Darwin shares his GFC theory
Tuesday 18th October 2011, 2:30PM BST.
JERSEY football won’t be following the Green Lions onto the UK pyramid anytime soon – if at all.
And given the comments by the head of the sister isle’s top league, who believes the Guernsey FC project is fraught with danger, it is notsomething for their long-term future either.
Responding to news that many of Guernsey’s top players were making themselves unavailable to their domestic clubs in deference to playing for the Green Lions, Tim Darwin, president of the Jersey Football Combination (pictured), said such a route was not for him or his clubs.
‘We are now seeing what I expected to see happen and that is Guernsey’s clubs being weaker because of Guernsey FC.
‘I’ve always been against Guernsey FC because I saw it weakening their league structure and that is what is happening now.’
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Who asked him anyways ?
Our league wasnt all that great before Guernsey fc. FACT !!
The real reason you wont enter the league is because the Crapauds are too scared to lose more then the 1 game a year against us.
At least our GUERNSEY team is full of GUERNSEY players, they would be lucky to field 3 Jersey Home Growns in any team !!!
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Guernsey league was grim and is even worse now! shows when you lose the first round of the systems cup when jersey win 8-0!
ps the team that played in the 8-0 win and the muratti win were near enough all from jersey, FACT!!
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Yes, of course Guernsey clubs are weaker because of Guernsey FC
What is more important though, is that the island representative side put out last weekend was virtually a second / third choice team, because the better players were busy playing club football
What will happen come Muratti time?
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The truth is they are dead jealous! GO LIONS!
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I can’t read the entire article as I haven’t subscribed to the GP online but, based on what I have read in the first few paras, Mr Darwin appears to be stating the obvious, picking on a sensitive subject that was always going to be difficult for everyone in Guernsey football, and in doing so probably trying to pick up a few brownie points with his local members. Frankly, his views are just not important.
Jersey have some good players – you can’t deny that. The influence of outsiders (despite the fact that they have a virtually all local side these days, those local boys are influenced by the scousers and jocks who come into Jersey and play/coach. This all means that their league, with no GFC equivalent to take players away, is obviously going to be stronger.
GFC is developing Guernsey football as a whole, of that I have no doubt. Senior club football might take a couple of years to adjust but the overall impact is so much more positive than that, and if Jersey want to progress beyond where they are now, its their only option because the UEFA/FIFA route just will not happen.
So we lose a few games in CI club football but in return, 30+ local lads play regular football against UK opposition, hundreds of fans come back to football from other sports/the pub/their armchairs, hundreds more local youngsters will come through the local GFA clubs and be motivated to stay with the game when other sports/beer/women come knocking and our little island gets national exposure and a new army of supporters who make GFC their second club.
Lots of pros, a couple of cons, but not exactly fraught with danger Mr Darwin.
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notsostoopid, you sound like the fan who only attends football for murattis ect. all people involved in football are allowed there opinions, and your comments are STOOPID.i hope gsy fc go from strength to strength, but a lot more could and should have been done to ensure football in gsy survived, and im afraid that very little was done. the gentleman in jersey deserves credit for his concern for football in his island
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Laurie
Your right, Grass roots local football is sadly an after thought now. It won’t stop my intention as a coach to develop players the best we can.
After having ‘Grass Roots Football’ drummed into us coaches when taking courses etc, we now seem to be cut adrift.
Jersey are protecting the leagues and future, simple really.
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BLUE. all strength to you in your coaching, but any advice i would give is, well done for any badges you may have, but they are not the be all to becoming a good coach, you must use your own judgement and adapt to suit the players you are involved with. dont be or become a F.A.robot, like some who have all the badges and no football brain
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Blue – you may think that Jersey are protecting their leagues, but has anyone asked the Jersey players what they want? I can tell you one thing, Mr Darwin hasn’t, but I have. Do you think the very successful St Paul’s side have improved for beating everyone in sight the last few years over there? Even I would admit that until the last two or three years, they’ve had better players in the Muratti who haven’t gone on to achieve anything because there’s nothing left for them – having done it all by 23/24 and then having nowhere to go isn’t helping them.
Great write up in the GP today on Sylvans – they are just getting on with it and numbers up there are increasing which appears to be partly down to the hard work of the coaches and administrators but I’m sure the junior ranks will have been swelled by kids who now see Dom Heaume, Sam Cochrane and Ross Allen as heroes.
Its clear I’m pro GFC and you/Laurie (who by the way I know well, was someone I was in awe of as a kid and who I respect massively for his knowledge and views on the game today – despite the fact we have different views on this one!) and a number of others who feel the clubs are being fogotten are certainly not happy about the way things have gone. I just think its glass is half full mentality to think your clubs won’t benefit long term just because they are not successful or as strong as they were last year. If Saints (my club and always will be) lose their best 8 players this year and others have to come in and prove their worth which may mean they finish mid table and lower than clubs like Rovers and Sylvans, the club will just adapt, improve the players it has and give some a chance who might previously not have played. The trophy cabinet could stay closed for a couple of years but the club can still be successful and remain a great club to be involved in. There’s a bigger picture here, but there will always be those in Guernsey football who feel they’ve been marginalised, not involved in things etc and will let their egos seek to devalue what is an amazing opportunity for this generation and many to come – not pointing figures Blue, Laurie, but you know these people are out there.
You can’t please everyone but leaders with courage, vision and most importantly, Guernsey’s best interests at heart, will take all the criticism and carry on regardless because they have belief in what they are doing and the conviction to do it.
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Cheers Laurie
I certainly don’t regard myself as an FA robot. The big thing for me is for my players to play with a smile on their face. Doing the level 1 was useful but by no means the be all and end all. I still use some drills that i was doing as a player 20 years ago.
An FA badge looks good on your coahing cv but if you can’t connect with your players it counts for nowt. The buzz comes from creating a team and developing it over a season.
We need to protect our leagues. What happens to those players who aren’t deemed good enough for GFC? Are they expected to be pigeon-holed in our ‘inferior’ leagues?
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Kevin, thank you for those kind words. i am not against gsy fc, but i fear for the rest of football in gsy.i really do hope i am proved wrong,i have never critisized gsy fc or the people invovled, but yes kevin i know the people you mean
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Laurie – no probs and as I hope I conveyed on that message, you are clearly not one of those people!
Blue – sounds like you’ve got a good, balanced view on what is needed to be effective as a coach and a manager.
In answer to your question about those who are deemed not good enough for GFC, the answer is they play for their clubs in the same league as they did before if not a better one (ie Jackson player given chance at Priaulx level) and they do their very best to make themselves and their team a better, helped by coaches like yourself.
Yes – the standard is lower because the top players have gone from the league but if players use GFC as an excuse to sit on their backsides, they were never worth much in terms of their character at least anyway. “Inferior” is probably factually true but its such a negative way to look at it. What I can guarantee is that GFC players and management don’t see it as inferior – in fact, GFC has meant the Priaulx league has taken on more importance than it has in many a recent year but for different reasons.
Bit of a faux pas after a long day yesterday – glass is half empty came was typed as glass is half full due to brain fry on my part, but you know what I was trying to say. Why not look at the opportunity ahead – I could not possibly be convinced by anyone (even Laurie the ex-island coach) that the overall impact of GFC on Guernsey football is anything but positive. The people in the limelight value those who perhaps have lost some of the spot light even more than they did before but because those people feel marginalised, they generally see the negative. I guess I understand that to a point but I’ll finish on this for fear of boring you all – would a 19 year old Ross Allen in 2011 with GFC, regular UK opposition and most importantly, have more of a chance of making the pro game than the same 19 year old 10 years back when all he had to look forward to if he stayed on island was Priaulx football and a Muratti once a year as something to aspire to?
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Believe me when I tell you that Guernsey F C will destroy football in Guernsey due to the egos of some of the people involved.
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kevin.what worries me is that of all the interest show in gsy fc either for or against gsy fc. i have asked before. what are the future hoped plans, and are they at all interested in local football.your point on ross allen or others. you and i know that any pro club would probably not look at a 19yr old, they would need to be 14/16yrs old,that why i have always advocated a youth team in a u.k. league, then that would improve local football, some might interest pro clubs, but if not become better players for gsy. but we have another topic, excluding gsy fc from murattis,look forward to your replies
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The Priaulx v GFC debate has all the hallmarks of the 11 plus debate.
Players not selected for GFC should not view themselves as failures, but given an opportunity to shine at club level.
Yeah right… the same way the LMDC students shone at GCSE Maths and English this year!!
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I think the principle of what you propose there Laurie is good and I see where you are coming from.
19 year olds can make it these days, you just have to look at Vincenti and Guthrie – ok, not established but both playing football league when in my opinion they are no better technically than some of our boys. The reason I said 19 was because that’s the age I think GFC could blood players in non league football with the potential for them to be picked up by a top non league side or lower level football league side – kids struggle in the non league game but 17/18 year olds who are good enough and have developed physically could flourish.
Regarding GFC interest in local football, the answer is yes absolutely – they want to be the reason GFC minis sections are inundated with kids wanting to be the next Le Tissier, Tardif or Allen. I think its unfair to even suggest that the people involvd are not interested in the local game.
Re – yesterday’s paper headlines, yeah, where do you start on that one!!
This is all going to get nasty, and Guernsey football will suffer short term. GFC will get the blame, but its the reactions of those not involved in GFC who’s egoes are bruised that will cause it. Its sad, but maybe it was inevitable.
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kevin,i whasnt saying that gsy fc were not interested in local football, i was asking a question as to their future plans,we never get a reply on the good or bad comments on this forum, a bit to secretive for me, be open so we all are aware of the future plans of gsy fc, i am not aware of any cooperation between the two bodies, but if there was it would help to know
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Got ya Laurie – fair request. Being transparant and generally forthcoming with the info/plans is always appreciated.
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