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**Unregistered** · 10-12-2011, 02:20 PM

Any truth to the rumor I heard today that one of the Bolts coaches is going to Chicago to coach at Northwestern......kinda of working around the compass....

**Unregistered** · 10-12-2011, 02:23 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

The old days country club bolts had more to do with Kerr's Harvard connection than Kerr's personality. Nothing country club about Kerr. But Kerr didn't do anything much to facilitate getting the city kids, like the way BA has connected with Revere FC. Might have just been a different era, but BA has his heart in the right place there.

I have no idea where someone comes up with criticism of BA being anti-Irish. Think the issue has more to do with him being a mediocre college coach, with a lot of experience but no great accomplishments. Nobody can claim these college coaches have real understanding of or credentials in youth development. Where's the evidence of it? Hopefully with the switch to 10 month DAP, the college coaches will bail and at the same time, US Soccer will figure out how to train youth development coaches. Look at the USMNT - they lose because they don't have skill. Great athletes, mediocre skill. Simple things like touch and ball control limit them. DAP clubs need to be developing those skills and shying away from the guys who only have speed and aggression.

You are way off base here regarding facts and opinion. The only thing that I might agree (partly) with is to wonder what coaches will be able to coach the 10 month DAP teams.
Otherwise, the Bolts teams have quite a bit of skill. What they lack sometimes if coordinated team play. As far as what evidence exists to suggest that the current slate of coaches should be coaching youth soccer, you should do the following:
1. Watch some of the practices and some of the coaches (not just 1 or 2)
2. Recognize that the governing bodies provide licensing courses that are geared toward coaching youth sports.
3. A number of these coaches have been teachers who have dealt with youth before.
4. Ask the parents what they think about the coaching

Notice that I did not include won/loss records.

In this discussion, I would ask what critieria other clubs have to determine whether or not their coaches are appropriate for youth soccer. Unless, you are going to say that the whole Massachusetts system.....or the country's sytem sucks, then you are going to recognize that the majority of youth soccer coaches are high school and college coaches. If you do think that the whole system is flawed (and it might be) then please enlighted us as to how we would find better coaches for the thousands of kids who want to play.....or are you just someone who sits on the sidelines and criticizes?

**Unregistered** · 10-12-2011, 04:34 PM

Originally posted by Unregistered View Post

The old days country club bolts had more to do with Kerr's Harvard connection than Kerr's personality. Nothing country club about Kerr. But Kerr didn't do anything much to facilitate getting the city kids, like the way BA has connected with Revere FC. Might have just been a different era, but BA has his heart in the right place there.

I have no idea where someone comes up with criticism of BA being anti-Irish. Think the issue has more to do with him being a mediocre college coach, with a lot of experience but no great accomplishments. Nobody can claim these college coaches have real understanding of or credentials in youth development. Where's the evidence of it? Hopefully with the switch to 10 month DAP, the college coaches will bail and at the same time, US Soccer will figure out how to train youth development coaches. Look at the USMNT - they lose because they don't have skill. Great athletes, mediocre skill. Simple things like touch and ball control limit them. DAP clubs need to be developing those skills and shying away from the guys who only have speed and aggression.

You said a lot of here, and almost all of it is wrong. As the Bolts fanatics have responded to you, where do you think these great developmental coaches are going to come from? Think they should appoint BB and PM? Even if you do, how do you think they could be pried away from coaching little girls. The best trainer of skills at the youth level is FM but no one would want him. If not college coaches, then who? You are way off on the USMNT. They are not great athletes with mediocre skill. They are mediocre athletes with mediocre skill. I'm not sure there is a single truly above average athlete (professional level above average athlete) on the whole team. And your impression of DAP and college soccer is way off. The kids are far more skilled than you think. There is a huge gulf between college soccer and high level professional soccer, but there is also a huge gulf between what most presume about college soccer being so doable and what actually is required to make a solid D3 roster (and above) and play.