Shane Flanagan

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Mate, sounds as though you need to implement a 'take their legs out' approach. Studs first, as well.

... or have more attackers and less defenders. World’s first 6-2-2 formation. Nothing wrong with a 15-12 game in soccer.
 

apezza

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So this is perhaps what I should do with the Under 12s soccer side I coach. At the moment we've played 9 games, had 1 win, 1 bye, 1 draw and 6 losses. Nothing wrong with our attack but the defenders keep getting in each other's way and are just not aware of the players around them. It is E grade though so maybe I shouldn't expect too much.

Sack the board!
 
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Mate, sounds as though you need to implement a 'take their legs out' approach. Studs first, as well.

Unfortunately only around 3-4 of my players are not scared to go into the tackle. The rest tend to back off and I am trying like buggery to coach them out of it. Even my own boy who is a big lad and can easily use his size and strength, backs away. Frustrating.

You’re on your own with round-ball mate. All I know is to make lefty goals count for 2 at training and in the back yard. Worked for my son. He could kick off both feet by 7, and by the time he switched to footy at 9 he could kick a field goal off either foot.

I have two left footers in the squad and eleven right footers and none of them can kick with the other foot. No matter how many drills I get them to do.

... or have more attackers and less defenders. World’s first 6-2-2 formation. Nothing wrong with a 15-12 game in soccer.

6-2-2 formation might be worth a try!

Sack the board!

I'm writing the email to the club right now!

Agree. I get the feeling the coach might be the issue in this one.

Could very well be HB. No one else put their hand up though so they're stuck with me!
 

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Jokes aside, it’s definitely something worth putting some thought in to Chad. Sit down with a pen and paper (and a beer) and see if you can come up with a way to play that gets all of your players involved and fixes this “getting in each other’s way issue”. I know sfa all about soccer, but for footy having one of your better talkers in the middle defensively is always a good approach - regardless of whether that kid is any good at the normal things “middle” defenders do. If he’s no good at actually defending but is good at wrangling other defenders in to their spots, just invent a new position for him.

Ultimately, copying how professional teams play and sticking with body-type-to-position stereotypes is a terrible approach for kids.
 
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Jokes aside, it’s definitely something worth putting some thought in to Chad. Sit down with a pen and paper (and a beer) and see if you can come up with a way to play that gets all of your players involved and fixes this “getting in each other’s way issue”. I know sfa all about soccer, but for footy having one of your better talkers in the middle defensively is always a good approach - regardless of whether that kid is any good at the normal things “middle” defenders do. If he’s no good at actually defending but is good at wrangling other defenders in to their spots, just invent a new position for him.

Ultimately, copying how professional teams play and sticking with body-type-to-position stereotypes is a terrible approach for kids.

Thanks mate. I sort of came up with a similar idea at the beginning of the season - my best player came down from B grade as he was finding it a bit hard and wanted to play with his mates. He's used to playing up front but I had no centre midfielder (I lost him to the team above at the beginning of the season). So after a few games in, I put this fellow at centre mid but he didn't like playing there as he said he didn't want to defend. But when I play him up front, he's always back in defence helping out. It's frustrating. His Dad is the manager, he's a nice bloke but they are Croatian which makes them a bit volatile and emotional as well.
 
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Sadly that happens a lot.

We actually had a few Dads this year that wanted to coach, was a nice change.

This is my third year in a row coaching so I think next season I'll let someone else have a go.

Also, I'm now on my son's cricket club committee, so that's going to take a bit more of my time.
Cricket is my son's game, he has much more promise and talent there so that's what we'll concentrate on.
 

bort

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In my experience in juniors the coach should just play his fat son who can’t kick or pass at halfback because he was a halfback himself
 

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In my experience in juniors the coach should just play his fat son who can’t kick or pass at halfback because he was a halfback himself

The Modern day version, from my observations, appears to be Hooker Bort now.

Yep. For 12 and under, fat slow kid at dummy half is something you see a lot of. Best way to get that kid a try is the 1m barge over.

Another interesting approach is to run nothing but catch/pass drills for the first two training sessions of the year. Whoever can't catch plays dummy half.
 

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Thanks mate. I sort of came up with a similar idea at the beginning of the season - my best player came down from B grade as he was finding it a bit hard and wanted to play with his mates. He's used to playing up front but I had no centre midfielder (I lost him to the team above at the beginning of the season). So after a few games in, I put this fellow at centre mid but he didn't like playing there as he said he didn't want to defend. But when I play him up front, he's always back in defence helping out. It's frustrating. His Dad is the manager, he's a nice bloke but they are Croatian which makes them a bit volatile and emotional as well.

This is something I don't miss about soccer. Dads yelling at their kids in foreign languages. Good times.

Parents (or coaches for that matter) instructing their kids from the side-line is just cringeworthy. Let them play ffs. If they don't do it right on game day, fix it at training. Yelling at them won't make them a better player.
 

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This is something I don't miss about soccer. Dads yelling at their kids in foreign languages. Good times.

Parents (or coaches for that matter) instructing their kids from the side-line is just cringeworthy. Let them play ffs. If they don't do it right on game day, fix it at training. Yelling at them won't make them a better player.

I should heed this advice - I've been telling at the Sharks through the TV for 35 years and they haven't listened to me once!
 

egg

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Tbf no struggling coach would want Flanno there.

Management probably were hoping O’Brien might play ball and take on the person they perhaps they'd like to replace him with :)
O’Brien not that silly , but can't see him lasting much past this year.
 
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