TOP French football coach Jacques Crevoisier arrives in Bermuda next week to conduct a two-day clinic for many of the island's coaches.

Crevoisier coached many of France's top players like Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira and was also part of the coaching staff of France's glorious 2000 European Championship and 1998 World Cup winning teams.

He also coached at Liverpool under the reign of fellow Frenchman Gerard Houllier.

Ahead of arriving in Bermuda, Crevoisier told that he has a number of objectives during his two-day stint next Wednesday and Thursday at the Devonshire Recreation Club where the clinics will be held.

"I am coming to Bermuda to explain what is the French vision regarding coaching education, but as my culture is also a little bit English, I want to underline the qualities linked to the English mentality," he said adding, "what I would like to do with Bermuda coaches is to explain: why and when you decide to choose one exercise; when, what, why and how you correct the players and also what is currently done at the top level in the world." And the French guru said that coaching coaches is a lot different than coaching players "because the target is not the same".

Asked what is different about coaching top pros of the likes of Arsenal and France's Henry and coaching amateur players, he said: "It is a massive difference between coaching world-class players and amateurs. It is in fact easy to work with the best because they understand immediately everything and you can improve quickly.

"With amateurs, you have to consider it is not their job and you have to be more patient. In both cases, the key world is 'respect'."

And he hopes that Bermuda will have numerous coaching clinics likes his in the coming years. "If you don't have a continuous programme you have no chance to improve. You must try to build something over several years and define precisely what your target is and always have a plan."

Crevoisier is being brought in by Richard and Robert Calderon ? both former Bermuda national team players and also youth coaches for Devonshire Colts. Richard Calderon said that the clinics for the island's coaches are free thanks to a number of sponsors led by the Bank of Bermuda Foundation.

"We decided that Jacques would need a (local) assistant while doing the clinics here and we choose Andrew Bascome," said Richard.

Bascome, head coach for last season's Premier Division champions Devonshire Cougars, was also voted as the Coach of the Year for the 2004-05 season.

Bascome was one of the finest players Bermuda had ever produced before he went into coaching, and he never ever lets a chance slip to improve his education of the game.

He said this week: "Like everyone else attending the clinic I will be a student. I am very excited about the clinics because knowledge is beautiful. It is important that all the coaches here take advantage of these clinics ? I go to every one put on. As a coach you can't think that you know everything. I think sometimes we in Bermuda don't always take advantage of these clinics when something like this comes around and the only people hurt are the players. We just have to go there and be humble and learn.

"Knowledge lets you be more in control because there is nothing worse than having a training session and you are not in control. It also helps to get your point across to the players."

And working and learning from someone who has the pedigree of Crevoisier will really help local coaches conduct their sessions with their players, said the Cougars coach.

"One of the biggest obstacles as a coach is planning a training session from the minute the players get there right up to the end and making sure everything you do runs into the next thing. You have an hour and 10 minutes with the kids and you have to have everything well planned to get the most out of it."

Bascome added: "One of the problems with coaches going to courses like this is that they think they are going there to learn the game but coaching courses help you teach the game. They help you to break things down into small components and then you can gradually build it up from one to one to 11 to 11. With more knowledge you have a whole new world waiting for you."

Another coach attending will be Mark Trott, former national coach who has worked with Bermuda's Under-17 and Under-23 sides and who is now on the BFA's technical committee and head of the education committee.

He said: "I will definitely be there ? without a doubt. To get someone of his calibre is great. I also enjoyed the last course put on by Richard and Robert when they brought in Derek Broadley who used to be the Academy director of Crystal Palace. It was a good course and I was pleased that the turnout was very good. Courses and clinics like these broadens your scope and gives you a new perspective on things ? it can also reinforce some things for you as a coach."

In talking to before arriving, Crevoisier spoke a little about his time at Liverpool where he said he had very happy memories while coaching players like Michael Owen and Steven Gerard.

"My experience at Liverpool was absolutely outstanding. The English players have a lot of respect for the coach, they are fighters and Liverpool is a massive club. The fans are, for me, the best in the world with a very good football culture. I have now many friends over there and I am invited several times a year to go to watch games. Liverpool will always have a special place in my heart."

Crevoisier has also seen numerous changes come about in football and when asked what the differences between players today and players from 20 years ago, he said: "The difference between players from 20 years ago and now can be massive. You don't have the same mentality ? the players (today) are really influenced by their agents, and some of them are not the best because they would rather consider their own financial interests rather than the interests of the player or of the club.

"But up until now, with national teams or clubs, I have been rather lucky as I always had a good relationship with my players. Maybe that was because I had some criteria to choose them." And Crevoisier also has been unhappy seeing the best French players going abroad constantly. "In France we loose our best players every year because the taxes are too high and they will make more money abroad.

"The solution is for me to have international rules ? for instance six foreign players and five domestic players in the team or five and six.

"If you don't do that you can kill your national teams and in England, for instance, it is too difficult for a young player to play in a big team because he will have to compete with international players five or six years older than him.

"Unfortunately in Europe, politicians are sometimes quite stupid and don't want to consider the specificity of sport or football so they apply the universal rules ? everybody can work everywhere in Europe. By doing that they don't even realise that they can kill football and put a massive danger on players development and training."

With the World Cup coming up and Trinidad qualifying for the first time, the French coach said that while he doesn't know that much about the Caribbean team he added: "What I can say is they had an outstanding performance to qualify. But nobody knows what they can do against opponents like England, Sweden or Paraguay."