As I sit here in my hotel room prior to making our way to the airport I find I have a few moments to reflect on the 2013 Borneo Cup tour as it reaches the final stages and we soon will be reunited with our family, friends and loved ones. I would like to start by thanking all the families of our wonderfully talented players on tour for the constant support shown on FB throughout the tour and by making this tour happen by entrusting me with your children to provide them with an experience that would enrich not only their football but also their lives. I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity each year to venture out on a new football experience overseas hoping to further educate my own football development and those of the players I have been guiding back home. In my opinion this tour was another overwhelming success, giving players the exposure to some of the football styles and standards played here in Asia. I mentioned back in Australia that this would give them an appreciation and respect for when Australian teams come here to play, having to contend with the gruelling heat which is so debilitating and adapting to cultural differences we are not accustomed to back in Australia. As you would have read in my game reports throughout the tournament the common theme which was conveyed was our boys were up against teams who were older, bigger, faster and stronger for the most part. This was understandable as the majority of the players on this tour were only 12 years old and one player still being only 10 years old. Coupled with the climate which I think none of our boys have had to play in, created a playing field which to be honest was perhaps too ambitious to ask our players to compete with the expectation of getting results that we all wish them to achieve. My measurement of success varies a little as I also would like to see if we were able to play a certain style of football that Australia is so diligently trying achieve. With the National curriculum now in place for over 5 years we have made much progress in starting to be able to execute the football we have come accustomed to seeing in Europe. The ability to play possession football is something which takes time and many say a generation to be able to reach the standards we yearn for. Using this as the yard stick to measure our success I find myself optimistic that we are moving in the right direction but realising there is still much work to be done. We must continue to try and understand the blueprint for this. The football intelligence and discipline required to make this happen and most important the technical excellence! There was no better example of this than having the privilege of watching the under 13’s Thailand national team play in this tournament and who were the eventual winners. They gave a football lesson to all who watched and had the daunting task of having to play against. Yes they had already developed exceptional technical ability which is essential to start with. So I urge our boys to continue improving on their technique because without it, the plight becomes near impossible. With the Australian under 13’s and 14’s National Titles being currently held, I could not help but think how would our best perform against these boys and I’m sure they would be more than competitive. At the same time I could see that the Thai group looked like they had been together for so long and had already achieved a standard that none of the parents and players on tour had ever witnessed. Their tactical understanding of the game and knowing where their teammates were was mind blowing at such a young age. I believe being exposed to this a few light bulbs would have gone off. I know that the experience our boys have had in Borneo will be instrumental in aiding them to begin to understand how and what they need to develop and with this in mind I am more than satisfied that this has been extremely valuable and successful tour. I truly hope that these boys are more aware and motivated to work harder to reach these standards. I am very proud of the way all the players conducted themselves on and off the field. They always tried playing to the best of their ability in an environment which was extremely challenging and presented themselves in a professional manner at all times. The player who I believe had the biggest impact on the results and performance of the team and in many peoples opinion was the player of the tournament is Nathan Foster our Goal Keeper. His performances in each game kept us in the competition when we were under intense pressure. Well done Nathan. Thanks to all the boys who made it very easy for me to work with them and I wish them the very best into future. Thank you to Matthew Huston for all his input and work; it was a pleasure working with him again. Look forward to seeing you all back in Australia. Rui Spinola
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:07:26 +0000
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