Post by Taxigirl on Nov 19, 2003 9:20:44 GMT
in new Academy coaching role.
;D
When Steve Bould joined Arsenal as a player in 1988, a new generation of stars had emerged at Highbury. Paul Merson, David Rocastle, Michael Thomas and others soon became household names as the the trophies piled up.
Fast forward 15 years and Bould is back at Highbury as an Academy coach. The former defender looks after Arsenal's Under-17s these days and once again he finds himself surrounded by the stars of tomorrow.
"There are some very talented players here throughout the whole system from the under-eights upwards," he told Arsenal.com.
"In the next five years there should be some very good players coming through, many of whom will be local lads which is always good to see."
After hanging up his boots in 2000, Bould returned to Arsenal a year later to help coach the Under-15s and Under-16s on a part-time basis.
He took a step up at the end of last season, succeeding Neil Banfield who had turned his attentions to the Under-19s following Don Howe's retirement. Bould is clearly enjoying himself.
"It's going great, I'm really enjoying it," he said. "There are lots of hours and it's a real challenge. I'm 40 years old and I've finally found a full-time job! Now I know what the rest of the population goes through."
The true standard of Academy teams can be distorted when youngsters are fast-tracked into the reserves or even the first team, and that has been the case with the Under-17s this season.
Ryan Smith and Francesc Fabregas are both eligible for Bould's team but are making waves in the reserves and have already made their first-team debuts at Highbury.
As a result the Under-17s find themselves halfway down their Academy League division, but Bould knows that results are not necessarily a priority.
"We all want to win games and sometimes results tell you where you stand, but players as young as 16 are already good enough to play for the reserves so we field a lot of youngsters in Academy games," he said.
"We prefer to do that because it gives them a chance to develop. It's good to get results but it's really down to development. It's a balancing role, and if we can get someone into the first team in two years then we'll delighted."
;DWhen Steve Bould joined Arsenal as a player in 1988, a new generation of stars had emerged at Highbury. Paul Merson, David Rocastle, Michael Thomas and others soon became household names as the the trophies piled up.
Fast forward 15 years and Bould is back at Highbury as an Academy coach. The former defender looks after Arsenal's Under-17s these days and once again he finds himself surrounded by the stars of tomorrow.
"There are some very talented players here throughout the whole system from the under-eights upwards," he told Arsenal.com.
"In the next five years there should be some very good players coming through, many of whom will be local lads which is always good to see."
After hanging up his boots in 2000, Bould returned to Arsenal a year later to help coach the Under-15s and Under-16s on a part-time basis.
He took a step up at the end of last season, succeeding Neil Banfield who had turned his attentions to the Under-19s following Don Howe's retirement. Bould is clearly enjoying himself.
"It's going great, I'm really enjoying it," he said. "There are lots of hours and it's a real challenge. I'm 40 years old and I've finally found a full-time job! Now I know what the rest of the population goes through."
The true standard of Academy teams can be distorted when youngsters are fast-tracked into the reserves or even the first team, and that has been the case with the Under-17s this season.
Ryan Smith and Francesc Fabregas are both eligible for Bould's team but are making waves in the reserves and have already made their first-team debuts at Highbury.
As a result the Under-17s find themselves halfway down their Academy League division, but Bould knows that results are not necessarily a priority.
"We all want to win games and sometimes results tell you where you stand, but players as young as 16 are already good enough to play for the reserves so we field a lot of youngsters in Academy games," he said.
"We prefer to do that because it gives them a chance to develop. It's good to get results but it's really down to development. It's a balancing role, and if we can get someone into the first team in two years then we'll delighted."
