IN AN age of hi-tech analysts and thousands of stats, it seems a touch of the old school approach is helping Aidy Boothroyd guide his England Under-21s to glory.
The Three Lions are currently in Poland attempting to claim the European Championship.
And Boothroyd has given a glimpse into one of the key tools used to transmit his message across to his squad – Subbuteo!
The former Watford boss first introduced the classic table football game into the dressing-room during his time in charge of the U19s.
And he has now continued that trend with the U21s.
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Speaking to the FA’s Boot Room magazine prior to the tournament, Boothroyd said: “We’ll have the Subbuteo table there, which has become quite popular now because the players are quite kinaesthetic and they want to grab hold of things and shift them around.
“We also find the players talk more when it’s about them in that particular position.
“We want our players to be empowered and we need to facilitate the discussion in different ways, to help our players become thinking players.”
And that’s not the only alternative method Boothroyd is using to get the best out of his men.
Rather than go on a ranting or raving spree after a poor first half performance, the 46-year-old adopts are conservative approach to ensure his youngsters remain calm.
He added: “We will have somebody in the dressing room whilst the players are talking so that can then get fed back to me.
“I don’t want to waste time talking about things if they’ve already done it.
“With the players airing their views, the head coach and his staff are busy collecting their thoughts in an adjoining room.
“Me and the other coaches will be in another room and there will be flipchart paper on the wall.
“There will be our two specialist coaches for in and out of possession as well as our goalkeeping coach.
Europeand U21s Championship - Group A results
June 16 – Sweden 0 England 0
June 16 – Poland 1 Slovakia 2
June 19 – Slovakia 1 England 2
June 19 – Poland 2 Sweden 2
June 22 – Slovakia 3 Sweden 0
June 22 – England 3 Poland 0
“They will have watched the game looking at their specialism – and in silence on their flipchart they will write three things, or players, that are affecting the fixture.
“You’ve got to gage the feeling of the group when you go in there, and there will be times they want some direction, and there will be times when it is a discussion.”
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