Mayo SLATES Wilkins' training regime

[hans kraay fan club]

We finished 7th last year but we were hardly in the running for a play off

Absolute nonsense. We were well in it up until the 45th games of the season.

Welcome, btw.

 

[Storer68]

“
“I wasn’t enjoying it last year. It was very much done by the coaching manual. It was textbook, stop and start, and it became boring. .”



QUOTE]

as had the "football"

 

[See-Goals]

A source told me that an Ex-player still employed by the club has said the training was extremely basic and had the likes of Hart and Forster scratching their heads about being drilled with the likes of trapping the ball :thud:

 

[hans kraay fan club]

You don't think they should practice trapping the ball then?

 

[See-Goals]

I think a player of Forster's experience has probably got that one sussed by now. I'm talking about a dedicated training drill focussed solely on trapping the ball and passing it off, you know that drill kids do with 5 up one end and 5 down the other, trapping and laying it off.

Unless you see that as a perfectly acceptable drill for a first team to be put through.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Yes, I do. I too learnt how to trap a ball 25 years ago, but its still something we practice in our training, if only briefly.

I'm sure Forster learnt to shoot years ago too. No point him practising that anymore, either?

 

[Da Man Clay]

You don't think they should practice trapping the ball then?

No not really, if you cant trap a ball as a professional footballer then you're probably in the wrong career.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Is it really so important to apportion 'blame'?

Personally, I don't think it's too much of a pop. What it says to me is that the coaching sessions were more like an ongoing extension to Wilkins' technical education aimed at the younger players - bearing in mind his preference for playing his own former Youth Team charges.

Whether training was boring or not - it ultimately bore fruit, and I think Micky could end up being one of the main beneficiaries of that.

Good post. Wilkins had only ever trained younger players, this was his first go with full-time professionals and even after a year he still struggled to 'get them going' in training sessions. It was evident in our set-pieces and our basic formatons that Wilkins wasnt fully tactically aware: When Hammond was here the team was built around him, the moment he got injured we had no plan B; the diamond was simply shocking and I think every fan agreed with that - no width and no creativity.

I think Forster's body language said a lot in games. Whenever recieving instrcutions from the bench he made it quite clear he wasnt interested.

 

[See-Goals]

Yes, I do. I too learnt how to trap a ball 25 years ago, but its still something we practice in our training, if only briefly.

I'm sure Forster learnt to shoot years ago too. No point him practising that anymore, either?

I think its a big shout to compare shooting practice with ball trapping.

You can only trap a ball one way unless you drill controlling the ball at different height / speed which again isn't really going to stretch a professioanl footballer.

Shooting practice you can vary greatly, power of the delivery to contend with, the angle its coming at you, touch and volley etc etc etc etc...

 

[hans kraay fan club]

In fact, this argument is ABSURD. Trapping the ball and laying it off is the absolute funndamental building block of playing football. And before you protest that they can all do it already, we've all seen plenty of examples on the pitch that suggested otherwise.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

No not really, if you cant trap a ball as a professional footballer then you're probably in the wrong career.

That isn't the argument though, Chris, is it? Of course they can all do it. that doesn't mean it is wrong to PRACTICE it.

 

[See-Goals]

I'm not really arguing a point, referring to my first post, an ex-player still with the club in a capacity cited the training routines as a problem amongst the senior players and used ball trapping as an example.

Thought it fitted in with the thread discusion

 

[Da Man Clay]

That isn't the argument though, Chris, is it? Of course they can all do it. that doesn't mean it is wrong to PRACTICE it.

I personally think its a total waste of time for a group of League 1 footballers to have a dedicated trapping drill. That would be tedious to say the least, by all means incorporate it into a shooting drill ect but to have a dedicated trapping drill is ridiculous.

Its a bit of a fruitless argument anyway Simon. Wilkins has gone and the rights and wrongs of his training drills aren't really relevant anymore!

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Well, neither of us were there, were we, so its hard to say exactly what the drills entailed.

Suffice to say that its worth considering that there might be an issue if the players had a problem with it.

However, the fact alone that they didn't like something does not in itself make it not worthwhile. No-one likes repeating mundane tasks - that's not to say they're not ever beneficial.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I think Forster's body language said a lot in games. Whenever recieving instrcutions from the bench he made it quite clear he wasnt interested.

Oh yes, now you mention it I remember that - I was wondering what it was about at the time. There were times when Forster looked completely peed off by Wilkins and his instructions.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Its a bit of a fruitless argument anyway Simon. Wilkins has gone and the rights and wrongs of his training drills aren't really relevant anymore!

Couldn't agree more. I think that the guy did a great job for the club, within the resources he was given, and whatever his own personal limitations. The constant drip drip of snidey attacks on his efforts and abilities after the event are unnecessary and offensive. [this is not aimed at you, btw]

 

[Mr Blobby]

I spoke to Barry Lloyd at Stansted and he said Wilkins was sacked because of the low crowds at Withdean. Nothing more, nothing less.

They had many discusions about the style of football we were playing and yes our home record was good, but crowds continued to drop. Wilkins would NOT change his tactics or approach despite this and that was why he was sacked. Lloyd wanted to recruit wide players to feed Murray and Forster.

So the people to blame for his sacking are either Wilkins for not being prepared to change his style of play or the fans for turning away from Withdean match after match. The board need fans to be heading back to Withdean and then switch into Falmer. When we were down to 4,395 against Cheltenham the club was not heading in the right direction! That crowd was lower than some of the attendances at Gillingham!!!

 

[Da Man Clay]

Couldn't agree more. I think that the guy did a great job for the club, within the resources he was given, and whatever his own personal limitations. The constant drip drip of snidey attacks on his efforts and abilities after the event are unnecessary and offensive. [this is not aimed at you, btw]

Didn't think it was! Agreed, I was amazed he got us to 7th to be honest - I didn't see us finishing above 10th. Whilst I dont think he was ever the right man for the job (I thought after McGhee we needed an experienced manager and Wilkins was just chucked in at the deap end) he did do very well and I was starting to warm to him. Had he been replaced by anyone other than Adams I would have been pretty annoyed.

 

[Brovion]

I spoke to Barry Lloyd at Stansted and he said Wilkins was sacked because of the low crowds at Withdean. Nothing more, nothing less.

They had many discusions about the style of football we were playing and yes our home record was good, but crowds continued to drop. Wilkins would NOT change his tactics or approach despite this and that was why he was sacked. Lloyd wanted to recruit wide players to feed Murray and Forster.

So the people to blame for his sacking are either Wilkins for not being prepared to change his style of play or the fans for turning away from Withdean match after match. The board need fans to be heading back to Withdean and then switch into Falmer. When we were down to 4,395 against Cheltenham the club was not heading in the right direction! That crowd was lower than some of the attendances at Gillingham!!!

Interesting post. So all that stuff we heard about him undermining DK and the board about contracts, Hammond, etc was a load of rubbish? (I'm not saying that in an aggressive tone BTW, it's an honest question.)

I didn't go to Withdean a lot last season (and probably won't this season) because I personally, given my circumstances and the amount of people who expect me to pay for their tickets, found it too expensive. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Easy 10]

So its BROVIONS fault Wilkins was sacked.

I knew it.