Post by luisluis on Nov 27, 2017 19:03:38 GMT
This is a good read from ESPN FC that highlights the development approach taken by Chris Ramsey, Technical Director at Queens Park Rangers, formerly of the Tottenham Hotspurs. What is notable is that the development philosophy at Spurs was supported all the way from the top in the form of chairman Daniel Levy. The philosophy has paid off well for the Tottenham with recent success in European tournament qualification and homegrown players breaking through both the first team and the England national team.
www.espnfc.us/blog/espn-fc-united-blog/68/post/3273573/chris-ramsey-explains-player-development-at-queens-park-rangers-tottenham-including-harry-kane
Some excerpts from the article below.
Now Technical Director at Queens Park Rangers, Ramsey arrived at Tottenham in 2005, working under John McDermott on a newly inaugurated 12-year plan of technique-focused youth development. That plan has now reached completion in spectacular style: Harry Kane is one of Europe's hottest strikers, Danny Rose has become one of the nation's finest left-backs and Harry Winks has broken into the England side alongside former Spurs youngster Jake Livermore. A host of fresh names await in the wings: Kyle Walker-Peters, Josh Onomah, Cameron Carter-Vickers and perhaps the jewel in the crown, the exciting Marcus Edwards.
Ramsey was there almost every step of the way, rising up with the players from the academy and eventually working as the assistant manager under Tim Sherwood as Kane broke into the first team. But it hasn't always been easy. For Ramsey, as the pyramids demonstrate, the development of the individual comes first. Not the result.
"When you're in the first team, you have to win," Ramsey tells ESPN FC. "If you play terribly and still win, people will forgive you. But in development, the performance is for the player; the result is for the coach. If I want to win more than I want those players to develop, sure, we might win the youth league. But eventually, those players won't make the grade."
Clubs and supporters take great pride in the results of their youth teams, citing their trophy hauls as evidence of their club's wisdom and far-sightedness. But Ramsey believes that emphasis is misplaced. He mentions with pride one youth tournament in which Spurs performed well but finished seventh. Barcelona, who operate with similar emphasis, finished eighth.
"You get these young coaches and they think 'I want to be [Jose] Mourinho, I want to be [Antonio] Conte' but are those managers the best role models for developers? No, because their parameters are different to our parameters. They're trying to win the game, they're not trying to develop players. They don't care about that."
"When I go and coach the Under-11s and we lose, their coach might think 'Oh, that Chris Ramsey's no good, we beat them 5-0.' But we're focused on developing. I might be telling my players just to express themselves.
"We do a thing where we manipulate things so if the game is getting too easy, we change it so they can only play on their wooden side. Or we'll take somebody off. Simulate a red card or take somebody off as if they are injured. Or play two at the back, I see youth teams now putting on players in the 88th minute -- what's that about? Their coach might be saying, 'We've beaten him!' But what I'm saying is, you've not beaten me. You've not helped your players."
www.espnfc.us/blog/espn-fc-united-blog/68/post/3273573/chris-ramsey-explains-player-development-at-queens-park-rangers-tottenham-including-harry-kane
Some excerpts from the article below.
Now Technical Director at Queens Park Rangers, Ramsey arrived at Tottenham in 2005, working under John McDermott on a newly inaugurated 12-year plan of technique-focused youth development. That plan has now reached completion in spectacular style: Harry Kane is one of Europe's hottest strikers, Danny Rose has become one of the nation's finest left-backs and Harry Winks has broken into the England side alongside former Spurs youngster Jake Livermore. A host of fresh names await in the wings: Kyle Walker-Peters, Josh Onomah, Cameron Carter-Vickers and perhaps the jewel in the crown, the exciting Marcus Edwards.
Ramsey was there almost every step of the way, rising up with the players from the academy and eventually working as the assistant manager under Tim Sherwood as Kane broke into the first team. But it hasn't always been easy. For Ramsey, as the pyramids demonstrate, the development of the individual comes first. Not the result.
"When you're in the first team, you have to win," Ramsey tells ESPN FC. "If you play terribly and still win, people will forgive you. But in development, the performance is for the player; the result is for the coach. If I want to win more than I want those players to develop, sure, we might win the youth league. But eventually, those players won't make the grade."
Clubs and supporters take great pride in the results of their youth teams, citing their trophy hauls as evidence of their club's wisdom and far-sightedness. But Ramsey believes that emphasis is misplaced. He mentions with pride one youth tournament in which Spurs performed well but finished seventh. Barcelona, who operate with similar emphasis, finished eighth.
"You get these young coaches and they think 'I want to be [Jose] Mourinho, I want to be [Antonio] Conte' but are those managers the best role models for developers? No, because their parameters are different to our parameters. They're trying to win the game, they're not trying to develop players. They don't care about that."
"When I go and coach the Under-11s and we lose, their coach might think 'Oh, that Chris Ramsey's no good, we beat them 5-0.' But we're focused on developing. I might be telling my players just to express themselves.
"We do a thing where we manipulate things so if the game is getting too easy, we change it so they can only play on their wooden side. Or we'll take somebody off. Simulate a red card or take somebody off as if they are injured. Or play two at the back, I see youth teams now putting on players in the 88th minute -- what's that about? Their coach might be saying, 'We've beaten him!' But what I'm saying is, you've not beaten me. You've not helped your players."