Trivial things you don't understand/mildly annoy you

[Batch]

Are kids generally guaranteed some game time regardless of ability then?

It depends on the team and age really.

Some teams are run competitively, so nobody is guaranteed game time, and personally I don't have a problem with that if it's known up front.

Some are more all inclusive and rotate players more evenly.

Up to under 12s it's 9 a side with rolling subs. Sure players  aren't  picked for squads sometimes but to be honest it would be pretty unusual to take a squad to a game and not play a player at least a bit (given the rolling subs).

At some point it becomes 11 a side with proper subs.

For me if you aren't happy with your child not getting enough playing time, and hence not developing, may as well move them. When you get older then that's different.

[Reg Smeeton]

You come across some absolute pillocks, both as coaches and parents.

Too right on that one, and a lot of them will be in your own club.  I did an 8 year stretch when my lads were at that age, doing the lot....manager, coach, admin, fund raiser.

[Honkytonk]

Are kids generally guaranteed some game time regardless of ability then?

I think it's important for them, yeah. It's more important to keep kids interested, and get them game time than anything else. If you've got some crap/average kids then you still give them game time.

I used to coach at a local team and once got moaned at by one of those dads for putting a new, slightly porky kid on, who was not exactly the best player in the world (read: could pass a ball about ten yards and run about, but that was pretty much it) for the last fifteen minutes of a match so he'd get game time. We won 3-2, but the 2 goals we conceded were after portly came on. The moaning father strode over to me after the game and moaned about how I obviously didn't care about the result or the team etc., to which I said of course I cared about the team, and that's why I played the kid. I then pointed him to the kid's mum and said if he had any further complaints about her 'piece of crap' son he should take them up with her.

Never saw the cunt again, despite his kid still coming every week. His wife was proper nice though, much preferred her coming along.

[tans]

I used to play in a boys team and the manager was an absolute prick.

His son did everything. Striker, captain, penalty taker, corner taker etc.

Do you still get pricks like that nowadays?

[Batch]

Not seen it. Yes the last club the managers son was captain and took a fair few free kicks, but that was on merit.

[jayohaitchenn]

Cool, thanks for the sensible answers.

[Arriba]

The give every kid a game thing only works for the poorer players.
Can't blame a manager for picking his strongest side and wanting to win.
Impossible to please everyone.
That said most excuses for coaches-managers are idiots.

[pauld]

The give every kid a game thing only works for the poorer players.
Can't blame a manager for picking his strongest side and wanting to win.

For 10 year old kids? Yes you can blame them, at that age it should be about development, not win at all costs. And win what? It's North Wilts U11s Div 3 we're talking about here, not the bloody Champions League.

[Honkytonk]

The give every kid a game thing only works for the poorer players.
Can't blame a manager for picking his strongest side and wanting to win.
Impossible to please everyone.
That said most excuses for coaches-managers are idiots.

I do think as Batch said there are different teams/leagues, and so the expectations change between these.

You'd be surprised how much one kid who feels a bit of an outcast at school or whatever can have their outlook changed by being chosen to start in their football team on a Sunday - doesn't only affect their confidence on the pitch but in their work too. The real mantra of anyone coaching at a young level should be to get kids interested and let them play as much as you can as early as possible. You're right, you can't please everyone, but you can try and give everyone an equal chance.

Mind you if I had played the shit players in the local Village derby and lost I would never have been able to show my face in the pub again.

[joteddyred]

I'm not under any illusion that there are better players in the team than Josh.  However, he's on a par with probably half the team most of whom are getting far more game time.    The other issue I had with last Sunday was that imo several players had pretty poor games, yet were left on and that has been the case a few times.  If he's not going to get a chance in that situation, then he's pretty much not going to one, so it's not worth our while in terms of cost, travel and knocking his confidence continuing there.  As you were there Batch out of interest, did you think there were a couple of players in particular not playing well, or am I being a bit blinkered by the fact my son was left out?

I get your point Arriba, but I personally think when they're still at Primary school there should still be an element of fun and developing rather than just winning.  The previous week, one of the players came off in tears because the coach was shouting at him to do one thing and his mum and dad laid into him because they were telling him something else and he wasn't listening.

[DMR]

For 10 year old kids? Yes you can blame them, at that age it should be about development, not win at all costs. And win what? It's North Wilts U11s Div 3 we're talking about here, not the bloody Champions League.

Disagree, although of course I don't have kids. Playing to win, or more specifically winning, is what makes sport great. Wanting to win (maybe not at all costs) is a perfectly healthy life lesson.

Plus, presumably when you move your kids to another team, an even shitter kid is going to get binned off to make room for yours. And the cycle continues. Arribas right, coaches can't win.

[Arriba]

For 10 year old kids? Yes you can blame them, at that age it should be about development, not win at all costs. And win what? It's North Wilts U11s Div 3 we're talking about here, not the bloody Champions League.

there are winners and losers in life. Harsh but the reality. At 10 they unfortunately have to learn this sometimes.

I do think as Batch said there are different teams/leagues, and so the expectations change between these.

You'd be surprised how much one kid who feels a bit of an outcast at school or whatever can have their outlook changed by being chosen to start in their football team on a Sunday - doesn't only affect their confidence on the pitch but in their work too. The real mantra of anyone coaching at a young level should be to get kids interested and let them play as much as you can as early as possible. You're right, you can't please everyone, but you can try and give everyone an equal chance.

Mind you if I had played the shit players in the local Village derby and lost I would never have been able to show my face in the pub again.

I think kids not taking their chance or not being good enough in the coaches opinion is the issue.

I'm not under any illusion that there are better players in the team than Josh.  However, he's on a par with probably half the team most of whom are getting far more game time.    The other issue I had with last Sunday was that imo several players had pretty poor games, yet were left on and that has been the case a few times.  If he's not going to get a chance in that situation, then he's pretty much not going to one, so it's not worth our while in terms of cost, travel and knocking his confidence continuing there.  As you were there Batch out of interest, did you think there were a couple of players in particular not playing well, or am I being a bit blinkered by the fact my son was left out?

I get your point Arriba, but I personally think when they're still at Primary school there should still be an element of fun and developing rather than just winning.  The previous week, one of the players came off in tears because the coach was shouting at him to do one thing and his mum and dad laid into him because they were telling him something else and he wasn't listening.

The coach sounds a moron. Move your lad to another team and go from there.

[pauld]

Disagree, although of course I don't have kids. Playing to win, or more specifically winning, is what makes sport great. Wanting to win (maybe not at all costs) is a perfectly healthy life lesson.

I don't think you do disagree, I just think you didn't get the point. Nothing wrong with winning, and wanting to win, of course there isn't. It's win at all costs at the expense of kids' development that is wrong. You can do both (want to win and want to develop the kids). But no kid is going to learn any kind of lesson by being left on the bench for the whole game at age 10, that's just bad coaching.

Plus, presumably when you move your kids to another team, an even shitter kid is going to get binned off to make room for yours. And the cycle continues.

No, there's often loads of teams that have spaces, it's not a fixed "one in, one out".

[pauld]

there are winners and losers in life. Harsh but the reality. At 10 they unfortunately have to learn this sometimes.

At 13/14 maybe. Not at 10. There's a lad that used to play with my eldest, they both played in the same U9s team in the bottom division and played in the same team until the lad moved on to another team at U12s. At U9s, he'd have been one of those you'd have written off as a "loser". Had a text from his Dad this morning to say he'd just accepted a two-year contract with a professional club Academy. Good job his coach didn't write him off.

[Batch]

I'll be honest Jo I was more watching liden to try and work out what league 2 standard was like and whether Alex would fit in to their team.

Hard to comment on people having poor games given that, but yes there were one or two 'up front' that perhaps didn't play that well.

That said, when the score went to 4-2 and 5-2 it was clear the game was over, so whatever the managers view on Josh there is no excuse for not playing him.

I agree with you that not getting game time under those circumstances doesn't leave many options for you