Committed to Academy 1 status and a big turn around - Rodwell


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He'd signed a contract at the age of 16 with them -

That’s my point though.

On one hand we’re being told Birmingham are protected because he’d signed a contract at 16, whereas Kildare and the club are continuously saying there’s nothing we can do because our players weren’t able to.

“While Donald did not disclose the names of the players, it is because they are under 17-years-old that Liverpool can bring them in as Sunderland cannot offer them contracts.”

Why is Bellingham different to our players?
 
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It's possible (and likely) that Rodwell is just a mouth piece, though he has been given management responsibility by the owners and I doubt he wants to be a fall guy. It's also possible (but less likely) that this is action being taken following recommendations from the non executive directors that were appointed last year and actually see the club from the fans perspective.
That would indeed be progress. We need someone into the academy with new progressive ideas.
We can't compete with the Prem teams so we have to try something different.
Not just going through the motions. Something that is actually going to develop players that can progress to First team level
I wouldn't necessarily want to go down the Brentford route but I like the idea both developing youngsters and bringing in
highly rated lads who don't quite cut it at the very top clubs. Combining the two with a competative B team would help transition to the first team.

As for Rodwell not convinced yet. Haven't heard great things about him from his previous jobs
and he hasn't impressed so far. But happy to give him a chance.
 
Being hyper optimistic maybe the hierarchy have woke up from the nightmare that their quick flip plan isn’t actually working so we better actually start looking at the longer term of the club or we are gonna be left with an unsaleable entity.

Or not. Probably or not. Just spin a yarn.

Commitment to C1 status is a positive, no doubt. But ticking the boxes to do so doesn’t guarantee successful development. As with everything it comes down to the quality and drive of the staff to develop the well recruited talent. The club has to create an environment where coaches, scouts and players see the much talked about pathway to the first team. That doesn’t exist - the environment or the pathway.

Make no mistake the Academy is seen as the best opportunity to make money. The platitudes as they may be doesn’t change that offers will be accepted for all players.

Playing at improving the Academy is pointless if the commitment to youth development continues throughout the 19s/23s and more importantly the first team. Parkinson is as old school, group orientated as they come. Recent history shows that if things are going ok he’ll flog that dead horse until it’s at risk of ended up in a Tesco’s lasagne. He hasn’t got the philosophy of development.

Local talent will always be viewed as lesser than bought talent. That local lad has to be exceptional to get a real chance and has to be very good on that first op or he’s deemed not of the required standard. Signings get chance to bed in and find their feet.

A huge shift in strategy, philosophy and personnel is needed.

That’s not expensive or particularly difficult to implement either - just requires a commitment through tough times and a competency to initiate and refine as the process continues.

The Real Sociedad model...have we had that one yet?
 
Actions speak louder than words, and I do not buy this bullshit.
 
I do find the subject of Ged McNamee interesting. A lot of people (probably myself included) couldn't see past the nepotism he showed Tom but the academy has had a fair amount of success. Difficult to be objective as you dont get a lot of facts out of the academy so people make judgments on what they can see. Always interested in getting the perspective from people who were actually involved.

Similar to Bally actually. I know and have played with a few ex-academy players who absolutely slate him but they're hardly going to be impartial after being released. Then you have the likes of Hendo and PIckford who cant speak highly enough of him.
I know one skint summer safc foundthemselves with no one qualified enough on the coaching front to allow cat1 status to be maintained. Someone was rushed through the last section of their coaching exams and promoted. If it was him he certainly took his chance.
 
Thinking positively, I think the upkeep of a Cat 1 Academy is around a yearly £2 million outlay, surely with the climate we are in the Loan from FPP has got to be getting used now I would have thought
 
Hang on this isn't right I thought it was being bulldozed and sold off according to the legions of merchants of doom oon here.
There’s “academy” and “academy status” being discussed all were recently. Unfortunately posters aren’t always distinguishing between the two.
 
Being hyper optimistic maybe the hierarchy have woke up from the nightmare that their quick flip plan isn’t actually working so we better actually start looking at the longer term of the club or we are gonna be left with an unsaleable entity.

Or not. Probably or not. Just spin a yarn.

Commitment to C1 status is a positive, no doubt. But ticking the boxes to do so doesn’t guarantee successful development. As with everything it comes down to the quality and drive of the staff to develop the well recruited talent. The club has to create an environment where coaches, scouts and players see the much talked about pathway to the first team. That doesn’t exist - the environment or the pathway.

Make no mistake the Academy is seen as the best opportunity to make money. The platitudes as they may be doesn’t change that offers will be accepted for all players.

Playing at improving the Academy is pointless if the commitment to youth development continues throughout the 19s/23s and more importantly the first team. Parkinson is as old school, group orientated as they come. Recent history shows that if things are going ok he’ll flog that dead horse until it’s at risk of ended up in a Tesco’s lasagne. He hasn’t got the philosophy of development.

Local talent will always be viewed as lesser than bought talent. That local lad has to be exceptional to get a real chance and has to be very good on that first op or he’s deemed not of the required standard. Signings get chance to bed in and find their feet.

A huge shift in strategy, philosophy and personnel is needed.

That’s not expensive or particularly difficult to implement either - just requires a commitment through tough times and a competency to initiate and refine as the process continues.

The Real Sociedad model...have we had that one yet?
I must admit my view is the same - if we get a forward thinking Director of Academy in who puts in place a coherent strategy it would stop at Parkinson. However, it was a funny coincidence that one of the most recent soundbite stories recently from Parkinson was saying what a big role Embleton could play this year.
 
That’s my point though.

On one hand we’re being told Birmingham are protected because he’d signed a contract at 16, whereas Kildare and the club are continuously saying there’s nothing we can do because our players weren’t able to.

“While Donald did not disclose the names of the players, it is because they are under 17-years-old that Liverpool can bring them in as Sunderland cannot offer them contracts.”

Why is Bellingham different to our players?

I think that's an error by whoever stated it and they meant under 16 opposed to 17. But I dare bet that due to school year there may be some who are actually 16 who it impacts.

As others have stated, depending on first team exposure, this also impacts protection.

The club should look at the top youngsters and expose them to first team as young as possible and even look at throwing them on the bench and even on the pitch in the closing minutes of a "comfortable game" - like we ever have those
 
Its not that its that hard to hold onto talent. But our owners clearly arent bothered about it. They want the academy to be C1 in name only, its a front to pacify the fan base while they run it like a non-league outfit. You can call it what you like, but its not being ran like a C1 academy and the owners have no intention of properly funding it, applying quality coaching, or anything like that. So whats the point. Until we get new owners nothing will change.
I don't necessarily disagree with that, but the answer isn't to passively accept the logic of getting rid, it's to continually highlight to them their failings and pressure them to run it right. I've seen a few people go down the 'what's the point' route and it worries me because I think this is exactly what they want you to think, because that makes it easier to defund and decategorise without much complaint at some point in the future.
 
Why is that positive?
It allows the current regime to slowly “put back” the £20m they’ve nivver “taken out of the club”?
Oh that’s been written off hasn’t it. How silly of me. I keep getting my “writing off £20m“ mixed up with some mystery £20m that nivver existed in the first place.
BTW anyone know when the accounts need to be in by?
 
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