A great read and a big well done to you.

I remember you posting about this at the time mate...

I was a grass roots rugby league coach at the time

great read, thanks for the update and enjoy filling your spare time mate

comment by The Spanish Italians - Its all coming home again (U21595)
posted 6 minutes ago
I remember you posting about this at the time mate...

I was a grass roots rugby league coach at the time

great read, thanks for the update and enjoy filling your spare time mate

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I do miss the lads, but have to say on any given Friday night I don't wish I was going out in the rain rather than pouring myself a whisky.

Nice read
I've been coaching my boys team for about 5 seasons now and will be going into U16's next season. Like you, I will miss the training sessions, Sunday morning games when they do fly the nest and start playing adult football. I'll especially miss taking my boy to home games early to get the goals and corner flags out. I love working out drills for training, picking the team, which is generally done fairly as we are not a high division team. Over the years I've realised that although results matter, our boys want to have a laugh with their mates.

One of my old Sunday league managers was also a lollipop man, huge bloke with a massive mullet and handlebar moustache. We used to take the lollipop stick out his car and sing the Chordette's Lollipop song to him. Used to drive him mental but he was too fat to chase us. Terrible manager too, used to tell us things like we need 50-50 vision and that we're like statues as Sadame Mussauds. Good times.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 7 minutes ago

comment by The Spanish Italians - Its all coming home again (U21595)
posted 6 minutes ago
I remember you posting about this at the time mate...

I was a grass roots rugby league coach at the time

great read, thanks for the update and enjoy filling your spare time mate

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I do miss the lads, but have to say on any given Friday night I don't wish I was going out in the rain rather than pouring myself a whisky.

-------------------------------------

yep, defo miss the lads myself too... must admit tho, even now I wake up on a Saturday morning and think to myself, ooh, I'll have a nice chilled out morning wasn't so long ago I had to be at the club for 9am, start the warm up for the lads, prepare the pitch, check stoods and nails, make polite conversation with the opposition coach, worry about any parents who have a habit of shouting things on the sideline... all in pouring rain...

yeah, I'll make a coffee and watch that James Martin fella make a superb plate of food

great times, great experience, done my bit

Good read

Some lowlights of management:

- Toes and fingers already frozen before kick-off
- Taking down the nets with frozen fingers
- Teams with toxic coaches who are apoplectic about every single decision that goes against them - even throw-ins that were obviously called correctly.
- Coaches that act friendly but you can tell it's fake from a mile off.
- Dоgshit on the pitch
- Alfie's mum
- Alfie
- Endless searches for referees, which you can't start until the Wednesday before the match because until then the FA might appoint one.

Nice on RR.

I had the chance to step into a role with my youngest son, 1 year ago. i fancied it but felt that sometime my job might get in the way so didnt want to commit to something that i may struggle to fulfil 100%.

But i also didnt fancy the extra curricular stuff that you mention. I have enough going on in my life without having to think tactics, selection, plan training, do admin etc

But good to read how rewarding you found it. Perhaps i might think again if the opportunity arises

Alfie sounds like a little sh-t.

comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 1 minute ago
Alfie sounds like a little sh-t.
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He's not. He's 1) a bit needy - "how did I play?" and after subbing him off "Do you think you're likely to put me back on again?" 2) not that good a footballer - tall and strong but slow and poor anticipation 3) possibly on the spectrum, but utter social awkwardness if you end up trying to make conversation before training starts (and he always got there early). Ask a question and you get a short answer; make some kind of joke and there's no flicker of a smile. Hard work. And then there's the mum who 'raises concerns' whenever he's not picked for the squad - and I'm a coach who always tries to give everyone minutes, not just ruthlessly picking the best players.

Sounds a bit like Cole Palmer.

Naggy parents are the worst, probably one of the main reasons I stopped with football. It was never about trying to be brilliant at football and just a way to have fun but the amount of parents that would shout and argue with each other and the kids was depressing. So much projecting from parents who probably felt they failed as kids at football and thinking they can tell everyone what to do.

comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 8 minutes ago
Nice on RR.

I had the chance to step into a role with my youngest son, 1 year ago. i fancied it but felt that sometime my job might get in the way so didnt want to commit to something that i may struggle to fulfil 100%.

But i also didnt fancy the extra curricular stuff that you mention. I have enough going on in my life without having to think tactics, selection, plan training, do admin etc

But good to read how rewarding you found it. Perhaps i might think again if the opportunity arises
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Having a reliable assistant coach is a godsend. I had a few business trips that kept me away from the odd game or training session, and having someone who could cover for me (actually the elder brother of one of my players) made all the difference.

In the second year I got one of the mums to act as team secretary, and she did some of the paperwork. I could have asked her take over more of the work, but felt guilty dumping everything on her.

comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 6 minutes ago
Sounds a bit like Cole Palmer.


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I do wonder sometimes who the genius scout or coach was at City who managed to look past his demeanour and personality to see a sublime footballer

comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 1 minute ago
Sounds a bit like Cole Palmer.

Naggy parents are the worst, probably one of the main reasons I stopped with football. It was never about trying to be brilliant at football and just a way to have fun but the amount of parents that would shout and argue with each other and the kids was depressing. So much projecting from parents who probably felt they failed as kids at football and thinking they can tell everyone what to do.
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Generally, parent behaviour isn't too bad in our league. The FA at grassroots level has done a lot of work to foreground the importance of respectful behaviour, most clubs emphasise the importance of creating a friendly culture and proactively communicate to parents and players about this. In my experience, though, if you have a toxic coach, that sets the tone for everyone else. Sociopathic coach --> sweary kids and parents.

I mean this was back in the early 90s, I'm hoping things have changed a lot since then.

Blarmpions of the World

A lot of professional players seem to potentially be 'on the spectrum' or at least have poor social skills though, but their footballing brain is second to none. Also there are far less charasmatic characters around than before when I think players could have a bit more of a life outside of football. Look at Messi, makes Palmer seem normal.

What makes Palmer so facinating is that while he might have something he's a lot more outspoken than most players which results in some hilarious stuff. The look on his face when Trump wouldn't move the other day was great.

An example from one of your players, Scholes does not come across well at all as a pundit now in retirement I'll be honest. But put him back on the pitch 20 years ago and he was 3 steps ahead of everyone

Great read 👍. Im at the opposite end of the scale from you. Boy just finished his 1st year of footy in summer there. I got involved as a helper/assistant for the few months and Im signed up to go again next season.

Even in that short time period its amazing the buzz you get for it. I actually was very surprsied how much I enjoyed it and my lad got a buzz out of seeing me hands on too. Hes still at an age where its flip of a coin whether he keeps it up or not.

Not sure Ive it in me to go the full way and lead a team for all the reasons you listed but I always said Id never be an assistant, yet here I am so who knows!

Fair play for doing your bit. mainly because the positions were filled when my lad first joined a boy's club team. It was a decent team and decent league with only a couple of teams causing aggro. I always helped out laying out cones, picking litter and stuff, giving lifts to boys and generally it was OK. I once stood in as an emergency ref and got pelters from the coaches!

However, two things pіssed me off. The 3 years I was there the coaches alternated giving their sons the POTY award. I could never have done that if my son was the best player, which he was - it was a good life lesson for him. Second when my son went off to a pro team the pair of them gloated that he was doing the wrong thing and he'd be back soon. WTF sort of attitude was that?

They were mostly OK if a bit full of themselves, neighbours & drinking buddies. It was funny one of them used to step in when there was major injuries on the pitch to howls from opposition parents who didn't know he was an A&E consultant!

Good article RR. Take 5* as the great jazz song says.
My two daughters, Mrs 52, and the grandchildren have zero interest in football, and mock me for being a fan.

comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 42 seconds ago
Good article RR. Take 5* as the great jazz song says.
My two daughters, Mrs 52, and the grandchildren have zero interest in football, and mock me for being a fan.
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Ach well, saves them mocking you for something else!

comment by Mellor, Lovely Cushioned Header, FOR GERRARD, OOOOOOHHHHHH YAAAAAAA BEEEAAAUUUTTTYYYYY!!!!!!!!! (U1859)
posted 15 minutes ago
Great read 👍. Im at the opposite end of the scale from you. Boy just finished his 1st year of footy in summer there. I got involved as a helper/assistant for the few months and Im signed up to go again next season.

Even in that short time period its amazing the buzz you get for it. I actually was very surprsied how much I enjoyed it and my lad got a buzz out of seeing me hands on too. Hes still at an age where its flip of a coin whether he keeps it up or not.

Not sure Ive it in me to go the full way and lead a team for all the reasons you listed but I always said Id never be an assistant, yet here I am so who knows!
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You'll find more and more dads stop coming to matches as they progress through age ranges, and it's almost inevitable you'll be asked to get more involved. As you say, it depends on whether your lad still enjoys it (I never pushed mine to keep going, and there was a year when they seemed like they weren't enjoying themselves, and it was me telling them they could quit if they wanted). But if he does, I guarantee you won't regret putting more time and effort into it. It's unquestionably a bаllache, but it's one of the best and most fulfilling things I've ever done. Even though I wasn't very good at it!

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Mellor, Lovely Cushioned Header, FOR GERRARD, OOOOOOHHHHHH YAAAAAAA BEEEAAAUUUTTTYYYYY!!!!!!!!! (U1859)
posted 15 minutes ago
Great read 👍. Im at the opposite end of the scale from you. Boy just finished his 1st year of footy in summer there. I got involved as a helper/assistant for the few months and Im signed up to go again next season.

Even in that short time period its amazing the buzz you get for it. I actually was very surprsied how much I enjoyed it and my lad got a buzz out of seeing me hands on too. Hes still at an age where its flip of a coin whether he keeps it up or not.

Not sure Ive it in me to go the full way and lead a team for all the reasons you listed but I always said Id never be an assistant, yet here I am so who knows!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You'll find more and more dads stop coming to matches as they progress through age ranges, and it's almost inevitable you'll be asked to get more involved. As you say, it depends on whether your lad still enjoys it (I never pushed mine to keep going, and there was a year when they seemed like they weren't enjoying themselves, and it was me telling them they could quit if they wanted). But if he does, I guarantee you won't regret putting more time and effort into it. It's unquestionably a bаllache, but it's one of the best and most fulfilling things I've ever done. Even though I wasn't very good at it!
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👍👍

Nah you kept showing up, that makes you one of the best at this sort of thing