Earlier today, Liam Brady spoke to Talksport goons Keys and Gray. It was a very interesting listen (except when Keys and Gray were speaking), and the Irishman spoke about how bringing young players through the systm to the first team was part of Arsenal’s DNA.
He was pressed by goon 1 (I think), about what it is that makes an ‘Arsenal player’ when he’s scouting and looking at young players, but said it wasn’t quite that specific.
“You can’t really define it,” he said. “You’re looking for good players, simple as that. You don’t go looking for a keeper and say this is not an Arsenal keeper. That goes right through the positions.
“Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger, play in a very technical way. We’re looking for players who can play from the back, for example. I don’t look at a player and ask ‘Can he fit into the way Arsenal play?’
“I’m looking for football intelligence, physical capabilities, drive, determination and skill. If you get all that you’ve got yourself a player.”
Goon 2 then asked if there were things about players they could improve (there is this thing called ‘coaching’) and Brady was quick to point out what they could and couldn’t do.
“You can improve technical ability, you can improve them physically. Clubs are investing a lot of money and staff in doing that. One thing I can’t give a player is intelligence and you can’t give them determination and courage, to handle the rigours of playing in front of 60,000.
“Psychology – I think it’s something that’s come into the game, I’m skeptical or whether it can really improve a player. I don’t think you can really give a player that determination if he doesn’t have it.”
The club recently announced that Chippy would be leaving his position as Head of Youth Development some time before May 2014, and Brady said he hoped Arsenal would have another role for him.
Let’s hope so.
interesting stuff on the psychology. i firmly believe you can train people to behave in a way they didn’t know themselves they were capable of, and there’s endless rafts of data supporting that. most of it really gnarly stuff about being prepared to electrocute prisoners and stuff – the Milgram experiment if you’re interested – but if we could train say Andre Santos to wander over to the Stoke bench and cattle-prod Tony Pulis then I think we’d all have to agree that science 1 – 0 chippy, living god that he is.
As you say, you can train certain things but does that come at the expense of losing existing qualities?
psychological problem? for arsenal? naah!
arsenal are just mentally fragile and ummmmmmm…
got the coat…(slams the door behind)
Brady said he hoped Arsenal would have another role for him.
Replace hillwood as chairman?
Replace hillwood? Are you insane. PHW is an Arsenal legend
So is brady..Anyway i don’t how long he will be able to continue with health issues and everything.
Bitch please!!
you mean leg end
“Thanks for your interest in our affairs”. An arsenal legend who doesn’t know that fans exists.
I worry that Brady has too much class to phone his exclusives through to the Daily Star, he seems more of a Racing Post man. On the other hand, there he was talking to Keys and Grey on their tawdry radio show. So perhaps he’d be the ideal candidate?
He’s certainly got a sweeter left foot than Hill Wood.
The Hill-Woods have been involved with Arsenal since the 1920’s.
PHW may be an old duffer, but he’s a thoroughly Arsenal old duffer.
so is liam brady
or replace Gazidis as ………….??????? What does he do again??
Arsenal’s chief executive.
You could try a little Google.
inb4omgiwasjustjoking
i was just joking
He should definitely be given an ambassadorial role at the club at least.
He’s a legend, and not just for Arsenal.
I agree or our chief scout.
“Talksport goons”
Can’t believe you used “goons” rather than “ex-Sky misogynists” there….
Anyone who says that psychology can not help a player is, quite simply, completely wrong. I am amazed that so many top-level managers still haven’t understood this.
I agree that pshychology is an important part of modern sport. I’m not sure if Brady is saying it is a complete waste of time (maybe I’m just giving him the benefit of the doubt), just that some of the most vital and fundamental psychological qualities can’t be trained. Just look at Jose Reyes, very talented player, but he just wasn’t up for it. At the other end of the scale regardless of what you think of him and his band of mugsmashers I’d argue that someone like Steven Gerrard has made a career out of a competetive spirit that… Read more »
I think as far as the current Arsenal side goes, if the manager has no genuine desire to win anything other than a top four place, then it’s virtually impossible to get instill a ‘winning’ mentality into his players.
Of course Wenger says at the the start of the season that he wants to win everything, but even the players must doubt they have enough quality, let alone belief to seriously challenge for a league title.
If you really think AW is happy with 4th then you are a terrible judge of character.
AW IS happy with 4th place for God’s sake. He said himself that it’s ‘just like a trophy’. Just as inane as when he heralds the return to the squad of perennial sicknotes like Diaby and Rosiscky as ‘just like new signings’.
Trouble is that this season 4th place won’t happen becasue we are so bloody inconsistent and can’t perform for more than 45 minutes- so it’s a case of hoping we can do it via a knock out contest.
The FA Cup? Maybe.
Championship winners? Don’t make me laugh!
Arsene is of course pleased with fourth place but he would obviously be more pleased to win something.
He meant its like a trophy for the money and continued profile it brings to the club, far more than winning the league cup. Admittedly he worded and timed it badly but its tiresome using the same old thing to hammer him with. Give it a rest, its his second/third/fourth/fifth language.
I’m confident we can take fourth and if the circus that is Chelski continue to flop, maybe further?
*Touches wood
*Pulls trousers back up
Agree Johnny Jensen’s Bender. Its bad enough that the press twisted the context of what he said to their ‘4th place trophy’ headline without Gooners swallowing it and jumping on the bandwagon as well. I am sure every season the manager and squad think they have a chanceto win the league. Problem is you have the likes of manure believe they can and are are confident they will. I think we are only a couple of quality signings and a bit of luck with injuries away from challenging again
No matter what the article is about, there is always some twat that wants to use it to moan about Wenger.
Give it a fucking rest.
You give it a f**king rest mate. I’m entitled to my opinion without having to be abused by the likes of you and everyone else from the Arsenal Press office.
The lack of winning things is down to lack of determination/winning mentality (which Brady was talking about), and why shouldn’t I equate that with the current team/manager?
Nice one triple double!
DB10: your right( probably for the first time ever, about anything, ever!) we will definitely not win the championship! also if we do make the top 4 this year( we won’t right? ) can you please promise to fuck off to le grave forever and wallow in your childish, repetitive misery with all the other similarly brain dead cunts without a thought of their own?
All this agruing dammit. It’s all Ramsey’s fault. #RamseyOut
Arseblog?
More like AKBsblog
How did this story go from an insightful look into the way the legend that is Brady7 scouts and nurtures our youngens to a full blown Wenger bashing sesh?
Agreed Double.
I think some people just need a good moan, fair enough, but please save it for when/if he deserves it.
GiveMeWhatWenger’sSmoking – whilst I wholeheartedly disagree with your comments and think they’re disproportionate and short-sighted, i for one would like to thank you for protecting me from the moral repugnance of profanity by using two *s in the word “fucking”.
You only need to look at the difference between someone like Wilshere, and a player like Nasri to see how important mentality is in top level sport. Often hear people calling for M’Vila, but he’s clearly a player very much in the Nasri mould. Ability is less than half the ingredients needed I recon.
Of course determination and courage can be trained. Or lets at least say they can be intensively worked on and improved.
The opinion that it cant may very well be the reason why we see “lack of belief” “lack of sharpness” “too much respect” etc.
To get the best of out of your players is part of the job. And psychology plays big part for sure.
Well, if you think it can be trained feel free and go ahead to train e.g. adebayor some determination to play instead of warming the bench for high-enough figure. Of course you can improve things sometimes, but for how many players and how much is very debatable.
I agree with you. It is very hard and it will never get to the point when you transfer player into 100% motivated fighting beast who plays to 100% potential every game. But it just seems to me that we hear a lot about “mental illnes” “mental problem” “this group can perform much better than they do” “these players are top top quality and well balanced, but..” and we never really hear “We have top professionals working on our mental problems and assesing every players needs, issues and motivation”. Now im not saying that they need to go public with… Read more »
Not related to story in any way but have anyone seen Arsenal new web site. Looks like the same shit every other team got.
Not liking the new design personally. “Mobile friendly” just seems to be an excuse to put out an overly simplified design with massive text and lots of pictures… a bit like a children’s book!
People are complaining about everything these days. The new website is the most unique football website I’ve ever seen (unlike Everton/Chelsea and Sp*rs/Man Utd cheating the designs of each other).
It’s also navigable, has good typography, lots of white space, and is less overcrowded.
Heh, fair enough each to his own. I’ve got to go back to my cave now anyway, the missus just paged me to say that she got that new game for my atari that I wanted and that she recorded some tv shows on the betamax that I need to watch.
@dreamiest. Perhaps you’re right but I still think the old site was more unique and I think it won best sport web site price couple of times. Mayby it was time to change it though, it’s been similar for few years now. But what the hell you’re doing in sp*rs and manure sites anyway 😉
Correction: Goon 1 should read as Gimp 1
Of course you can train people to behave differently, as everyone suggests.
But I don´t think that´s what he was talking about. You could train Nasri to become a little bit less of a coward cunt, but no psychologist could train him into a Wilshere or a Viera.
We could definitely do with some mental training, it would probably improve us, but don´t expect Gervinho to turn into Bergkamp because of a little training.
You either have it or you don´t (most people don´t), good thing he is looking for players who do.
Or even a Ramsey
Nasri has a spine. I specifically remember him getting into a row with some Hull players (Stephen Hunt and Nick Barmby, if I remember correctly).
Trouble was, he got a whiff of the money and decided that Arsenal wasn’t the place for him. Hence the fucking off after half a season.
Like many before him, I think he screwed up his career by doing do.
Does history record how worried Hunt and Barmby were at being threatened by a chinless lesbian?
I eat all bran which gives me the winning mentality
On a separate note, looking at the goals of the month for January, we scored some very good goals! I know the results haven’t been the best, but at least the goals have been great.
Literally mid sentence before Pod’s cracker against them Irons I was saying to a fellow Gooner “remember how we used to have at least 2 goals in every single goal of the month competi…”
Cue thunderbolt and warm feeling inside.
I hope like hell we’re using better metrics than liking the cut of some lad’s jib.
Liamo will be our next manager. AW’s contract expires at the end of 2014 season. Liamo comes out and says he will be finishing his current role at the end of 2014 season. Liamo is an Arsenal legend, has previous managerial experience, knows European football and importantly knows the young players very well (including the new ‘core’, i.e. the 5 British boys). Liamo will not cost the club a shit load of money. Liamo will bring Eamon Dunphy and Johnny Giles in as his backroom team. Good days ahead!
good idea
Give a player determination and he can play for a game. Give a player the means to make his own determination and he can catch fish for a lifetime, or something like that…
[…] Read More Here: Brady: you can’t give a player determination […]
Brady. Chance. Goal.
Gervinho. Chance. Dilly dally. More dilly dally. And more….and more….and more……till meh!
Total aside, but that was a fantastic away kit. anyone know which season its from?
Do you mean the away kit Brady is wearing on the pic? That is the ’79 FA Cup Final, aka the 5 Minute Final. Surprised a Gooner would not know it. You can get a replica at Toffs, no Umbro logo though.
Why can’t the people over at Nike produce a simple yellow shirt like that ’79?
Thanks, just a few years before my time but might have to pick one up!
My first ever real Arsenal kit, Xmas ’79.
😀
Fuck that
Anyome remember years ago when Paul McKenna used to work with Chris Eubank before fights to get his midset right?? Psychology can be used to overcome mental blocks and fears in sportsmen!
Well, I’m sure psychology does some good. Look at AC milan. They may not be the best team but there’s a spirit there you won’t find in many other places. I can’t put my finger on it, but its there
Fuckwits. If your neighbour takes a loan to install a pool, do you do the same? If he remortgaged his house to send his kids traveling would you do the same? More, more, more, gimme, gimme gimme. We could spend huge, actually, every single penny we have and there would still be three teams who could either offer our players more or buy ‘better’ players and have a chance of finishing above us. So……back to square one. That is the reason I’d be content with fourth and nothing less. So far, I haven’t been overly excited and never disappointed. It… Read more »
Interesting storyline on grit and determination. I sense Arsene has belatedly realised the importance of a hard core (similar to the “English” one he inherited), and has been trying to rebuild it with a new “British” core, after a number of years of trying brilliant but mercenary (and therefore shallow) talent in the side. I sense we are starting to get somewhere with it, but it is taking a long time, and fans screaming for big money signings don’t really get it.