Dein erstes Forum » t one is able to get into a flow and perf

Its 10 years since Micah Richards starred on his international debut against the Netherlands. We look at what happened next for the highly-rated England youngster - and how he has ended up fourth-choice at Sky Bet Championship side Aston Villa... On November 15, 2006 in Amsterdam, Micah Richards became Englands youngest-ever defender and earned rave reviews for a brilliant performance against the Netherlands, in which the 18-year-old neutralised the threat of then-Chelsea winger Arjen Robben.Much has changed in the decade since for Richards, who, after suffering relegation to the Championship with Aston Villa, now finds himself down the pecking order at the Midlands club, behind the likes of Tommy Elphick, James Chester and Nathan Baker. With only three appearances to his name this season - the last of which came against Wolves on October 15 and resulted in a knee injury - it is likely Richards will only be given an opportunity should injuries or suspensions occur.A player once heralded as the natural successor to Gary Neville cant even get a game in Englands second tier.Bursting onto the scene, a teenage Richards made his senior club debut against Arsenal in October 2005. He made quite the impression both on and off the field when, after scoring a last-minute equaliser in the FA Cup fifth-round clash with Aston Villa in February 2006, he swore on live television. But, despite his F-bomb blunder, it was refreshing to see a youngster show genuine passion and his youthful exuberance only endeared him further to the City faithful. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price At the time, Nevilles position in Englands defence had seldom been challenged. Glen Johnson and Charltons Luke Young were at the time vying for the spot and Richards rise to national prominence perhaps came too late, as he failed to book himself a ticket for the World Cup in Germany.However, the Birmingham-born star would not have to wait long to figure for his country and was picked by Steve McClaren to play against the Netherlands. He is an exciting player, the new breed of player, said McClaren ahead of the game.He is big, strong, athletic, very quick and has got a fantastic leap on him. He has come into this environment and is not fazed.During McClarens ill-fated tenure, Richards featured 11 times and even netted in a European qualifier against Israel at Wembley in September 2007. The future looked bright. Richards won praise for his defensive performance against Man Utds Carlos Tevez That same season, Richards had cemented himself as a first-choice member of Sven-Goran Erikssons Manchester City side. In the absence of injured Richard Dunne, Richards became the youngest player to captain the club and, during a 1-0 win over Manchester United, he showcased his strength and raw potential in one of his best games. Shackling Carlos Tevez and making a number of important tackles and interceptions, he took home the man-of-the-match award. He was fantastic, said Eriksson. Im not surprised hes been linked with Chelsea, but I really hope we can keep him here because if we get him to sign a new contract that would be our best signing ever.Richards main strength is very much his physical strength. At 511 and 82kg, Richards is built like a light-heavyweight boxer - or to use a common parlance, he is a bit of a unit. Hes by no means a slouch, either. However, by his own admission his pace and natural athleticism have been his safety net in tight situations while he developed the tactical side of his game.People forget I was 18 when I made my England debut, he said. Two years before that I was playing academy football. You cant be tactically brilliant at 18. Stuart Pearce, who handed Richards his City debut, explained the nature of his rapid progression: Micah is one of those who came on the scene and had a meteoric rise. His career stopped a little and then went up again. He is a great talent. I really hope we can keep him here. If we get him to sign a new contract that would be our best signing ever. Sven-Goran Eriksson However, a turning point was to come.The August 2008 takeover of Manchester City by the Abu Dhabi United Group saw an influx of high-profile players, but it was to be the low-key arrival of Argentinas Pablo Zabaleta - who signed a day before the change of ownership - that would have the biggest impact on the long-term future of Richards.Four years on from his England debut, Richards had made just one international appearance under Fabio Capellos reign, coming on as a substitute against France in 2010, despite shining for his club.However, Citys historic title-winning 2011/12 season would mark the beginning of the end for Richards in a sky blue shirt.City fell 3-1 behind to Sunderland at the Etihad in March 2012. With their title aspirations under threat, they battled back to draw 3-3. After the game, despite a collective collapse in defence, it was Richards who was singled out by manager Roberto Mancini for failing to prevent Nicklas Bendtner from scoring.He suffered the ignominy of being taken off at half-time. From then on, he was replaced by Zabaleta as City went on to win the league.Injuries also played a significant part in the demise of Richards, who was referred to as Swarovski by Mancini, suggesting he was fragile like the famous crystals.There was an accumulation of niggles which began at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where he was injured in a clash with South Korea and meant he was not fit until October. Then, upon his return, he went down against Swansea clutching his knee and was subsequently ruled out for six months. He would play just nine times in the Premier League over the next three seasons. Richards found his opportunities limited at Fiorentina Failure to reaffirm himself in the starting XI meant Richards was now third-choice right-back thanks to the consistency of Zabaleta and the arrival of Bacary Sagna from Arsenal. Two league games all season saw him miss out on a Premier League winners medal and he was released by the club in June 2015.The desire for first-team football took Richards to Fiorentina on a season-long loan, but shortly after he had arrived in Florence, manager Vincenzo Montella changed to a 3-5-2 formation. Richards struggled to find a role and, after just 17 games in all competitions, he signed with Aston Villa on a free transfer, agreeing a four-year contract.Life in the West Midlands began with some promise. Richards was named captain of the club and led them to a 1-0 win away to Bournemouth in their first game of the 2015/16 season. But that was as good as it got for Villa, who failed to register another victory in the league until January 2016. Richards endured an unhappy retun to Manchester City last season with Aston Villa Eventually, with just 17 points to their name, Aston Villa exited the top-flight as the third worst team in Premier League history behind only Derby County (11 points in 2007/08) and Sunderland (15 points in 2005/06) and for Richards, who played 24 times in the league - his highest total since 2011 - it was hardly the return to English football that he would have hoped for.Still only 28, Richards has plenty of playing time left. While it is unlikely he will ever be the powerhouse he once was, when he was touted for stardom, there will be plenty of sides come January who could make use of a man who never truly fulfilled his immense potential. Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price! Also See: Englands best uncapped XI The Southgate debate Cheap Adidas Superstar White . Despite the cost, effort and an improved steroid test, its possible that very few -- if any -- positives will be detected, Dr. Richard Budgett told The Associated Press in an interview. "We just dont know what the results from Torino will be," Budgett said. Cheap Adidas Superstar Shoes . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. http://www.wholesalefashionsuperstar.com/cheap-superstar-slip-on.html . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Adidas Superstar Black Wholesale .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Cheap Adidas Superstar Black .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Abhinav Bindra, who will chair the first meeting of the National Rifle Association of Indias (NRAI) Olympic review committee on August 29, to analyse what went wrong with Indias shooting campaign at the Rio Games, has an original view as to the direction his sport must take.In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Olympic gold medallist Bindra questioned some of the federations key observations that were to be found in their frames of reference sent to the panel. He said that nurturing the junior programme should lie at the heart of the committees roadmap, that multiple layers of coaching in an individual sport like shooting were unavoidable and argued that the non-profits working with elite sport happened to be critical at this point in time.Excerpts:What is your understanding of your mandate as chairman of the panel? The terms of reference are quite elaborate. From my point of view, you cannot dissect performance. Performance in any sport can never be broken down into black and white. Theres a lot of grey in the nature of sport. I think the idea is to look at what systems are in place, whats functioning in terms of preparations and how the federation is running. So just to work on those areas and evaluate as to what can be improved upon, how training can be made more effective and preparation can be made more holistic.The last three Olympics have delivered medals for India in shooting. That was not the case this time and is that the reason why theres a need to take a good, hard look at the state of the sport in the country? One of the most important factors to consider according to me is to look into how the juniors are doing and what the grassroots programme is looking like. The job of the committee is not to look back, obviously there are lessons to be learnt, but to look ahead. You cant change what has happened. We have to look at how the future is being prepared and nurtured. We will need more younger people to come through to ensure sustained success. You cant really rely on a couple of athletes to deliver you medals in five consecutive Olympic Games. Its absolutely unrealistic. You have to have a system in place where you continue to increase the depth of the sport which pushes performance levels to higher standards. That hopefully would ensure that Indian shooting athletes are more competitive.Earlier too youve spoken of how there are quite a few juniors whore doing well and of the rise in participation numbers. So is that already in place or does it need to be improved upon further? At the junior level, as I see it from the outside, there has been good support and they have performed exceptionally well. The important thing though is to see how the transition from junior to senior level comes about and its crucial not just in shooting, but across almost all sport. The transition is something that needs to be looked into carefully.Do you think the NRAIs concern about private coaches creating too many layers of preparation is a valid argument? One must understand that shooting is a very individual sport and see what sort of coaching possibilities exist in the country and what their standards are. One of the issues that has been faced earlier by shooting athletes is that we have one odd national coach for whom its impossible to give that sort of attention to say, a group of 30. Look at China for instance, each shooter has a different coach looking after them. Germany is a very, very successful shooting nation and they have a national coach but they have a huge club culture. So every shooting athlete in Germany has a club coach with whom he/she works with 90% of the time. So theres always going to be multiple layers of coaching.This is not a team sport, its an individual sport so one has to factor these issues as well. But of course getting a new coach just a few months before the Olympics probably doesnt make any sense. That scenario has happened and has to be looked into. We have to look at it in an India-specific scenario. Its not wise to just blindly copy what others are doing. We need to understand what our psyche and our need is then try and come up with a plan and a conclusion taking into account the view of all the stakeholders. The view of the athlete is very important in this regard since they have a good idea of what they need and are the ones to deliver the results.The influence of non-profits like OGQ, JSW and Go Sports has also been brought into question by the federation. Particularly with regard to them bringing in coaches whose credentials, the NRAI says, is not sure of. Whats your observation in this regard? I think one of the important factors with regard to performance in sport is that we have to look at in a holistic manner. There are so many aspects involved - the physical, technical, mental and recovery. So you need to see what is the expertise, know-how and resources made available to the national team and whether its of the world-class level. If thats not made available to the athlete through the system they will try and look for it outside. Thats how the structure of sport in India has been. Im not talking about shooting now, but overaall.dddddddddddd The role of organisations such as OGQ has been to try and fill in the gaps of whats missing. Until and unless those resources and know-how are available not only to the elite but also to the grassroots, we will always struggle and the role of such organisations cannot be thrown away.As chairman of the panel what would be your foremost suggestion? I think the committee is going to meet on August 29 and 30 to start with and the first goal is to go through the terms of references the committee has been mandated to do, to derive a collective strategy and see in what best possible manner one would be able to look into each aspect in a holistic way. It has to be done step by step. And for me personally it is important to look at the big, long-term picture. It is impossible to draw conclusions as to why we did not win a medal. Thats not sport. We can only study what weve done and what perhaps weve not done well and how we can improve that and that is perhaps the only thing we can attempt to do. It would be wrong to project the goal of this committee to see into what went wrong. Nobody can tell what went wrong. Its performance. Its sport. One can only look at things in a holistic manner and see how we can improve on issues or hopefully cut down variables and improve our chances in the future. In sport there is no guarantee. You can pump in as many resources, you can get the best in the world, the coaches can give you all the back up, but thats not a guarantee for a medal. Definitely not.Were there any issues you particularly wanted addressed apart from the ones stated by the federation? I added the whole issue of the junior programme, that wasnt part of the initial reference. I spoke to the president Raninder Singh, and tried to explain to him that it is something which is very important and unless and until you fix the right system with regard to the junior programme you are not going to create multiple champions. Its very, very difficult.Are your recommendations binding? I think there is something on those lines mentioned in the terms of references but I havent even read that carefully because its not my problem. I have no idea whether its binding or not because its not up to me to implement it. Its not my job. Im not in power in the federation. So its important, yes, but it is not in my control.At the Olympics this time there were quite a few close misses, of shooters like Gagan in the 50m, Jitu Rai in his 50m pistol, Chain Singh in the 50m rifle 3 positions, Mairaj Khan in skeet and Gurpreet Singh in the 25m rapid fire pistol for instance who were very close to qualifying for the final but missed right at the end on their final few shots. Is this a coincidence or something that needs to be examined?I think having competed in shooting for 20 years, one of the hardest aspects in shooting is when you know you are right there and to know when to close the deal, to complete the whole performance. It is incredibly hard and that is something one has to work on. One has to have proper strategies in place, something which needs to be trained, requires certain tactics to deal with. One has to consider it, one has to work on that in their preparation because that is one of the most difficult parts in the last bit of the competition. Because you know you are going to be right there and thats when you need a few good shots on command. There is nothing called flow and all of that dreamy stuff available to you at that moment. That is just the time when you have to get the job done. And that requires experience, it requires training and tactics and it is something which a coach and athlete need to work on - in a normal competition it is hard enough, but at the Olympics it would be even harder.Can you simulate that in practice? Is it possible? Does it help or make it less problematic? You cannot simulate it because you cannot simulate the physiological changes the body goes through. You can simulate it to a certain degree, maybe 10-15 % but its better than nothing. But I think just being aware of it and just working on it and getting better at it. What happens in shooting is that in a training environment one is able to get into a flow and performance just happens. Perhaps that is also a possibility in a smaller competition when you get into that frame of mind. But when it comes to the Olympics, it is close impossible to get into that. You are very conscious of every shot so its a completely different feeling. In training one also needs to be careful and mindful of not just getting into that sort of rhythm going into an Olympic Games. If the training is going well, you just go out there every morning, you do everything - because in training you do every sh** and it will work. But when you go to competition, it just breaks down from shot number one. So if one gets into that kind of rhythm going into the Games, if thats the type of training that is happening, that is probably a mistake and has to be dealt with from a coaching perspective. ' ' '