Tag Archives: Professional ball

The Heart And Soul Of Heart And Soul – Iniesta’s Farewell Comments To Xavi At His Retirement

Posted on June 6, 2015 by jimsakeeper1

Longtime readers will note that the male players who most interest me in the pro game are Iniesta and Xavi at Barcelona. So when the club held a ceremony to mark Xavi’s decision to leave the club, and Andrés Iniesta … Continue reading →

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The Jackie Robinson Moment

Posted on February 23, 2013 by jimsakeeper1

The world of soccer paused last week when US National Men’s Team player Robbie Rogers simultaneously came out and retired, leaving many to ask when we would see the first openly gay player at that level. I think it would … Continue reading →

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“Why did they abandon the match?” “Because of you”

Posted on March 22, 2012 by jimsakeeper1

A strange thing happened while I was watching Tottenham play Bolton in a FA Cup tie on TV: A player collapsed and died. For 79 minutes. Then he came back to life. Patrice Muamba, a 24 year-old professional and former … Continue reading →

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Strength in the face of pain or grief.

Posted on December 13, 2011 by jimsakeeper1

“In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends” —  John Churton Collins It’s a common tale: a professional athlete overcomes the odds to triumph. But there have been few situations darker than the hole Victor Valdés … Continue reading →

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Gattuso = Stalwart

Posted on July 16, 2010 by jimsakeeper1

This is for Rino Gattuso. I will follow with a later post that describes the attributes of the Stalwart, along with the other two types of players. I show my players many clips on Youtube, it is a great resource … Continue reading →

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Bad Call!

Posted on June 29, 2010 by jimsakeeper1

I’ve been writing a bit about WC10 lately but haven’t touched on the refereeing. I can’t think of a world cup where there have been so many stories concerning missed calls; partly because they impacted “our” teams and partly because … Continue reading →

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Poor GK fundamentals at World Cup?

Posted on June 17, 2010 by jimsakeeper1

With all the talk about Robert Green’s goalkeeping, he isn’t the only one with fundamental errors in technique. For example, consider the way Casillas came out for the Swiss breakaway. This is not how I’ve coached it.

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Big Boys Do Cry

Posted on June 17, 2010 by jimsakeeper1

Maicon’s amazing strike against the enigmatic and redoubtable North Koreans was overshadowed by his celebration of it. While many players run around with a “look at me” attitude, Maicon does four things to pay his respects to those who put … Continue reading →

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The ‘Lani in Winter

Posted on June 13, 2010 by jimsakeeper1

For football, as in life, texture is important. In football it’s all about the interplay of air, ball, ground. That’s all you need. But all three vary. That’s why the new Jabulani ball is hurting this year’s World Cup.

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Barca v. Chivas – observations

Posted on May 9, 2010 by jimsakeeper1

What is the big deal about Messi? He just runs past players. Continue reading →

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