Iron Bru › Forums › Blast Furnace › Abibliophobia On The Pros & Cons Of Promotion – Do You Want Promotion? › Reply To: Abibliophobia On The Pros & Cons Of Promotion – Do You Want Promotion?
That’s before you think about the playing budget and re-establishing an academy.
No.
Wealthier owners or additional opulent owners needed.
Current squad is sub standard.
A complete squad overhaul would be required for L2
Could the current owners finance that … outright … or … with more loans?
It’d be like trying to nail jelly to a wall in L2.
Consolidate, strengthen, continue rebuilding.
If we’re still selling scratch cards and having bucket collections – then we aren’t L2 quality.
Thoughts?
I wouldn’t bother with an Academy.
They are for the elite clubs with the finances, facilities, infrastructure and staffing to operate.
You can’t operate an academy on a borrowed shoestring!
A more efficacious route would be to install a reserve team.
Somewhere for any players returning from injury to achieve match fitness.
Somewhere for those not in the starting 11 plus subs to get match times.
It allows for 11 v 11 (all pros – the occasional apprentice could still be 15 years of age when he commences his program on July 1st) practice games, tactical / formation development, phases of play, 5 v 5, 6 v 6, 7 v 7 training “tournaments” etc
Most managers have a very short life span and want the finished article. They haven’t got the time for an U16 to come through and break in to the first team; lest alone an U9!
Then there’s the Goddens & Woottons – released before they’d being allowed to grow in to their bodies and become men and footballers. We all knew that they were goal scorers – but first team managers want the ‘light switch’ players, the finished article.
The majority of (small club) first team managers have no interest in the academy – as they are too focused on hanging on to their jobs and returning 3 points from the next game.
Which, if you’re a hire & fire club with no real Club philosophy & culture, surrendering to the wants & demands of every short term incumbents cries then it’s a pointless exercise.
The IPPP is a bog or treacherous quicksand to academies since its inception in 2012.
It grows ever more grandiose and is detrimental to small academies; they just don’t have the facilities or staff! It’s worse than school ofsted assessments / reports!
Then, if you do develop a player… you get PEANUTS!
A reserve team would serve us much better… I think?
