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Date: 2nd October 2026
The Spanish and fitba
Some months ago I wrote, from personal experience, an article in this journal on why the Spanish are so good at football.
On a Saturday night at Wembley we saw how perfect it became with practice.
At base level we have the willing co-operation of the press in the process of apprentice training Every newspaper which consists of the written word contains a detailed inculcation of thought and foot in deciding where to send the ball first.
Left? Right? Middle? Last week you saw the fruits of that training in the assuredness with which the players passed the ball to the best placed team mate. Thus a relentless forward motion of the ball is ensured. Thus they appear in the opposition’s final third. And thus that score more goals than the other team, following the ordinance of Rule Two – The winning team shall be the one which scores more goals.
From the above comes the essential mental attribute. Confidence. The writer has successfully coached teams on three Continents. Just behind me is the gold medal awarded to me by Saudi Aramco for winning the nationwide competition with my team of Apprentices, all over twenty one.
And the secret of gaining that confidence is finding out the real talents of each team member and releasing that. Two fast runners as wingers A goalie who can catch a ball thrown at random to him, on another occasion the school minibus had to layer believes he/she has no talent?
Put that person in the defence, tell him/her just to stay in front of the opposing winger and eventually that player will give you the ball. Then just hoof it out the park.
Once the coach has got the team’s confidence , he can do whatever he likes with them.
But never forget Rule Two – ‘The winning team shall be the team which score more goals. My schoolboy team in Dunblane scored six goals in each of there rounds in the Perthshire Cup before scoring seven in the final. On another occasion the team minibus had to pause at a roundabout to allow the thirteen coffins from the Tragedy to pass. A solemn reminder of a tragedy for humanity.
So to return to the England v Spain game, it should be an example to all teams, even at the humblest level, as to what can be achieved. Viva Espana !
Posted in: Fan's Blog, Latest News
Tags: Football, Scottish football, spain