Our youth academy

[needles]

The question is who for? What makes a good academy? Producing players for other teams?

 

 

I heard that Mourinho would count as a success the sale of a young pro for a million or two, which can then help to finance signings.

 

Man U did it for years producing then selling the likes of Dave Jones, good pro's but not superstars.

[ThePekingHomunculus]

Our Academy has been producing good players for the past decade (since Huddlestone, Lee Holmes and Giles Barnes came through). Think back during the decade before that and who came through? The last decent homegrown player before that was probably Paul Williams!

 

That said, I would like to see a few more kick on - the likes of Bennett, Hanson and Thomas are at the stage where if they are going to be top players they should be regulars in our matchday squad by now. We are going really well but we still ahve journeymen like Best, Buxton and Naylor regularly involved.

[Day]

We pinched Huddlestone from Forest

[Ambitious]

Chelsea comfortably have the best youth team in the country. Comfortably. 

 

Their under-21 side is fantastic, same with under-19 and probably lower. 

 

They do buy other good young players, but they've got a plethora of quality.  

[RLACML]

Our Academy has been producing good players for the past decade (since Huddlestone, Lee Holmes and Giles Barnes came through). Think back during the decade before that and who came through? The last decent homegrown player before that was probably Paul Williams!

 

That said, I would like to see a few more kick on - the likes of Bennett, Hanson and Thomas are at the stage where if they are going to be top players they should be regulars in our matchday squad by now. We are going really well but we still ahve journeymen like Best, Buxton and Naylor regularly involved.

Journeymen like Buxton? Wum

[ThePekingHomunculus]

Depends on what your ambition is for the club RLACML.

 

I admire Buxton for his effort and he has developed into a decent Championship centre half. But I want our Academy to produce players of Premiership quality - players like Hendrick and Hughes.  Buxton will never be at that level and my argument is if a player like Hanson for example is really going to make it he should be in the frame to oust the likes of Buxton and Whitbread by now.

[NeilHunt180]

Interesting when talk is of the players produced by our academy in recent years that one name always seems to be missed - Jordan Mutch.

Guess it's because he never made the breakthrough with us but followed Terry Westley to Birmingham instead when Billy Davies came in. Shame as look at the player he's developing in to.

[RLACML]

Depends on what your ambition is for the club RLACML.

 

I admire Buxton for his effort and he has developed into a decent Championship centre half. But I want our Academy to produce players of Premiership quality - players like Hendrick and Hughes.  Buxton will never be at that level and my argument is if a player like Hanson for example is really going to make it he should be in the frame to oust the likes of Buxton and Whitbread by now.

Buxton is an excellent Championship CB. I just find all this talk about Buxton just being effort and heart pretty insulting. Not only is he an excellent defender, he's also excellent on the ball. Add a little extra pace, and he's a good Premier League player. 

 

I'm also not willing to admit that Buxton isn't good enough to play in the Premier League. I think he deserves that chance to prove himself.

[Mafiabob]

Interesting when talk is of the players produced by our academy in recent years that one name always seems to be missed - Jordan Mutch.

Guess it's because he never made the breakthrough with us but followed Terry Westley to Birmingham instead when Billy Davies came in. Shame as look at the player he's developing in to.

Now earning 45k a week at QPR.... Asked for it and got it.... No questions asked.

QPR will end up like Leeds

[Bris Vegas]

Chelsea have the best youngsters but then again they should do.

 

They can throw money at any player and have the London factor to help attract the very best.

 

Plus they have so many out on loan at the moment andties with fellow European clubs such as Mallorca and Vitesse it's easy to understand why.

 

I detest them for their methods though, and they wrongfully got away with it when tapping up Gael Kakuta and prising him away from Lens despite him being under contract.

[Dimmu]

If you think which academy has developed good players, West Ham must be up there with the best.

[Bris Vegas]

From times gone by, WHU, Southampton, Everton and Ipswich were up there with the best English talent. Middlebrough and even Leeds had a fair number too.

 

Obviously the likes of United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have quality youngsters coming through all the time but the majority are poached rather than homegrown.

[Angry Ram]

Chelsea comfortably have the best youth team in the country. Comfortably. 

 

Their under-21 side is fantastic, same with under-19 and probably lower. 

 

They do buy other good young players, but they've got a plethora of quality.  

Don't disagree but you're missing my point. Is it a great academy if, with their resource, they still can't get much near the first team?

The point of the academy is not to have the best U21 team, it's to supply players for the first team surely.

[AmericanRam]

Don't disagree but you're missing my point. Is it a great academy if, with their resource, they still can't get much near the first team?

The point of the academy is not to have the best U21 team, it's to supply players for the first team surely.

I agree Angry.

[Day]

From times gone by, WHU, Southampton, Everton and Ipswich were up there with the best English talent.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaw, Chambers, Ward-Prowse

In the last 3 years alone, hardly times gone by

If you want to go back you could add Shearer and Le Tissier to the list and of course Bale. Some include Lallana and Walcott but both were signed.

[Ambitious]

Don't disagree but you're missing my point. Is it a great academy if, with their resource, they still can't get much near the first team?

The point of the academy is not to have the best U21 team, it's to supply players for the first team surely.

 

If they were our players, or Southampton's or even Tottenham's they would be already first team players. 

 

The competition is too strong, but it will come. Lewis Baker, for example, is a much better player than Ryan Mason but he's in the Spurs first-team now. 

 

Based on the talent in their youth ranks, it's unquestionably Chelsea. 

 

If you're talking about an academy that supplies for the first team it's unquestionably Crewe. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaw, Chambers, Ward-Prowse

In the last 3 years alone, hardly times gone by

If you want to go back you could add Shearer and Le Tissier to the list and of course Bale. Some include Lallana and Walcott but both were signed.

int bale from there anorl?

 

should have read to the end. apologies

[Dr. Gonzo]

Re: the thread topic. we're informed by the club that we have a fantastic academy. and i'm not saying things arnt looking up. but they are hardly going to say anything different when we want to attract young talent. having said that, any club thats produced the likes of Marvin Robinson and Lee Camp are a force to be reckoned with. 

[NeilHunt180]

Now earning 45k a week at QPR.... Asked for it and got it.... No questions asked.

QPR will end up like Leeds

Sad thing is, from what bits I heard over the summer, it was pretty much a done deal he was coming back to us had we beaten QPR.

Looked a superb player at times at Cardiff last year, haven't seen much of the Premier League this year so I don't even know if he's getting games - knowing Redknapp, probably not.

[Tombo]

Sad thing is, from what bits I heard over the summer, it was pretty much a done deal he was coming back to us had we beaten QPR.

Looked a superb player at times at Cardiff last year, haven't seen much of the Premier League this year so I don't even know if he's getting games - knowing Redknapp, probably not.

I'd have loved Jordon Mutch back, local Alvo lad, shame he ever went.

 

But that's based on sentimentality because he wouldn't have got in over Hendrick, Hughes or Bryson