Amsterdam Football Preview

Normally our pre-tournament email goes out around the Wednesday beforehand. However, it’s Thursday night now and we still haven’t pushed the button. We have unprecedented numbers this year, despite not having moved back into our training base in Parc50 yet. On Saturday we will bring up to 33 players to Amsterdam. It’s phenomenal when you realise we are missing a few stalwarts like Emmett, David Collins, Olof, Denis and a good few more. If even 4 more fellas were available, we’d be looking down the barrel at a third team.

It makes last year’s pain all worthwhile. We recognised we had too many for one team and set our stall out to field a second team, something which no other club has pulled off on a regular basis. The opportunity to do so is there in Brussels as our city is smaller than say, Paris, and lads can access training easier. Still, it was a constant struggle. We pulled it off though and the benefit was seen at training.
Because fellas got game time last year, we have kept them on board and they have now been supplemented with more recruits. So, tomorrow we travel with two bumper squads. Wealth often comes with complications though and we will do well to keep everything on an even keel this year.

The most obvious is the selection dilemma. Last year, the line between A and B was pretty clear. However, hand on heart, this year it is more of a struggle to see where it lies. Not only do we have subs on the A team who I’d expect would be able to pull their weight; we have also had to leave a few lads off the A’s who are pushing hard.

The A/B or first/second team issues are something which exist in every club. There will always be differences of opinions on selections and not everyone will always be happy. Our club is in its healthiest state ever and how we manage these potential issues is of great importance. We will be two competing squads on Saturday but we must remember that we will travel as one club and we must maintain the togetherness that has made our club what it is.

It’s fair to say I’m less willing to bend on selection and other things this year. Last season hurt a lot. I train the team and when we don’t perform, for whatever reason, it gets to me. We’ll go all out this year. It’s all very well to grow your numbers but you need success to sustain it. Our challenges are formidable but we’re building nicely on all fronts. Amsterdam is the start but whatever happens it won’t be the end.