I spent Easter weekend in Orvault, a small French town near to Nantes with the Under 10's and Under 12's. This is a tournament that we played in last year and reached the final in one of the age groups, before losing out to Boavista Porto.

Unlike last season, the change in the weather made it a totally different experience. The players stayed with French families of the local team in pairs, this trip involved some of the players who travelled last year and some who were travelling with us for the first time.

I have already taken the 1998's and 1996's away to indoor tournaments this year and some were travelling for the 2^nd time in 2008 having already been to Germany and stayed with German families.

The whole experience is something that cannot be learned anywhere else.

I spoke to the players at the start of the trip and made clear this weekend was about handling and dealing with factors that are out of our control. When you know the players as well as we do, you learn very little new aspects about them from a football point of view, until the top games. We learn more about them from a social and psychological point of view.

The importance of the correct mentality should not be underestimated. Many players fail to achieve what they have the potential to because they are not strong enough in the head.

Top sportspeople have to be resilient and independent and this can be learnt from day 1. Whether working with children in the role of parent, guardian, mentor or coach, we have a responsibility to push the boundaries of each individuals comfort zone. If this is done in an understanding and supportive environment, with acceptance that it may go wrong, then we can watch the child grow.

An avoidance of criticism and challenge only cocoons a child into a world of success - life and football are far from that. This weekend tested the players massively. We now live in a privileged society where we are all very lucky to have almost everything we need and desire. This provides a challenge however. Children must understand the meaning of work. We push players to test themselves, to re-set there goals each time they achieve them.

I would rather see a boy fail taking a risk than succeed by playing safe.

If mistakes and failure are treated properly, then success will come faster and ability will increase at a faster rate.

The 2 squads this week handled everything that was thrown at them. We couldn't control the dreadful standard of refereeing, or the state of the pitches after the uncontrollable storms and winds. It was difficult to control our diets and to a degree the quality of our preparation. However if players continue to be unphased by uncontrollable circumstances, there mental strength will be at a level where they become fearless and indestructible.

To push the boundaries that these players have, we must set them up to fail. It may sound harsh - but failure is ok. If we never challenge them, they can never pass the challenge and therefore never knock down those mental barriers that make them freeze or fearful.

I spoke to the players in depth about diet and desire. Whilst some issues regarding these 2 areas were out of our control, I am slightly concerned about these 2 elements. Players must eat like a sportsperson, to aid strength, growth and top physical preparation. I also questioned how hard people are willing to work to succeed. We mustn't forget the age of these children. They are still young and are given hours of fun time when we are away, but this is education. We want children to improve as players and people and be ready for the tough life of professional football that lies ahead.

The tournament hosted some huge European clubs as the final standings show. We finished above some and below others. But amongst the 40 teams in each age category, a 6^th place finish was good. Looking back, the tournament was winnable at both ages. To say we were better or on par with these top European clubs is for some unbelievable, but that was how it was. The fact that we didn't is not an issue. The games that knocked us out were closely contested.

The Under 10's lost on penalties to Lyon, and the Under 12's 1-0 to Werder Bremen.

This, like every other, was more than just a football trip. Each player receives a written report on their return. They must learn from these adventures, they were a magnificent representative to our Football Club and I am sure that if they take on the advice they are given and rise to the challenges they are set, we have some top players that we can all be very proud of.

But the real test is whether they bounce back when things go wrong - because they will.

Tom Daley is 13, in the summer he will represent Britain at the Olympics, it takes a special lifestyle and mentality to achieve something like that. But it is in all of us. It just needs to be found, managed and nurtured.

Mark Bonner
Recruitment Officer

Final standings:
Under 12's
1. FC Metz
2. Werder de Brême
3. AS Monaco
4. Lokomotiv Moscow
5. PSG
6. FC Southend

Under 10's
1. Olympique Lyon
2. Sampdoria de Gênes
3. AS Cannes
4. ASPTT Nantes
5. SO Cholet
6. FC Southend

Squads

Under 10's: James Macree, Sonny Coutts, Harry Larke, Stephy Mavididi, Will Daly, Billy Harris, Ryan Bushnell, Lewis Gard, Ben Dixon.

Under 12's: Anthony Madden, Bradley Patterson, Connor Hammond, Alex Stephenson, Freddie Gard, Luke Webb, Charlie Barlow, Michael Ademiluyi, James Akintunde, Keith Orenuga, Lewis Creek, Sammy Knott.

Staff: Mark Bonner, Steve King, Stuart Fowler, Martin Wilson.