CRISIS team meltdown!

[dethfire]

My team is selfdestructing! We lost our first game 0-14 second 0-6 third 0-8 and fourth 0-8! We've had a couple girls quit the past could week and now I have word a few more are pondering it. Team morale is very very low. I don't know what to do! Like I've said in other threads, this team is very unskilled and inexperienced. We have several complete newbies to the game, and only 1 girl on the team plays club. Only a couple girls on the team would have a chance at making a decent varsity team. Now I find out why, last year they played only JV and still struggled, I got hired and the AD moved us to varsity!! We had a team meeting to talk about everything and it seemed settled, but after tonights game everything went back to bad blood. There are many internal personal conflicts and people are mad at lineups and personally I think they don't respect me now.

One of the big problems is that they don't work as hard as they could in practice and I don't know how to get that across. I yell at them all day long, but they don't give 100%. Many are just not atheltic and haven't ever been, so they don't know what it means to give 100%. They don't know what it means to work hard and focused. I get so upset after games and practice because they are bursting with energy on the bus back and at halftime. I told them they should be nearly passed out and barely able to walk. And they say "ok sure" but I have yet to see anything change. We also never have a full team at practice or games. Either a few are on vacation or doing homework or on a field trip or forgot cleats or is injured. Our two best players have shin splints and infected blisters. I mean this is really turning into a real nightmare. Now I fear everything is doomed because the season is already lost and no one has anything to play for. My power to push them is gone because they they feel "what is the use". Even if they worked they're *** off I doubt we could win a game, keep it close, but not win. And that is how they feel too.

I really am at a loss of what to do.

[74offsuit]

I would set some targets for training. look to improve all the small things, touch, passing, attitude, work rate etc. Make the sessions fun and enjoyable, get the players bonding etc.

If you measure success purely on matchday results, it looks like morale may never recover.

Improve your players, and hopefully the results will look after themselves.

[Val]

Originally Posted by dethfire

One of the big problems is that they don't work as hard as they could in practice and I don't know how to get that across. I yell at them all day long, but they don't give 100%. Many are just not atheltic and haven't ever been, so they don't know what it means to give 100%. They don't know what it means to work hard and focused. I get so upset after games and practice because they are bursting with energy on the bus back and at halftime. I told them they should be nearly passed out and barely able to walk. And they say "ok sure" but I have yet to see anything change. We also never have a full team at practice or games. Either a few are on vacation or doing homework or on a field trip or forgot cleats or is injured. Our two best players have shin splints and infected blisters. I mean this is really turning into a real nightmare. Now I fear everything is doomed because the season is already lost and no one has anything to play for. My power to push them is gone because they they feel "what is the use". Even if they worked they're *** off I doubt we could win a game, keep it close, but not win. And that is how they feel too.

I'm sorry for your anguish and the lack of results that you're getting. I've never coached in an environment like this, though I played on a couple of teams that got thumped regularly by double digit losses, and it is demoralizing. For you, the girls, the parents, the school. Part of this is just dealing with kids and part of it is overcoming the losses, but the results of your team meeting are what I would have expected. It's good when you talk, and then everything reverts back. You might have to have a talk every week. Just part of the job, especially working with girls.

The way I see it, you have two choices, you can yell more and be more authoritarian or you can scale back and stop yelling. This is a game and obviously many of these girls are taking it less seriously than you, so you run the risk of turning them off. Only you can decide if you're OK with being in a situation like this. There are always stories of pro coaches who can come in, challenge their players , get rid of the dead wood, and build a winning program. But the stories we don't hear about are the coaches who come in do the same thing, yell a lot, and fail. So, I would opt for the latter approach.

I think the standard for the team has to be fun, since it is not skills or winning or competitiveness. Don't whine or yell or cajole. You've got girls playing for a letter, the spirit of being on a team, for comraderie, so build on that.

Here's a game I would play: team handball. Basically, rather than have the girls play soccer, let them carry the ball with their hands, and that way you'll be able to focus on fitness, movement and communication, without the depressing knowledge that they lack the rudimentary ball skills. Start with an open goal that they can simply throw the ball into. Let them run as far with the ball as they want until someone steps into their way. If the ball hits the ground, it's a turnover and the other team gets the ball. Then as a progression, limit the girls to five steps with the ball. (If you've played ultimate frisbee, this is what the game will start looking like.) Make sure the girls know that the skills of communication and movement are the reason why you're doing this drill, so they can see why it's related to soccer. But I think you'll find that they'll have more fun.

Another idea: pick a player of each game, obviously the girl who scores your first goal or the player who plays the hardest, and let her design a practice. You'll see what the girls like, it'll give you a break and hopefully it'll be more fun.

It's been said before, but you're building a program here. And that is hard. You'll get your report card next year when you see how many girls return. That should be your goal this year.

[dethfire]

good posts, thanks! One problem is that our practices are basicly fun filled, I put in fun games the girls enjoy with skill drills, but when game time comes we still get killed and everything tumbles down. another problem is that the girls don't handle the other teams "trash talk" well. when your getting killed 0-8 the opponent will say nasty things. also the girls are getting insulted at school too from past players and players that have quit.

[ian.curry]

I have a school team, u13s, who perform nowhere near the standard they do for their respective Sunday club teams. Training has proved difficult too, with many kids missing through various reasons, some believable, others ****.
We have played 8 games now, won 1, drawn 1, lost 6. Our worst results are 3-8 and 0-8. We've improved though, I believe.
It pains me to say this, but I have players in my squad who are irregular attendees to training, but are quality players. I'm sorry, I just can't pick some of the other boys who do come to training - it would be an embarrassment.

After one 3-4 reverse, a lad told me(I was reffing) that I gave our team nothing, and that we had no chance with me as ref.....strange thing was though, the opposition played with 10 men for the whole game.
I wanted to jack it in there and then.

However I persisted. There are some fantastic young men who I really get on with, admire their maturity, and keep it going for them.
Today, we lost 2-3. All the lads said it was a fantastic game, really good fun.

My advice is basic, and you might not like it.
Don't make drastic changes. Work lightly on little things, gain slight improvements bit by bit. Possession would be ideal, then your players will get more of the ball, and thus more chances.
Be patient.

[Jerzy]

Originally Posted by dethfire

also the girls are getting insulted at school too from past players and players that have quit.

This is hard. But it takes a lot more character to stick it out with a losing team than to play on a winning team and I'd make sure your girls know how much you respect them for toughing it out. So, in addition to everything else, you've got to be a cheerleader as well.

Best of luck. And thanks for sticking with these girls, because there are any number of coaches who wouldn't stick it out. See character issue, above.

[Cookie]

You have to start setting realistic goals. A team that is losing heavily week in and week out can not suddenly come up with a win. I was asked to help a team of U14's last year who continually got beat and had no idea about positions, good techniques, nothing. There were also some unruly elements within that squad who, despite being the better players, they were causing disruption and had a bad attitude to training.

I told the coach that I wouldn't continue with them in the squad, and that if he really wanted my help then step one was to have a united squad who wanted to learn. We then went right back to basics, getting them fit and also working them into positions that suited them (which meant a complete reshuffle). Then give them short term goals/targets that are attainable. They can even be as simple as "This team beat you 8-0 last time, I want us to to go out there and restrict them to four goals".

This way, their heads don't drop at the sight of the ball in the back of the net after five minutes and they have something to chase for the whole game. I've had boys coming off the pitch with big smiles on their faces despite losing 3-0 - because we had managed expectation appropriately.

Don't give up, look for little victories and not the overall result of a fixture.

[dethfire]

two related things,

first, we've been missing a ton of girls at practice, we've been getting on average 7-8 out of 16 for the past couple weeks. My girls that do come want me to punish those girls and I would love to, but we have one last game in two days against a VERY GOOD team for our regional tourny game. If I were to punish them we might as well forfet the last game. What do I do?

Also, with only having 7-8 girls I find it hard to stick to my gameplan. What kinds of drills/games can I do for 7-8 girls?

[Val]

Last question first: play lots of 4v4. This gives the girls lots of touches. If you've got an uneven # of girls, you can play too.

Also, realize that you've now got your core for next year. These are the character girls, the ones who showed up to play for pride and were willing to tough it out. I'd say that 8 out of 30, given what you've been through, is pretty good.

As for the question about having enough girls to play your last game, ask them what they think, they're the ones with the most to lose. Pose it to them just as you posed it to us and see what they say. Maybe you can just start the 7 or 8 or 9 who've toughed it out and sub in the last 2 or 3 after 5 minutes.

[Jerzy]

I agree with Val, you've got 7-8 girls who toughed it out all season, and they should be applauded and rewarded. How many of them will be back next season? I'd name your captains right now, figure out who wants to try a soccer camp over the summer, and spend the spring getting your soccer parents group together.