In this Country football clubs of all standards take on and coach more children from very early ages than in the majority of other Countries. Very few English (or Scottish, Welsh or Irish come to that) players have the same technical abilitity or understanding of the game as foreign players - this is evident at all levels of the game from International types to grass roots players. Any one know WHY?
Was watching a program and it compared the English youth system to the likes of other European clubs, such as Ajax. It was found that Ajax didn't allow their young academy players to play in competitive matches until a certain age, this surely allowed the players to develope their technical ability through training, and not have to rely too much on strength and other factors which could be benificial in youth matches.
