Been a bit busy lately
so I haven't been around much but here are the most interesting events of my life in the last 6 months.
I've spent years assembling and training a particularly skilled set of soccer players including Lil Lookout. One particular family became a downright cancer during the spring of 09 but the club wouldn't allow me to remove them from the team so they stayed. The cancer grew and grew until in December I was removed as the coach for the team. The basic problem was that I just wouldn't let two boys rise to their "proper star status". The main piece of evidence was that Lil Lookout was the leading scorer for two years. Let's ignore that he also led in assists during that same time period. Silly me, I was trying to build a well balanced squad built on a one and two touch passing system preparing them for the increasingly competitive environment as they got older. Most of the families still wanted me to be the coach but they lacked the balls to stand up to their friends. They asked me to move the boys from the loyal families to another club but I told them I believed the boys should finish the season with the club they started.
Anyway, Lil Lookout and K who were the leaders in both goals and assists for more than two years, were effectively frozen out from the day I was removed as coach. The team quit passing and started playing through the two new stars who led the team to... exactly 1 goal and zero wins in 22 games.
So I decided I would just leave coaching permanently and enjoy being dad. K's dad said "where Lil Lookout goes, K goes". We left the team at the end of the season and went to some tryouts at other clubs. The parents who stayed behind actually laughed and told us the only reason LL and K were ever on the team was because I was coach. OOOOOK. They flat out said in front of the boys that they wouldn't make it on any other team without the rest of the team to carry them. OOOOOOK.
LL and K went to tryouts for 3 teams and were offered spots on each. Then I started getting phone calls from clubs they hadn't tried out for asking us to bring the boys to check things out.
The result? LL and K were recruited (didn't go begging to get on) and moved straight into the first team for the number one ranked team in the state. who has won so many tournaments they now are required to enter tournaments at least one age bracket above their own. Did I mention that it is also the number one ranked Club in the state? and in the top 10 in the nation? And is a part of the feeder for one of the big four in England?
yeah, I'm a proud papa. I've coached both those boys since they were 3 years old and now my work is done. Those boys have earned their way into something special.
This is just awesome beyond awesome. In your face, fuckwad parents!
Congrats, Lookout! Make sure LL starts getting used to British food now, so he's ready to live there someday. ;)
Ah, the difference between a coach and a mentor. You're few and far between. :thumb:
Hi there LO welcome back and congrats! :)
Amazing and inspiring! Great dadwork!
That's fantastic, lookout! I wish you were here to coach the boys team here.
Congrats, LO. I know you're pleased and you & the boys deserve to be! :thumb:
I remember that LilLookout was having a bit of a rough patch a while back -- how's he doing?
His roughpatch is likely going to be a lifelong struggle for him. On an emotional stability scale of 1-10 (10 being good) he spends most days as a 7.
How's the Version 2.0 doing? He's gotta be like 3 years old now, by my count... Has he got a pair of cleats yet? :)
Lookout, it's lookout lookin' in.
(I think I might have said that before.)
2.0 plays with the big boys and loves his cleats. He's got a hell of a kick and can dribble with both feet. He's begging to play indoor soccer but he just turned 3 and is not coachable yet. he's a leftfooted, righthanded kid so when he starts playing... beeee u tee full.
Congrats , Well done . Rock ON . Forget the Haters , They are Just Jealous
85% of them are, at least......
probably top management too
Congrats to all of you. Outstanding work. Hope you get to play the old team and whoop 'em good!
That would be fun but it is unlikely because the new team plays two divisions and an age group up from the old team. ;)
Congrats to you both, and thanks for the update.
I wonder, maybe it is good for LL to have been on a team that lost 22 straight. Character building sort of thing.
Probably. He was pretty bitter by the end of the season because he and K would literally bust their asses but not receive a single pass while they watched their teammates piss away good opportunities.
For the summer indoor season I put both of them with a different club that is pretty far down the quality scale so they could keep playing while at the same time helping out a club that is just trying to get off the ground and could use some quality players. I explained before they played the first game that although they are both ultra competitive they shouldn't plan on winning a single game all summer long so don't even worry about it. It was like lifting a giant weight from their shoulders. Even when getting beat 15-3 in a game where they are playing kids 3 and 4 years older than them, they're just smiling and having a ball playing a game they love.
They've reignited their love of the game and though they don't realize it yet, in the fall when they take the field with kids who are at least as good as they are if not better, they are going to appreciate it all the more.
OK, not looking to make another long ongoing soccer thread here, but LiL Lookout and K had such an amazing Sunday that I must share it.
They've both got spots with the number one team starting in July but they are just playing for fun with another small club that isn't honestly very good but they've got the right attitude and they will grow. It isn't the best place for the boys in the long run because they won't be pushed enough but for now it is good competitive play and it helps a small club attract some better players.
Lil Lookout and K are both 8. They are playing in two leagues. One is for 11 year olds and the other is for 12 year olds. On Sunday they played games for both divisions back to back.
The first game was against the 3rd ranked team for 12 year olds in the state. Lil Lookout played out of his ever loving skin. Every time he and K stepped on the field at the same time the other team just rocked back on their heels. Lil Lookout was actually laughing out loud while dribbling the ball and popping flicks and tricks at every opportunity. The score was tight but LL's team was really running them ragged in the first half. LL had two assists in the first half. In the second half he actually was literally laughing out loud as he popped a half assed rainbow over a kid who had quite clearly told him he was too small to be playing and he sucked. The kid got frustrated and cynically hacked LL down. He popped right back up and promptly drilled the free kick into the top right corner. A couple minutes later they started double teaming him until he chipped the ball over both defenders, ran around them to receive his own pass and smashed it in off the volley. His third goal in 10 minutes was a full field breakaway after he road out a rough challenge before completely faking the keeper to slide out in the wrong direction and he backheeled it into the goal for his hattrick. He finished the game with 3 goals and 2 assists to K and his team won 9-5. The parents from the other team started yelling at the refs and the facility director about the "ringers" brought in that were obviously not supposed to be in this league because the parents didn't recognize them from the regular season.(clearly pointing to Lil Lookout and K) The league director calmly responded, "ma'am, I assure you I personally checked the player passes and they are very much on the roster for this team. The reason you don't recognize these two players is that they are 4 years younger than your team so wouldn't ever meet them in open state league play." She turned 5 shades of red and stormed out.
The second game was even better. The kids were only two to three years older than Lil Lookout except for the goalie who was five years older. 4 of the kids are older brothers to players from the team that we just left. These 4 players told LL that he was reduced to playing for a shitty team now that his dad wasn't coaching any more. He shrugged and walked away. Then he proceeded to score another hattrick with two more assists with the game ending 5-5. Lil Lookout at one point stood in the center circle juggling the ball while one of the kids tried taking the ball with no success before he flicked the ball over his head for K to smash in off the volley. The crowning moment though was a run down the left side that I will be talking about for years. If I saw my favorite Arsenal player score that goal I'd still be amazed at the skill. To see my 8 year old boy do it...PRICELESS. He picked up the ball at midfield and saw noone to pass the ball to so he passed it off the wall around the defender and collected it himself before running into the next defender who he deftly skinned with a Cruyff turn and then he was on a breakaway to the goal with a defender on his inside matching him step for step. When he was about 5 feet from the goal the defender went for a tackle at which point LL spun in a 360 shielding the ball with a Maradona turn before nutmegging the keeper for the goal. It was frickin unbelievably beautiful. If I live to be a hundred I will still be talking about THAT goal. It was utterly unbelievable.
Lil Lookout has good days and bad days but when he steps foot on the field he manages to put it all aside and just enjoy life. He ran for 2 hours straight because the games were back to back. He scored 6 goals and 4 assists against ranked club teams that he was giving up anywhere from 2 to 5 years on. Most importantly he laughed and smiled the entire time. No one laughed louder than he did when he tried a step over only to see the defender steal it out from under him. The boy is enjoying his game.
[COLOR="White"]As an aside I got a little pat on the back from a gentleman who walked up to me and said he had heard what happened at the other club. He told me to forget all the negativity that I left behind because someday the former club, the parents, and the players would all realise they had pushed a top quality coach right out the door. He went on to ask where I played in my professional days. When I told him my playing experience we both had a good laugh. It was a nice boost from an unexpected source.[/COLOR]
That's great, you are justifiably proud.:thumb:
Question; what does this mean?
so he passed it off the wall around the defender
The have walls?
When my kids play winter soccer, they play inside, and there are walls. You can play off of the walls, like in hockey. There is no out of bounds unless the ball goes over the wall. I'm assuming it's something like that here.
Question; what does this mean?
The have walls?
Probably this:
Excellent LO123. I'm very happy for LL. What a great story. My kids were never that talented, but your posts about LL bring back some fond memories. thanks.
sorry, the BIL had his login saved on that laptop apparently.
In Phoenix we switch to indoor soccer in the summer because of the heat. It is basically 5 a side soccer on a turfed hockey rink. You can play off the walls up to 8 feet high. Because the ball rarely goes out of bounds the game is a lot faster and is good for building stamina and good ball control.