Agendas or success: what legacy has Versleijen fostered?

Not trying to cast doubts about anyone, but the results of our youth teams in the past few years have been very disappointing, given the progress made by the senior players and the ever growing number of Aussies playing professionally overseas. I'd even put up with a loss or two if they were playing attractive football - but they're not doing that either. Some serious work needs to go on at youth and junior development level and work out why, despite throwing millions at our youth team set up and coaching, we are going backwards compared to the rest of the world. That's the piece of the jigsaw that needs some urgent fixing. I hope Versleijen leaving is the beginning of the beginning of the renaissance of Australian youth football.

Jb. It's somewhat nice to see an article like that, but also dissapointing to not really see any implamentation of such theories. I remember as a kid chasing premierships or the league ladder at 7rs of age .

Beautiful work, jb. Quite amazing that you wrote that 35 years ago and the National Curriculum developed by the FFA (and, most likely cost millions of dollars) employs the same underlying principles. I think the message is getting through. But, I also think, it will be 8-10 years before we see the full impact - positive or negative - of these changes being implemented by the FFA's National Curriculum.

Fussball. Friend I am going to type an article I have in my files.Hope you will bear with me to the end. JUNIOR COACHING THE PROFESSIONAL WAY. FAULT -Low Standard of Ball Skills Cause - Overseas it has been found that up to the age 10-12 a youngster has 1 main drive in his mental approach to the game of soccer,the desire to kick a ball,no more no less. It is only the applied ideas of adults who create the other supposed aims.This means youngsters are often "lost" on a large field or in a full team & thus "hide" during the course of the game. How often do we see a youngster"positioned" out of the game with some coach endeavouring to prove his superior tactical knowledge to the opposition.It is a fact that during a 90 minute match the average for a player to have the ball at his feet is 3 minutes.That is the time ball skills have to be developed. REMEDY - The simple way to improve low ball skill levels is to increase the time a youngster has the ball at his feet during a game & increase the pressure on him during this time. The suggestion has been made that up to the age of 10(approx) youngsters should play in 7-a-side teams on fields measuring 75mx 40m. This would mean a youngster would spend more time on the ball,have less space to move & still enjoy the thrill of a game against an opponent. It would also mean 42 kids could be catered for on an area now being used by 22, surely an answer to another problem of the future.The tightening of the playing area & "gentle" pressure this causes would mean youngsters at 10 would have developed higher ball skill levels than at present when much of the time is spent,not with a ball, but chasing it over an area most of their coaches could not cover for 1 hour. FAULT Low Tactical Knowledge Cause - LTK is caused in part by the first fault. Around 10-12 youngsters are mentally opening to suggestions that they become part of a team & the disciplines involved.It is in this age group time is being wasted trying to remedy the low ball skill factor, time that should be spent teaching basic positional & tactical moves for use on the field. REMEDY - Now is the time to sort out the advanced boy from the slower or later learner.A 10 year old advanced in all the ball skills & showing the mental capacity to accept team disciplines should be encouraged to do so even if it means playing with 13 year olds.He should also be introduced to 11 -a-side football on a full size pitch at this age & only now should the aim of winning a premiership become an aim.,not an obsession,only an aim. The winning of a match is is still incentive enough for a boy of this age to give of his best.Again it must be pointed out,it is only the applied ideas of adults that are making it otherwise. FAULT - Physical Aptitude Between the ages of 13-16 a boy begins to mature physically & at this age only he should be introduced to to the rigors of preparing himself physically for playing soccer.Any time spent before this is time wasted time that should be used to work on the first 2 faults. REMEDY - Physical preparation does not involve running around a field or sprinting up a straight.In junior coaching it must be accompanied using a ball in pressurised game situations,pressurised by time or numbers ie in a defensive zone repetitive tackling say 20 tackles in 30 seconds. Try it some time coach THINGS I'D LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN JUNIOR FOOTBALL (1) Abolishment of premiership trophies& league tables up to 10 years (2) No pressurised coaching up to 10 years. (3) Seven -a-side teams up to 10. (4) Use of small pitches up to 10 years (5) Introduction to larger teams & pitches at 10-12. (6) Introduction to teamwork & positional coaching 10-12 (7) Introduction to physical work 12-15 (8) Introduction to "premiership"aims 12-15 (9) All this done across the nation ASAP. Fussball THIS ARTICLE (by yours truly) WAS PRINTED IN A WEEKLY FOOTBALL MAGAZINE DATED 18TH SEPTEMBER ---1976???. jb

JB---Yes I don't think Worthington wanted the manager's job per se, but he did want to control preceding as the Australian Technical Football Director. Rasic did have issues with the Englishmen appointments, so did Johnny Warren. Warren applied for the national job and was rebuffed---I'm not sure if that had anything to do win Worthington (probably not) but more with interstate rivalry at the time. Peter Wilson was made Captain by Rasic as you correctly point out and that indeed upset JW, as he thought he would be reinstated after coming back from injury. Not to be and that must have been some cause of a rift between the two players as it was with JW and Rasic. It was obvious as a split had occurred between them as business Football academy they jointly launched together ended abruptly. As for Peter Wilson it was a strange reaction to completely severing all ties with everybody connected with the national team, refusing any and all invitations to attend any reunions the 1974 Socceroos organised.

good points Fussy, but the problem with our system at this age and especially what im finding at my club is that coaches of this age are either parents with a rugby league knowledge and have no idea about football, the good coaches in this country are limited and they chose the older teams such as youth league (age 13-18) or seniors

In reading the SBS article yesterday, I wondered if Jan was implying the 'hidden agendas' by Craig Foster that Jan was in fact refering to Foz's articles as part of nepotistic means at getting Craig's brother, Paul Foster (AIS Coach) into Jan's position. Paul is mentioned as a possible successor to Jan. It would surprise me if this is the case from Foz's part (although don't know him personally), and a bit of a stretch from Jan if that is what he is thinking (again don't know Jan, either). Jan is right on some points: nationality of coaches shouldn't matter, and whether he initially agreed to it or not, three positions even if closely linked, is not ideal. "Finally, to answer the question of where Versleijen’s replacements should come from, my belief is Australia now has a number of seasoned former professionals who’ve plighted their trade in Europe and have the relevant coaching licensees who could step into the breach." To me the point here is that these professionals should have youth coaching experience. Your piece http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/07/01/questions-burn-follwoing-mexico-failure/ had a great highlight that, especially for kids in U17 bracket, mentoring experience and skills in dealing with stress in a pressurised learning environment with youth is a handy skill to have. The whole youth system, AIS or otherwise is not perfect and is still a work in progress. Adjustments, like splitting roles, will be made. As will determining at the elite level how the various age brackets, with individual coaches, link together in an overall national philosophy.

QSAF- In 1975 I met,& through circumstances spent a bit of time with Eric Worthington & found him extremely well educated & fluent in football matters. He was a qualified school teacher & knowing the qualities needed to teach he set about building the organisation to do this, the idea being to have a coach (teacher) in each state to set up classes to teach coaches.Worthington came to Australia in 1974 & Rasic was dismissed the same year but after the World Cup finals. I can assure you the furthest thought from Worthington's mind at that time was to take control of the national team. Being paid by the company Rothmans he would have had other priorities in his mind to meet the requirements in his job description. You get into a dangerous area when you talk about jealousies between individuals.Rasic I have met & found to be a man with a mission, I & two friends were instrumental in getting him game time for his team in preparation for their WC adventure. The ASF could not afford it.????No doubt he would have been bitter after his dismissal but whether there was enmity between him & Worthington AT THAT POINT IN TIME, I would doubt, their tenures in their jobs are too close for disagreement to have taken place.Johnny Warren?. Another story. JW retired from the game around '75 & actually had very little involvement in the finals in Germany for it was evident Rasic's best midfield (playing 4-3-3 by the way) was Rooney,Richards,& Mackay,all British migrant players.Now it is here I would like to .like you,speculate if there was feeling between Rasic &Warren for that fact,& more between Warren & Worthington for the fact that he too was an incoming migrant.Pure speculation for we will never know. Feeling between Worthington & Rasic & for that matter Warren could have occurred some 2 or 3 years later when suddenly the ASF appointed 2 consecutive English "coaches" about whom little was known & there is little doubt in my mind Worthington would have been asked to "run the rule " over them but I'm just as sure he did NOT want the job for if he had that was his chance, & Rale & John could have done very little about it. "Inherited football culture". A strange description Worthington English,Warren Australian, & Rasic Yugoslav(at that time). Can't get the relationship,sorry. Perhaps a better area to look for discontent is that area is where Johnny was made "CAPTAIN SOCCEROO" & Peter Wilson,at that time Australia's most capped player, walked away from the game never to return.Hope this adds to your thoughts about a troubled time in our game jb.

Kasey -Thanks for the prompt reply & hope my revelations from the past cast some understanding as to how the hierarchy worked (and you could pose the question are still working?) in "the good old days". Now to answer the question you ask at the end of your reply. Do we have a plan???? Let's examine your question. We have had 2 full time Directors of Coaching being paid reasonable money + travel & expenses over the past 7 years, both supposedly steeped in a successful system used in Holland.If this is the case why has it taken these 2 men so long to get a plan, install it, & show results?. One would assume they had access to the system as it was practiced in Holland & would simply have applied it to our game here.After all we can take a student from a high school & turn him into a fully fledged doctor in 7 years !!!!!!. They will answer of course by saying we now have an excellent curriculum in place & given time, (how long?), this will percolate down through our system to the grass roots.I have yet to find evidence of this as I wander among school and lower division leagues. Was JV a victim here, for, given what I said before that under the guidelines of that same elitist system he should only have been getting the best of the best of our young players to work with & after 3 to 4 years one would again assume this would be beginning to show.There is little to suggest in recent games that improvements are being made.You pose a good query indeed !!!! Cheers jb

JB----if my memory serves me correctly the Australian Technical Director for Football paid for and employed by Rothmans was Englishman Eric Worthington. It was a very unhappy relationship between national managers at the time with Worthington wanting control. It seamed to me there was a lot of jealousy which erupted over control of the national men's team----between Worthington, Johnny Warren and Rasic there was a lot belittling of each others inherited football culture.

To me the most important coaches are the ones teaching and mentoring our kids between the ages of 6-13. It is at this critical age that kids must be taught the techniques of football: how to pass, how to control - with foot, with chest, with thigh; how to volley, how to head, how to dribble, etc. etc. If the kids do not have the basic technical skills - and, from my observation of the u17 team, our technique is poor - then it doesn't matter who is the youth coach. I would rather the FFA spend more time and resources on ensuring the junior grassroots coaching is of a high standard than throwing money at some big-name coach at u17 & u20 level.

Kassey----the Youth set up was refashioned in conjunction with Jan V and Rob Bann. Bann and Jan V himself between them threw out the baby with the bathwater saying what Andy Harper and his team put down from their overseas research was dysfunctional and all wrong. It's a bit rich to say now he was overworked and then blame everyone else for their failed reorganisation of the AIS football department. I don't buy it----Jan V had what he wanted and was paid an exorbitant amount for a youth manager and simply got it all wrong.

local coaches are doing well and are in with a chance. but tbh i dont care who it is so long as they continue to develop the players and promote the game. the best person for the job is the important criteria, nothing else.

By set up to fail, I don't mean intentionally for nefarious purposes. What I am getting at is that perhaps the structures that would have allowed JV to succeed were not yet in place and thus the organisation was too immature(i.e. not developed far enough) to permit FFA and football to get the best from the appointment of JV. We are in a period of great change in football as we shape the structures to hopefully gain the most out of our resources. My question is...Do we have a plan? or are we just hoping to stumble arse-first into the right way of doing things?

Kasey- A couple of things from your article."60's to 80's with British accent"??? I think you are a little off in your years(and probably reasons). In 1974 the ASF (paid for by Rothman's cigarettes) employed an English coach ostensibly to set up a coaching curriculum (FOR COACHES) all across Australia. He was hardly here until the ASF seconded him into taking charge of our youth teams. Rasic had been stood down so there is little doubt pressure was brought to bear on this man to either coach the Socceroos,or get a coach to do the job (with little or no money). So we entered your "English" stage with Green &Shoulder????? being signed up. There were others involved, for State coaches (all teachers by profession) had been employed to coach coaches in each state.These people were soon lured away from their jobs with offers from clubs,(the NSL had just started) & so an embryo idea to lift our coaching standards was in fact sabotaged by those who needed the help most.Eddie Thompson can not be included in your group for he had come to Australia as a player and graduated into the top job through his club connections at Sydney City. Now to the main thrust of your article. The "system" as it is set up is "elitist" in it's workings so none of our youth coaching staff should be getting ordinary players. If the selection process is workable & manageable then our youth squads should be the "best of the best". I will leave thoughts on that to yourself & what you have seen. JV as you call him is a different story altogether. His CV can be analysed in different ways depending on the mindset of the reader.It comes as no surprise he is leaving for in a coaching career of some 26 years (to 2008) he has been at 14 different clubs with an average tenure at each of just under 2 years.He has also experienced a "2 team" exposure at youth level before,coaching for the Dutch National body at both Under17&20 levels at the same time. He lasted at this for around 10 months, but it has to be said he knew what he was getting into here in Australia. So, whereto from here?. You hint he may have been "set-up" by his employers and that may well be borne out by what I have described to you above. History can teach us a lot if we only take the time out to study what has gone before. Cheers jb

I get the impression we've been here before. In the 60-80's, if you had a British accent you were in with the ASF. Now the accent has changed, but I long for the day when a coach is given a job to do and allowed to do it without the media carping on about his/her background/nationality, trying to whip up an us v them attitude. I am disappointed that this is the tact taken by SBS over the past few years as it is what many in the football world see the bogan/commercial TV networks doing to football in general, ie trying to paint the game as foreign and not really Australian, thus justifying taking pot shots at it on an us v them basis:( It is hard to judge a National youth team coach, after all he is usually only as good as the cattle he receives. Postecoglu was once a former youth team coach who was on the receiving end of an infamous spray from Foz and now with the ability to work with a team week-in week-out, we are seeing the real mettle of the man/coach. I get the impression JV was unintentionally set up to fail by the structure of the institution that employed him. He had three jobs to do and I don't know about you, but that's a big workload for just one man IMO regardless of how much he is earning.