Building confidence in young players

Even the most talented of players need to be told they're doing well, insists Eric Harrison, the man responsible for moulding the talent of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.

"When he (Scholes) was a young kid he had a lot of injuries and asthma so we had to leave him out of a lot of games," says Harrison.

"He didn’t realise how good he was. The time came when he was getting to 17 and I took him to one side and said: 'How do think you’re doing?'

"He said: 'OK'. You never got much out of Scholesy so I said to him, “Well you’re doing better than OK, you’re going to be playing in Manchester United’s first team', and he couldn’t believe it.

"That shows that if a guy like Paul Scholes, who was a genius - born with a sat-nav in his head – if he had to be told, then tell them."

As a coach you want to build confidence not arrogance. For an insight into how Harrison inspired a generation of Manchester United greats, hit that mouse button and press play.

The Freeradio Grass Roots Football Show is the biggest grass roots football event in Europe. For more information on this year’s event at the Birmingham NEC on May 25-27 visitwww.grassrootsfootball.co.uk

Also see:
Damien Comolli: Get the best out of young players
Getting the best out of young players
Building mental strength in young players
Eric Harrison's 3 top tips for young players
Tony Carr: Dealing with a step up in class
Peter Taylor's 3 top tips for young players
Damien Comolli: How to make it as a young player
Tony Carr: Psychology for young players

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