The English are fat, lazy slobs.

[Matrim55]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=408062&cc=5901

I added that last bit. The rest is pure Sam Allardyce.

As an American, let me just say this: pass the chips, please. It's difficult being indignant on an empty stomach.

[sinner78]

at the end of the day its all about good quality youth coaching .
Having a team full a great athletes is nothing without good coaching.
just ask diego maradona (who was short ,fat and abit lazy)

The clubs need to have better youth setups and then give those players chances to play .
Unlike Allardyce who fields an entire lineup of bargain basement imports .

[leg_breaker]

Bolton have a youth setup. The problem is that all the English players are crap, with less skill than obscure second-rate players from the middle-east.

We had a right back today who came through the youth system, and his every touch of the ball was disgraceful.

[thespian89]

Bolton have a youth setup. The problem is that all the English players are crap, with less skill than obscure second-rate players from the middle-east.

We had a right back today who came through the youth system, and his every touch of the ball was disgraceful.
One question, who do you feel is to blame for English players with less skill? Is skill not encouraged? By the time thses players join a youth setup, is it too late for them develop skill?

[Belgian guy]

I blame the death of street football culture all over Europe for the decline in skill. It's not just limited to England.

[Pigs]

One question, who do you feel is to blame for English players with less skill? Is skill not encouraged? By the time thses players join a youth setup, is it too late for them develop skill?

English weather, Pro Evolution Soccer, coaches, and scouts.

I saw people with more skill than Steven Gerrard. But they were lacking something.A scout would rather pick a reliable Gary Neville type player, hardly any skill, full of commitment. Than someone who can take it past people but lack something. So much raw talent is waisted IMO.

[Pigs]

Oh, and another

school teachers


School teachers in England don't enourage sport, especially as a career.

[RichardL]

for quite a while we've not been a particularly sports orientated nation. Whether it's down to "lefty do-gooders", as some would have you believe, all but banning competitive sports for fear that defeat might traumatise some little darlings, or just pragmatism, sport doesn't seem to be overtly encouraged at school level. I think I was 12 before I received a single minute of coaching in football at school, and even then, as at most schools around the country, there was much more emphasis on rugby than football.


I agree that the loss of street football, due the number of cars, hasn't helped at all, but I wonder if kids just play less these days. The large number of fat kids you see these days suggests kids prefer to pretend to be their heroes by playing FIFA 07 on the playstation rather than having a kick-about with their mates.


The demands for instant success don't exactly help in the development of players, as managers, and fans for that matter, would rather an overseas player be bought than an academy player brought in and allowed to develop.

The fact that the most promising young players tend to go to the biggest clubs, where they are least likely to get a game, hardly helps. Nor does the fact that they are often paid more than they'd be if they moved on, encourage them to move to another club to play.

[RichardL]

A scout would rather pick a reliable Gary Neville type player, hardly any skill, full of commitment. Than someone who can take it past people but lack something. So much raw talent is waisted IMO.an over-emphasis on physical attributes - particularly pace - isn't healthy either. Pace is talked about as if it's some kind of missing ingredient that makes players fantastic, when IMHO, all it does it mask flaws in a player's game. People talk about how great it is for a defender to have pace as it can get him out of difficult situations. I'd rather have a player who can read the game and not get into trouble in the first place. Pace is a good asset for a winger, but most of the time a winger will be trying to put the ball in against a defence that's already retreated, which makes pace almost useless.

[Pigs]

for quite a while we've not been a particularly sports orientated nation. Whether it's down to "lefty do-gooders", as some would have you believe, all but banning competitive sports for fear that defeat might traumatise some little darlings, or just pragmatism, sport doesn't seem to be overtly encouraged at school level.
I think I was 12 before I received a single minute of coaching in football at school, and even then, as at most schools around the country, there was much more emphasis on rugby than football.


Compared to other foreign countries our sports in schools is a disgrace. Oh, and I forgot about the backward politicians interfering to stop competitiveness at primary school level. It is unbelievable if I wasn't used to this countries crap politics.

At school I was coached in football at 10. But looking back, it was the school caretaker and he did it in his spare time. If he wasn't there, then it would have been like everyone else 12 when I started secondary school.


The fact that the most promising young players tend to go to the biggest clubs, where they are least likely to get a game, hardly helps. Nor does the fact that they are often paid more than they'd be if they moved on, encourage them to move to another club to play.

That's definetely a point.

[footfetish]

Oh, and another

school teachers


School teachers in England don't enourage sport, especially as a career.

why should they? thats not their jobs.

[luis_mx]

Compared to other foreign countries our sports in schools is a disgrace. Oh, and I forgot about the backward politicians interfering to stop competitiveness at primary school level. It is unbelievable if I wasn't used to this countries crap politics.

At school I was coached in football at 10. But looking back, it was the school caretaker and he did it in his spare time. If he wasn't there, then it would have been like everyone else 12 when I started secondary school.



That's definetely a point.

Heh! It's the same in US schools, except that over here the parents have many great little leagues, I would of loved to have played soccer since young, but couldn't, I had to start around when I was 17, my dad is Mexican, but we never played soccer, it comes down to the street culture or the training centers imo.

[Pigs]

why should they? thats not their jobs.


You always get asked a question in primary school (5-11 year olds) in England. And it is...What do you want to be when you grow up?. Be a policeman....be a fireman, whatever a little kids says at that time. But if you say you want to be an athlete, it's not encouraged. Instead of a teacher saying....Well if you work hard at it, one day you might.....They say......Sorry, but the chances of that are very very slim. The best athletes are the ones who started young.

I don't know what it's like in America, but I got told that kids are encouraged to be what they want to be.

[Polski]

I think its strange in America because I know in 5th grade everyone wanted to be either a professional football player or professional baseball player. I know personally it was never encouraged or discouraged.

Here though kids start playing soccer very young I know I started at least at 6 and my cousin at 5. Although once we get around 10 or so we get pushed into other sports. I know I went to baseball then football then lacrosse. Its just that here kids get pushed elsewhere, likely because of tradition or just the thought that soccer isn't worth playing professionally here.

[chuckster]

its a good thing that teachers dont say to the kids..oh yes billy..if you work hard, you too can be a pro soccer player...or baseball .. or THUG ball or american footbal player. and i want to just say something i heard..and AGREE WITH..that in the usa.. our soccer guys & girls have been to a college..( not me as you can tell by my spelling) we have smart soccer players,and that might be why we are not at the top ...YET?.

the title (THE ENGLISH ARE FAT,AND LAZY SLOBS.) i think we are a little off topic ???lol.

athletics are being taken out of our schools...(except A-FOOTBALL & BASKETBALL ) $$$$$ THATS WHY.

playstasion3..xbox360.. lazy ass perants....and the law being soft on criminals ...and on and on.. are to blame for the fat generation.

yes, we too.... here in the usa are fat and lazy slobs.

[chuckster]

an over-emphasis on physical attributes - particularly pace - isn't healthy either. Pace is talked about as if it's some kind of missing ingredient that makes players fantastic, when IMHO, all it does it mask flaws in a player's game. People talk about how great it is for a defender to have pace as it can get him out of difficult situations. I'd rather have a player who can read the game and not get into trouble in the first place. Pace is a good asset for a winger, but most of the time a winger will be trying to put the ball in against a defence that's already retreated, which makes pace almost useless.

hey richard.. i see that in landon donavan.. thats all he seems to have thease days.. push the ball.. and use your speed. i remember him having great ball skills and vision.. now all he has is speed..

i agree with all you said.

[leg_breaker]

One question, who do you feel is to blame for English players with less skill? Is skill not encouraged? By the time thses players join a youth setup, is it too late for them develop skill?

Generally too late. Even in the Premiership there are players with little to no skill like Nicky Hunt and Sean Wright Phillips.

[Deimos]

Generally too late. Even in the Premiership there are players with little to no skill like Nicky Hunt and Sean Wright Phillips.

Nicky Hunt and Sean Wright Phillips are not fat, lazy slobs.


They're fat, lazy no skill slobs.

[luis_mx]

It should be encouraged in school, imo, if the kids like the game at an early age.

[JaredSS07]

Does anyone else see the irony in "Big Sam" calling out people for being fat and lazy?