out of the fans. For over a decade money was blown out of the chimney for expensive "superstars" (most of them not from England) by rich people who treat the football clubs as their personal toys - or by greedy club bosses who financed everything from loans. Where would Chelsea be without Abramovitch? Or ManCity without their Sheikh? Bancrupt, the pieces sold and playing in some local amateur league. And the english national team is paying for these developments - and have been paying for them for a few years already. As long as the insane procedure of pumping a few million pounds into a few foreing football players every year continues the national team will continue to decline. We in Germany had this in the 90s and the World Cup 1998 and the Euro 2000 showed drastically where this road led.

With the advent of the "financial fair play" as the UEFA calls it this way of operating is going to end, anyway. It'll be a crunch for a few leagues, most notably the Premier League and the Primera Division, but in the end it will lead to a healthier football and less economical gamblers.

As I said, the EPPP makes it's first strike!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18278621

Wycombe Wanderers scrap youth academy

By Paul Fletcher
BBC Sport
The Supporters' Trust poised to take over at Wycombe Wanderers has decided to close the club's youth system.
It leaves Wycombe as the only one of the 72 Football League clubs without any form of youth development.
In a statement, the club cited "financial limitations" and the "increased demands" of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) - a new system for academies in England.
The Chairboys have a successful history of producing promising youngsters.
In recent years, players such as Blackpool winger Matt Phillips and Wolves defender Roger Johnson have come through the ranks.

Wycombe sold striker Jordon Ibe to Liverpool last December, while winger Kadeem Harris, the League Two apprentice of the year in 2011, joined Championship side Cardiff in January.
And the club, relegated from League One last season, have recently offered new deals to home-grown midfield pairing Jesse-Kewley Graham and Josh Scowen.
"Wanderers were opposed to the EPPP from the outset, voting against the proposal at a meeting alongside fellow Football League clubs in October," the club statement continued.
"However, the ruling was passed and the club believes it is certain to change the way in which Football League clubs are able to operate at youth level."
A senior figure at Adams Park told BBC Sport the decision was not solely based on the introduction of EPPP, which is due to start nation-wide next season.
And the Trust, which is set to take over the club from current owner Steve Hayes, remains hopeful that it will be able to reintroduce a youth programme at some point in the future.
But the Supporters' Trust are determined to ensure the club will break even financially and believe that in the short term they cannot sustain the cost of their youth system, which is currently in the region of £300,000 per season.
This is despite the fact that EPPP, proposed by the Premier League, agreed by the Football League last October and set to be introduced at the start of the 2012-13 season, will increase payments to all clubs for youth development.
EPPP will also see the introduction of a new four-tier academy system and, as part of the deal, set tariffs have been introduced to replace the tribunal system for the sale of home-grown players.

The introduction of EPPP was widely criticised as a system that would favour Premier League clubs.
In his column at the time Wycombe's Matt Bloomfield said: "I am worried by the possible affect of the new system on clubs like ours who produce their own young players to play in their first team and then to sell for a price that helps to keep the club running."
The Trust is unsure that the structure of the new tribunal system, with a focus on smaller up-front payments but increased add-ons, will generate the required reward on their investment in youth.
They are also concerned by the Football League's retrospective auditing process, which could see clubs asked to pay back funds given for youth development if they have not met certain criteria in line with their category status.
With the focus firmly on running the club as a stable concern, a senior source at the club said the Trust thinks it would be "too risky" to continue with the youth programme.
The club website states that there are 10 full-time employees in the youth department, as well as 25 part-time staff, coaching boys aged eight to 18, who will all lose their jobs.
Those young players who are not offered professional contracts will be given help finding a new club.
Wycombe's centre of excellence technical development officer Dave George announced his retirement last month.
The exact category status of most Football League clubs has yet to be determined, although it is understood that six clubs in the Championship last season - Southampton, Reading, West Ham, Watford, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace - applied for category one status.
In the region of 20 are expected to be given category two status, with the vast majority settling for category three.
Clubs in category four will be operating a low-key system, where clubs will pick up 16-year-olds that have been released by other teams.


Wycombe - a youth success story
Blackpool's Matt Phillips joined Wycombe aged eight and made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old
Cardiff's Kadeem Harris made his Wycombe debut in December 2009 aged 16 years and 201 days - the youngest in the club's history at the time
Jordon Ibe , who joined Liverpool in January, broke Harris's record when he made his Football League debut aged 15 years and 311 days


Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP)
A new four-tier academy system
Set tariffs to replace the tribunal system for the sale of home-grown players
End of the 90-minute rule
Increased payments to all clubs for youth development
Will be introduced from the 2012-2013 season

[Bewolf]

Originally Posted by Osprey

As I said, the EPPP makes it's first strike!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18278621

Wycombe Wanderers scrap youth academy

By Paul Fletcher
BBC Sport
The Supporters' Trust poised to take over at Wycombe Wanderers has decided to close the club's youth system.
It leaves Wycombe as the only one of the 72 Football League clubs without any form of youth development.
In a statement, the club cited "financial limitations" and the "increased demands" of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) - a new system for academies in England.
The Chairboys have a successful history of producing promising youngsters.
In recent years, players such as Blackpool winger Matt Phillips and Wolves defender Roger Johnson have come through the ranks.

Wycombe sold striker Jordon Ibe to Liverpool last December, while winger Kadeem Harris, the League Two apprentice of the year in 2011, joined Championship side Cardiff in January.
And the club, relegated from League One last season, have recently offered new deals to home-grown midfield pairing Jesse-Kewley Graham and Josh Scowen.
"Wanderers were opposed to the EPPP from the outset, voting against the proposal at a meeting alongside fellow Football League clubs in October," the club statement continued.
"However, the ruling was passed and the club believes it is certain to change the way in which Football League clubs are able to operate at youth level."
A senior figure at Adams Park told BBC Sport the decision was not solely based on the introduction of EPPP, which is due to start nation-wide next season.
And the Trust, which is set to take over the club from current owner Steve Hayes, remains hopeful that it will be able to reintroduce a youth programme at some point in the future.
But the Supporters' Trust are determined to ensure the club will break even financially and believe that in the short term they cannot sustain the cost of their youth system, which is currently in the region of £300,000 per season.
This is despite the fact that EPPP, proposed by the Premier League, agreed by the Football League last October and set to be introduced at the start of the 2012-13 season, will increase payments to all clubs for youth development.
EPPP will also see the introduction of a new four-tier academy system and, as part of the deal, set tariffs have been introduced to replace the tribunal system for the sale of home-grown players.

The introduction of EPPP was widely criticised as a system that would favour Premier League clubs.
In his column at the time Wycombe's Matt Bloomfield said: "I am worried by the possible affect of the new system on clubs like ours who produce their own young players to play in their first team and then to sell for a price that helps to keep the club running."
The Trust is unsure that the structure of the new tribunal system, with a focus on smaller up-front payments but increased add-ons, will generate the required reward on their investment in youth.
They are also concerned by the Football League's retrospective auditing process, which could see clubs asked to pay back funds given for youth development if they have not met certain criteria in line with their category status.
With the focus firmly on running the club as a stable concern, a senior source at the club said the Trust thinks it would be "too risky" to continue with the youth programme.
The club website states that there are 10 full-time employees in the youth department, as well as 25 part-time staff, coaching boys aged eight to 18, who will all lose their jobs.
Those young players who are not offered professional contracts will be given help finding a new club.
Wycombe's centre of excellence technical development officer Dave George announced his retirement last month.
The exact category status of most Football League clubs has yet to be determined, although it is understood that six clubs in the Championship last season - Southampton, Reading, West Ham, Watford, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace - applied for category one status.
In the region of 20 are expected to be given category two status, with the vast majority settling for category three.
Clubs in category four will be operating a low-key system, where clubs will pick up 16-year-olds that have been released by other teams.


Wycombe - a youth success story
Blackpool's Matt Phillips joined Wycombe aged eight and made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old
Cardiff's Kadeem Harris made his Wycombe debut in December 2009 aged 16 years and 201 days - the youngest in the club's history at the time
Jordon Ibe , who joined Liverpool in January, broke Harris's record when he made his Football League debut aged 15 years and 311 days


Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP)
A new four-tier academy system
Set tariffs to replace the tribunal system for the sale of home-grown players
End of the 90-minute rule
Increased payments to all clubs for youth development
Will be introduced from the 2012-2013 season

Ufff. Now that reeks.
Do you have an idea how this development started in the first place? And why fans and clubs let themselves treated this way? All hell would break lose here if something similiar happend.

[pupo162]

so.... its raining.