Sport - are we in need of a crisis?

There is a popular saying in British politics which asserts the need for a crisis to pre-empt any change.  This seemed to true after Iceland’s 2 - 1 defeat of England on the 27^th June; in the immediate aftermath of the game their coaching team, led by Roy Hodgson, resigned with immediate effect which was followed by a myriad of reasons for the team’s demise the following day in the associated press.  There was an article in the Daily Mail written by a prominent ex-player turned pundit admonishing the environment within professional academies stating that it was too easy for young players since the passing of traditional apprenticeship schemes requiring young players to sweep the stadium and clean professional players boots; modern players it seems are too soft (http://goo.gl/1MfNhD).  Criticism was also levelled at the standard of coaching in an article published in The Times (http://goo.gl/MX7gOQ).  Whilst there may (or may not depending on your viewpoint) be elements of truth in these articles they do not discriminate between successful and unsuccessful teams – it is likely that there are poor coaches and relatively sanitised academies in teams that performed well at this summer’s European Championships.  Indeed, the vast majority of the hugely successful Wales team will have come through systems similar if not the same to the England players.

Two weeks on and the furore has subsided.  Other than some cursory comments from commentators who really should be concentrating on teams still in the tournament, there has been little media attention.  Most of the clubs from which the England squad were selected, along with many others, will have already started their pre-season preparations, likely with no change to plans established prior to England’s exit.  The truth is that within the club system there really is no crisis; most (if not all in the Premier League from where the squad were selected, more on this later) have successful academies that have produced professional players, if not for the parent club then another in the league structure and thanks to the Elite Player Performance Programme (EPPP) receive substantial financial support from the Premier League.  Furthermore, an announcement was made this week that a number of professional academy teams would be competing in the EFL trophy (formerly Johnston Paint) providing young players with a more competitive format to ply their trade (although the senior league teams may not agree) in the season 2016/2017.

Within football (the UK at least) there is a discord between the success of the domestic league and its national team for which there is no easy solution, despite knee jerk commentaries issued by the media following a disappointment in a major competition.  There may be a huge number of eligible players who do not get the opportunity to play in a league that showcases their ability but who have been successful in the age group system at national level.  England 21’s were successful in their tournament campaign this summer.  This may be because of overseas players or more experienced domestic players being picked ahead of them; this is a detrimental outcome of having such a thriving and financially strong domestic league, very few in the Premier League would want to see this challenged on the premise that it might strengthen the national team I suspect.  Rugby Union seemed to have navigated this issue well with centralised contracts for international players however it is difficult to see a situation when football may follow suit, especially if, like in Rugby Union, players are removed from their clubs for extended periods.

As far as discriminating factors are concerned the one striking factor is the lack of diversity amongst the England team in terms of competitive leagues from which players were selected from. Moreover, when you consider the home nation teams within the tournament, only Wales and ROI selected players playing in overseas competitions and only one in each instance, Gareth Bale and Robbie Keane.  England selected their entire squad from the Premier League.  This is in stark contrast to the other teams contesting the semi-finals; Germany, France, Portugal were all made up of players selected from a host of leagues around Europe.  This broad range of experiences in terms of playing style and tactics may be an important factor at major competitions; however how the home nations achieve this (should they see value in it) when lucrative contracts are available for young players at their parent clubs is hard to imagine.  

The fitness gap

I have borne witness to a number of debates surrounding the merits and relative importance of physical versus mental strength amongst athletes.  With more and more ‘average joes’ taking in weekend challenges including the moon walk, marathons and cycling sportives the debate seems to have taken on a wider relevance with these events requiring both physical and psychological strength to last the distance.  The argument proffered by psychologists often centres around the fact that at the top level of athletic competition there is little (if anything) to choose between the physiology of athletes.  Despite this there has to be a winner and a loser; the difference between the podium finishers and the ‘also rans’ being the ability to use their mental strength to maximise their physical qualities and triumph on the day.  This type of thinking may have led to amateur athletes competing in endurance events stating that it ‘will be alright on the night’ and ‘adrenalin will get me through’ when their physical preparation hasn’t quite gone to plan.  Perhaps the question people should be asking is at what point does mental strength in the absence of physical precocity begin to yield diminishing returns.

Barry McGuigan famously said, ‘it isn’t the size of dog in the fight that counts but the fight in the dog’; agreed in principle but the fighter (in this instance) must have the necessary physical capacity to get to the point where mental strength begins to play a part.  There seems to be a wave of popularity in recent years around positivity and a ‘can do’ attitude.  Adidas ran an advertising campaign around the tag line, ‘impossible is nothing’.  This message is laudable when it motivates people to strive for horizons they may have previously thought unattainable.  It may also however have brought us to the point where the very act of signing up for an event, irrespective of the performance, is met with acclaim and pomp; well done for taking part being a popular cheer.  In some circumstances this may be true, in others I would suggest not; in events where you pin a number to your chest there is a requirement (in my opinion at least) to prepare to a level that allows the task to be taken on with a degree of proficiency.  A proficiency that requires physical preparation, the likes of which enables competitors to run through at least the first mile in a half marathon (those of you who have competed in running events will have seen individuals walking before the turn of mile two resplendent with gels galore tucked into fetching bum bags and scrambling for water at every opportunity).

The message then is that if you want to be a competitor you have to compete, and this requires undergoing some degree of preparation that improves both physical and mental capacity.  Indeed, it is this commitment to improvement and betterment that makes the performance all the more enjoyable; delayed satisfaction over instant gratification.  Without this investment no amount of mental strength or gumption will be rewarded and there can be no sense of achievement in ‘just finishing’ if we never gave ourselves the chance to do anything more.