Football
Ex-Saint condemns FA for Under-8s rule change
FORMER Saints star Gordon Watson has condemned the FA's plan to ban under-8s from competitive' games.
The Daily Echo revealed yesterday that from September, the Eastleigh & District Mini League's under-8 teams would NOT be competing in any cup competitions.
They would also NOT have their league results and league tables made public. The only information that would be widely available through the media is the clubs' fixtures.
The FA have introduced the ruling nationwide after some mini leagues - but not the EDML - asked for the controversial change because some of their games were getting too competitive.
The Hampshire FA have backed the Soho Square initiative, but opinion at grass-roots level is split.
Watson, who used to manage in the EDML but whose team are now in the Southampton Tyro League, said: "It's absolute ga-ga.
"It's got to be a joke.
"Kids love competing and they love being rewarded for doing well.
"Under-8 is not too early to start being competitive - the earlier the better.
"A lot of it comes down to character building, how you fight back from being 1-0 or 2-0 down.
"Kids love looking at the league tables, even at that age.
"And you're always likely to try harder if you're coming up against a team at the top of the league.
"But if there's no league tables, how are you going to know who's doing well.
"As I said, kids love getting rewards for their hard work.
"I'm glad I'm not managing in that age group any more, we're better off out of it.
"I feel sorry for those who are coming into it."
6:39am Friday 27th June 2008
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CommentPosted by: realist on 8:11am Fri 27 Jun 08
it's not the kids, it's the parents who push their little darlings so hard who are at fault.
At eight you should be enjoying life, not worrying about competition and stuff, there's plenty of time for that when you're 10 or 11 (we used to have the 11+ remember, which decided a child's fate far too young) and later on you've got a whole working life to slave away and worry yourself into an early grave.
FFS, GW, let the kids enjoy a short stab at a blissful childhood, at least!!!
it's not the kids, it's the parents who push their little darlings so hard who are at fault.
At eight you should be enjoying life, not worrying about competition and stuff, there's plenty of time for that when you're 10 or 11 (we used to have the 11+ remember, which decided a child's fate far too young) and later on you've got a whole working life to slave away and worry yourself into an early grave.
FFS, GW, let the kids enjoy a short stab at a blissful childhood, at least!!!
Posted by: me, here on 10:00am Fri 27 Jun 08
[quote][bold]realist[/bold] wrote:
it's not the kids, it's the parents who push their little darlings so hard who are at fault. At eight you should be enjoying life, not worrying about competition and stuff, there's plenty of time for that when you're 10 or 11 (we used to have the 11+ remember, which decided a child's fate far too young) and later on you've got a whole working life to slave away and worry yourself into an early grave. FFS, GW, let the kids enjoy a short stab at a blissful childhood, at least!!! [/quote] what complete rubbish
how can you compare this to the 11+, its completey diffrent.
kids need to play sport and in this day they need to learn to be competitive.
they need to learn how to behave when winning and learn how to act when losing. this is all part of growing up and developing as a person.
it does not pigeon hole them into certain type of career as the 11+ did. completey stupid comparasion
realist wrote:
it's not the kids, it's the parents who push their little darlings so hard who are at fault. At eight you should be enjoying life, not worrying about competition and stuff, there's plenty of time for that when you're 10 or 11 (we used to have the 11+ remember, which decided a child's fate far too young) and later on you've got a whole working life to slave away and worry yourself into an early grave. FFS, GW, let the kids enjoy a short stab at a blissful childhood, at least!!!
what complete rubbish
how can you compare this to the 11+, its completey diffrent.
kids need to play sport and in this day they need to learn to be competitive.
they need to learn how to behave when winning and learn how to act when losing. this is all part of growing up and developing as a person.
it does not pigeon hole them into certain type of career as the 11+ did. completey stupid comparasion
Posted by: Steve, Woolston on 12:05pm Fri 27 Jun 08
Stop it Gordon. You're just embarassing yourself.
Good job more enlightened people than you make the decisions. They can still play matches against each other, but the emphasis is on enjoyment and skill rather than rabid parents on the line trying to get a trophy for their mantlepiece.
Under 9 is plenty young enough for competition. Teach them how to trap a ball, or pass and shoot Gordon. Our age group never played competitions at that age Gordon, and you know it.
Stop it Gordon. You're just embarassing yourself.
Good job more enlightened people than you make the decisions. They can still play matches against each other, but the emphasis is on enjoyment and skill rather than rabid parents on the line trying to get a trophy for their mantlepiece.
Under 9 is plenty young enough for competition. Teach them how to trap a ball, or pass and shoot Gordon. Our age group never played competitions at that age Gordon, and you know it.
Posted by: Saint Madcap, Horndean on 12:05pm Fri 27 Jun 08
Ban the parents i say. How many times have i heard a parent shout " go in hard Johnny" or worse. It's bad enough youngsters trying to emulate their footballing hero's without the parents urging Johnny to break some bones.
Rant over. COYR
Ban the parents i say. How many times have i heard a parent shout " go in hard Johnny" or worse. It's bad enough youngsters trying to emulate their footballing hero's without the parents urging Johnny to break some bones.
Rant over. COYR
Posted by: Gordon is a Moron, Jilted Johnsville on 2:20pm Fri 27 Jun 08
More claptrap from a distinctly average journeyman ex-footballer.
Maybe if this plank concentrated more on skill and technique when he was younger,he could have possibly made more appearances and been more successful in the top flight.
At the age of 8 our children should be developed into footballers without being pidgeon holed as e.g a right back or left wing etc..
This decision will go along way in retaining interest in football by those young children who alternatively would be deemed failures if they lost matches or finished bottom of the league.
More claptrap from a distinctly average journeyman ex-footballer.
Maybe if this plank concentrated more on skill and technique when he was younger,he could have possibly made more appearances and been more successful in the top flight.
At the age of 8 our children should be developed into footballers without being pidgeon holed as e.g a right back or left wing etc..
This decision will go along way in retaining interest in football by those young children who alternatively would be deemed failures if they lost matches or finished bottom of the league.
Posted by: Pompey Blue, Poprtsmouth on 2:55pm Fri 27 Jun 08
What a great idea. The kids will know whether the team is a good team they are playing or not from gossiping and talking at school so we do not need league tables and result puiblished at such an early age. Commitment, desire, dedication would not change in 8 year olds if the leagues were not published anyway. They are kids and want to enjoy there football and be part of a team. As well as developing skill, technique and many other attributes the biggest learning curve for any 8 year old would be playing as part of a team. I would also like to add that i would like to see a maximum win introduced. Having been on the receiving end and given out some hidings on the football filed i strongly believe that in any age group up to age 14 that when a team gets 8 goals ahead then the result ends but they then continue to play for the enjoyment and fun. And i have not heard of many sides coming back from 8 goals behind to win. What is the point for any side winning or losing 21-0. The winning side learns nothing and the losing side will more and likely give up and not bother playing football again. At least when results are recorded and published there is not an air of humility and shame on the losing side. I would be interested to hear other peoples feedback to my comments.
What a great idea. The kids will know whether the team is a good team they are playing or not from gossiping and talking at school so we do not need league tables and result puiblished at such an early age. Commitment, desire, dedication would not change in 8 year olds if the leagues were not published anyway. They are kids and want to enjoy there football and be part of a team. As well as developing skill, technique and many other attributes the biggest learning curve for any 8 year old would be playing as part of a team. I would also like to add that i would like to see a maximum win introduced. Having been on the receiving end and given out some hidings on the football filed i strongly believe that in any age group up to age 14 that when a team gets 8 goals ahead then the result ends but they then continue to play for the enjoyment and fun. And i have not heard of many sides coming back from 8 goals behind to win. What is the point for any side winning or losing 21-0. The winning side learns nothing and the losing side will more and likely give up and not bother playing football again. At least when results are recorded and published there is not an air of humility and shame on the losing side. I would be interested to hear other peoples feedback to my comments.
Posted by: Mmmmm, here, there, everwhere on 4:50pm Fri 27 Jun 08
of course the fact that it works well in other countries has had no influence on Gordons outdated view at all.
of course the fact that it works well in other countries has had no influence on Gordons outdated view at all.
Posted by: John, Southampton on 6:54pm Fri 27 Jun 08
i agree with the ruling...maybe kids should spend more time enjoying just kicking a ball and learning skill instead of trying to take in match tatics etc...i dont think this has anything to do with winning or losing but just letting younger kids enjoy being ummm kids
i agree with the ruling...maybe kids should spend more time enjoying just kicking a ball and learning skill instead of trying to take in match tatics etc...i dont think this has anything to do with winning or losing but just letting younger kids enjoy being ummm kids
Posted by: the Truth Master, in the Real World on 10:05pm Fri 27 Jun 08
More garbage from Mr Watson, anyone remember his double standard "respect the ref" comments, just cos you're an ex-pro it doesnt mean you know all about grassroots football.
Here are my responses to some of his comments,
[italic] "Under-8 is not too early to start being competitive - the earlier the better."[/italic]
Just because you are not playing for points it doesnt mean the matches wont be competitive, both sides will still want to win just as they do in the Playground and Parks.
"[italic]A lot of it comes down to character building, how you fight back from being 1-0 or 2-0 down."[/italic]
So, just because there are no points at stake teams wont bother trying win if they are losing 1-0 or 2-0, boll@cks!
[italic]"Kids love looking at the league tables, even at that age.[/italic]
Not if they are bottom, no wins and a massive minus goal-difference
[italic]"And you're always likely to try harder if you're coming up against a team at the top of the league.[/italic]
See above and also the team should be trying their hardest every game, thats if you are coaching them correctly!
[italic]"But if there's no league tables, how are you going to know who's doing well.[/italic]
A coach should only be concerned about his own team and how well they are doing. If you are winning most of your games you are obviously doing well, if your wins, defeats and draws are pretty even then you are 'mid-table' and if you are losing most games well its obvious, it aint Rocket Science.
[italic]"As I said, kids love getting rewards for their hard work.[/italic]
Whats the problem, you can still buy them some medals or trophies at the end of the season
[italic]"I'm glad I'm not managing in that age group any more, we're better off out of it.[/italic]
This comment speaks for itself, Glory-hunter!
[italic]"I feel sorry for those who are coming into it."[/italic]
In my opinion, the opposite applies, this is the way forward, European countries have been doing this for years,(note our absence once again from the finals of a major competition) we were slow to adopt Mini-soccer in the first place, while the French etc were playing small-sided stuff donkey years ago we still had 9 year olds playing the 11-a-side game where half the players never got a touch and were pigeon-holed in positions, take note, in the near future all Mini-Soccer will be played this way.
Finally, this ruling has also been brought in, to help combat the 'aggro' caused by parents and coaches etc on the sidelines. I have been involved in grassroots football for over 25 years and I have noticed that over the last couple years the "sideline-culture" has seriously deteriorated and the sooner the parents etc are educated the better.
I say -
LET THEM PLAY,
LET THEM EXPRESS THEMSELVES,
LET THEM PLAY IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS,
LET THEM PLAY WITHOUT FEAR,
BUT MOST OF ALL -
[bold]LET THEM ENJOY IT[/bold]
More garbage from Mr Watson, anyone remember his double standard "respect the ref" comments, just cos you're an ex-pro it doesnt mean you know all about grassroots football.
Here are my responses to some of his comments,
"Under-8 is not too early to start being competitive - the earlier the better."
Just because you are not playing for points it doesnt mean the matches wont be competitive, both sides will still want to win just as they do in the Playground and Parks.
"
A lot of it comes down to character building, how you fight back from being 1-0 or 2-0 down."
So, just because there are no points at stake teams wont bother trying win if they are losing 1-0 or 2-0, boll@cks!
"Kids love looking at the league tables, even at that age.
Not if they are bottom, no wins and a massive minus goal-difference
"And you're always likely to try harder if you're coming up against a team at the top of the league.
See above and also the team should be trying their hardest every game, thats if you are coaching them correctly!
"But if there's no league tables, how are you going to know who's doing well.
A coach should only be concerned about his own team and how well they are doing. If you are winning most of your games you are obviously doing well, if your wins, defeats and draws are pretty even then you are 'mid-table' and if you are losing most games well its obvious, it aint Rocket Science.
"As I said, kids love getting rewards for their hard work.
Whats the problem, you can still buy them some medals or trophies at the end of the season
"I'm glad I'm not managing in that age group any more, we're better off out of it.
This comment speaks for itself, Glory-hunter!
"I feel sorry for those who are coming into it."
In my opinion, the opposite applies, this is the way forward, European countries have been doing this for years,(note our absence once again from the finals of a major competition) we were slow to adopt Mini-soccer in the first place, while the French etc were playing small-sided stuff donkey years ago we still had 9 year olds playing the 11-a-side game where half the players never got a touch and were pigeon-holed in positions, take note, in the near future all Mini-Soccer will be played this way.
Finally, this ruling has also been brought in, to help combat the 'aggro' caused by parents and coaches etc on the sidelines. I have been involved in grassroots football for over 25 years and I have noticed that over the last couple years the "sideline-culture" has seriously deteriorated and the sooner the parents etc are educated the better.
I say -
LET THEM PLAY,
LET THEM EXPRESS THEMSELVES,
LET THEM PLAY IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS,
LET THEM PLAY WITHOUT FEAR,
BUT MOST OF ALL -
LET THEM ENJOY IT
Posted by: the Truth Master, in the Real World on 10:48pm Fri 27 Jun 08
[quote][bold]Pompey Blue[/bold] wrote:
What a great idea. The kids will know whether the team is a good team they are playing or not from gossiping and talking at school so we do not need league tables and result puiblished at such an early age. Commitment, desire, dedication would not change in 8 year olds if the leagues were not published anyway. They are kids and want to enjoy there football and be part of a team. As well as developing skill, technique and many other attributes the biggest learning curve for any 8 year old would be playing as part of a team. I would also like to add that i would like to see a maximum win introduced. Having been on the receiving end and given out some hidings on the football filed i strongly believe that in any age group up to age 14 that when a team gets 8 goals ahead then the result ends but they then continue to play for the enjoyment and fun. And i have not heard of many sides coming back from 8 goals behind to win. What is the point for any side winning or losing 21-0. The winning side learns nothing and the losing side will more and likely give up and not bother playing football again. At least when results are recorded and published there is not an air of humility and shame on the losing side. I would be interested to hear other peoples feedback to my comments.[/quote] Pompey Blue, I agree with the first part but I'm not sure about the maximum win idea, I see your point and agree that when a team wins by a massive margin no-one learns anything but after being beaten 8-0 if they are again beaten 8-0 during the rest of the match the players will know that they have lost 16-0 and so on and remember they should be playing for enjoyment anyway, regardless of the result!
Pompey Blue wrote:
What a great idea. The kids will know whether the team is a good team they are playing or not from gossiping and talking at school so we do not need league tables and result puiblished at such an early age. Commitment, desire, dedication would not change in 8 year olds if the leagues were not published anyway. They are kids and want to enjoy there football and be part of a team. As well as developing skill, technique and many other attributes the biggest learning curve for any 8 year old would be playing as part of a team. I would also like to add that i would like to see a maximum win introduced. Having been on the receiving end and given out some hidings on the football filed i strongly believe that in any age group up to age 14 that when a team gets 8 goals ahead then the result ends but they then continue to play for the enjoyment and fun. And i have not heard of many sides coming back from 8 goals behind to win. What is the point for any side winning or losing 21-0. The winning side learns nothing and the losing side will more and likely give up and not bother playing football again. At least when results are recorded and published there is not an air of humility and shame on the losing side. I would be interested to hear other peoples feedback to my comments.
Pompey Blue, I agree with the first part but I'm not sure about the maximum win idea, I see your point and agree that when a team wins by a massive margin no-one learns anything but after being beaten 8-0 if they are again beaten 8-0 during the rest of the match the players will know that they have lost 16-0 and so on and remember they should be playing for enjoyment anyway, regardless of the result!
Posted by: Ron Manager, Jumpers for Goalposts on 10:54pm Fri 27 Jun 08
[quote][bold]the Truth Master[/bold] wrote:
More garbage from Mr Watson, anyone remember his double standard "respect the ref" comments, just cos you're an ex-pro it doesnt mean you know all about grassroots football. Here are my responses to some of his comments, [italic] "Under-8 is not too early to start being competitive - the earlier the better."[/italic] Just because you are not playing for points it doesnt mean the matches wont be competitive, both sides will still want to win just as they do in the Playground and Parks. "[italic]A lot of it comes down to character building, how you fight back from being 1-0 or 2-0 down."[/italic] So, just because there are no points at stake teams wont bother trying win if they are losing 1-0 or 2-0, boll@cks! [italic]"Kids love looking at the league tables, even at that age.[/italic] Not if they are bottom, no wins and a massive minus goal-difference [italic]"And you're always likely to try harder if you're coming up against a team at the top of the league.[/italic] See above and also the team should be trying their hardest every game, thats if you are coaching them correctly! [italic]"But if there's no league tables, how are you going to know who's doing well.[/italic] A coach should only be concerned about his own team and how well they are doing. If you are winning most of your games you are obviously doing well, if your wins, defeats and draws are pretty even then you are 'mid-table' and if you are losing most games well its obvious, it aint Rocket Science. [italic]"As I said, kids love getting rewards for their hard work.[/italic] Whats the problem, you can still buy them some medals or trophies at the end of the season [italic]"I'm glad I'm not managing in that age group any more, we're better off out of it.[/italic] This comment speaks for itself, Glory-hunter! [italic]"I feel sorry for those who are coming into it."[/italic] In my opinion, the opposite applies, this is the way forward, European countries have been doing this for years,(note our absence once again from the finals of a major competition) we were slow to adopt Mini-soccer in the first place, while the French etc were playing small-sided stuff donkey years ago we still had 9 year olds playing the 11-a-side game where half the players never got a touch and were pigeon-holed in positions, take note, in the near future all Mini-Soccer will be played this way. Finally, this ruling has also been brought in, to help combat the 'aggro' caused by parents and coaches etc on the sidelines. I have been involved in grassroots football for over 25 years and I have noticed that over the last couple years the "sideline-culture" has seriously deteriorated and the sooner the parents etc are educated the better. I say - LET THEM PLAY, LET THEM EXPRESS THEMSELVES, LET THEM PLAY IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS, LET THEM PLAY WITHOUT FEAR, BUT MOST OF ALL - [bold]LET THEM ENJOY IT[/bold] [/quote] HEAR, HEAR, I wonder if all the anti-Watson postings will disappear overnight?
the Truth Master wrote:
More garbage from Mr Watson, anyone remember his double standard "respect the ref" comments, just cos you're an ex-pro it doesnt mean you know all about grassroots football. Here are my responses to some of his comments, "Under-8 is not too early to start being competitive - the earlier the better." Just because you are not playing for points it doesnt mean the matches wont be competitive, both sides will still want to win just as they do in the Playground and Parks. "A lot of it comes down to character building, how you fight back from being 1-0 or 2-0 down." So, just because there are no points at stake teams wont bother trying win if they are losing 1-0 or 2-0, boll@cks! "Kids love looking at the league tables, even at that age. Not if they are bottom, no wins and a massive minus goal-difference "And you're always likely to try harder if you're coming up against a team at the top of the league. See above and also the team should be trying their hardest every game, thats if you are coaching them correctly! "But if there's no league tables, how are you going to know who's doing well. A coach should only be concerned about his own team and how well they are doing. If you are winning most of your games you are obviously doing well, if your wins, defeats and draws are pretty even then you are 'mid-table' and if you are losing most games well its obvious, it aint Rocket Science. "As I said, kids love getting rewards for their hard work. Whats the problem, you can still buy them some medals or trophies at the end of the season "I'm glad I'm not managing in that age group any more, we're better off out of it. This comment speaks for itself, Glory-hunter! "I feel sorry for those who are coming into it." In my opinion, the opposite applies, this is the way forward, European countries have been doing this for years,(note our absence once again from the finals of a major competition) we were slow to adopt Mini-soccer in the first place, while the French etc were playing small-sided stuff donkey years ago we still had 9 year olds playing the 11-a-side game where half the players never got a touch and were pigeon-holed in positions, take note, in the near future all Mini-Soccer will be played this way. Finally, this ruling has also been brought in, to help combat the 'aggro' caused by parents and coaches etc on the sidelines. I have been involved in grassroots football for over 25 years and I have noticed that over the last couple years the "sideline-culture" has seriously deteriorated and the sooner the parents etc are educated the better. I say - LET THEM PLAY, LET THEM EXPRESS THEMSELVES, LET THEM PLAY IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS, LET THEM PLAY WITHOUT FEAR, BUT MOST OF ALL - LET THEM ENJOY IT
HEAR, HEAR, I wonder if all the anti-Watson postings will disappear overnight?
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