OMG is all I have to say, I'll give a bit of background first. this team has got to the top of the league in group 4 of 4 and will probably get promoted 1 maybe 2 groups. they have done this by playing percentages kicking it long or down the channel and getting the bits and pieces. I want to change that because it epitomizes everything that is wrong with the youth game in England (and stupid ******* parents to which I will get too)
one of the other dads usually helps out on a match day, so I said I would take the first game and he could take the second since I knew about 4 kids names. So first game I stuck with the team the original coach plays 1-0 to us at half time the thing was this team we was playing had been well drilled in defending and I could see the lads had ran out of ideas. But half time I had to bring on the 3 subs so I brought on the 3 "less gifted players" which tbf they will never get better if you don't play them and to me it would make more sense if you started a couple of these in a stronger team then brought on the better players as subs would be better for everyone. also FA rules stipulate that every child gets an equal chance on the pitch.
I decided I wanted to take a look at a few of the kids in different positions too because I don't think at nine years old you have your position set in stone I mean ahsley cole was a striker till he was what 15 or something ffs. long story short we drew 2-2 however apparently among the parents this wasn't good enough and I didn't know what I was doing even though it was my first game and I've had no form of training and was quite clearly winging it.
the other guy takes the second game and we lost 2-1 we was beaten comprehensively in all departments tbh. but the best was yet to come, whilst taking the goals down one of the parents came across and started trying to debate tactics with me bearing in mind she is a 60 something elderly lady who apart from watching her grandson play football knows nothing else about it. apparently and I quote " I don't rate you as a coach dale you are ****" in front of all the kids. so I try and defuse it best I can apparently we should've won today to win the league is all they keep saying to which I reply if we came second its because we deserve to come second and nothing else we cannot steamroller everyone all of the time. then they tried to tell me that they had won every game since xmas which was a lie because they have drawn one and lost one. I kept trying to remind her that it was a kids under 9s and that nobody had died.
then another dad came across telling me how his son had been a sub at another team and never played and that I shouldn't have taken him off to which I replyed so its ok that your son played all game every game but the other kids shouldn't get a game I asked him to leave me alone before I really start to lose my temper but he wouldn't tried to tell me that he has been a teacher for 30 years and knows how to deal with kids so I asked why hadn't he taken over as coach he responded he couldn't. I told him the bottom line was if I didn't coach the lads the team folds because no one wants to do it. and he can either work with me or we can all carry on like this every week and (I DIDN'T SWEAR AT EITHER WAS REAL PROUD
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So that was a reyt laugh I feel like in don't want to go back but I won't let them beat me that easy i'm going to show them the fa rules on spectating and if they don't start behaving like ******* adults i'll report them myself and get them banned its a kids under 9s and people need to start acting like it its not the end of the world. also I don't think these people realise how stubborn I am I will drop their lad to the bench if they don't improve their conduct because even when the match is on its disgraceful as you can imagine.
also on another note in training one of the lads asked me for a chance in goal on sunday to which I said of course you can then when it came to it he daren't go in goal because of the parents trying to hammer it home about we have to win to win the league and I thought that was quite sad and it upset me a bit knowing a nine year old child felt like that. and that says a real lot about the state of kids football
