Just Football presents… The Study of English Football [Introduction]

by Andreas Vou

It was after the English national football team’s 1-2 defeat to France in November 2010 that, when reading what was written in the press after the game, I reached the final straw. Plastered all over the media were the same accusations and criticisms made after every game last year at the World Cup in South Africa and every other occasion the national team had failed. I was then and am still convinced that the same things will also be said in the upcoming years of national team failure if the root of the problem is not addressed.

If it is not the player’s commitment that is to blame, it is the manager. If it is not an injury to a key player, it is the officials, and the hollow excuses go on. While those reasons could have been a disadvantage for a certain game it does not justify why we have been seeing this consistent failure for so many decades in the past. As journalists, it is our duty to inform the general public through facts and intuition as opposed to feeding them bitesize portions of ‘justifications’ that serve as closure on a subject that is sure to be reopened when the next international match comes along.

I first began to develop an interest in looking at the wider picture of this subject in my years living in Cyprus (2003-2008). I noticed how different the approaches to coaching young footballers was, more notably playing on smaller pitches with high ball possession and high intensity. This encourages short passing and constant movement; this style can be seen throughout the majority of football academies on the island and the rest of Europe. In stark contrast, having experienced it firsthand growing up in the UK, most youth academies here played on full size pitches. It is as important for a kid to learn to use his brain on the pitch as much as his feet, but the current format encourages the opposite.

Since then, it struck me that the national team (the highest branch of football in England) is a perfect reflection of its social, cultural and educational roots and this is why I have researched these matters to gain a full understanding of what is happening and what could be done to create change.

Just Football presents… The Study of English Football – a four part series assessing the state of the game. Part I here. Consequent chapters will be published on Just Football in the coming days. Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to Just Football to keep in the loop.

The Study of English Football, Part I – How social and cultural aspects impact the English game

The Study of English Football, Part II - How moving to foreign leagues would benefit English players

The Study of English Football, Part III - How the media restricts independent thinking

The Study of English Football, Part IV – Let children be children

Andreas Vou is an English-Cypriot sports journalist based in Barcelona, involved with scouting and charity work. Follow him on Twitter @AndreasVou89

Coaching, England, Politics and Society, Study of English Football, Youth Football