Reply To: Closing academy

[Anonymous]

Westyorksiron wrote:

Shame about the academy closing given it was just starting to produce a number of players with potential and some local lads have now established themselves like Wilson.
Even if it costs more this year to close it down this year, presumably we will only get further funding after next year when we are back in the EFL, which could be some time.
Shame about how this seems to have been communicated.
Always felt a combination of not being patient enough and problems with the previous regime have prevented us getting the best out of the better academy players (on the pitch / financially) we’ve produced in recent years like Wooton, Godden, Dawson, Sutton etc

The academy has always produced players.
What they don’t do, is pick the first team starting 11.

1st team managers have never been interested in the academy. All they are interested in (obviously) is winning 3 points on Saturdays.

A lack of U21s / Reserve teams over the years has disrupted their development and hence progress.
Managers won’t throw an inexperienced, untried & untested 18 year old in to the fray… when a bad run of 8 or ten games means they receive their P45.

It’s an almost impossible situation.

Clubs of our level, L2 / NL try their best but simply don’t have the resources & wealth to compete.

The Big Dogs have U17, U18, U19, U21, U23, B teams, A teams and their first team.

Yet, even they struggle to get academy players in to their first teams!

How many academy (U9 to U18) players, rather than the foreigners they buy at U19 will be in the starting line up on Saturday of the following clubs:

Man City
Man Utd
Arsenal
Chelsea
Spurs
Liverpool

One at each, two at best?

Keep the faith!