Change is well nigh impossible!

[Pragmatist]

Heard an interesting point of view expressed by a group of experienced and successful coaches last night. The claim was that with footballers starting at age 5 or 6 nowadays a player's traits are firmly in place by the age of 13 or 14 and, in most cases, cannot be changed. At that stage the team player may already be identified - and the athlete, the lazy player, the accurate passer, the game reader, the head down solo runner, the big ego and the scorer. Attempts to change them are futile as they will revert to type when pressure is applied.
The coaches firmly believe that if we take a look at many of our club and county minor and senior players, we will easily identify characteristics those footballers have had for years, including bad habits. Therefore, to demand that a 'head down solo runner' change and pass the ball to improve his game and help the team, does not work 80-90% of the time.

[Bensars]

Dont think theres anything new in that.  These certain types of players have been identified by underage coaches for years. i.e. the strengths and weaknesses of basic club players.

However some players that can run all day and hand pass a ball can now look good whereas 20 years ago they would have been required to have a greater range of all skills.

[Lar Naparka]

Heard an interesting point of view expressed by a group of experienced and successful coaches last night. The claim was that with footballers starting at age 5 or 6 nowadays a player's traits are firmly in place by the age of 13 or 14 and, in most cases, cannot be changed. At that stage the team player may already be identified - and the athlete, the lazy player, the accurate passer, the game reader, the head down solo runner, the big ego and the scorer. Attempts to change them are futile as they will revert to type when pressure is applied.
The coaches firmly believe that if we take a look at many of our club and county minor and senior players, we will easily identify characteristics those footballers have had for years, including bad habits. Therefore, to demand that a 'head down solo runner' change and pass the ball to improve his game and help the team, does not work 80-90% of the time.

Given the vast collective experience of the coaches, it may well be a fact that a player's natural instincts are fixed at such an early age.
I believer however that players can be trained to curb their basic tendencies and changes their style of play to fit into an overall teamplan.
Take the case of Donegal under Jim McGuinness.
They have perfected the use of the blanket defence and brought it to the level of an art. There just has to be a number of players on that side who have successfully changed what comes naturally to them for the overall benefit of the team.  There are damn all "head down solo runners" playing under McGuinness.

[thewobbler]

I think Donegal under Jim McGuinness are the perfect retort to this theory.

I'd suggest that the key to making players do what you want is to concentrate on the marquee players and longest-serving players. If they show a willingness to serve as part of a system and improve tactical understanding, the rest have little choice.

[johnneycool]

I think Donegal under Jim McGuinness are the perfect retort to this theory.

I'd suggest that the key to making players do what you want is to concentrate on the marquee players and longest-serving players. If they show a willingness to serve as part of a system and improve tactical understanding, the rest have little choice.

jerseys numbered 16 to 24 can sometimes curb a players natural instinct to do their own thing and not what the manager tells them.