Thank god George Long did bad

[TC's Magic Boots]

As said above, the better kids get poached before we can benefit.

So don't you think we should try and use every advantage we can ? By having better qualified and better known coaching staff at the academy it may, only may mind you, look more enticing to possible recruits. Then again if history is anything to go by I may also be pissing in the wind on this one. Ever since Ron Reid and Kev Fogg ran the academy we have struggled to have any credible player experience in the academy. I just think that ex players have the experience they can pass on whereas anyone can pass a coaching badge. On the other hand, we could stop pissing about, close the academy and save a fortune. Haven't Leyton Orient done that ? Or some other London club.

 

[Silent Blade]

So don't you think we should try and use every advantage we can ? By having better qualified and better known coaching staff at the academy it may, only may mind you, look more enticing to possible recruits. Then again if history is anything to go by I may also be pissing in the wind on this one. Ever since Ron Reid and Kev Fogg ran the academy we have struggled to have any credible player experience in the academy. I just think that ex players have the experience they can pass on whereas anyone can pass a coaching badge. On the other hand, we could stop pissing about, close the academy and save a fortune. Haven't Leyton Orient done that ? Or some other London club.

Brentford have just closed theirs,

Here are the league tables for Categories 1, 2 and 3 last season

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015–16_Professional_U18_Development_League

 

[Champagneblade]

As said above, the better kids get poached before we can benefit.

The argument against this is that ok the top 6 clubs in the country may poach them, but we are lower in league position than the top 44 clubs.

And I think local lads would prefer staying with us than going to the Championship. There are no glamour clubs there better in size than United apart from Newcastle.

As alluded to, it's not the non production of top ten club players like Walker and Jagielka or the top 20 like Naughton. It's dropping to this level and not really getting a few lads who can form part of the first XI at league one level which is disappointing.

We can't even supplement at this level. It's got to be easier to get into a league one team than a championship one, so why are they so far off? Though I do hope some hope for Whiteman.

 

[TC's Magic Boots]

The argument against this is that ok the top 6 clubs in the country may poach them, but we are lower in league position than the top 44 clubs.

And I think local lads would prefer staying with us than going to the Championship. There are no glamour clubs there better in size than United apart from Newcastle.

As alluded to, it's not the non production of top ten club players like Walker and Jagielka or the top 20 like Naughton. It's dropping to this level and not really getting a few lads who can form part of the first XI at league one level which is disappointing.

We can't even supplement at this level. It's got to be easier to get into a league one team than a championship one, so why are they so far off? Though I do hope some hope for Whiteman.

Exactly what I am getting at. We aren't trying to produce world beaters for other clubs, we want players that fit into the Sheffield United ethic. It's not a short term fix producing kids for League 1 as hopefully they grow into the role and team then progress. The worst case scenario is that if they don't progress, we move them on for a fee. Disappointing is an understatement and we should have produced more than we have. There are always 1 or 2 on the fringes, that's a move in the right direction but with the standard of academy we have we certainly don't produce enough for ourselves. I was once told that if we produce 1 or 2 every couple of seasons it pays for the academy, for me that's not the reason why we should have an academy. It needs addressing and improving.

 

[albinonick]

Why ain't george on the bench