doing it for the kids:
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Posted: March 9th 2008
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There were some positives this morning. A turd count of one was a promising start, as was the fact that the club shovel was actually in residence in the equipment shed, thus eliminating the need to set up a parental working party to seek out a suitable poop-scooping implement (the fact that we could only source three corner flags from the aforementioned shed seemed to go unnoticed by both ref and oppo).
Only one piece of broken glass on the pitch too, clearly the gale force winds and torrential rain had kept the punters out of the adjoining beer garden last night. Mind you, despite our nominally being the home team, the oppo had already scoured the pitch for potential hazards, having arrived and set up shop over an hour before k/o. After we grassed them up for playing an Academy kid a couple of years back, no doubt they were starting their revenge mission by trying to pick us up on some Health & Safety slip ups.
“Try to give your players a level of ownership,” they’d said on the coaching course. The warm up’s a good place to try that out, I thought. We’d done the three part “pass & move in a circle” number very successfully a couple of weeks ago, they seemed to get the hang of it easily enough, so I invited them to set it up and get on with it themselves.
I turned my back for seconds to go and discuss a player’s mystery stomach bug with his dad, and returned to anarchy. Balls pinging about, gales of laughter, and the circle had completely evaporated, replaced by random pairs and trios dotted around the goalmouth. I glanced over at the oppo, earnestly working on a carefully choreographed sideways running drill. Not one cone was knocked out of place, such was the Busby Berkeley-like precision of the exercise.
And the lads wondered why we were 2-0 down after 15 minutes.
A triple substitution plus formation change before half time (no messing here), and by half way through the second half, we’re 3-2 up. Particularly pleased that I manage to retain some level of decorum as the third goes in…don’t jump around like a loon…don’t look smug…don’t make sarky comments to the oppo’s slimy manager with his tracky bottoms tucked into his socks…because straight from the re-start they waltz through our static defence and it’s 3-3
The rest of the game passes without incident bar an entertaining slanging match between one of their parents and our volunteer linesman on the other side of the pitch. When our lino chucks his flag to the ground and makes a “come over ‘ere and say that then” gesture, I quietly intervene. The 16 year old ref seems suitably relieved.
So…points shared, no fights (on or off the pitch), no children in tears at the final whistle, no major injuries…add on the aforementioned turd count, and it’s been a good morning.
april 8th, 2008 - touchline fashion tips
march 9th, 2008 - a good morning's work