It is the modern age, however Ronald Koeman is not impressed by the amount fof time hs squad spend on their phones and is taking steps according to today's Daily Mail

The Daily Mail sometimes seems like it is on a one man crusade to stir up things with Southampton FC, never a Sunday goes by without some little story or two alleging this player or that one are unhappy and want away and now the paper's on line edition is claiming that Koeman is unhappy that his squad do not talk much off the pitch because they are always on their mobile phones or listening to music on them.

The Dutch manager feels that this has a negative impact on the pitch as the players are not used to communicating off the pitch, it means they are not used to communicating on it.

The Mail go further and suggest that Koeman has now introduced weekly communication lessons during midweek training to try and solve the problem.

These sessions are "all about focus communication and concentration" Players are required to carry out two movement-based tasks simultaneously while speaking to a teammate,

The Mail are a little mocking in their tone and are quoting their source as the Times, but it is a good to see that Saints are tackling a problem not just in football but everyday life.

Anyone who has a child will recognise the symptoms from the moment they have a mobile phone they only communicate with others through a series of grunts unless it is by text or some other means of communicating through social media and the like.

In football it appears just as bad, watch a clip of any Professional football team getting off a team coach at an away game and you will see players with their headphones on, although they will stop for the odd autograph or picture, most will not engage with the supporters adopting a resigned attitude that although they know these are the people that pay their wages directly or indirectly through subscribing to Sky, so they have to show a bit of willing, that it is a hindrance to what they would really be doing which is texting, talking on their phone or having a bit of bantz with their mates on social media.

That being the case then Ronald Koeman is right, footballers these days are lacking in communication skills (along with half the population) and that is not good when on the pitch you need the players to be vocal and good at communicating and that can definitely impact on results.

Delving further it seems the quotes that the Mail have picked out are taken from a speech that Ronald Koeman recently gave at the Return to Play football medical conference in London when Koeman alked of how different things are today from when he was a player.

'When I was playing we played cards on the coach when we went to matches, we talked and we had communication with each other; now everyone just puts on his headphones and is in his own world,'

'One of the problems you see now in football is there is not enough communication on the pitch. To deal with this we do sessions in training, different exercises each week which are all about focus, communication and concentration.'

Koeman now requires Southampton’s squad to take part in a weekly ‘life kinetics’ session. In such exercises players typically carry out two tasks simultaneously, such as passing a football and catching a tennis ball, while communicating with a team-mate.

I'm sure that although initially many football supporters would think that this is the World going mad when grown or in some cases "barely grown" men have to be taught to speak to each other, but the World is changing and one of the drawbacks of technology such as mobile phones and I Pads etc is that it is not good for the skills that matter in life like communicating and being used to doing so.

In modern football teams need to have an edge and that includes being sharp to shout out on the pitch and communicate with team mates and it is good that Koeman and the Saints backroom squad are identifying this and doing something about it.

Photo: Action Images

Sanguin added 09:29 - Apr 12 I don’t know how much truth there is in any of this, but it sounds like Koeman is taking a very considered approach to a problem that he has identified. He see that players aren’t communicating enough on the pitch and he’s making the team do communication and teambuilding exercises to improve this. I think it’s important that he doesn’t ban the use of phones or headphones on trips, since players will have their own routine for getting ready for a match.

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BaselSaint added 10:15 - Apr 12 But this problem is everywhere - I just transferred through Hong Kong airport and I swear to you every single c*nt dawdling along in front of me had their face down looking at their mobile. I log-on to the Wifi, I collect the email or whatever I need and put it in my pocket and carry on walking. It seems half the world are completely disengaged with their surroundings and exist in a zombie-like state; and just take a glance over their shoulder at what they're looking at... an urgent message from their family or something important about their travel schedule... no, their `friend` has posted a picture of their breakfast.

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SanMarco added 12:05 - Apr 12 My usual mantra: "In Mail so not true" probably applies here. I would take Basel's point further and say we are storing up massive cognitive and communication problems with the way youngsters are being brought up. My Mum used to at least occasionally acknowledge my existence when she took me out in the pushchair - or so she says. Kids nowadays are growing up to think that when their parents talk they are talking to someone invisible.

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SaintNick added 12:40 - Apr 12 I though that is was more Mail mischief making, but although their tone is a little mocking they have lifted it from the Times who have quoted a speech Koeman made to a conference
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Foz added 16:47 - Apr 12 Sounds very sensible and far-sighted of Koeman. And if the Daily Mail are mocking, what more proof does one need?
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SaintBrock added 13:43 - Apr 13 .. or perhaps he knows they are not listening to him!
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SaintBrock added 13:48 - Apr 13 BaselSaint you should not despair, the times they are a changing and young people are moving with the times. This is the new norm in the world that they must survive in and most of us will not. Our skills will not serve them well in that future world.
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