shorehamview
Pink Sambuca drinking World Champion.
This, on the "Ikeme injured" thread got me thinking.
We seem to have fared better than most clubs in that we have had several academy players come through, either ones that have been nurtured solely by us, or kids from elsewhere. The likes of the two Kyles, and Jags, Tonge and Monty spring to mind.
It's been asked why managers haven't thought fit to develop a goalkeeper. Jamie Annerson was indeed a promising young keeper, but regardless of position most managers won't really care about the academy kids, because the average period at one club for a league manage isn't very long - the average tenure of a Premier League manager is a year and a half - why would a short-term employee care about the long term development of the club and players?
Most managers want the funds to buy players now. In a results-led business they can't really worry about players that might be good enough in a few years. With the possible exception of Alex Ferguson and Dario Gradi how many club managers have more than a passing interest in youth team players?
With few exceptions any promising youngsters spotted by a manager will still be coming through the development stages when the manager either (a) gets sacked, (b) retires or (c) departs for pastures new. The work of most academies generally has little impact on the first team. How many kids go through academies every season? And how many get first team football at the club they started with?
Of our academy produces players like the Kyles or Jags, that can play for our first team then is that all it needs to do? One or two youngsters every year or so? Perhaps it is also useful as a production line of players that can be sold on at an operating profit, players that might not be good enough for us, but ones that other teams will pay for and will make a bigger transfer fee than their development cost.
After all, there's no guarantee that outstanding players, who have spent over ten years in development, won't skedaddle for a "big club" as soon as they have a few games for us under their belt. They, like Naughton did, may well have spent over ten years with the club as a kid, but just like Kyle they will want to play at the highest level - the Premier League - for all the fame, glory and indeed massive wages that it brings. And who can blame them? If they spend half their childhood training to be a professional then surely they deserve the best deal they can get?
We seem to have fared better than most clubs in that we have had several academy players come through, either ones that have been nurtured solely by us, or kids from elsewhere. The likes of the two Kyles, and Jags, Tonge and Monty spring to mind.
It's been asked why managers haven't thought fit to develop a goalkeeper. Jamie Annerson was indeed a promising young keeper, but regardless of position most managers won't really care about the academy kids, because the average period at one club for a league manage isn't very long - the average tenure of a Premier League manager is a year and a half - why would a short-term employee care about the long term development of the club and players?
Most managers want the funds to buy players now. In a results-led business they can't really worry about players that might be good enough in a few years. With the possible exception of Alex Ferguson and Dario Gradi how many club managers have more than a passing interest in youth team players?
With few exceptions any promising youngsters spotted by a manager will still be coming through the development stages when the manager either (a) gets sacked, (b) retires or (c) departs for pastures new. The work of most academies generally has little impact on the first team. How many kids go through academies every season? And how many get first team football at the club they started with?
Of our academy produces players like the Kyles or Jags, that can play for our first team then is that all it needs to do? One or two youngsters every year or so? Perhaps it is also useful as a production line of players that can be sold on at an operating profit, players that might not be good enough for us, but ones that other teams will pay for and will make a bigger transfer fee than their development cost.
After all, there's no guarantee that outstanding players, who have spent over ten years in development, won't skedaddle for a "big club" as soon as they have a few games for us under their belt. They, like Naughton did, may well have spent over ten years with the club as a kid, but just like Kyle they will want to play at the highest level - the Premier League - for all the fame, glory and indeed massive wages that it brings. And who can blame them? If they spend half their childhood training to be a professional then surely they deserve the best deal they can get?
