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GrayBlade

GrayBlade

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I’ve just viewed this documentary, anybody who can watch it on BT Sport I’d really urge them to. It’s about the academy system and the way young players are used by the big clubs. Zac Brunt who initially started at United at 5 years old is a player featured.

It’s a real eye opener, kids moving to big clubs and then coming to a standstill, kids targeted as young as 3, club’s like Man City have more scouts in towns than the local club even ones in the Prem like Huddersfield. Many clubs keep players in the academy just to make up numbers so that the 2 or 3 that are cream of the crop have a team to play in. It’s a real bag of worms, no wonder our international team is so crap.

Anyway this is just a heads up guys, if you can watch it and then maybe we could debate it.
 



Remember 'Arry saying summat about how he saw a two year old kid playing with a ball at one of his grandson's matches and a scout from Southampton actually approached the kid's parents.
 
GrayBlade said:
I’ve just viewed this documentary, anybody who can watch it on BT Sport I’d really urge them to. It’s about the academy system and the way young players are used by the big clubs. Zac Brunt who initially started at United at 5 years old is a player featured.

It’s a real eye opener, kids moving to big clubs and then coming to a standstill, kids targeted as young as 3, club’s like Man City have more scouts in towns than the local club even ones in the Prem like Huddersfield. Many clubs keep players in the academy just to make up numbers so that the 2 or 3 that are cream of the crop have a team to play in. It’s a real bag of worms, no wonder our international team is so crap.

Anyway this is just a heads up guys, if you can watch it and then maybe we could debate it.
Click to expand...

I also caught this documentary and found it to be a fascinating and honest insight into what has become a rotten practice in football.

I thought Les Reed at Southampton made a fantastic comment about how he hates hearing people measure a clubs ambition by it's transfer budget.

The time, effort and money putting into developing world class, homegrown players should be the way we recognise a clubs true ambition.
 
GrayBlade said:
I’ve just viewed this documentary, anybody who can watch it on BT Sport I’d really urge them to. It’s about the academy system and the way young players are used by the big clubs. Zac Brunt who initially started at United at 5 years old is a player featured.

It’s a real eye opener, kids moving to big clubs and then coming to a standstill, kids targeted as young as 3, club’s like Man City have more scouts in towns than the local club even ones in the Prem like Huddersfield. Many clubs keep players in the academy just to make up numbers so that the 2 or 3 that are cream of the crop have a team to play in. It’s a real bag of worms, no wonder our international team is so crap.

Anyway this is just a heads up guys, if you can watch it and then maybe we could debate it.
Click to expand...


Our academy exists so other clubs can have good players?

Waste of time.
 
GrayBlade said:
I’ve just viewed this documentary, anybody who can watch it on BT Sport I’d really urge them to. It’s about the academy system and the way young players are used by the big clubs. Zac Brunt who initially started at United at 5 years old is a player featured.

It’s a real eye opener, kids moving to big clubs and then coming to a standstill, kids targeted as young as 3, club’s like Man City have more scouts in towns than the local club even ones in the Prem like Huddersfield. Many clubs keep players in the academy just to make up numbers so that the 2 or 3 that are cream of the crop have a team to play in. It’s a real bag of worms, no wonder our international team is so crap.

Anyway this is just a heads up guys, if you can watch it and then maybe we could debate it.
Click to expand...
Not a surprise, this has been happening for years, hence the need for the Premier League U23's to be included in the JPT or whatever its called now.

The FA, the Premier League and the Football League had a chance to stop this a long time ago and they didn't, they allowed the clubs to dictate the rules on their terms

Do i feel sorry for the kids wasting away in academies of clubs like Man City? Perhaps a little, but then again, it comes down to the greed of the parents. I understand that parents want the best for their kids, but let them play football with their mates and if there is a local academy which is providing a great start for kids, then let them play there. They will develop just as well, if not better.

The likes of Brooks is a great example of this, released by Man City as he was deemed not good enough for them, yet now he's a full international for Wales (could've easily been England) and he's touted as being a GBP 10 Million player, at 18 years old.
 
It’s swings and round abouts. I came through an Academy and hated it eventually.I liked the glory of playing against Man Utd, I liked playing football and I loved going to games on the first team coach despite being u12-u15. Was I good enough? Nah. I was big and fast. bigger and faster than all kids my age so the club saw an advanced athlete and thought they could make a footballer. They couldn’t.

I understand why players younger and younger keep getting scouted and targeted, if you don’t do it someone else will.. many clubs use threat academies and youth set ups to simply survive off the profits.

I also understand why kids and parents choose the bigger clubs. I had mates who played for Man Utd youth and would travel from Sheffield despite interest from Sheffield teams. There used to be catchment rules not sure they are still in place though it doesn’t sound like it..

Even kids want to be the best and play for the best and when an organisation as big as say Man Utd want you its not just flattering you see the gates to the ultimate goal open in front of you. You have the prestige of telling the world you play for Man Utd or Man City I’m over 30 now but I can imagine that this draw is far greater now that it was.

Then you have to look at the chances of making it. It’s near impossible but as said you do have to have full squad in order to play games, train and develop many develop later see Jamie Vardy and making a decision on players so young is crazy but what else do clubs do? Keep them on for no reason. I know at 14 I was convinced Inwould be pro.. I matured and within a year I realised in wasn’t good enough and left to concentrate on school.. all my mates got dropped half way through their GCSEs many of which hadn’t given their exams much thought and by this time had wasted half their time..

Their are many things wrong with youth football. Man City and Man Utd for sure are going to great lengths to rectify some of these they really do offer an education alongside an apprenticeship. I know Man Utd send kids to the local private school to the tune of £20k pa I believe. These are nearly always kids that couldn’t afford this place education if it wasn’t for their ability. City have a college like Granville road on their training campus. Open to the public and youth players..

I don’t quite understand how this signing of 2 year olds works seems to be blown up by the press. I know from my time I don’t recall teams younger than u7/u8? Is this just a payment to the parents in agreement they will sign for the club when old enough?

There are still many issues that need addressing the main one being the future of these kids once they almost inevitably get released. But as for signing for big clubs I understand it. I mean pro clubs clamour for players released by the big clubs (see Brooks) where as players from clubs even as high as bottom half prem just fall away without trace.

One thing I did hate was how I wasn’t allowed to play for School. And although hey couldn’t stop me Inwas advised against playing football with my mates in day the park or school yard. A number of my team mates suffered injuries normal kids didn’t, Osgood-Schlatters and tendinitis I recall took a full year out of my development.

There is also a culture in the UK in particular where they do sign up the best of the best And I mean the kid who can run around 11 players twice before chipping one in from his own half. But this is either knocked out of them or they are released all the tricky players I played with all fell away and were released in favour of pass and move types.

I don’t know if I’ve just rambled on here, addressed anyone’s point or not just seem to have wrote a long list without really thinking. I guess if I was to summarise my thoughts academies on the whole are a good thing for the kids and the clubs. The only really issue is education imo. Once you sign up you it’s should be the clubs responsibility to take you out of school and educate you themselves (I know many do) this allows the club to prepare the kids for life should they not make it. I know I stayed in a normal school and lived what felt like two lives. Being schooled amongst your team mates should also eliminate in some cases the inevitable arrogance that would develop if you remained amongst kids in a normal school. Lessons such as finance should be introduced too in football academy schools too

Sorry I don’t know if any of this is relevant at all.
 
I should say

YTS should be re introduced, the apprentice side of it has disappeared, or it has at the top clubs, these kids should be made to work, cleaning boots is humbling.

FIFA need to introduce a wage cap won’t happen in normal football but academy football it’s not good for kids to be earning so much, and by so much I don’t mean £1000pw I mean £20,000pw that’s madness..

I’d also like to see stringent enforcement of the catchment area rule and buying the family a house near the club should be excluded for anyone under16
 
Apologise to anyone trying to read the above posts, wrote them on my phone during my Breakfast and morning conference and the punctuality is all over the shop.
 
mancunianblade said:
It’s swings and round abouts. I came through an Academy and hated it eventually.I liked the glory of playing against Man Utd, I liked playing football and I loved going to games on the first team coach despite being u12-u15. Was I good enough? Nah. I was big and fast. bigger and faster than all kids my age so the club saw an advanced athlete and thought they could make a footballer. They couldn’t.

I understand why players younger and younger keep getting scouted and targeted, if you don’t do it someone else will.. many clubs use threat academies and youth set ups to simply survive off the profits.

I also understand why kids and parents choose the bigger clubs. I had mates who played for Man Utd youth and would travel from Sheffield despite interest from Sheffield teams. There used to be catchment rules not sure they are still in place though it doesn’t sound like it..

Even kids want to be the best and play for the best and when an organisation as big as say Man Utd want you its not just flattering you see the gates to the ultimate goal open in front of you. You have the prestige of telling the world you play for Man Utd or Man City I’m over 30 now but I can imagine that this draw is far greater now that it was.

Then you have to look at the chances of making it. It’s near impossible but as said you do have to have full squad in order to play games, train and develop many develop later see Jamie Vardy and making a decision on players so young is crazy but what else do clubs do? Keep them on for no reason. I know at 14 I was convinced Inwould be pro.. I matured and within a year I realised in wasn’t good enough and left to concentrate on school.. all my mates got dropped half way through their GCSEs many of which hadn’t given their exams much thought and by this time had wasted half their time..

Their are many things wrong with youth football. Man City and Man Utd for sure are going to great lengths to rectify some of these they really do offer an education alongside an apprenticeship. I know Man Utd send kids to the local private school to the tune of £20k pa I believe. These are nearly always kids that couldn’t afford this place education if it wasn’t for their ability. City have a college like Granville road on their training campus. Open to the public and youth players..

I don’t quite understand how this signing of 2 year olds works seems to be blown up by the press. I know from my time I don’t recall teams younger than u7/u8? Is this just a payment to the parents in agreement they will sign for the club when old enough?

There are still many issues that need addressing the main one being the future of these kids once they almost inevitably get released. But as for signing for big clubs I understand it. I mean pro clubs clamour for players released by the big clubs (see Brooks) where as players from clubs even as high as bottom half prem just fall away without trace.

One thing I did hate was how I wasn’t allowed to play for School. And although hey couldn’t stop me Inwas advised against playing football with my mates in day the park or school yard. A number of my team mates suffered injuries normal kids didn’t, Osgood-Schlatters and tendinitis I recall took a full year out of my development.

There is also a culture in the UK in particular where they do sign up the best of the best And I mean the kid who can run around 11 players twice before chipping one in from his own half. But this is either knocked out of them or they are released all the tricky players I played with all fell away and were released in favour of pass and move types.

I don’t know if I’ve just rambled on here, addressed anyone’s point or not just seem to have wrote a long list without really thinking. I guess if I was to summarise my thoughts academies on the whole are a good thing for the kids and the clubs. The only really issue is education imo. Once you sign up you it’s should be the clubs responsibility to take you out of school and educate you themselves (I know many do) this allows the club to prepare the kids for life should they not make it. I know I stayed in a normal school and lived what felt like two lives. Being schooled amongst your team mates should also eliminate in some cases the inevitable arrogance that would develop if you remained amongst kids in a normal school. Lessons such as finance should be introduced too in football academy schools too

Sorry I don’t know if any of this is relevant at all.
Click to expand...
Cheers for that mate, really good to read about your experiences.

The kid (Brunt) who was on our books at 5 ended up at 6 or 7 clubs before finally ending up at Derby County. There he eventually decided professional football wasn’t for him and got an apprenticeship outside football and now plays non league where he seems to have got some of his mojo back. The problem is that if some lower league club wanted to offer him a chance to play pro again, they’d have to pay Derby £80,000 as the still hold his license. Is that typical then in your experience?
 
mancunianblade said:
It’s swings and round abouts. I came through an Academy and hated it eventually.I liked the glory of playing against Man Utd, I liked playing football and I loved going to games on the first team coach despite being u12-u15. Was I good enough? Nah. I was big and fast. bigger and faster than all kids my age so the club saw an advanced athlete and thought they could make a footballer. They couldn’t.

I understand why players younger and younger keep getting scouted and targeted, if you don’t do it someone else will.. many clubs use threat academies and youth set ups to simply survive off the profits.

I also understand why kids and parents choose the bigger clubs. I had mates who played for Man Utd youth and would travel from Sheffield despite interest from Sheffield teams. There used to be catchment rules not sure they are still in place though it doesn’t sound like it..

Even kids want to be the best and play for the best and when an organisation as big as say Man Utd want you its not just flattering you see the gates to the ultimate goal open in front of you. You have the prestige of telling the world you play for Man Utd or Man City I’m over 30 now but I can imagine that this draw is far greater now that it was.

Then you have to look at the chances of making it. It’s near impossible but as said you do have to have full squad in order to play games, train and develop many develop later see Jamie Vardy and making a decision on players so young is crazy but what else do clubs do? Keep them on for no reason. I know at 14 I was convinced Inwould be pro.. I matured and within a year I realised in wasn’t good enough and left to concentrate on school.. all my mates got dropped half way through their GCSEs many of which hadn’t given their exams much thought and by this time had wasted half their time..

Their are many things wrong with youth football. Man City and Man Utd for sure are going to great lengths to rectify some of these they really do offer an education alongside an apprenticeship. I know Man Utd send kids to the local private school to the tune of £20k pa I believe. These are nearly always kids that couldn’t afford this place education if it wasn’t for their ability. City have a college like Granville road on their training campus. Open to the public and youth players..

I don’t quite understand how this signing of 2 year olds works seems to be blown up by the press. I know from my time I don’t recall teams younger than u7/u8? Is this just a payment to the parents in agreement they will sign for the club when old enough?

There are still many issues that need addressing the main one being the future of these kids once they almost inevitably get released. But as for signing for big clubs I understand it. I mean pro clubs clamour for players released by the big clubs (see Brooks) where as players from clubs even as high as bottom half prem just fall away without trace.

One thing I did hate was how I wasn’t allowed to play for School. And although hey couldn’t stop me Inwas advised against playing football with my mates in day the park or school yard. A number of my team mates suffered injuries normal kids didn’t, Osgood-Schlatters and tendinitis I recall took a full year out of my development.

There is also a culture in the UK in particular where they do sign up the best of the best And I mean the kid who can run around 11 players twice before chipping one in from his own half. But this is either knocked out of them or they are released all the tricky players I played with all fell away and were released in favour of pass and move types.

I don’t know if I’ve just rambled on here, addressed anyone’s point or not just seem to have wrote a long list without really thinking. I guess if I was to summarise my thoughts academies on the whole are a good thing for the kids and the clubs. The only really issue is education imo. Once you sign up you it’s should be the clubs responsibility to take you out of school and educate you themselves (I know many do) this allows the club to prepare the kids for life should they not make it. I know I stayed in a normal school and lived what felt like two lives. Being schooled amongst your team mates should also eliminate in some cases the inevitable arrogance that would develop if you remained amongst kids in a normal school. Lessons such as finance should be introduced too in football academy schools too

Sorry I don’t know if any of this is relevant at all.
Click to expand...


Should make that post compulsory teaching in schools. It's not football per se though is it? As long as you have pushy parents with dollar signs in front of their eyes you'll see similar scenarios with people wanting to enter X Factor or totally ignoring school because they think they're going to make it as a rap singer. Believe it or not, you still get beauty contests where kids get dragged all over the country to attend. And where do you think all these kids come from on the TV ads?

The end result in most cases is an underclass of uneducated youth who turn to "other" pastimes to earn a living.
 
I was told of a ten year old lad at Hull City whose parents were approached by Man City, they offered to buy them a house in Manchester, privately educate their son and find both parents employment.
If he failed to make the grade, they would move them back to Hull, to a area of their choice and continue to pay for their son to be privately educated until he reached school leaving age.

The Dad turned them down, allegedly cos he was a staunch Hull City fan :eek:
 
GrayBlade said:
Cheers for that mate, really good to read about your experiences.

The kid (Brunt) who was on our books at 5 ended up at 6 or 7 clubs before finally ending up at Derby County. There he eventually decided professional football wasn’t for him and got an apprenticeship outside football and now plays non league where he seems to have got some of his mojo back. The problem is that if some lower league club wanted to offer him a chance to play pro again, they’d have to pay Derby £80,000 as the still hold his license. Is that typical then in your experience?
Click to expand...

Its all very weird that side of it. I don't recall ever signing a contract so to say. but I recall when I told them I wanted to leave by them my coaches were Ex blades Tony Moores and Jon Newsome (I was at Wednesday) they asked why and tried to convince me to go play A division Sunday league to get my love for the game back, they mentioned Young Owls. but I just couldn't care less. what was weird is years later can't remember how many but id say 2 at least I received a letter from the club saying my arrangement had come to an end. So I presume when you join up you do sign something which essentially ties you to the club until they choose to release you or offer you a scholarship. I maybe wrong but as a young lad i just wanted to play football and when they offered me a chance I just signed something quickly and ran back out on to the grass
 
Reading the title i thought it was going to be a dream fat Lee Stafford had , [ post stomach staples ] about winning the Derby ................. i wonder if he is doing first half Lane , second half sty this time , the silly cnut .
 



snootyfenooty said:
Should make that post compulsory teaching in schools. It's not football per se though is it? As long as you have pushy parents with dollar signs in front of their eyes you'll see similar scenarios with people wanting to enter X Factor or totally ignoring school because they think they're going to make it as a rap singer. Believe it or not, you still get beauty contests where kids get dragged all over the country to attend. And where do you think all these kids come from on the TV ads?

The end result in most cases is an underclass of uneducated youth who turn to "other" pastimes to earn a living.
Click to expand...


You are not wrong. do you know that feeling when your Dad goes past anger to disappointment? well telling him I was leaving was the only time I've ever seen that from him. no support, just disappointment, he had spent 5 years getting up on a Sunday taking me all over the region and then a further 5 watching me play academy football although he would only attend the convenient games when I was at the Academy. many parents do see it as an investment and its wrong. Parents should be monitored as much as the kids. I recall one lads Dad would pull him to one said after the half time team talk every game totally undermining the professional coaches work
 
mancunianblade said:
You are not wrong. do you know that feeling when your Dad goes past anger to disappointment? well telling him I was leaving was the only time I've ever seen that from him. no support, just disappointment, he had spent 5 years getting up on a Sunday taking me all over the region and then a further 5 watching me play academy football although he would only attend the convenient games when I was at the Academy. many parents do see it as an investment and its wrong. Parents should be monitored as much as the kids. I recall one lads Dad would pull him to one said after the half time team talk every game totally undermining the professional coaches work
Click to expand...
I’ve seen thst myself, it’s more about the parents than the kids. My grandson was being tracked by a few clubs when he was a junior, he was Derbyshire and then Sheffield league top scorer at various ages then decided it wasn’t for him although he still plays every Sunday. My lad decided on Chesterfield as his club because it was local to their home and the pressure was fairly laid back compared to such as United plus ever kid had a mentor, in my grandson’s case Andy (Bruno) Morris, top bloke.
 
GrayBlade said:
I’ve seen thst myself, it’s more about the parents than the kids. My grandson was being tracked by a few clubs when he was a junior, he was Derbyshire and then Sheffield league top scorer at various ages then decided it wasn’t for him although he still plays every Sunday. My lad decided on Chesterfield as his club because it was local to their home and the pressure was fairly laid back compared to such as United plus ever kid had a mentor, in my grandson’s case Andy (Bruno) Morris, top bloke.
Click to expand...

With the new Academy grading system its now far too easy for top clubs to poach from clubs like Chesterfield and even us too
 
Anyone who knows how Man City operate when it comes to young kids will tell you what a cut throat classless business it is.

Most don't make the grade at any club but if you're willing to send regular inducements and offer property to parents just to secure a kid at 10 or 11 that's not even been at a proper Academy, it shows the obscene money and gambles willing to be thrown around.
 
My lad has been involved in Academy football since he was 7 from Man City local development team to signing and still playing for one of the local Academy's 5 years later and it's not SWFC

You see all types of both players and parents who come and go and us "vets" smile at some of the new one's who come thinking their lad has made it and it;s only a matter of time before they are snapped up, My lad has up and downs with the training and when they're getting beaten like most lads but loves its overall and that does for me, he also knows the odds (<1% ) make it to premier league so has a plan B (study in America and play over there or In Oz) and knows all I want is a nice car and Villa when he makes it haha,

The academy communicate with parents on a regular basis and feedback on how he is doing and what he needs to work on but also what/where he has improved so without fail he comes out of each review happy and motivated, I only encourage and if he's had a bad game he knows himself and we talk about things and I've seen local grassroots games with kids in tears so believe that parents are far worse there than in Academy football overall,you don't get any parents screaming and shouting at side of the pitch for one thing.

As the documentary said make sure they are enjoying it and I believe his club have the right balance and although they do train on scenario's etc they also encourage the lads to perform on their stage (Pitch) and bring new skills to training, they are encouraged to try new things and fail as with each failure comes improvement.

Overall I would say its been an enjoyable experience so far and he's played and scored against Man Utd, Liverpool etc and how many 12 year olds can say that and for all that he's a good lad and not got an attitude off the pitch as that is when I would step in and have a word
 
mancunianblade said:
Which sums up how serious they took they're youth set up over there, he will have been part responsible for letting Jamie Vardy go
Click to expand...
I taught Jamie and part of the reason he was let go was attitude, he was convinced he'd made it at about 12/13, there was also the fact he was a late developer physically, always fast as fuck but at the age they let him go was really quite small for his age. Last time I bumped into him (just after he signed for Leicester) he said that if Wednesday hadn't bombed him he'd have just disappeared as he wouldn't have made the first team due to his attitude and ended up maybe in league 2 but wouldn't have had the same determination he had.
When I moved jobs I taught a lad who was on United's books about a year or two below Harry and Co. He walked out because he wouldn't toe Pembo's line on use of phones and not wearing coloured boots. He had been highly thought of, now he doesn't even play Sundays with his mates.
Heard Man City have about 30 new trialists each month for every age group at the Academy and have a 'Hit List' of the first to go in each position. The other year their xmas meal for coaching and scouting staff for the Academy was held somewhere that seated about 1000.
 
mancunianblade said:
It’s swings and round abouts. I came through an Academy and hated it eventually.I liked the glory of playing against Man Utd, I liked playing football and I loved going to games on the first team coach despite being u12-u15. Was I good enough? Nah. I was big and fast. bigger and faster than all kids my age so the club saw an advanced athlete and thought they could make a footballer. They couldn’t.

I understand why players younger and younger keep getting scouted and targeted, if you don’t do it someone else will.. many clubs use threat academies and youth set ups to simply survive off the profits.

I also understand why kids and parents choose the bigger clubs. I had mates who played for Man Utd youth and would travel from Sheffield despite interest from Sheffield teams. There used to be catchment rules not sure they are still in place though it doesn’t sound like it..

Even kids want to be the best and play for the best and when an organisation as big as say Man Utd want you its not just flattering you see the gates to the ultimate goal open in front of you. You have the prestige of telling the world you play for Man Utd or Man City I’m over 30 now but I can imagine that this draw is far greater now that it was.

Then you have to look at the chances of making it. It’s near impossible but as said you do have to have full squad in order to play games, train and develop many develop later see Jamie Vardy and making a decision on players so young is crazy but what else do clubs do? Keep them on for no reason. I know at 14 I was convinced Inwould be pro.. I matured and within a year I realised in wasn’t good enough and left to concentrate on school.. all my mates got dropped half way through their GCSEs many of which hadn’t given their exams much thought and by this time had wasted half their time..

Their are many things wrong with youth football. Man City and Man Utd for sure are going to great lengths to rectify some of these they really do offer an education alongside an apprenticeship. I know Man Utd send kids to the local private school to the tune of £20k pa I believe. These are nearly always kids that couldn’t afford this place education if it wasn’t for their ability. City have a college like Granville road on their training campus. Open to the public and youth players..

I don’t quite understand how this signing of 2 year olds works seems to be blown up by the press. I know from my time I don’t recall teams younger than u7/u8? Is this just a payment to the parents in agreement they will sign for the club when old enough?

There are still many issues that need addressing the main one being the future of these kids once they almost inevitably get released. But as for signing for big clubs I understand it. I mean pro clubs clamour for players released by the big clubs (see Brooks) where as players from clubs even as high as bottom half prem just fall away without trace.

One thing I did hate was how I wasn’t allowed to play for School. And although hey couldn’t stop me Inwas advised against playing football with my mates in day the park or school yard. A number of my team mates suffered injuries normal kids didn’t, Osgood-Schlatters and tendinitis I recall took a full year out of my development.

There is also a culture in the UK in particular where they do sign up the best of the best And I mean the kid who can run around 11 players twice before chipping one in from his own half. But this is either knocked out of them or they are released all the tricky players I played with all fell away and were released in favour of pass and move types.

I don’t know if I’ve just rambled on here, addressed anyone’s point or not just seem to have wrote a long list without really thinking. I guess if I was to summarise my thoughts academies on the whole are a good thing for the kids and the clubs. The only really issue is education imo. Once you sign up you it’s should be the clubs responsibility to take you out of school and educate you themselves (I know many do) this allows the club to prepare the kids for life should they not make it. I know I stayed in a normal school and lived what felt like two lives. Being schooled amongst your team mates should also eliminate in some cases the inevitable arrogance that would develop if you remained amongst kids in a normal school. Lessons such as finance should be introduced too in football academy schools too

Sorry I don’t know if any of this is relevant at all.
Click to expand...
Great post
 
oaklandrdblade said:
I taught Jamie and part of the reason he was let go was attitude, he was convinced he'd made it at about 12/13, there was also the fact he was a late developer physically, always fast as fuck but at the age they let him go was really quite small for his age. Last time I bumped into him (just after he signed for Leicester) he said that if Wednesday hadn't bombed him he'd have just disappeared as he wouldn't have made the first team due to his attitude and ended up maybe in league 2 but wouldn't have had the same determination he had.
When I moved jobs I taught a lad who was on United's books about a year or two below Harry and Co. He walked out because he wouldn't toe Pembo's line on use of phones and not wearing coloured boots. He had been highly thought of, now he doesn't even play Sundays with his mates.
Heard Man City have about 30 new trialists each month for every age group at the Academy and have a 'Hit List' of the first to go in each position. The other year their xmas meal for coaching and scouting staff for the Academy was held somewhere that seated about 1000.
Click to expand...

Wait you taught him? Where?
 



mancunianblade said:
Small world! I’m quite familiar with his situation at school as I was the other one in the same year who played for Sheffield Wednesday. Went to Malin Bridge and Wisewood. You must have taught me.
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Trying to remember who you might be, I remember Rory who was at the Blades, I taught maths
 
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