Fatigue…at 16!!

[Rocky]

West Ham's Reece Oxford has been left out of England's Under-17 World Cup squad because of concerns over fatigue. He made his Premier League debut against Arsenal on 9th August. He played 79 minutes in that game, was substituted at half-time against Leicester the following week and came on for the final eight minutes against Liverpool on 29 August, his most recent first-team match. Goodness knows how much rest the poor lad will need when he reaches his 20’s.

A pitiful sign of the times…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34436519

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Rocky wrote:

West Ham's Reece Oxford has been left out of England's Under-17 World Cup squad because of concerns over fatigue. He made his Premier League debut against Arsenal on 9th August. He played 79 minutes in that game, was substituted at half-time against Leicester the following week and came on for the final eight minutes against Liverpool on 29 August, his most recent first-team match. Goodness knows how much rest the poor lad will need when he reaches his 20’s. A pitiful sign of the times… http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34436519

I read somewhere else that he was left out of the Under 17 squad as he'll be picked for the Under 21's. That makes more sense.

[littlewiggy]

Raheem Sterling was left out of an England senior game because the poor lamb was too shattered, according to the Owl.

Must be tiring stuff, being 19, playing with your X-Box in between making kids and driving around in Range Rovers.

Those shirkers that used to work down the mines should hang their heads in shame, if they're still alive.

They never knew how good they had it.

[derby1884]

littlewiggy wrote:

Must be tiring stuff, being 19, playing with your X-Box in between making kids and driving around in Range Rovers.

It's the mental stress.

When you have anything between £100,000 and £1,000,000 paid, month after monotonous month,into one of several offshore accounts you hold in far-flung places such as the Cayman Islands, Belize and Knightsbridge, then you start to wonder, firstly, if it's safe, secondly, if you can really trust your accountants and, finally, whether all those birds in the nightclub who hang on your every word would do so if you didn't have the offshore accounts.
Cos. let's face it, with just one O-level in woodwork (and that only after two failed attempts) it's unlikely to be your conversation they're after.

So restless nights turn into sleepless nights - and the stress only increases when you hear that loan move to AC Milan being mooted as a way of "focusing" you on your game.

And you don't want to go there. Cos you don't like the food in Spain...
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[seand]

derby1884 wrote:

littlewiggy wrote: Must be tiring stuff, being 19, playing with your X-Box in between making kids and driving around in Range Rovers. It's the mental stress. When you have anything between £100,000 and £1,000,000 paid, month after monotonous month,into one of several offshore accounts you hold in far-flung places such as the Cayman Islands, Belize and Knightsbridge, then you start to wonder, firstly, if it's safe, secondly, if you can really trust your accountants and, finally, whether all those birds in the nightclub who hang on your every word would do so if you didn't have the offshore accounts. Cos. let's face it, with just one O-level in woodwork (and that only after two failed attempts) it's unlikely to be your conversation they're after. So restless nights turn into sleepless nights - and the stress only increases when you hear that loan move to AC Milan being mooted as a way of "focusing" you on your game. And you don't want to go there. Cos you don't like the food in Spain...

Sometimes I think we need a 'like' button on this website

My young fella played a soccer match on Saturday morning, a Gaelic football match on Saturday afternoon, soccer training Sunday morning, swimming Sunday afternoon. And he's six. He's up the chimney now and down t'mine this afternoon, won't do him any harm!

[Fishy]

I agree with seand - a like button would be great!
Some cracking comments above

[sharrowblade]

Its important to keep things in a little perspective.

The kid is 16, he's not yet in the bracket of 'overpaid tosser'.

Fatigue comes in more forms than physical.

The crucial factor is the mental fatigue. training three times a week at least, 2 or 3 games a week which you are expected to perform in. Play matches against older lads which is a challenge, balance his education, be rigid in his discipline, he won't be able to do what his mates do on a friday and saturday night. Agressive, warrior like on the pitch, perfect model of respectability, off it. Get an injury, worry if you come back and be the same, 2 or 3 poor games, again the doubts creep in.

Competition is fierce, triallists constantly come and go, the club are constantly looking to better what they've got, the older they get the wider the net, fly a kid in from europe no problem, somebody has to make way, 'Is it going to be me?'. Just keep your head down son and hope that the opinion of somebody whose deemed to be an expert comes down on your side. Nobody's your mate, everyone's expendable. It's a harsh enviroment.

When the decisions are being made about the futures of these lads at 16, whether they are released or offered a pro-contract, its easy to forget that some of these lads have possibly been there 7 years, almost all their childhood. That's a lot of time to be in a 'pressure pot' situation.

Then there's the expectation factor, every academy has a 'golden boy'. The one earmarked for progress, the kid whose name is whispered in the Academy corridors of power, even if he is only 10 years old. That can be a lot of weight on little shoulders, especially when the parents start negotiating with the big boys over six figure sums.

That expectation level is then notched up the nearer the first team squad a youngster gets.

With the dawning of the internet, the wannabe scouts and managers cast their eager eye over the juniors and judge them on 10 minutes on the clubplayer. Instant assertions made by tubs of lard whose chief football claim to fame was once scoring for the Dog and Duck against Bilston Monchengladbach in the Willenhall North Midlands Bensons Hot Dog league on a cold sunday afternoon before stripping off in the tap room three hours later and rubbing themselves all over with a pint of guiness stood on the bar shouting 'Come and get a load of this girls'.

If you've ever witnessed lads grow up before your eyes, be a part of your life, directly or indirectly its takes a cold heart not to feel sympathy when the almost inevitable call comes. There's many a good prospect been consumed by the pressure and mental fatigue.

So lets not be too hasty in scoffing at the lad being tired.
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