M
Moneyball
Guest
Absolutely, but hard to replicate unless you have money and connections. Their catchment area is fiercely competitive. The north-east only really has Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Boro have a good reputation for actually blooding players, and that will persist under Jonathan Woodgate. Newcastle, less so, although I'd bet they're holding the Longstaff brothers up to every parent they speak to.
The big question now is what do those in charge at Sunderland want the reputation/identity to be. Ethan Robson, Bali Mumba, and Denver Hume are a decent set of success stories, to varying degrees, but the real big names may have already left. If I'm a parent I'd ask why do I need to go to Sunderland if my boy is good enough for those clubs?
That’ll be the Longstaffs that won’t sign a new contract? Either the club is short changing them or they are mercenary little twats both kinda indicative of modern day football.
I truly believe that clubs will start to follow the Huddersfield and Brentford solution and not try and compete at a under 16 level and below.