Youth Recruitment - A Huge Positive

[Alex W]

We've just brought in Charles Vernam, a 16 year old from Ssausagehorpe (he has a trial at AC Milan last year), aswell as most recently Jack Tuite from Cherry Orchard and Luke Adams from a side in New Zealand.

Aswell as being a brilliant sign that we're actively looking to keep a very active recruitment policy when it comes to hoping to bring through more players from the youth side over time, it's also perhaps a sign that this is where our scouting efforts are concentrated?

There was news from a fan forum (I forget whom posted it) that amongst other things the club had divulged that they've pretty much stopped scouting abroad as it wasn't value for money. Now, I think this is a poor decision, much good can be done from looking abroad, the key there in atleast looking around. Any money put into scouting abroad can be reaped back tenfold if you happen to stumble across a player for next to nothing who's half decent and either repays you on the pitch by firing you to greater things or is simply decent enough to be sold on for a fee later.

Despite that, it does seem we have a decent scouting department looking around the youth level, and that could quite probably be just as productive. If we're genuinely just looking at home when signing players and then sole-ly relying on the academy to suppliment that, then it makes sense to have a pretty constant series of players coming into our academy from outside the area, both in financial terms and in terms of hopefully bringing a higher success rate of players graduating from the youth team to the first eleven.

This isn't breaking news that this is going on, but it is something that at a time when the club gets bashed for every other loss and the doom mongers surgace, it's atleast a sign that rather than sitting and wishing for a new Will Hughes each year, we're actively trying to increase that chance.

So a positive for us all to enjoy right there. Well, until we lose 2-1 to Blackpool and folk bring out the nooses again anyway.

[Derbiean]

Assuming that by getting as many players from the academy through as possible we will be looking to sell some of them to help the club become self sustainable (like Crewe) and generate the income which allows us more flex in the transfer market, how long would such a stragety take? (Assumption 2, it works).

[Alex W]

Assuming that by getting as many players from the academy through as possible we will be looking to sell some of them to help the club become self sustainable (like Crewe) and generate the income which allows us more flex in the transfer market, how long would such a stragety take? (Assumption 2, it works).

Well assuming that's the case, at 16 you've usually got atleast another two years before they start playing for the first team regularly (key there being 'usually' of course) so presumably we've got another two years until we start to see how successful this recruitment is, as you've got to wait for these guys to come through before judging.

You'd have to wait 5 years to properly judge it though, two years of progression for these guys and then three years of us adding additions to the academy aswell as what they're already doing would give us a clear view on whether it was beneficial or not to be doing it.

[Derbiean]

I imagine this why the owners are happy/contend/submitted to in the meantime ensuring that each financial year they make up the losses so we break even, GSE sold them on them on going the youth recruitment route "its low risk and low cost with potentially great returns". Or something along those lines.

[PrivateDerby]

Well done Charles.

The more lads that come through and play for the academy and under 21s who are doing very well by the looks of it the better. Then others will hopefully think "I'm going to Derby because Wassal and Clough give lads like me a chance providing you prove yourself"

I think it's brill how many British players we have, but an Italian, a Costa Rican and a couple of Jamaican's wouldn't go a miss.

[Malagaram]

And throw in a couple of Spaniards(who are world champions)as well

[CornwallRam]

It feels like a really good idea, and if it works it could deliver a successful team with players who have grown up wearing the Ram on their chest. I can't think of a way in which I'd rather we achieved success.

However, the strategy is not without risk. All this focus on youth costs money. That money is not availbale to fund more immediate team building. That makes us less competitive and gradually shrinks us as a club. The calculation seems to be to bear a few years of downsizing in order to develop sustainable growth in the future. Great if it works, but definitely risky.

Most young players don't make it. By focusing on youth we will bring more through, but also waste more on developing failures. Is it possible to bring enough successes through to aleviate the need to bring in expensive, experienced players? I hope so, but I'm not wholly convinced that it is.

I imagine that the plan is to keep most of the better youngsters that come through, but sell any that attract big offers. That way we might be able to bring in a couple of experienced players a season. Yet will it be enough to compete with the clubs who spend only on fully formed players. If not we can't get promoted and the owners won't get a return on their investment.

It's a fascinating experiment, and one that I hope works well, but it has only a moderate chance of success - assuming that success is long term sustainability and relative competitivness in the top tier.

[Alex W]

However, the strategy is not without risk. All this focus on youth costs money. That money is not availbale to fund more immediate team building. That makes us less competitive and gradually shrinks us as a club. The calculation seems to be to bear a few years of downsizing in order to develop sustainable growth in the future. Great if it works, but definitely risky.

Most young players don't make it. By focusing on youth we will bring more through, but also waste more on developing failures. Is it possible to bring enough successes through to aleviate the need to bring in expensive, experienced players? I hope so, but I'm not wholly convinced that it is.

It is always a risk with such things, but if we are as limited financially as we seem to be and we aren't scouting abroad, this seems like a solid enough venture in order to level that balance and increase our chances of either bringing through more starlets for good or finding one every 5 years or so who can be sold for decent money and work to bridge the gap between us and the clubs around is when transfer fees are concerned.

It's a good idea atleast, and an experiment i'm very pleased to see us taking part in.

[Scott_dcfc]

We seem to be doing our bit when it comes to youth, and I for one am really excited to see what these guys bring to the table in years to come. I think it's fantastic as a club that the the whole effort isn't just going in the first team squad, but all through the age categories.

It can only be a good thing for future stars to think 'wow, they give their kids a chance- Derby is where i want to be'

Well done DCFC, I can't wait to see what you pull out the bag.

[blackNwhites]

Well done Charles.

The more lads that come through and play for the academy and under 21s who are doing very well by the looks of it the better. Then others will hopefully think "I'm going to Derby because Wassal and Clough give lads like me a chance providing you prove yourself"

I think it's brill how many British players we have, but an Italian, a Costa Rican and a couple of Jamaican's wouldn't go a miss.

Leave the foreign investment to the big clubs, we rarely see English players coming through at their clubs nowadays so it's up to clubs like Derby to take the initiative and bring them through ourselves.

[ChaddesdenRam]

Also english players tend to be worth much more. i.e. Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair, Jordan Henderson, Ox - Chamberlain, Phil Jones, Andy Carroll.

You say that it may be 2 or 3 years before these players come through but Hughes is playing regular first team football at 17. And what about the players older than 18 that are not in the first team.

Kieran Freeman, Stefan Galinski, Gjokak, James Bailey, Josh Lelan, Kane Richards, Callum Ball....... These players must be worth quite a lot combined. If we keep recruiting, realistically players are going to have to be sold i think it will be around 2 years before the players i have named will want to play first team football, so in 2 years time i think we will start to reap the rewards. Either from sales or the team getting better.

[Cisse]

I hope we have people who can take this kid to stardom. And us to Premier...

[VulcanRam]

Also english players tend to be worth much more. i.e. Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair, Jordan Henderson, Ox - Chamberlain, Phil Jones, Andy Carroll.

You say that it may be 2 or 3 years before these players come through but Hughes is playing regular first team football at 17. And what about the players older than 18 that are not in the first team.

Kieran Freeman, Stefan Galinski, Gjokak, James Bailey, Josh Lelan, Kane Richards, Callum Ball....... These players must be worth quite a lot combined. If we keep recruiting, realistically players are going to have to be sold i think it will be around 2 years before the players i have named will want to play first team football, so in 2 years time i think we will start to reap the rewards. Either from sales or the team getting better.

Bailey will be sold come Jan or May, whilst not sure about Ball and whether he's going to be good enough. So of that list, the only two that have 1st team experience either are not good enough or haven't yet, and I stress yet, made the required impact. Freeman should be good enough, I liked what I saw of Gjokak, as for the others no real idea.

[Gary Teale]

Do young players always improve as many seem to claim? The answer is no, some do but so do some old players. Out of the last batch Barnes, Huddleston, nyatanga, Holmes, Addison, camp, grant, Izale, even include Morris, boats and jacko who were signed for the future, only Huddleston has gone in and really improved and achieved anything.

Ps I really rate Hughes and believe he will go on to better things

[inglorious02]

We seem to be increasingly reliant on bringing in young kids from the lower leagues and nothing else. We need to offset this by bringing in some proven quality surely??

How many of the young kids that Clough has brought through have been good? Will Hughes, a few good games and the jury is still out. Mason Bennett - never seems to play. Jeff Hendrick - good last season, poor this season. Connor Doyle - rubbish. James Bailey - shunted out on loan. Callum Ball - best of the lot; shunted out on loan.

Not great is it?

[Stimacked]

The key to some of the recent success with the Academy is first and formost stability. Wassall and his team have been doing the Academy for 3 or 4 seasons now and this timescale has allowed them to put solid foundations for success. What ultimately matters is that the Academy recruits the right kind of players and that a good handful go on to make it for the 1st team. The U21 league seems to be helping bridge the gap with the 1st team. All the clubs are in the same boat on this so we don't have any special advantage there. What we do have now though is players actually breaking through and becoming 1st team regulars. This is partly because Clough has had few other options. But it seems to have worked to some extent. Having a reputation for giving players a chance seems to be giving Wassall a chance to sign up more promissing youngsters.We now have more youth internationals than we have had since Jim Smiths time here. That was when current England Youth coach was Derby's youth coach. Wassall has had time to learn on the job in his role as Academy Director and it is starting to bear fruit. Stability is the key. The new DOF with all his agent contacts should help us to continue rectuiting more upcoming youth. The other key to a successful youth academy set up.

[Duracell]

Do young players always improve as many seem to claim? The answer is no, some do but so do some old players. Out of the last batch Barnes, Huddleston, nyatanga, Holmes, Addison, camp, grant, Izale, even include Morris, boats and jacko who were signed for the future, only Huddleston has gone in and really improved and achieved anything.

Ps I really rate Hughes and believe he will go on to better things

Sometimes it works, somtimes it doesn't, as you say. We've never really had a successful batch. 'Boro, as an example, seem to have a pretty steady batch of players coming through to either compliment their squad or make them some money. West Ham have produced some pretty good players, and still do, and there's always one in their squad. Liverpool would have a reall crisis in their squad if they didn't have the quality youth players they do. Suso, Sterling and Wisdom are plugging gaps well for them.

[randombc]

We seem to be increasingly reliant on bringing in young kids from the lower leagues and nothing else. We need to offset this by bringing in some proven quality surely??

How many of the young kids that Clough has brought through have been good? Will Hughes, a few good games and the jury is still out. Mason Bennett - never seems to play. Jeff Hendrick - good last season, poor this season. Connor Doyle - rubbish. James Bailey - shunted out on loan. Callum Ball - best of the lot; shunted out on loan.

Not great is it?

Oh wow, if you think Callum Ball is better then Will Hughes you need your head looking at.

[AucklandRam]

It's one of the great things about having stability The main reason we've struggled to bring enough young players through is because we kept changing managers, who bought their own youth team staff with them. Wassall will have known some of the players in the Under 18's since they've been 12 and that's often leads to success, just look at Boro. And with our facilities it should lead to some exciting players come through over the next few years.

[bourneyesterday]

It feels like a really good idea, and if it works it could deliver a successful team with players who have grown up wearing the Ram on their chest. I can't think of a way in which I'd rather we achieved success.

However, the strategy is not without risk. All this focus on youth costs money. That money is not availbale to fund more immediate team building. That makes us less competitive and gradually shrinks us as a club. The calculation seems to be to bear a few years of downsizing in order to develop sustainable growth in the future. Great if it works, but definitely risky.

Most young players don't make it. By focusing on youth we will bring more through, but also waste more on developing failures. Is it possible to bring enough successes through to aleviate the need to bring in expensive, experienced players? I hope so, but I'm not wholly convinced that it is.

I imagine that the plan is to keep most of the better youngsters that come through, but sell any that attract big offers. That way we might be able to bring in a couple of experienced players a season. Yet will it be enough to compete with the clubs who spend only on fully formed players. If not we can't get promoted and the owners won't get a return on their investment.

It's a fascinating experiment, and one that I hope works well, but it has only a moderate chance of success - assuming that success is long term sustainability and relative competitivness in the top tier.

Man utd,Chelsea,Man Citeh, Liverpool,and Arsenal are all able to attract the best British and irish youth as well as poaching the best from Europe and certain African countries. If it was as easy as the OP suggests then these clubs would never have to buy another expensive Carlos Kickaball again.

The truth is its not easy and is in fact a pile ******. Its just a sop to gullible Derby fans to keep them from asking those awkward little questions like

Why can't we compete with Huddersfield and Brighton?

Why do we get spanked by Peterboro ( average gate 6,000)

If we ever get promoted to the top division again with a team made up of home grown talent, developed entirely from our academy, then i will run the whole length of Dairy House Rd. wearing nothing but a forest shirt and a traffic cone on my head.

Yes you can hold me to that.