Will the Academy survive

[Russ]

Just wondering if the Academy will survive if we are in League 1...

Must cost a fair amount to finance it.

Any thoughts anyone?

 

[Rustyblade]

If the proposed changes to the FA youth systems go through, I doubt many academies will survive.

If it only has to deal with League 1 status, it shouldn't be a problem. Well, not for the club anyway. It might become a problem for us in that it will be under even more pressure to be self-financing and that will mean more premature sales, before any products have really had a chance to establish themselves in our first team. Any nuggets will go the way of the Kyles.

Maybe this development squad type thingy that we've vaguely got going somewhere in the background with somebody presumably in charge will be able to bridge the transition between clearing out all the present dross in time for League 1 without putting an undue strain on the academy kids.

Although you would think that if they were any good, Mickey might have turned to a few already. There is the counter argument however, that would posit the view that as he doesn't know what he's doing, we might be missing a chance to actually develop them a bit further in the first team. God knows they can't be much worse.

 

[puppet]

Any nuggets will go the way of the Kyles.

That was always McCabes intentions anyway, as stated at previous AGMs

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

I keep hearing bits and pieces about changes to youth football, but haven't heard anything suggesting loads of academies will go to the wall because of them. Changes to FA systems shouldn't, in themselves, be enough to threaten the existence of academies, because academies are administered by the Premier League (the Football League administer Centres of Excellence). Unless I've got this arse backwards, of course, which wouldn't be the first time.

Everyone seems to agree that the current way of doing things is unsustainable for all but a handful of the richest clubs, and that a sane future has to involve more clubs developing their own players rather than just buying them in. It would surely be suicidal to introduce changes that would kill academies off ?

 

[lenners]

Why care?
We'd sell any good players we produce anyway - nice goal Kyle yesterday btw.
We're going to lose close to the amount we got for selling the Kyles with relegation.
Good job we're such a well-run club who took all the necessary decisions with the foresight all the other clubs lacked when the recession arrived.
For me, close it down, sell off the assets. It's just another pointless venture at the Lane.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

While Mickey is in charge it doesn't indeed seem pointless. However I would also suggest that while in league one it would allow some players to be blooded earlier than first expected.

In short the academy is the only future this club will have the problem is the with the man in the hot seat and if he will use it correctly.
The worry is that in the summer the transfer budget will be given to Adams who will bring players in like Doyle who will stop the youth players stepping up.
Rather perversely relegation might allow us to clear the decks and bring through some players but with Adams in charge I think this is doubtful.
Just a shame that after SoD was a no go we didn't look at the likes of Howe instead of going for the league two guy simply because he's a Blade.

 

[raul]

Given our track record in the transfer market and that we haven't a pot to piss in it is an essential.

So Superblade will either scrap it, or more likely heroically take it out of the Sheffied United assets list and put it in the Scarborough version so as to save us the running costs.

 

[Worksop II]

So Superblade will either scrap it, or more likely heroically take it out of the Sheffied United assets list and put it in the Scarborough version so as to save us the running costs.

Would this be the right time to place an offer on the Table of 50p, I am not so Heroic as to go the full Pound .......

Would anyone be so Crazy as to offer the full Pound, madness

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I think there will be funds available in the summer. I'm just scared to death that Micky will be given them.

 

[shorehamview]

As long as the Academy is turning out players that can be flogged it will survive. When it loses money it will be closed and the land flogged to Scarborough properties for ten bob.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I think there is a ground shift at board level towards the academy. If Birch stays the academy is safe it is his baby now as proven by him being allowed to make his own appointment when replacing Reid who was close with McCabe and forced out by Blackwell.
Birch effectively went against Blackwell when appointing Pembo because Blackie wanted someone else.

 

[SteelCity Blade]

The academy will be crucial. I would imagine a lot more young players will get their opportunity in the league below. We will be fairly reliant on what we bring through as we wont be able to sign many.

 

[Rustyblade]

I keep hearing bits and pieces about changes to youth football, but haven't heard anything suggesting loads of academies will go to the wall because of them. Changes to FA systems shouldn't, in themselves, be enough to threaten the existence of academies, because academies are administered by the Premier League (the Football League administer Centres of Excellence). Unless I've got this arse backwards, of course, which wouldn't be the first time.

It was my mistake, I shouldn't have said FA. The proposed changes are indeed being mooted by the Premier League. The main threat to existing academies is that these changes would involve scrapping the current restriction on recruitment which is to an area within 90 minutes travelling time of the club, although whether this is walking time or private helicopter flight time, I have no idea. In line with this is the proposal to make more academies residential.

The impact of these changes on clubs like ours is that Premier League clubs will be able to recruit from all over the country allowing them to take the best youngsters from anywhere leaving the Football League clubs to fight over the scraps. It will also mean that a whole lot more young players will be spending the first part of their careers either on the bench at their parent clubs or out on loan. It will make the Football League even more of a nursery for young Premier League players than it is now. It will also raise the question that, if SUFC cannot unearth talent overlooked by the Premier League and sell on such talent at a profit, why bother with the academy at all?

It will widen the existing gap between the PL and the FL to such a degree that it will practically ring fence the PL and make the achievements of a club like Blackpool even rarer. All the best young talent will be concentrated in the PL at a much earlier stage than it is already.

The biggest impact could be on the kids themselves, picked up by PL clubs' category 1 or category 2 academies at the age of 9, failing to make the grade and being dumped at 16 or 17. Speaking of which, does anybody know which category our academy falls into? If it's 3, we will be barred from working with kids any younger than 12.

 

[lenners]

I think there will be funds available in the summer. I'm just scared to death that Micky will be given them.

If there aren't funds available in the summer, United will go bust.
We'll need well over £5m to survive, never mind buy new players. It'll be astonishing if there are significant funds to acquire anyone of any note.

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

It was my mistake, I shouldn't have said FA. The proposed changes are indeed being mooted by the Premier League. The main threat to existing academies is that these changes would involve scrapping the current restriction on recruitment which is to an area within 90 minutes travelling time of the club, although whether this is walking time or private helicopter flight time, I have no idea. In line with this is the proposal to make more academies residential.

The impact of these changes on clubs like ours is that Premier League clubs will be able to recruit from all over the country allowing them to take the best youngsters from anywhere leaving the Football League clubs to fight over the scraps. It will also mean that a whole lot more young players will be spending the first part of their careers either on the bench at their parent clubs or out on loan. It will make the Football League even more of a nursery for young Premier League players than it is now. It will also raise the question that, if SUFC cannot unearth talent overlooked by the Premier League and sell on such talent at a profit, why bother with the academy at all?

It will widen the existing gap between the PL and the FL to such a degree that it will practically ring fence the PL and make the achievements of a club like Blackpool even rarer. All the best young talent will be concentrated in the PL at a much earlier stage than it is already.

The biggest impact could be on the kids themselves, picked up by PL clubs' category 1 or category 2 academies at the age of 9, failing to make the grade and being dumped at 16 or 17. Speaking of which, does anybody know which category our academy falls into? If it's 3, we will be barred from working with kids any younger than 12.

Presumably the Football League will just become a reserve/youth league for the PL. Decisions like this and the proposed move by Wet Sham into Leyton Orient's area show how arrogant the PL have become.