Special or Unique ?

What makes a person special?

I suppose we are all special to those who love us, as are those we love. But as individuals what makes us special? Does anything make us special?

Jose Mourinho was the so called "special one" because of his man management skills at Chelsea and other Clubs. But man management is a skill that Martin O'Neill has, Alex Ferguson, Rafa Benitez, and King Kenny. So that skill isn't special, it is unique. They all have their own way of man management, field management, time management and practice management. These are their unique traits. So what makes them special.

This article from Scotland gives an example of "special"

HE’S best known as King Kenny … but this week a TV documentary will reveal Kind Kenny.
It will show how Kenny Dalglish’s charity work stretches to the Outer Hebrides.
Gaelic channel BBC Alba’s King Kenny – Sgeulachd Dalglish (Dalglish’s Story) on Wednesday night looks back at the life of the former Celtic, Liverpool and Scotland striker.
But it also highlights his charity work with his wife Marina in the Western Isles.
In January, Dalglish, 60, became manager of his beloved Liverpool for the second time.
Having recovered from breast cancer, Marina devotes her time to fundraising. She and Kenny have been helping the Bethesda Hospice in Stornoway since 2004.
Manager Carol Somerville said: “You only have to mention his name and people light up.
“When there is a patient well enough, we ask if they want to meet him – and they do.
“Even just having a photo taken – memories are so important for the families and this is another for them.
“But he doesn’t think of himself as a celebrity. When you mention the word, he turns round and says, ‘Who?’”
The programme also hears how Kenny has continued to comfort relatives of the Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, during his first term as manager.

Alex Ferguson is no different;

Fergie praised for charity work

MARTIN WILLIAMS

SIR Alex Ferguson was acclaimed by a charity yesterday for helping them to start building a new drop-in centre in his beloved Govan.
The Preshal Trust, founded by reformed alcoholic May Nicholson, has managed to raise £400,000 of the £500,000 it needs to knock down its present centre to provide a new complex purpose built to support disadvantaged adults in Govan.
Ms Nicholson said that without the Manchester United manager’s strong support they would not have managed to raise the amount of money they have.
Ms Nicholson said: “Sir Alex is a humble man. He does more for us than what he will say. He’s the patron and we are trying to build a new building here. But I can tell you that without his help and support, the things he does behind the scenes that he won’t talk about, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
The Manchester United manager paid tribute to Ms Nicholson’s fortitude as he paid an informal visit to meet dozens of the users of the centre and members of the trust.
He revealed he got involved after Ms Nicholson wrote to him several years ago with a desperate plea for support.
“She was at the bottom of her life, absolutely,” he told The Herald.
“But some people find determination whether through friends or through Christianity, through community they find a way out and survive.
“By surviving she has given herself a purpose.”

Not only are they unique in the world of football, they also, through their profile, and influence, do something more for the world. Be it breast cancer, muscular dystrophy, MS, the Preshal Trust, they are trying to do something that leaves a better world, not just a better soccer world.

So why do I bring this up?

The other day a saw a young man who was afflicted with, I suspect, cerebral palsy. He was with his mother. I know this because in his somewhat difficult speech manner he called her mom. He was adopted. Why, because he and his mother came from clearly different racial backgrounds. I don't know much about the young man, but I know his mother is "special", because she chose this young man to be her son, notwithstanding all of his physical infirmities and communication challenges. He is her son. She has chosen to make this persons life better and hopefully leave a better world behind for him and us.

I reflected on this over the last several days and determined that I need to give something back in addition to coaching. We are all unique and potentially valuable assets to our players and to our Clubs, but what about other activities. These choices are personal, is it the Special Olympics, where a number of developmentally delayed athletes play soccer, is it working with disadvantaged youth who have never been exposed to soccer, or some other group or cause that needs the support and effort of coaches, players and fans like ourselves. We can leave better players, squads and Clubs. That makes us unique from the world around us, we need to find the means to be "special" like that mother, and those who are leaving a better world for those who need a hand up.

You Never Walk Alone

Hal White

Life is life....

This summer my squad suffered two unusual injuries. The most unusual was a fall off of a trampoline resulting in a broken wrist. The second one was when I got elbowed by one of my keepers during training resulting in three broken ribs. Now this winter season the same keeper played out and caught a cleat and sprained her ankle, one of our forwards jumped from a treehouse window and sprained her ankle, and lastly, another forward overstrained her thigh while on a 20 Km run. All of this is to say injury threats are everywhere lurking behind the next curb, or step or treehouse. All the players can do is seek to avoid obvious risk taking activity (like jumping from a tree house or using a trampoline), and we as coaches can attempt to limit risk to injury by incorporating appropriate fitness training and warm up routines. The best warm up and fitness routine out there is the FIFA 11+. I have attempted to incorporate in our team sessions in the summer, but, in retrospect, not enough time was dedicated to it. In the limited winter season it is becoming more difficult to dedicate sufficient time to the warm up process. That being said, a number of the stretches can be done by the player on her own. This is important to remember. The player has a personal responsibility to protect and maintain their fitness levels, we as coaches are responsible to educate, motivate and remind the players as to why they must stretch and strengthen.

This is the FIFA 11+ link, with descriptive videos. You should try them yourselves, remember strength and flexibility is earned, not gifted.


http://f-marc.com/11plus/exercises/


And remember, sometimes life just takes over, and you'll get injured anyway. Get well soon Rory!!




Cambridge United's Rory McAuley injured at birthday party

McAuley has played 15 Blue Square Bet Premier games this term

Cambridge United defender Rory McAuley could face surgery after injuring his knee at his nephew's birthday party.

McAuley, 22, has suspected cartilage damage after falling while playing with the three-year-old on Sunday.

"It is a freak accident. It is too swollen to be assessed properly at the moment," manager Jez George told.

"He will be seeing the specialist again on Monday and has no chance for Darlington on Saturday."

The versatile defender endured a similar setback ahead of the 2010-11 campaign, when he spent six weeks on the sidelines following surgery on the same knee.

McAuley can consider himself unlucky with injuries, after missing the start of the current campaign when he punctured his calf on a nail during training.

George can turn to Michael Wylde for defensive cover, although the former Tamworth man has been playing with a groin problem and requires surgery of his own.

Hal White and progeny

It's OK to be proud once and a while. These two (Man U and Chelsea fans) faced off against each other in a league game here recently. I had to mind my language, and support both. A father of goalkeepers keeps dentists and physios on business!!!

Hal White and Progeny!!

Manchester United (left)_________________Chelsea FC (right) 

Girls, remember

YNWA!!

Hal White

Golden Goal - New Training Method (Electroshock football/soccer with Eng...

Insanity; Soccer, training and poor results

What in God's name happened today. Fulham 1 Liverpool 0. Not right. No way no how. Full marks to Fulham, they pulled off a good win at home. Liverpool, well they didn't get their seventh win away from home. BUT, they are losing games they should win, or be more competitive, and worse, tying teams that should be beaten (Sorry Swansea and Norwich, I like you but....).

So why insanity?  This drives me crazy that's why, and although I am not playing for or coaching Liverpool, I expect better. Why? Because I am crazy? Yes, in part, but actually because I keep expecting the team to improve much more than they have to date. They have the coaching staff, the manager, the proper ownership and the players necessary to be in the top four.

Einstein defined insanity this way,


Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.


For me it is expecting this from my team, makes me insane, I have to live in hope that the same things are not being done and the team will make it past Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal. They must have a plan.

But what about closer to home? What about the squad I coach? What is going on there? How are they training?

I have a passion for small sided game training (SSG's). I try to use them whenever I can to reinforce passing and movement techniques, as well fitness. Over the last several years I have achieved some successes both with teams and individual players, resulting in some minor silverware and some players being elevated to a higher level of competition. Pretty good.

This season, using the same formula that has worked in the past, in conjunction with some very able technical training provided by the Club, my teams and players are not getting the results, and not as many players are improving.

Is it me?

I think it is ( at least in part). The training has worked in the past, and worked well, but it is not working now, or at least as well as it did before. Why is that? Am I too complacent in my techniques and abilities, am I not keeping up to speed with my knowledge and training? This is very hard to answer honestly, but as a coach I have to look long and hard at what I am doing and how I deliver it. If it isn't working, I either have to find a way to make it work, or start from scratch.

As a person, we can become too comfortable with what has worked in the past, with a belief that it will always work. We always like to be comfortable, but we as coaches need to challenge ourselves as well. If we challenge ourselves by learning new sessions, or drills or SSG's we will be able to challenge our players on the training ground. We cannot allow ourselves to believe that just because it worked once, that it will always work. Sometimes we have to tinker with success, to make it more successful.

Is it the team?

Here is the tougher question. I do not like to blame players for their failures. My instincts are to look at myself and determine where I have failed them (nice old Catholic stuff there!!). But that is too pat, too simple. Players have to take responsibility for their actions and also be responsible for the consequences of their actions. 

Why is this? 

Let's be sensible and remember that there are only so many things that can be coached, and several drills can have multiple technical and tactical components. I have one favourite drill that I can use for dribbling, passing, turns, feints and defending, depending upon how I tweak it and run it. So with all the thousands of drills and technical sessions and SSG's, they all really work towards similar objectives. At some point the players must find the ways to maximize the results to be derived from a drill. The coaches provide direction, suggestions for improvement, and insert variations to maximize the benefits of the technique sought to be improved. But the player is the one who must work to get the most out of every drill they are participating in. Even Adams, Kuyt, Henderson, Gerrard, Maxi, Reina and others do the very basic drills at the maximum limit so they can be better the next time they play. If not they don't improve, and Fulham will beat them 3-0. 

I said to my team tonight at the start of training, "If you like losing, keep doing what you are doing. Don't work any harder, don't pay attention, don't push your team mates, talk when you should be listening, watch the boys training on the other pitch, don't push yourself to the point of exhaustion, and you will continue to be right where you belong. Losing."

This is the madness, the players need to change themselves, push themselves and challenge themselves if they expect to improve and beat their opponents. If they expect to it by just being the way they are, they are insane. 

Ultimately it is the player who is responsible for the success of their individual improvement. They need to squeeze every last bit of benefit from their training and push themselves to the limit at training every single time. If they don't, they are responsible for the consequences of their inactions.

YNWA

Hal White