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youngysenior wrote:Officer and a gentleman...steers and Queens, I don't see no horns boy.

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Queers not queen's

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Bluebridge wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2026 2:46 pm “Only two things come out of Oklahoma boy………..”

Guess the film and or next line.

Officer and a Gentleman.

Not too sure on the source like

Everton form exploratory committee to investigate the possibility of signing Mandela Keita

Cozzie wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2026 3:22 pm Not too sure on the source like

Watched a couple of minutes of a YouTube video and he looks like a good tackler, and not a slidey monster who's always out of position, more a good reading of the game and good positioning type.

Looks strong too and able to dribble out of tight spaces and find simple but good passes.

Hard to really gauge much from a highlights video, especially a defensive midfielder, but think he could be a promising signing for the 6 role.

Everton have started talks with Parma and the agents of Midfielder Mandela Keita

(Source - Sky Sport in Italy)

youngysenior wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2026 3:01 pm Queers not queen's

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Correctamundo, queers not queens though.
Sorry just seen your next comment

Raptor wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2026 3:03 pm Officer and a Gentleman.

Correct

bigmanbob wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2026 2:43 pm My nephew coaches kids footie in Oklhoma, his under 15 team recently competed at Finch Farm against a couple of other American teams, us, Chelsea and Wrexham in a league,/knock out tournament. I went to watch them and was surprised bar one or two players how average the Blues and Chelsea were at that age. Oklhoma beat them both quite comfortably

Weird academy setups over there though, when I was out there 10 years ago the entire setup was built to win at at each age group rather than having a pipeline that develops quality players as adults. It's not as bad as it was but the lads I know who are still involved out there say that the system is still built in a way that forces that approach.

There's so much money to be made in youth/academy sports out there, that the focus turns to winning programs over the long term success of their graduates. The more games you win, the more people want to join, the more you can charge (or you add more teams, or both). You get teams full of early maturing, physically dominant beasts who fall off at 18/19 when everyone starts catching up.

UnsyisaRhino wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2026 6:19 pm Weird academy setups over there though, when I was out there 10 years ago the entire setup was built to win at at each age group rather than having a pipeline that develops quality players as adults. It's not as bad as it was but the lads I know who are still involved out there say that the system is still built in a way that forces that approach.

There's so much money to be made in youth/academy sports out there, that the focus turns to winning programs over the long term success of their graduates. The more games you win, the more people want to join, the more you can charge (or you add more teams, or both). You get teams full of early maturing, physically dominant beasts who fall off at 18/19 when everyone starts catching up.

Well said.

It’s a problem with all American team sports at the youth level.

Youth sports prioritizes profits (and winning to help maximize profits) above development.

I think it’s high on the list of the reasons why the very best players in the NBA aren’t American anymore. Other countries have become absolutely obsessed with basketball and have better development systems.

The only major sport that’s still predominantly American is American football and that’s likely because it’s the lowest skill sport and you have to have utter disregard for your physical well being to play it.

UnsyisaRhino wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2026 6:19 pm Weird academy setups over there though, when I was out there 10 years ago the entire setup was built to win at at each age group rather than having a pipeline that develops quality players as adults. It's not as bad as it was but the lads I know who are still involved out there say that the system is still built in a way that forces that approach.

There's so much money to be made in youth/academy sports out there, that the focus turns to winning programs over the long term success of their graduates. The more games you win, the more people want to join, the more you can charge (or you add more teams, or both). You get teams full of early maturing, physically dominant beasts who fall off at 18/19 when everyone starts catching up.

I guess the difference is that someone else will always benefit from the development you do so theres nothing in it for the colleges.

When I was coaching out there some years ago it was all about the money sadly….at that time soccer wasn’t as popular as the regular sports….i was taking them through their coaching badges… coaching to coach and most of them wouldn’t grasp the coaching principles as all they went on about was how do we coach to win ie: coach kids to win…..it’s not a bad thing to have a winning mentality….but they couldn’t grasp the fact that it’s about development first…the winning comes second….out of 25 people who started the coaching certificate level only two “passed” and at a push only 1 would of been capable of starting the B licence course….
Gotta say though the enthusiasm was over powering

Yeh, he's 30, Im 53 and he is on the same wages as me, a relatively well paid senior manager in the NHS so hes doing well for himself

Where you coaching in Uni's fellas, which ones? His is a D3 Uni, so I can't imagine what the D1 of es pay

bigmanbob wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2026 8:22 pm Where you coaching in Uni's fellas, which ones? His is a D3 Uni, so I can't imagine what the D1 of es pay

I didn't get to do any Uni/College level coaching unfortunately, just the for profit pathway clubs/academies designed to get kids into those top level programs. Lots and lots of super affluent kids from NYC and surrounding areas mainly. Was weird to see kids getting dropped off by an assistant or a minder/sitter in a car that costs more than my house.