Sergei Baltacha keen on SFA role

Wednesday, 21 July 2010 09:43

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St Johnstone legend Baltacha expresses strong views on how to bring through youth

By Gary McDaniel

Former Soviet internationalist, Sergei Baltacha, revealed to The Away End he would be interested in the Performance Director role at the SFA; a position recommended in the recent Henry McLeish report into the state of Scottish football. 

The former St Johnstone sweeper, who runs a football academy at Bacon’s College in London, would love the chance to sit down with the big wigs that run the game in Scotland and put across his views on how to nurture young talent. 

The former Dynamo Kiev star was brought through the Soviet youth system as well as playing under legendary Ukrainian coach Valery Lobanovsky. He believes that young footballers should not become first team regulars at the highest levels of the game until they are at least 18. 

The father of tennis player Elena Baltacha supports the academy system and believes it is the route in which the SFA should travel, only if it is run properly. 

“I love Scotland", Baltacha said. "It’s my second home, both my children class themselves as Scots.  To have the chance to put my ideas across and hopefully see them come to fruition would be great," he said. 

"I've been working in Britain for over twenty years now and I'm shocked at the ability of some of the coaches who are working with young footballers today.  

"It seems coaches are more interested in fitness levels rather than technique and nurturing talent. We need to look at what is being taught in countries such as Holland. 

"Massive clubs such as Chelsea only train their youth players for eight hours per week. It should be at least double that. 

"When I was 14 I attended an academy in the former Soviet Union.  I wasn’t given a position, I was a player, and I learnt all the positions on the field.  I was actually a good centre forward when I was young.  In Britain they look at a ten year-old who is tall and assume he would make a good defender.  They forget that by the age of 18 he may not have grown to be as tall as they first thought, it’s all wrong. 

"I don't think that any player under the age of 18 is mentally or physically ready for the challenge of professional football on a week to week basis, apart from the odd exception. 

"We need an academy system in which young footballers go on a day to day basis to not just improve their technique and ability but to be also educated." 

The 52 year-old blames England's poor showing in South Africa down to a lack of basic skill amongst their so called world class stars.  He also believes the millions of pounds that England’s top players earn at club level has eroded their desire to play for their country.

Baltacha said: “I predicted before the tournament that England would fail to qualify from their group but they just scraped through.  These multi millionaires are just not committed at international level. 

"International football has exposed many of these players’ lack of technical ability. 

“For example, the media in England believe that John Terry is a world class defender.  He is not and that has been shown in the World Cup.  He is maybe good in the English Premiership but playing at a World Cup finals is a completely different level.” 

"These players are not good role models for the young footballers of today." 

The SFA will look to appoint a Peformance Director after they announce who will replace Gordon Smith as Chief Executive.