Blog - What do Croatia do differently?
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Kennylax15
Well-Known Member
My own personal experience coaching Hockey in Canada is that those cities/towns that have 1 clear message/system/ set of norms right through from age 5 to 16 always end up producing and are more likely to produce more elite level players. Coaches / Managers/Trainers need to all be on board with 1 direction and the same goals in mind. This ensures a smooth transition from level to level and the kids dont need to worry about changing the way they play for coach A vs coach B etc.
Just my cursory viewpoint but it doesn't seem like Scotland have that. Its more like throwing a bunch of guys together and the Manager says" Go play and work hard and do it fay Scotland" that shit doesn't work anymore. Hasn't for 30 years. Hence the gulf. There is also a National Program of coaching standards set out by Hockey Canada that is uniformly carried out by all Organizations and Leagues in the country. Hence why Canada is the best at Hockey
Just my cursory viewpoint but it doesn't seem like Scotland have that. Its more like throwing a bunch of guys together and the Manager says" Go play and work hard and do it fay Scotland" that shit doesn't work anymore. Hasn't for 30 years. Hence the gulf. There is also a National Program of coaching standards set out by Hockey Canada that is uniformly carried out by all Organizations and Leagues in the country. Hence why Canada is the best at Hockey
They had players who were comfortable with the ball in a way that so few of our players are. I heard a radio journalist say that playing football (and sport in general) is a huge part of children's activity in Croatia. The phrase that the guy used to describe it was " street play culture". Street play is practically dead in this country. The only places I ever see youngsters playing football where I live is when it's being organised and supervised by adults. If enough kids are not playing the game then we will not get players whose ball skills are developed through natural play. Until the day that we can get schools football (as well as other sports)properly up and running again as they were in the1950's and 60's, things will not change.
Valley Bluenose
RTV? Completed it mate!
That’s a very interesting, and detailed, read. Enjoyed that, and it raises some very interesting points. Colts in the Lowland League is a long way from being the answer it would appear. It’s a toe in the door but we need to push for more.
EDIT: What a coincidence. Right on cue:
EDIT: What a coincidence. Right on cue:
Kennylax15
Well-Known Member
this is a good point. I have also heard this many times before
instructor
Well-Known Member
My first thought watching Scotland v Croatia was than Scotland couldn't pass the ball to each other whereas Croatia were very good at it. This is my 6th decade watching football and the way Scotland play is never based on a passing game, I would think it is the management team who should instill this into their players if that's the way they want them to play? It was particularly bad against Croatia for some reason, perhaps the occasion was too much for our players to take the ball from the goalie and string a few accurate passes together to progress up the field.
ChildOfGoth
Well-Known Member
Not got time to read it right now but thanks will catch it later , the instant commmet I would have is though we can’t even command Israel eg so Croatia would have to be a long term hope .
we are miles away from being a healthy football nation .
Edit: nice piece very informative and it seems correct to say do not simply clone but think about what matches and suits Scotland and be open minded and willing to adjust it when you know more .
we are miles away from being a healthy football nation .
Edit: nice piece very informative and it seems correct to say do not simply clone but think about what matches and suits Scotland and be open minded and willing to adjust it when you know more .
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Kennylax15
Well-Known Member
The problem is... The Management system implemented should be one that every player has understood from a young age
Scaramanga
Well-Known Member
I find these sorts of fascinating, but equally depressing since we have them after ever failed Scotland campaign. We always ask why countries of a similar size do it so much better than us, these are questions that have been getting asked since I was a kid.
I hope one day the guys who run the game up here actually ask these questions themselves and try and mimic Croatia, Holland and dare I say it, Wales in some way.
I hope one day the guys who run the game up here actually ask these questions themselves and try and mimic Croatia, Holland and dare I say it, Wales in some way.
Bobby_Dazzler
Well-Known Member
Great insight.
Unfortunately we are run by dinosaurs who will never accept the level of change required to get us to where Croatia are now in terms of youth development.
Unfortunately we are run by dinosaurs who will never accept the level of change required to get us to where Croatia are now in terms of youth development.
To me that is a lazy much repeated line that is not 100% true.
If my 16 year old son and his friends had not defied the COVID lockdown and setup a mini league of teams on their own initiative they would have all been in a far worse place than they have ended up.
Even out with their mini league they were playing football constantly.
The enthusiasm is there from the kids but as far as I can see we still seem to thrive on aggression in our game and often our most skilled players are dismissed because a Neanderthal with half the skill can boot anything that moves.
Godrup99
Well-Known Member
We are really quite lucky that we have what we have right now at our club. We have a gaffer, a management team and squad being coaches into playing football how it is now played. Not how it was played, how it previously failed and how it will always fail outside this nation.
Who is actually interested in playing when kicking things and self preservation is all that matters?
Very interesting throw back memory on my social media earlier. Gerrard in one of the first training sessions having a right go at everyone. Along the lines of "no lazy jogging back, we press all over the pitch" with the very telling line of "get it in your heads, NOW".
We need a league playing this way or it'll always be shit. The league will always be shit because we won't adopt this.
Who is actually interested in playing when kicking things and self preservation is all that matters?
Very interesting throw back memory on my social media earlier. Gerrard in one of the first training sessions having a right go at everyone. Along the lines of "no lazy jogging back, we press all over the pitch" with the very telling line of "get it in your heads, NOW".
We need a league playing this way or it'll always be shit. The league will always be shit because we won't adopt this.
Simplistic answer to the question in the thread title, Croatia don't have a Project Brave.
( It could be suggested that we don't have one either )
Neilstonger
Well-Known Member
The pertinent question is what are we doing differently to the rest of the world, Croatia included, because we are the only ones playing football from a different era. Instead we get tools like Spiers and Jackson (couldn’t resist that) frantically polishing the same old shite to keep themselves in employment and as for the SFA - not fit for purpose.
That's a very thorough and knowledgeable piece.
However I do believe factors outwith our (admittedly lamentable) footballing structures should be considered.
I've no knowledge of Croatian youth society with which to compare, but there's somethings very wrong with ours regarding sport, fitness and wellbeing.
However I do believe factors outwith our (admittedly lamentable) footballing structures should be considered.
I've no knowledge of Croatian youth society with which to compare, but there's somethings very wrong with ours regarding sport, fitness and wellbeing.
0
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I can only quote on what I have witnessed in the areas where I have lived since the early 90's. Schools football has all but died and judging from what I have seen of the amateur game in various parts of the country where there used to be hotbeds it is going the same way as well. The game needs to be nurtured from the primary schools all the way through. The same goes for other sports as well and not just football. With regard to the point you are making about the physical nature of the game, it was a lot more physical during my younger days than it is at present, but it did not stop many highly skilled players from being developed - indeed far more than we have had over the past 20 years in Scottish football.
It
I can only quote on what I have witnessed in the areas where I have lived since the early 90's. Schools football has all but died and judging from what I have seen of the amateur game in various parts of the country where there used to be hotbeds it is going the same way as well. The game needs to be nurtured from the primary schools all the way through. The same goes for other sports as well and not just football. With regard to the point you are making about the physical nature of the game, it was a lot more physical during my younger days than it is at present, but it did not stop many highly skilled players from being developed - indeed far more than we have had over the past 20 years in Scottish football.
Skyy Bluenose
Well-Known Member
I'm sticking by my opinion that the biggest issue in Scottish football is the officiating. I'm not blaming the refereeing, just the overall mentality of Scottish football.
Anytime a player shows any kind of skill, they get the shit kicked out of them. We see it in the SPFL, so you know it's the standard in all leagues below the top league. Give players the opportunity to play football, without fearing for their lives. No chance to develop and no chance we'll get loan players outside of other cart horses.
It's all very romantic when William Wallace and his mates are running across a field to show an enemy their Scottishness. Not so much when it's on a football pitch.
McKenna being booked the other night before he'd actually touched the ball was the most Scottish football thing ever.
Anytime a player shows any kind of skill, they get the shit kicked out of them. We see it in the SPFL, so you know it's the standard in all leagues below the top league. Give players the opportunity to play football, without fearing for their lives. No chance to develop and no chance we'll get loan players outside of other cart horses.
It's all very romantic when William Wallace and his mates are running across a field to show an enemy their Scottishness. Not so much when it's on a football pitch.
McKenna being booked the other night before he'd actually touched the ball was the most Scottish football thing ever.
Scotland has been blessed with so many talented football players for the last 50 years.
I won't name them, but you do wonder why other nations can have that one "great worldy player" that drags a team to a quarterfinal for example and we can't.
Top be honest, I don't lie awake at night worrying about it, but we've experienced so many false dawns.
I won't name them, but you do wonder why other nations can have that one "great worldy player" that drags a team to a quarterfinal for example and we can't.
Top be honest, I don't lie awake at night worrying about it, but we've experienced so many false dawns.
skorn
Well-Known Member
Those were my thoughts too.
If Scottish match officials applied the Rules & Regs to the same degree that other top countries do (without fear nor favour ...) then the actual skillful game of football itself would flourish.
I did like the Blog article, especially the points about loaning players out to the correct environment for what they require for their development.
tbf I think Gerrard did try this with Middleton and Holland.
But far too often we see actually pretty decent players sent away on loan some absolute black hole of a club, in some talentless dead-end league.
Maybe the proximity of other countries (like Slovakia, Albania, etc) to Croatia helps with their players' development. For so long Scotland has been dependent upon England as the destination for our talented players -- if England doesn't want our players, they do seem to struggle to be wanted by anyone else abroad.
BrooklynBlue
Well-Known Member
Fantastic OP raising a lot of interesting points.
As always, we seek lazy explanations when the reality is far different. It begins with ambition, desire and personal responsibility - the reaction to Scotland's exit show the nation isn't mature enough to take any of those on. We act like children as we're treated like children.
As always, we seek lazy explanations when the reality is far different. It begins with ambition, desire and personal responsibility - the reaction to Scotland's exit show the nation isn't mature enough to take any of those on. We act like children as we're treated like children.
JorgAlbertz
Well-Known Member
I say we need to get schools football back again, organised properly with training built into the school curriculum, competitive leagues/cups and start to breed winners again.
Clubs can then link up with schools in the area, hold open trials etc.
Look at the way the USA is with schools and colleges linked to huge sporting institutions. They breed athletes in every town and city and take pride in it.
Clubs can then link up with schools in the area, hold open trials etc.
Look at the way the USA is with schools and colleges linked to huge sporting institutions. They breed athletes in every town and city and take pride in it.
That is the bridge that is required.
Those kids that are in structured football are every bit as immersed in the game as we were growing up. They are out playing every hour god sends. We also need to realise that there are positives that come from the many hours they spend online as they perfect skills I could only dream of via YouTube videos.
However the school football was a safety net in the past that kept boys playing longer and inevitably gave late developers a way in.
Currently if you are not playing structured football at 12 you are unlikely to be playing throughout your teenage years.
brain
Well-Known Member
That’s it in a nutshell for me. I honestly think it’s quite hard to turn it around at the age of 10 or so if they haven’t been playing constantly up until then.
