Portugal v Spain? Thinking of my REGGAE BOYZ...

[Jangle]

Why do you always scoff at that statement?

[Muadib]

We should spend a little time to define the terms being used..

[Jangle]

maybe

[Lazie]

Why do you always scoff at that statement?

Because its a myth. There are SOME talent ... but the Abundance and Abounds argument ... foolishness.

[Muadib]

probably very high per capita..

[Paul Marin]

Harry.....erm...Paul....you have opened another angle to the long-running debate. Hhhhmmmm.....food for thought.

Who you a call Harry? Cho.

Seriously, how can we teach anything to boys who can't read or write? At the highest levels, winners are differentiated from their competition more by mental variables than physical variables. Mental strength comes from a discipline around mental activities. You cannot appreciate mental activities without knowledge of how to learn...a big part of which is basic literacy. I go back to that hotel league.

When I realized that the bus boys, waiters, kitchen staff etc. that comprised my team were mostly illiterate, my tactics had to change. It was much harder to get them to advance because they had no basic discipline around learning. And I mean learning period. It could be to change a flat tire. So when we had drills around movement, some of them (not all) had a hard time remembering what the assignment was...but worse...they couldn't learn a concept and apply it to a situation.

What basic education does is teach people how to learn and to apply knowledge appropriately. I use my daughter's U13 team as a good example. They have now started to give the girls homework after practice that includes both mental and physical exercises. The girls have to memorize set plays from corner and free kicks. When they show up at practice they are expected to know their exact assignment based on the position they are playing. So if you are right back today, you need to know what you are supposed to do. If you are center forward tomorrow, you are still expected to know it. That means that every player has learn the assignment for every position. It is a great first step for them to understand how to read the game. More importantly though, once they learn the basics, they are allowed to improvise based on the situation, which is the key - and because they are "all on the same page" as a team, they recognize and adjust - AND THESE ARE 12 YEAR OLDS. They are not perfect, but you can see where they are going.

Now take the kids (or even the older players) in Jamaica who can't read or who never went to school to learn the discipline of studies, how could they compete with these girls? You talked about Campion. That is an environment where anyone coming out of it will understand discipline is required to learn. I don't think this is universal in our football...but until we recognize it as being a basic, like match fitness, we are just kidding ourselves.

Ah so me see it and that's why Jamaican football has been such a frustration for me for so many years.

[Karl]

talent abounds but talent alone will not cut it!

right now, keammar daley is the child of a lesser god when compared to iniesta. in order to compete or to be comparable they will require similar levels of exposure etc. maybe in 15 years we will have that, but right now, footballically speaking iniesta is a god and daley is a mortal, even though they both put on their boots one foot at a time!

OK! Keammar Daley is talented...there is no doubt on that. I have spoken to Mr. Seaga the president of his club on what he needs to become topnotch. What do you think it shall take to have him fullfill his potential ?

Keammar Daley's strong points - Technically excellent! Good burst of speed over short distances...at this point not much else!

...as to comparison with Iniesta time is short but he can get to that level. Again, what will it take to get him there?

Incidentally, the decision taken as circumstances took him prisoner, that had him ending up at PNE was a tremendous blow to his progress. He definitely should have gone to the other suitors...I am dead sure he would be in a better place as far as developing his talent goes. It was either a wicked act or an ignorant act that sabotaged his efforts...either being wicked or ignorant - NOT GOOD!

[Karl]

Ermm....show me the evidence of that! Surely, it cannot be this forum. LOL!!! Seriously, I don't think we have the intelligence. Take Barbados, the most literate country on the planet, they have a culture that supports education far more than ours does. That's intelligent.

To get anywhere, we need to start with BASIC education. Years ago I was coaching in the hotel league on the north coast; I asked one of my players on the bench to write down the names of the starters on a sheet of paper, in alphabetical order, last name first. I went to the bathroom. When I came back, I asked him for the paper - he started to cry. He hadn't written anything on the page because he didn't know how to read or write. Without these basics (and I am talking reading and writing even at a grade 3 level), teaching anything - even football - becomes a challenge. So when I question intelligence, I am not questioning the inate ability, but rather, our cultural disposition which makes us accept so many of our people being illiterate.

What is 'basic intelligence'? ...not being able to read and write surely does not say the player was not intelligent...right?

[Assasin]

It takes a few different things. For one it take some knowledge and understanding and some intelligence but no necessarily a A student.

Is like boxing to an extent still Paul. You remember Razor Rudduck? He was bought up using an unothordox style which bought him to a certain level. Now trainers wanted to get him to the next level so they thought him all the moves he should have learned at an early age. When he went into the ring with an easy opponent he looked excellent and they said Razor is now going to be hard to beat. Put him against a top ten condender and he start to get a few good punch and fustration start to set in and he went back to his old style because that was what he knew best.

Yeah we have to teach the youth from younger gut you also have to build upon their individual skills(touches) and that is where places like England is lacking.

[Don1]

wha duh yuh? yuh si any mention bout A student inna dat post?

Man ah tawk bout illiteracy an yuh ah gwaan bout A student

Aaah bwoy

[Gamma]

as we speak today do they both put on their boots "one foot at a time"? if yes are they equal in stature as football players...forget inesta ... let us use someone closer to his age, fabregas