Quote Originally Posted by Goatscheese View Post
I hear this a lot and I think about who did it produce? A few mediocre NSL players who managed to get into the local team that never even made it to a grand final or won any tournament. Made a few socceroos but the socceroos under this wonderful system never qualified for a World Cup. Meanwhile this current crap system across Australia is seeing the fruits of labor helped by young players that have only been in this "crap system".

It didn't work in your day at all you're just looking at was the best back then which if in today's environment would be bang up average.
They say we do have an easier path now days, but that's debatable also, how many of the current crop or close to it come out of Newcastle??

Quality over quantity i think is a better path in Newcastle, yes, we need quality coaching by quality coaches etc. and you need to give everyone a chance to succeed in the game, but at some stage we also need to open to the fact.

That not all will make it, no matter how good the coach is, no matter how many clinics they attend, no matter how many games they play, no matter how much the parents pay. they just won't make it.

The really good ones will shine no-matter the circumstances, the fringe go two ways, some attach on the coat tails of the really good ones and succeed, the others get dragged back down by the mediocre without realizing their true potential.

As i have mentioned before there are not enough kids to fill all these so-called youth/elite spots in Newcastle, yes it does work in the major cities, population plays a big part in this.

I don't think there is an easy answer, but obviously the system is not working, raping and pillaging parents to pay for senior players, overpriced coaches and/or TD's etc, whilst blowing smoke some very ordinary bum holes for $$$ is not the answer.

We can still have the youth programs, just don't have to include every kid who plays football in Newcastle go through it.

cheers