If they come to the Arsenal it isn't training they get, just a game where they can enjoy themselves It is all fun at that age. After they leave junior school, then coaching and the techniques are introduced. The positive side of all this is that many clubs are spending their money on development of kids rather than players from all over the world. The down side of it is that perhaps the search is being extended to the very young."This trend is causing concern at the English Schools FA, whose chief executive, Malcolm Berry, said: "Getting everybody working together in the best interests of the game is difficult because League clubs are very selfish, competing for the top young players."The ESFA are mainly concerned about the educational aspect of clubs' academy and excellence programmes, but to some it is just a way for them to stress football, football and not consider too much the morality and age aspects Under the excellence scheme there was monitoring. Now that has gone, the leagues are self- regulating, which is a weakness."It is only by chance now that we hear of incidents such as Coventry City attempting to set up what they call development centres in other areas of the country, specifically in this case Nottingham.

It is quite wrong that Coventry should be doing this in areas other than their own, inviting children of seven or eight along, cherry-picking the best boys and attempting to link them to their academy."Also worrying is the recent tendency of clubs to sell on these youngsters That was never the original concept. The plan was to develop young players within their community and help take forward the game as a whole. And clubs should certainly not be discussing anything with parents of boys as young as six."Howard Wilkinson, the FA's technical director, stressed: "The first consideration has got to be the health and welfare of the children Anything that might affect this would cause concern. But there are all sorts of agencies which cater for five to 10-year-olds in their leisure time, so why not football clubs, as long as it is done in the proper manner?"Obviously there is an ulterior motive for the kids to become affiliated with the club, but that's no bad thing."Clubs like Man United, Aston Villa and Leeds have all derived massive benefit from bringing up their own, and in the long run it might help to start redressing the balance because at the moment over half the players in the Premiership are foreign.". ON WEDNESDAY lunchtime the talk in the visitor centre at Newcastle Breweries was of Kevin Keegan's return to Tyneside It was all very deja vu.

In the same establishment, seven years ago next week, Keegan made his unexpected return to Tyneside, forecasting an avalanche of success as the new manager of Newcastle United. "It'll be like a snowball rolling down a mountain side," he told the assembled press corps. "Once we gather momentum, nothing will stop us." But something did stop Keegan's Newcastle: a combination of Peter Schmeichel and the Gallowgate End crossbar on 4 March 1996. "For 45 minutes at St James' Park last night Newcastle United played like worthy champions," the Northern Echo reported the morning after the match that turned the 1995-96 title race. "But if the Premiership trophy does not come to Tyneside in May the memory of that champagne first-half play will forever haunt Kevin Keegan and his team of uncrowned kings." The history books show that Keegan's cavaliers never did make it to their promised coronation, that their destiny was indeed decided the fateful night Schmeichel held out in the siege at St James' and Eric Cantona stole off with the points. Now that the snowball has stopped gathering momentum, and Newcastle United have started simply going downhill, the vision of Philippe Albert smacking his free-kick off the top of the Gallowgate End goal is enough to have Geordies everywhere hitting the bar with a vengeance. Not Peter Beardsley, though - not in the metaphorical sense, at any rate.Even in his trophy-winning days at Anfield he preferred to celebrate with a can of Lucozade rather than a glass of Lambrusco. It may be ironic that his benefit match has been organised by Newcastle Breweries but the occasion of honouring the teetotal Tynesider affords an opportune time for sober reflection on the intoxicating Keegan era at Newcastle United.