Why Arsenal picked Theo over Dyer....

[vince]

I am doing my FA Youth Mod 2 currently and over the weekend, the tutors were Chris McGinn and Andy Richie. Andy Richie was a youth team coach at Saints for 6 years, and coached Bale, Walcott, Dyer, Lallana etc.

 

He said that the worst thing Lowe ever did was bring in Woodward, as it broke down the existing youth set up (it ultimately cost him his job, apparently). He said that Strachan told Wigley to really go for it at youth level, so they brought in Blackstock, McGoldrick and one other (I forget who now) to "toughen up the soft lads a bit" and talked a little about Lallana's heart condition and its impact (lets not get drawn into a slanging match over this bit, he was just a kid in the youth set up then and it was relevant to the course as it is about coaching youth football).

 

Chris McGinn played for Forest in the late 70's and was a youth team coach at Arsenal for 10 years, bringing on Smokin' Jack and Cesc Fabragas (he had a great story about Cesc's tactical awareness as a 16YO, but that is a digression too far...) anyway, Chris starting answering a question about acceleration and started talking about Theo, then he stopped and looked over to Andy Richie and said "I don't think I've ever told you this, but 3 of us from Arsenal used to sneek into your sessions at Southampton to watch Walcott and Dyer"

 

He went on to say that most footballers can keep on accelerating up to 20 yards, but after that the rate of acceleration tails off (which was what Dyer did), but Theo could keep that rate going up to 30 yards, and that was one of the reasons (not the only one...) that they went for him.

 

Between them, they talked about the Youth Cup 5th round meeting between Saints and Arsenal in February of 2005 and said that Wenger went to watch and in that game Theo knocked a ball from the half way line past the right back (who had played first team football earlier in the season) and just left him for dead down the wing.

 

I thought I'd share that, it was an interesting part of the sessions. Both Chris and Andy are excellent tutors, if you are lucky enough to have them on any courses if you do youth coaching.

 

It also turned out that one of the other attendees is best mates with Adam Hammill, who we had on loan from Liverpool in 2007.

[monkadill]

Great insight - thanks for sharing

[Leicestersaint]

Fascinating - tell us more!

[UpweySaint]

Cheers, interesting read as it goes!

 

Insights from those actually in and around talent recruitment and youth coaching are often fascinating

[Monk]

Both Andy and Chris took my Youth Modules separately a few years ago.

 

The story about Walcott and Dyer has been told on every course I've attended and delivered, the emphasis at the time was about Theo's decision making due to his speed.

Andy Richie is a fantastic coach and was at Wycombe when he oversaw my Module One, he unfortunately lost his job whilst delivering the course due to the club cutting the academy. He has a fantastic coaching tool, known as the 'stare'!

 

Chris, has been heavily involved with Fulham and recently lead them to the deaf cup.

 

Vince and those of you also involved with youth coaching, I highly recommend the Youth Modules!

[The9]

Interesting, feel free to share the Fabregas decision making story too!

[vince]

Vince and those of you also involved with youth coaching, I highly recommend the Youth Modules!

 

Both the YM1 and 2 have been excellent, they are a step in the right direction, but the challenge to the FA is to get more grass roots coaches like me who do full time jobs outside of youth coaching to do them - it is a big commitment in terms of time as at £150 a go, they are not overly prohibitive, especially if your clubs contribute.

[vince]

Interesting, feel free to share the Fabregas decision making story too!

 

It went something like, in one of his first training sessions at Arsenal, Don Howe was telling him to nick the ball off an attacker, but he just kept jockeying him and not taking it. Don Howe pulled him up and asked why he wasn't taking the ball. He replied that there were two defenders behind him, so there was no danger in holding the attacker where he was, but his forward player wasn't ready to counter, so if he took the ball at that point, he had no outcome to attack and may lose it back and as soon as his own attacker showed that he was ready to counter, he would take the ball off the other player, because he had an outcome. Chris said him and Don Howe looked at each other and said "***** me, we're so far behind....." - this was a 16YO boy talking about waiting for the right moment to nick a ball to counter, having clocked the environment around him. That is just unbelievable ability and recognition of the game that that age.

[The9]

It went something like, in one of his first training sessions at Arsenal, Don Howe was telling him to nick the ball off an attacker, but he just kept jockeying him and not taking it. Don Howe pulled him up and asked why he wasn't taking the ball. He replied that there were two defenders behind him, so there was no danger in holding the attacker where he was, but his forward player wasn't ready to counter, so if he took the ball at that point, he had no outcome to attack and may lose it back and as soon as his own attacker showed that he was ready to counter, he would take the ball off the other player, because he had an outcome. Chris said him and Don Howe looked at each other and said "***** me, we're so far behind....." - this was a 16YO boy talking about waiting for the right moment to nick a ball to counter, having clocked the environment around him. That is just unbelievable ability and recognition of the game that that age.

 

Brilliant.

[Sour Mash]

I am doing my FA Youth Mod 2 currently and over the weekend, the tutors were Chris McGinn and Andy Richie. Andy Richie was a youth team coach at Saints for 6 years, and coached Bale, Walcott, Dyer, Lallana etc.

 

He said that the worst thing Lowe ever did was bring in Woodward, as it broke down the existing youth set up (it ultimately cost him his job, apparently). He said that Strachan told Wigley to really go for it at youth level, so they brought in Blackstock, McGoldrick and one other (I forget who now) to "toughen up the soft lads a bit" and talked a little about Lallana's heart condition and its impact (lets not get drawn into a slanging match over this bit, he was just a kid in the youth set up then and it was relevant to the course as it is about coaching youth football).

 

Chris McGinn played for Forest in the late 70's and was a youth team coach at Arsenal for 10 years, bringing on Smokin' Jack and Cesc Fabragas (he had a great story about Cesc's tactical awareness as a 16YO, but that is a digression too far...) anyway, Chris starting answering a question about acceleration and started talking about Theo, then he stopped and looked over to Andy Richie and said "I don't think I've ever told you this, but 3 of us from Arsenal used to sneek into your sessions at Southampton to watch Walcott and Dyer"

 

He went on to say that most footballers can keep on accelerating up to 20 yards, but after that the rate of acceleration tails off (which was what Dyer did), but Theo could keep that rate going up to 30 yards, and that was one of the reasons (not the only one...) that they went for him.

 

Between them, they talked about the Youth Cup 5th round meeting between Saints and Arsenal in February of 2005 and said that Wenger went to watch and in that game Theo knocked a ball from the half way line past the right back (who had played first team football earlier in the season) and just left him for dead down the wing.

 

I thought I'd share that, it was an interesting part of the sessions. Both Chris and Andy are excellent tutors, if you are lucky enough to have them on any courses if you do youth coaching.

 

It also turned out that one of the other attendees is best mates with Adam Hammill, who we had on loan from Liverpool in 2007.

So Arsenal went for Walcott instead of Dyer because he could run faster for longer pretty much?

[vince]

So Arsenal went for Walcott instead of Dyer because he could run faster for longer pretty much?

 

I did say "one of...". As Monk pointed out (and I had forgotten that bit) it was also around speed of thought/decision making at the pace he could reach and they were using that as examples to cover the points in the course at that particular part.

[The9]

I did say "one of...". As Monk pointed out (and I had forgotten that bit) it was also around speed of thought/decision making at the pace he could reach and they were using that as examples to cover the points in the course at that particular part.

 

Which is weird given how his decision-making for Saints early on was pretty much always "early ball into the box on the run from the right wing"...

[Saint_clark]

Which is weird given how his decision-making for Saints early on was pretty much always "early ball into the box on the run from the right wing"...

 

Not sure about that, let's not forget he played up front for us not on the wing and I remember him scoring different types of goals. His decision making was and is very good.

[Fan The Flames]

He said that Strachan told Wigley to really go for it at youth level, so they brought in Blackstock, McGoldrick and one other (I forget who now) to "toughen up the soft lads a bit"

 

Leon Best, I remember all the chatter was about Best who was scoring for fun at youth level. Him and Walcott through together and Walcott stole the show.

[The9]

Not sure about that, let's not forget he played up front for us not on the wing and I remember him scoring different types of goals. His decision making was and is very good.

 

He played plenty of games in right midfield as well, including pre-season that year. To the point where everyone but Redknapp was screaming to get him back up front.