They're All Just Headphones!
FourFourTwo UK|February 2017

Chris Waddle's rant was not a lonely one. Today's footballers are aided by an army of player liaison officers, sports scientists and psychologists, with tech on top. Do they have the stomach for a scrap?

They're All Just Headphones!

It’s a sweltering day in late July and a squad of teenage footballers runs wearily through the Lake District, each member carrying a log above their head. At the end of a muddied trail, the group dives into a river and swims downstream.

The players must rely on their own acumen and the support of their team-mates to overcome each challenge. There are no player liaison officers on hand to solve their problems, nor any sports psychologists present to massage bruised egos.

For three days, contact with the outside world is limited. All electrical devices – mobile phones, iPads and laptops – are banned, with players made to fill their free time by listening to some motivational speakers at mental resilience workshops.

Sheffield Wednesday’s under-18 side are undergoing a punishing boot camp. It is designed to build characters capable of overcoming adversity on the pitch and reverse a worrying trend threatening to spread through English football.

A month earlier, the national team’s humiliating 2-1 defeat to Iceland saw them exit Euro 2016 in the last 16. Critics argued that the team’s pampered millennials were mentally weak and incapable of dealing with difficult situations.

One verbal gem from an exasperated Chris Waddle saw the former England winger lash out at a perceived lack of character. “They’re all just headphones,” he wailed, while wearing a pair for commentary duties as a BBC Radio 5 Live pundit.

But he may have had a point. Wednesday’s under-18 coach, Danny Cadamarteri, tells FourFourTwo: “On my first day at the club, all of the youth-team players were just sat in silence inside the changing room with their headphones on, scrolling through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on their mobile phones.”

Bu hikaye FourFourTwo UK dergisinin February 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye FourFourTwo UK dergisinin February 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

FOURFOURTWO UK DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Over the Top with Brian Clough - The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...
FourFourTwo UK

Over the Top with Brian Clough - The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...

The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2024
"THE PLAYERS DIDN'T SEE KEVIN KEEGAN'S 'MELTDOWN' AS ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE LOVED HIM FOR HIS PASSION"
FourFourTwo UK

"THE PLAYERS DIDN'T SEE KEVIN KEEGAN'S 'MELTDOWN' AS ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE LOVED HIM FOR HIS PASSION"

The Geordie recalls King Kev's rant, shares his love for Ossie Ardiles and reveals what it's like to cross the Tyne-Wear divide

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2024
"HODDLE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR MONACO UNDER WENGER, SO WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN HE JOINED SWINDON HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD!"
FourFourTwo UK

"HODDLE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR MONACO UNDER WENGER, SO WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN HE JOINED SWINDON HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD!"

The tireless winger opens up on playing in his dad's shadow and making the wrong kind of headlines at Sunderland...

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2024
"I'M PROUD TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE - BUT LOOK WHO CAME LATER"
FourFourTwo UK

"I'M PROUD TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE - BUT LOOK WHO CAME LATER"

FFT chats to the three Boy's A Bit Special stars of Issue 1: first, a humble hotshot on rejecting Arsenal and being 'Nuddy'

time-read
4 dak  |
November 2024
AROUND THE GROUNDS
FourFourTwo UK

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Rangers' in-form keeper tells FFT he has his sights set on a Three Lions recall

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2024
WHY MESSI'S ARGENTINA HAD TO GET 'WORSE' TO CONQUER WORLD
FourFourTwo UK

WHY MESSI'S ARGENTINA HAD TO GET 'WORSE' TO CONQUER WORLD

The Albiceleste didn't have their most talented squad in 2022, and their star wasn't at his absolute peak - but 4-4-2 helped them to win anyway...

time-read
3 dak  |
November 2024
WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2... AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON
FourFourTwo UK

WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2... AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Manchester United swept to a famous Treble thanks to the management skills of their legendary boss - and a formation that suited them perfectly

time-read
3 dak  |
November 2024
HOW THE 4-4-2 BECAME BRITISH FOOTBALL'S MOST ICONIC FORMATION
FourFourTwo UK

HOW THE 4-4-2 BECAME BRITISH FOOTBALL'S MOST ICONIC FORMATION

A system of playing inspired the name for this very magazine - on these shores, for numerous reasons, it's football heritage

time-read
3 dak  |
November 2024
FINDING DIEGO
FourFourTwo UK

FINDING DIEGO

A little over a year before his untimely death at the age of 60, Diego Maradona was managing Mexican second-tier side Dorados de Sinaloa - FourFourTwo went deep into drug cartel country to track him down

time-read
10+ dak  |
November 2024
RESPECT
FourFourTwo UK

RESPECT

That's what women's football demands more than anything. Its status has grown exponentially during FourFourTwo's lifetime, but finally the long and arduous battle for recognition is starting to pay dividends

time-read
10 dak  |
November 2024