James Bree (Signed for Luton Town)

[paul_e]

Technical skills are massively undertrained in English football in general, look how many players are in the premier league who can't trap a ball properly, that's just not good enough but we still prioritise pace and strength over everything else at youth levels so players with those get away with far too much, it's why someone like Gabby was able to come through and get so many appearances at the highest level despite huge technical flaws to his game which should've been corrected as a schoolboy.

[peter w]

Technical skills are massively undertrained in English football in general, look how many players are in the premier league who can't trap a ball properly, that's just not good enough but we still prioritise pace and strength over everything else at youth levels so players with those get away with far too much, it's why someone like Gabby was able to come through and get so many appearances at the highest level despite huge technical flaws to his game which should've been corrected as a schoolboy.

No, they can trap a ball properly. All professionals can. It may appear at times that they can't but miscontrol will be down to pressure  and confidence not technical ability.

[paul_e]

Technical skills are massively undertrained in English football in general, look how many players are in the premier league who can't trap a ball properly, that's just not good enough but we still prioritise pace and strength over everything else at youth levels so players with those get away with far too much, it's why someone like Gabby was able to come through and get so many appearances at the highest level despite huge technical flaws to his game which should've been corrected as a schoolboy.

No, they can trap a ball properly. All professionals can. It may appear at times that they can't but miscontrol will be down to pressure  and confidence not technical ability.

That's the same thing though.  If you can't do basic skills on the pitch during a match then you haven't trained them well enough.  It's basic muscle memory, these things shouldn't require any thought because then nerves, etc can get in the way. 

[peter w]

Its pressure rather than nerves. Muscle memory and adrenaline can make up for nerves but not pressure and losing confidence. That has nothing to do with training.

[paul_e]

Its pressure rather than nerves. Muscle memory and adrenaline can make up for nerves but not pressure and losing confidence. That has nothing to do with training.

We'll have to agree to disagree I think because I'm absolutely certain that training basic skills helps you perform them in pressure situations and there's plenty of evidence to back it up.

[BOB MANSFIELD]

so's mine - any chance you can live your life without CAPITALIZATION?

really sorry mr underhill- or were you having a dig at aev too ? - i will try especially for you to spend the rest of today without capitals. though i have to rage against the machine to do so. and as i can't find an alternative method of emphasis on this cursed communicative platform, i may slip back into this goat-getting format tomorrow. soz sir.

[mr underhill]

As you were bob just joking

[eric woolban woolban]

This signing is all a bit cheesy for my liking.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

Can we stop the cheese puns

I just camembert it

[frank black]

Has anyone done the explosion at the cheese factory joke yet?

[KevinGage]

Capitalization overkill and wittering on about Rangers in every second post. If BOB confesses to being a U2 fan he might just be the most popular poster we've ever had.

[Keeno]

Its pressure rather than nerves. Muscle memory and adrenaline can make up for nerves but not pressure and losing confidence. That has nothing to do with training.

We'll have to agree to disagree I think because I'm absolutely certain that training basic skills helps you perform them in pressure situations and there's plenty of evidence to back it up.

Fully agree with you Paul. I don't think David Silva or Andres Iniesta, with their flawless technique under pressure, have some unique gift of mental fortitude that allows them to operate under pressure at a level better than the top 0.1% of elite players. Obviously they operate well under pressure and that is of course a factor - I just think more importantly they've been controlling the ball in such tight spaces since they were 4 or 5 years old and practicing those skills every day since then through coaching so it's almost a subconscious action. In a way that kids don't (or didn't, hopefully things are changing) in English academies.

I think confidence affects other things more noticeably - for example Silva's willingness to play a defence-splitting through ball rather than play sideways - but not his core ability as a player.

[frank black]

Ok then, DeBree everywhere!

[oswald funkletrumpet]

Ok then, DeBree everywhere!

Can you tell me the cheese joke

[frank black]

Ok then, DeBree everywhere!

Can you tell me the cheese joke

Apologies de-Brie