Wednesday 30 September 2015

More Schalke 04 reflections

Last night Jacqui and I were sharing notes on Schalke and a couple of things dawned on us, J travelled there last year.

The coaches are different to that in the UK.

1. In England the coaches are generally arrogant (some exceotions) and constantly throw out the one liners that they are well connected and will be able 'to sort a trial at a big club'. Basically they are mostly always on the look out for what's in it for them. 

At Schalke the ethos is completely different, one of 'we will stick with you and develop you over the long haul'. The players also buy into it as they are surrounded by role models who go onto play for the first team, Leroy Sane being a case in point.  The players therefore have a strong belief that they will make it.

2. The coaches in England treat the players like children and therefore the kids behave like children. They in fact talk down to them.

In (not at) Schalke it's again different. The coaches treat the players like adults and therefore expect them to behave like adults. This is why they are able to be harsh but fair with the children and therefore able to push them towards excellence. 

We mollycoddle here in the UK and it is only getting worse with the FA delaying competition to later age groups. In Australia it is a whole lot worse, where you have this crazy situation with the SAP programme (at Rep grade level) that the opposition players have to push back 20 yards when the goalkeeper plays the ball out to the fullback - how on earth are players meant to learn and deal with pressure?

Overall, there is a real sense of belonging and a loyalty at Schalke which breeds respect.

One of my fondest moments was queuing at the stadium gates on match day and there were these 2 black boys standing next to Sam (head academy coach) and I. I overheard the conversation which which went along the lines of Sam giving warm congratulations (Gluckwunsch) including high-fives to one of them for him having scored the winner in last night's 17s win. Sam turned round to me after and said that he had been his coach since the age of 7 and was now on the cusp of the 1st team squad. Sam was literally beaming with pride and the boys were touched that Sam had congratulated them so warmly. No matter what level they will reach their respect will not fade.

With speaking German I was able spend a lot of time speaking to the parents and it was great to get their insights. It is a massive advantage speaking the language and really cuts down barriers. 

It struck me also how the parents were an indictment on new German multiculturalism with Muslim, Black, blond, Asian parents all kissing each other on both cheeks on arrival and farewell.

Seperately, I have previously shared in earlier blogs one of the things which sets Schalke apart is the general commitment of the players, they are ALL ferocious! None more so than the little left sided boy from the 10s who gave Jack zero time.

Got out at lunch to find my 45 minutes of peace with a jog / shuffle. 11ks in 4.26s. My knees feel like they are #60.

Still no news on the rucksack.

Delightful as always living in London

Jogged 2km to the train station and then the inevitable cancellation followed by a delay on the next one. I really need to start cycling to work.

Managed to get out at lunch today on a warm autumn day - the weather has been glorious over the last few days and looking unseasonally settled for the next while too. Started my usual lunch route with a slow k and then quickened ending up with 11.4ks at 4.10s in 47.xx mins. Surprised myself and actually got quite quick towards the end with a few 3.30s dodging the tourists. Without the innersoles though my knees are really sore, an injury waiting to happen and still no rucksack to be seen.

The train chaos continued on the way home with more cancellations and then one turned up which at the last minute changed to fast all the way to Bromley South - result! 

The picture below is what Londeners have resorted to. Marvelous.

Tuesday 29 September 2015

Innersoles

Ran home late after a hectic day feeling so so. 17kms in 4.16s. Ankle and calves not feeling the best without my lost innersoles. Rang the lost and found but still no rucksack to be seen or heard.

That's 5 out of 6 Champions League defeats now for English clubs.

Have decided that Willian is the best player in the Premiership. He is an unbelievable player even in a team completely out of form. 2 footed, can spin both ways and super quick . 

Monday 28 September 2015

Commute

Got home late last night and then up early for work this morning. Trains here are a mess. Big argument between the train driver and people on platform refusing to stand behind the yellow line. People here are grumpy. The joys.

No running today.  Rest day after 90kms last week.  My highest since March during marathon training.  I still feel fit and am on the light side but my running is still hopeless.  On current form I will be lucky to run 250 next year as oppose to my 240 goal.  In fairness I need to be running 35 and 77 for 10k and Half and am no way near that. Like most things it's a case of how much you want it and at the moment I really could not care less. May be just a phase.

Another solid win for CPFC over the weekend. It makes a massive difference to the mood and almost makes living in London bearable - not sure I would cope otherwise. Our away form since Pardew has taken the helm is the best in the Premiership with some #12 out of 14 away wins. Bolasie the Agnew's favourite has also just signed a new 3 year contract and so things could not be any better. If only we had home form.

On the Mediocre front my predictions are currently right on the money. Stoke were lucky as usual and the Toon unlucky.

Quick recap on the last 7 weeks spending 6 away: 9 countries, 4 continents, 12 flights and > 20 beds.  I did though manage to run in all 9 with the exception of Lux where I flew in and out on the same day :)

*Left my bag with runners on the train and with it my expensive inner soles which have allowed me to run post op. The mishaps continue.....

Sunday 27 September 2015

Schalke Sunday

Slept in and then headed to watch the 9s play followed by Jack's last training. Squeezed in 11k with 10 strides in the spiritual 74 stadium running the lengths on each side.  The stadium is steeped in history and made sure I partly ran on the grass. It's surreal as the stadium steps are still there but overall the ground is dilapidated. The grass is still though 'Wembley' standard immaculate.

The great Jairzihno scored here for Brazil in that world cup and Yugoslavia put 9 past Zaire.  Cruyff also scored that famous double versus Argentina with the Dutch playing their infamous 'Total football'. Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd and the Stones have all played at the stadium as well. The stadium has real presence and I could sense it. 

The first 4 pics below are of the famous Parkstadium. Pics then of the run around the Gelsenkirchen countryside (there is Schalke graffiti everywhere), the Schalke pitch which is rolled out of the stadium after every game, the VW front page news re their diesel fiasco and then the final training session.

After the final training with Sam we made our way to the airport with Jack kitted out in his Schalke tracksuit. 

Whatever happens from here with his footie he will never forget the experience.

Friday 25 September 2015

If only we lived in Germany

The Schalke bubble is coming to an end but we have delayed our flight back to London until tomorrow evening. This way Jack can squeeze in one more session tomorrow afternoon.

Jack had no training today and was fatigued which given the double sessions over the last week is hardly surprising. In the late morning we walked down to see his age group play Rot Weiß Essen.  The game was frenetic from the off. The speed is the one thing which I will take away from this trip. All the boys are lightening quick and seem to be constantly on the move. They are litrerally panting for the entire game. The coaches immediately sream when they don't track back. Ozil junior was again running the show in midfield with Schalke running out 2-0 winners.

Late morning we took the Straßenbahn to Gelsenkirchen which is hardcore working class Germany. It got annihilated in the 2nd world war and is grim. It's noticeable the number of poor people on the streets and are possibly some of the refugee contingency. It's hard to tell.

At lunch I headed out around the Schalke grounds and was struggling with heavy legs after a fair bit of running for me this week. Started sluggishly starting with a 4.45 first k but then knocked out 7ks averaging 3.50s including a 19min 5k. I stopped the clock and took a 3 min rest and then jogged around watching the 15s taking on Bayer Leverkusen for another 7ks to get me to 15 all up.

In the afternoon we did not move from the hotel enjoying the autumn sunshine.

My cousin Florian joined us for dinner in the evening. Nice catching up with him.

Some more pics from the week and the day:

Schalke Friday

Lazy morning with a little recovery jog at 4.40 pace covering 9kms.

This afternoon was Jack's last real training session. And it was a monster 2.5hrs. After the steps session yesterday evening he was already feeling tired.

The session was with the U12s and Ozil's nephew. He is a spitting image of his uncle and I told him so in German when he shook my hand at the start. As I have said previously it is mandatory for all the boys to greet the parents.

The session started with a series of ladders with complicated in out repetitions, followed by sprint, cartwheel another sprint then close control dribbling and pass completion accuracy. Again they were going for a good 20 mins.

Then followed a game using something resembling a rugby ball. I guess the theory being that when you have a round ball it gets a lot easier. The coaches then swapped to a round ball. Jack did well and often came up 1 v 1 with Ozil.

When the 12s were done Jack then dropped to the 11s session who were in the midst of a shooting game (it doesn't matter what it is there is always a score and competition - more game simulation). They then started a game and by that time Jack was tired and I could tell. Have to say both the U11s and 12s are shit hot!

We may come back on Sunday but this was most likely the last session. If Jack was not fit before we came he certainly is now. Still not quite sure how he got through the stairs session yesterday.

Views from the hotel room this evening over looking the Schalke Arena.

Thursday 24 September 2015

Schalke day 4

Ran the treadmill for 15km again @4minkms and then spent the day on the laptop working.

Jack had another great day with training in the morning including fitness test (don't have the results yet) and then training with the 13s in the old WC stadium in the afternoon.

At training we bumped into last night's hero Leroy Sane, superstar in the making. 

Caught up with the academy head who provided candid feedback - all good. With the concentrated competition of this past 12 months in London there has been large improvements. 

Pics are from the Schalke complex from the hotel room incl the new stadium and you can see the famous old 74 WC stadium steps which Jack had to run up and down for the best part of 90 minutes.

Schalke day 3 - game day

Today was the best so far. Ran on the treadmill at c.3.55s for 15km and then saw Jack train indoors including his beep test (they are massive into agility and strength here - in fact the whole ethos of Schalke is underpinned by hard work).  It is the working man's club from the coal mining era.

More themes came out today why Schalke is so successful in generating players:

1. They work harder - fitness is key
2. They replicate game situations as much as possible, creating pressure (not the other way)
3. The Ruhr Gebiet (or the 'Pot') is home to so many football teams: Dortmond, Leverkusen, Bochum, Köln etc which means that the academy teams play quality opposition every week. Most of the Germans national players come from this area for this reason.

After lunch Sam took us on the stadium tour follow by more training and then the game vs Frankfurt (where Jack was born) in the full 60k+ stadium with the roof on. I hate to say it but the atmosphere was even better than at Selhurst and the Nord Kurve were unbelievable. A great game with Schalke winning 2 0 with Leroy Sane the new starlet scoring the second right in front of us. This club is something else.  I serously recommend seeing a game here. The Nord Kurve (stand) has 25k just behind one goal and they continually jump up and down through the game.