Kirk Broadfoot and why Scotland are so far behind the rest of Europe (NHC)

Football has been intellectualised. The laptop is probably more important to a lot of managers than a set of bibs and cones these days.

There seems to be a self flaggelation when it comes to Scottish players struggling with this kind of thing though. When Carlos Queiroz 1st pitched up at Man Utd a group of senior players went to Fergie and complained the training was boring and repetitive. In that era you are talking about some of the best players in the world who struggled to adapt to new methods and new techniques.

Maybe there are situations in which the theory requires the right person to put it into practice. I had a conversation with someone in a very senior position at a Scottish club who said that the theory of Ian Cathro's methods was sound but he would never succeed as a manager because he couldn't adequately explain it to anyone not on his level and couldn't command the players respect to get his points across.

Is there any workplace in the world in which a new arrival in a senior position sweeps in, makes wholesale changes to a successful set up and is subsequently welcomed with open arms? I'm sure Alessio knows his stuff when it comes to coaching. He's unproven as a manager though and maybe that inability to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary will prove to be what causes him to fail.

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Originally Posted by Is It On....

Some guy from Ayrshire who, like his siblings all have the initials KB, was given a 10-game ban for launching a verbal tirade against James McClean.

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A sectarian verbal tirade...often gets overlooked.

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Originally Posted by Since452

Am i right in thinking Broadfoot was at Hibs as a youngster?

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He was. I remember watching him in the same U-21 team with Riordan, O’Connor, Whittaker, Brown, etc.

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Originally Posted by overdrive

He was. I remember watching him in the same U-21 team with Riordan, O’Connor, Whittaker, Brown, etc.

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Thank god. Thought i might have been losing my marbles

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Originally Posted by Pretty Boy

Football has been intellectualised. The laptop is probably more important to a lot of managers than a set of bibs and cones these days.

There seems to be a self flaggelation when it comes to Scottish players struggling with this kind of thing though. When Carlos Queiroz 1st pitched up at Man Utd a group of senior players went to Fergie and complained the training was boring and repetitive. In that era you are talking about some of the best players in the world who struggled to adapt to new methods and new techniques.

Maybe there are situations in which the theory requires the right person to put it into practice. I had a conversation with someone in a very senior position at a Scottish club who said that the theory of Ian Cathro's methods was sound but he would never succeed as a manager because he couldn't adequately explain it to anyone not on his level and couldn't command the players respect to get his points across.

Is there any workplace in the world in which a new arrival in a senior position sweeps in, makes wholesale changes to a successful set up and is subsequently welcomed with open arms? I'm sure Alessio knows his stuff when it comes to coaching. He's unproven as a manager though and maybe that inability to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary will prove to be what causes him to fail.

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Roy Keane being one of them that didnt like Queiroz training.

I'm not sure Broadfoot has said all that much wrong here really, he has highlighted his reason as it not being intense enough which is fair enough. Its hardly like Kris Boyd moaning about his Monster Munch being taken away by Le Guen. Still think Broadfoot is an @rse mind you.

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Originally Posted by SquashedFrogg

I'm sure it's all to do with differing specialist training routines. All relatively fit people, but train completely differently and focus on their specifics. I remember reading somewhere that (as an example) 100m hurdlers often struggled to run 400m round the track to any great effect. It was all about training for the 100m. Nothing else.

Maybe not a great example, but hopefully makes the point.

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You train for what you are going to do. Why do anything else?

However, there must be some personal responsibility from players to work outside the collective and away from the coach. With all the resources in the world today - and especially at a full time professional club which employs professional fitness staff - it shouldn't be hard to get information on what to do outside of team training to help you improve.

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Originally Posted by Haymaker

You train for what you are going to do. Why do anything else?

However, there must be some personal responsibility from players to work outside the collective and away from the coach. With all the resources in the world today - and especially at a full time professional club which employs professional fitness staff - it shouldn't be hard to get information on what to do outside of team training to help you improve.

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There was a 17 year old in the paper yesterday, left hearts for Brighton at some stage last season I think, he was saying how hard he’d had to work to try and catch up with players down there on his strength and fitness especially because they had all been doing it longer than he had.
Worrying if that’s the case I was under the impression we where competitive still at that age group, I think a lack of professionalism throughout the whole game blazers to payers is still holding us back

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Originally Posted by MKHIBEE

Who is Kirk Broadfoot?

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I wondered that myself but on a little research he comes from Ayrshire and used to play for the old Rangers before they got liquidated.

He seems to have made the most of his limited talent and had a very decent football career though served a 10 game ban for sectarian and racist abuse of an Irish player.

Sounds a nasty offensive piece of work once you dig a little and hardly someone who's opinions matter on anything.

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Originally Posted by DetroitHibs

I’ve been listening to the Si Ferry and English version Undr the Cosh podcasts. It’s actually been quite an eye opener. So many players are more interested in going out for a bevy than actually playing. Out on the Saturday night and Sunday if they get a Monday off. Wednesday most are on it. Maybe the whole drinking culture needs to stop, are they doing this in France, Italy or Spain?

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They have never done it there. In these countries and Portugal as well, professional football is seen as hard won privilege. They work there way up through young academy teams mist who have great technical ability. They know it takes unbelievable effort and determination to make the professional league. You cant afford to weaken yourself by drinking. It affects your physical and mental ability. Even a few drinks 6 days before a match. Andy Murray dies not touch a drop during the playing season.

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Originally Posted by Barman Stanton

For a pretty average player I would say Broadfoot has had a pretty amazing career. Plenty medals with Rangers, few Scotland caps and even played in a European Final. 35 and still playing at a decent level. May be he is not as stupid as people make out.

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I almost ripped a tv fae a wall in a Dutch bar when Broadfoot came on the pitch, I hadnt even realise he was in the squad, and, worse, ahm sure he scored aswell. **** me. Always thought he was pish. Waste of space.

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Originally Posted by Dmas

There was a 17 year old in the paper yesterday, left hearts for Brighton at some stage last season I think, he was saying how hard he’d had to work to try and catch up with players down there on his strength and fitness especially because they had all been doing it longer than he had.
Worrying if that’s the case I was under the impression we where competitive still at that age group, I think a lack of professionalism throughout the whole game blazers to payers is still holding us back

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Exactly our problem, not fit or tactfully aware enough.
My work colleague was telling me her son plays for young Ajax and they played a young Aberdeen, and all that happened was they were kicked all over the pitch, they couldnae believe it, dont get me wrong, they thought the dons team were fast and mature but, their tactics focussed more on gettin stuck in than actual tactics.

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Originally Posted by Since452

Thank god. Thought i might have been losing my marbles

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He was in and around the first team squad for a couple of seasons without really making an impression.

There is a cultural issue here, but imo it does show that Scotland is behind the curve. As an Italian, Alessio would probably just expect that one of his senior pros would be in shape.

Why would he not have learned his own fitness regime at the age of 35?

And Andy Murray had two things going for him, aside from natural talent - incredible drive, and the fact he moved to Spain when he was 15. When he was 19 or 20 he really couldn’t last a 5 set match, but he trained his body until he could.

The guy is just a supreme athlete and puts almost every Scottish footballer to shame.

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Originally Posted by Dmas

There was a 17 year old in the paper yesterday, left hearts for Brighton at some stage last season I think, he was saying how hard he’d had to work to try and catch up with players down there on his strength and fitness especially because they had all been doing it longer than he had.
Worrying if that’s the case I was under the impression we where competitive still at that age group, I think a lack of professionalism throughout the whole game blazers to payers is still holding us back

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I agree.

Sorry it’s not cultural issue at all it’s a self motivational issue. Examples like McGinn and Robertson could have hung about the SPL taking the easy option, made a decent wage, probably been the best player in there respective positions for years but they never, they had the self motivation to push themselves to the next level and then a further level in the Premiership. We need more who are prepared to work to get to that next level. Probably in most sports not just football

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Originally Posted by Heedersnvolleys

Sorry it’s not cultural issue at all it’s a self motivational issue. Examples like McGinn and Robertson could have hung about the SPL taking the easy option, made a decent wage, probably been the best player in there respective positions for years but they never, they had the self motivation to push themselves to the next level and then a further level in the Premiership. We need more who are prepared to work to get to that next level. Probably in most sports not just football

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Which is culture issue.

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Originally Posted by theonlywayisup

I'm always amazed when I see Andy Murray go four hours long five sets of tennis full of high intensity rallys, yet I see professional footballers struggling after 60 minutes.

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This always does my head in, using andy murray etc. The average tennis player only covers 3 miles in a game. In that 11 hour game between isner and mahut they only covered 6 miles!

The average a football player runs is 7 miles... totally different fitness regimes...

(Thats no a dig at you, loads try to use Murray as a fitness example)

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Originally Posted by JXM73

This always does my head in, using andy murray etc. The average tennis player only covers 3 miles in a game. In that 11 hour game between isner and mahut they only covered 6 miles!

The average a football player runs is 7 miles... totally different fitness regimes...

(Thats no a dig at you, loads try to use Murray as a fitness example)

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Yeah. But it is 3-6 miles of mostly sprints ...footballers are rarely at top pace. Incomparable as you say ....

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Originally Posted by Barman Stanton

For a pretty average player I would say Broadfoot has had a pretty amazing career. Plenty medals with Rangers, few Scotland caps and even played in a European Final. 35 and still playing at a decent level. May be he is not as stupid as people make out.

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Nah I reckon he probably is

Kirk Broadfoot's scared of microwaves

The fact that the likes of Kirk Broadfoot has been able to carve out an extended career in Scottish football is probably a better indication of why we are so far behind the rest of Europe.

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Originally Posted by Paloschi

Reading this article https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/spo...lmarnock-exit/ (apologies for the Sun link) a few things stood out as clearly wrong and demonstrates why we are so behind other nations and why the quality of the league is poor.

Alessio is clearly an intelligent guy, who has worked with one of the best managers around in Antonio Conte and worked with big clubs in Italy and around Europe. If he decides he wants to work on tactical shape surely the squad should listen and work on it. Yes Clarke was successful and has also worked with the likes of Mourinho but the best coaches all demand the team focus on shape and positioning. For a 35 year old professional to complain about this and bemoan having to run to stay fit outside of training (so he should, he is a professional) there is no wonder Scotland, as a footballing nation are so backwards. Are players expecting to turn up, have a run and kick about and go home after training? They are in the wrong job. They should be appreciating tactics and improving as players.

Coaches want to coach, not have players run around like headless chickens and put them in the gym all day. Yes it may be 'higher tempo' and 'more fun' but I'd much rather a coach who wants to work on teamwork and cohesion. That improves teams and wins games. Fitness is something each player must have as standard, the shape they are in is up to them. This is also coming from a guy that exploded an egg in the mircrowave!

I'm now convinced their poor start is more down to the players downing tools and refusing to learn the game properly. I feel sorry for the Manager. Clarke clearly did a great job and got the players playing for him, but that doesn't mean they can't be taken to the next level and become a better and more organised outfit overall.

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That was frankly embarrasing to be totally outplayed by an average russia side. There was no structure to the team and when we were being torn a new one at the start of tje second half he waited until wr went behind then takes off our two best players. Utterly baffling and how we can take off sjm snd mctomany snd keep on the utterly useless mcbirnie i cant comprehend. Rusdia looked a yard quicker,never lumped the ball to admittedly good targetman and could easily have scored four.I really wanted clarke to succeed but hes out of his depth. Im afraid unless we get a very decent foreign coach wr will contine to be utter also rans.

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Originally Posted by RIP Bestie

The fact that the likes of Kirk Broadfoot has been able to carve out an extended career in Scottish football is probably a better indication of why we are so far behind the rest of Europe.

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Why? Are there no bang average players in other leagues in the world?

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Originally Posted by allant1981

Why? Are there no bang average players in other leagues in the world?

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Yes there are . What's your point? Their "bang average" must be better than our "bang average"
If he is our "bang average" surely we have a problem? No?

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Originally Posted by overdrive

He was. I remember watching him in the same U-21 team with Riordan, O’Connor, Whittaker, Brown, etc.

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Never knew this until now. Makes your skin crawl a bit


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