Ripped the Netherlands and some German teams a new arsehole over at The Arnham Cup.

Won their group on day one, played 3 won 3.

This meant they were put in the A class group of six for day two.

Played 5 won 5. To win the tournament by 7 points.

Scored 23 conceded 1.

Not only did they win, they also played the best football on show.

Only one of the squad is currently at Pools.

The same as last year Darren.. Only one of the Lads got offered a scholarship at pools..

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=45306&p=529541&hilit=hartlepool+schools+fa#p529541

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/ ... erdam_Cup/

Dibble for coach!!!

Whoaahhh I was just a fan.

Just stood there and enjoyed it. left the coaching to the, errrrr, coaches.

Brilliant 5 days though.

ON another note:

This country wil never be able to compete at the highest level, unless we get facilities that can match what they have in Holland.

We get the Rec and Grayfields.......as do most other towns in this country.

They get purpose built facilities all over the country with dozens of full size pitches all enclosed, with some grass and some 3g.

Our lads won this, but as they dutch lads get older their facilities get better, we end up on crap pitches covered in dog shite.

Darren I said exactly the same last year. We played at Sporting Martinus ..this "non" league outfit on the outskirts of Amsterdam had a complex of two full sized 3G pitches and extended training area and two full sized pitches that you could use a putting greens,.. and as you say we have Brierton and the Rec..and they wonder why we don't play passing football..

Even the worst pitch was better than anything we have. And that was only bad in that the goal mouths neede re-seeding.

the 3g pitches were full size (Unlike our only one at Dyke House)and were immaculate.

It's called the welfare state; spending money on stuff for collective and cultural purposes. It won't catch on here; we're too busy complaining that we pay too much tax.

The Dutch don't pay much tax, the rates look high but tax avoidance is like a national hobby.

Sorry like Doctor, but thats just too simplistic.

It would make no difference whatsover if we all paid 90% tax.

No council in this country would say, lets build huge community football centres. They would spend most of the cash doing up council houses, making sure these people kept voting them back in.

There isnt the will anywhere in small town England, to make their own towns better places for all. No matter who much money you throw at them.

and it isnt just football. Hundreds of tennis courts all over Holland. And no snobbish culture keeping the kids away.

Its the difference between the UK and the rest of Europe we give children nothing else to do except get blaked and then complain like fook when they do! How many youth clubs / community centre's ("Community" now there's a concept) are in the town these days?

Not sure about the rest of Europe but Holland are significantly better at Football than we are, so their model is surely worth looking at?

And their red light district is far superior to ours.

According to the 14 lads in the squad, who spent quite a few hours there.

Dam square was nice.

Yep I am sure the 14 lads had to tell you all about it and you didnt even venture in for a "look"

I found it odd when I went to the red light district as not what I was expecting at all as there are families etc roaming about and everyone is happy as larry. I thought would be loads of sleazy types there and massive bouncers etc when in fact most people are pissed or stoned and having a laugh about.

Dibble for whore master!!!

"Quote I was just there as a fan"

It probably doesn't help that since the advent of the PL, most of the TV money stays with the top flight clubs. If that was shared around more, it could make a good difference to grass roots football.

Very true.

And if some of those PL footballers shared some of their wages with us we could afford to spend enough on whores to warrant a much better red light district too.

You'd only hack them to bits anyway!

That's the paradox innit.

You get all of these do-gooders saying that these "working girls" should be helped to get off the game, and when you take them out of the game completely they get even more upset.

Their model has won more or less the same as the English national team over the years, whats the point of the beautiful game if they all hate each other tits, which seems to be the case each World Cup?

Very true the last thing they won was the Euro's when Gullit etc where playing and they have never won the world cup. We should be looking at the German model in my opinion.

If the Dutch model is based on the kind of disgraceful display we saw in the 2010 WCF I think we're better off just being shite.

It's worth pointing out that Holland has a population of only 15-16 million so I'd say to get to three World Cup finals is pretty decent effort and suggests they are doing something right that we aren't.

Or maybe that apart from Darts they play no other sport.

We need to ban all other sports and close the Churches then.

I think we just need to ban a few of the daft posters on this forum.