[lothianstag]

While County are hopefully hammering Motherwell myself and 4 fellow Staggies will be embarking on a different challenge. We will be running in the Marathon Du Medoc ( wine marathon) near Bordeaux. This should be a great event where we will be running/ crawling between vineyards in fancy dress indulging in the odd glass of wine in 30 plus degrees! 

We are running this to raise funds for the significantly underfunded charity, Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS). This is a charity close to our hearts who offered excellent support to our close friends prior to their daughter prematurely passing away. CHAS do incredible work to support families during incredibly traumatic times. If anyone would like to donate it would be greatly appreciated. Please find below links to our charity page, CHAS website and our article which was in the North Star last week!

https://www.givey.com/c/ddab8ae6
 
http://www.chas.org.uk

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?s...1356596648

Thanks 

Mike

[Rocco's Wheelie Bin]

Ah, excellent work, thought from the title of the thread that OTB had taken a rather dark turn, I was thinking 'I mean I know it's 'Anything Goes', but come on!'

[staggie1746]

All 'chugging' jokes require an immediate donation

[Ross shire buff]

I Just a look back at football there has been  hundred or so clubs from juveniles  to ameture  gone out of the game ,
I think part of the reason is academy's  kids are taken on ,not allowed to play for school or  bounce games,only in academy and the way the coaches or club wants them to, the academy and club dictate the style the  kids have to play,
Then I wandered back down memory lane when all the top teams in England were full of scots ,every successful English club had Scottish players  halfbacks centre halfs centre forwards. Inside rights. Left and right wingers
Names like bremner. Law. Mackay  Gray  sourness. Dalgliesh  Scot   St. John.   Literally hundreds of Scottish players throughout , in Scotland. Auld. Waddell, mcgrory. Johnstone Baxter  Miller MacLeish.   Reilly  McMillan  young. Cooper Hubbard. Morton  t You could go on and on,  brilliant  players hardy players no going down rolling about  then  ,
All,those players could express themselves.  Why ??  There were no football,academy's  jus tanner ba players
Exciting games  even Pele Eusebio. Ghento puskas   De Setefano  hied agouti   England too had great players ,
Back then you dusted yourself down got n with it , no cheating back then . Just think the Celtic side who won the European cup were all,scots within a 4 Mile radius of each other  same with the Rangers side. N cup winners. Did Aberdeen do it with all,scots,
But my point is football is dieing slowly because kids are been taken in great amounts to academy,then spat out very disillusioned when not wanted or do not make that grade, even in our area teams have vanished ,it needs examined
As the  kids knocked back drifts away , players should be allowed to play for their schools. Local ameture ,.until it's costing the club money f they are not being paid , it's only an opinion ,but  all this academy stuff not doing anything for majority,,even our internstinal teams were better back then ,players allowed to express their skills

[Forfinn]

I was looking forward to see how RSB was going to link that to lothianstag and staggie1746's charity run. Disappointed that he didn't tbh.

[Ross shire buff]

I was looking forward to see how RSB was going to link that to lothianstag and staggie1746's charity run. Disappointed that he didn't tbh.

I'm not getting what you mean Fofinn

[Rocco's Wheelie Bin]

I was looking forward to see how RSB was going to link that to lothianstag and staggie1746's charity run. Disappointed that he didn't tbh.

Perplexing to say the least

[staggie1746]

If anyone was touched by RSB's story, please sponsor us.

The links to our sponsorship page (on 'givey') are in the original post at the top of the thread

[Forfinn]

I'm not getting what you mean Fofinn

It was just that this is a thread about lothianstag and staggie1746's fundraising efforts.  You made some interesting points, it's just that none of them had anything to do with Tuechters Chugging for CHAS!

As for your post itself, you're right in saying the modern system doesn't always work.  Kids don't just get to play for the love of football so much any more.  Youth systems can be very regimented.  There's also a societal factor, however.  Kids aren't out playing football until all hours like they used to.  There's so many things competing for their time - TV or the latest Crash Bandicoot video game, for example.

[Rocco's Wheelie Bin]

There's so many things competing for their time - TV or the latest Crash Bandicoot video game, for example.

Crash Bandicoot

[staggie1746]

The training we did for the marathon (which we ran for charity) meant we were unable to play football for months as well, for fear of injury. So many things competing for time, so many honourable things worthy of sponsorship.