Coopermania 1 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Smith sick of hearing that 'Scots football is rubbish and it's SFA's fault' Published Date: 29 September 2009 By Stuart Bathgate CHRONIC negativity throughout Scottish society is one of the main problems faced by Scottish football, Gordon Smith said last night. Speaking at a debate into the future of the game at Stirling University, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association said that a more positive spirit was required from all sections of the game, and that too many people tended to blame everything on the governing body. "Scottish football's rubbish and it's the SFA's fault," Smith began when invited to make some opening remarks at the debate, which was attended by some 200 people. "That's the general viewpoint so I thought I'd say that first. "It's not as bad as a lot of people say," he continued. "As I found out when I came into this job, there's a lot of financial input at kids' level, and a fantastic amount of volunteers involved in the game." Having identified those two positive elements, Smith went on to highlight three aspects of the national game which he believes need to be addressed. "One is more athleticism – in kids and in society and in general. We need more of a culture of health and fitness. "Two, we need to improve our technique. And the third thing is our mentality. "We need to try and get kids to enjoy their game and not be put off by negativity in Scotland. I spent part of my playing career abroad and I really noticed that when I came back to this country. Culturally we're a very negative people, a negative society. A lot of times people are put off by it." As an example of the pessimism which he believes is endemic to Scotland, Smith mentioned an article he had recently come across in a newspaper. Headlined "Where have all the good players gone?", it bemoaned the lack of talent in the game. The paper in which he read it was published in 1927. "It's been a theme I've seen since I started playing. We move on all the time from one generation to the other saying players are rubbish. I think we should be a lot more positive than we are." Five other representatives of bodies with vested interests in Scottish football were also on the top table at the debate, which was chaired by BBC journalist Jim Spence. Most were happy to agree with Smith that a far more positive attitude was required. "I share Gordon's view that Scottish football is not as bad as it presented," said Scottish Premier League operations director Ian Blair. "For example the national team is populated by and large by players who have come through our development system. Sometimes criticism can go over the top." Blair also said that, while he was inclined to think positively, current economic difficulties had to be recognised. Scottish Football League chief executive David Longmuir agreed, saying: "We have to face commercial reality. That's going to be the key challenge for our clubs over the next two to three years." James Proctor of Supporters Direct, a national pressure group seeking a better deal for fans, suggested that some clubs could benefit from showing greater appreciation of their customers. "Clubs take people a little for granted in the good times, then in the bad times berate them for not turning up." Players' union chief Fraser Wishart returned to the theme of positivity, and highlighted another aspect of football which he thought was in better shape than perceived. "Managers and coaches are far more positive now than they were when I began playing," Wishart said. "I can't remember the last time I saw a team playing negatively." Henry McLeish, the former First Minister and once a professional player with East Fife, was the last of the top-table guests to speak. Expanding on a theme he addressed in a media release last week, McLeish, who is the chairman of the current Scottish Football Review Commission, said that a mood of optimism had to return to the game. "There is a passion here for football not found in England," he said. "It could be equalled in other countries, but never surpassed. "I remain fantastically optimistic. We have too many memories and not enough dreams. "It's a nation that comes to a halt when we play Italy or Holland at home. Where else do you find that commitment?" McLeish, who aims to publish the first section of his review in January, said that on being appointed he had been asked if he wanted to see a copy of a previous report into the game authored by former SFA head Ernie Walker. "I said no," he explained. "Why was that? Because it's the past." Wishart countered that there had been good elements of the report. Writing it off because it was in the past was not adequate. Topics addressed following questions from the floor included a possible pyramid structure for the game, and a reduction in the number of bodies which have a hand in its running. ("The SPL runs Premier League football and that's not going to change any time soon," Smith said). However, the most illuminating contribution from the floor – possibly one which exemplified the negativity of which Smith complained – came when Spence took a straw pool of the audience, asking them to say whether they thought anything would be achieved by McLeish's report. Between 60 and 70 per cent said no. BACKGROUND HENRY McLeish was invited by the Scottish Football Association to act as chairman of the Scottish Football Review Committee. The review is in three phases. The first two, which he expects to complete by the end of January 2010, involve an extensive review of grassroots football and youth development. The third phase, upon which no time limit has been set, will look at how the first two phases should influence and inform the way the professional game is run. McLeish has no statutory power to force the SFA, SPL or SFL to accept his final conclusions. http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Smith-sick...that.5685449.jp Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coopermania 1 Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 I think he might have a point in that we demand great players to fall off a neverending conveyor belt. We look for the next Baxter, Henderson, Souness, Bremner, Law etc and are disappointed that they dont appear. Nothing wrong in that. But the fact that this quality of player simply doesnt exist now and I for one dont see that changing. I hope Im wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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