Kevin Ball and all Acadamy Staff


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Why would a premier league manager be inerested in the academy when he probably only gets 14 to 15 months on average in the job. The staff working in the academy are on a hiding to nothing.
Also am i right in thinking we have avsmaller catchment area to other clubs as we are on the coast and its done in so many mile radius of theground upto a certain age, similar to soton
 
Fire the lot, stealing a good living from the club

Playing staff issues aside - off the pitch that would be my absolute first starting point this summer. Hopefully Congerton does so

Kevin Ball is a club legend, whom has given nearly 20 years worth of service to this club through thick and thin!

He deserves more respect than that and one premier league player or not I really appreciate his contribution to this club and his genuine loyalty to us. I can't blame him for the situation, nationally our academies in this country are struggling and top talent is normally snapped up by the big boys

You can't 'make' talent out of shite, poyets reign here testifies of that!
 
Kevin Ball is a club legend, whom has given nearly 20 years worth of service to this club through thick and thin!

He deserves more respect than that and one premier league player or not I really appreciate his contribution to this club and his genuine loyalty to us. I can't blame him for the situation, nationally our academies in this country are struggling and top talent is normally snapped up by the big boys


You can't 'make' talent out of shite, poyets reign here testifies of that!
Ball is another employee of the club and nothing more than that. Respect for his playing career can be shown in lots of ways and so it should be like a number of players from that era who played many times such as Bennett and Armstrong. However he has been paid to do a job and loyalty to him for that would be misplaced if he wasn't achieving what they want. I have no idea if he is or isn't but that's what he should be judged on not perceptions of loyalty.
 
Ball is another employee of the club and nothing more than that. Respect for his playing career can be shown in lots of ways and so it should be like a number of players from that era who played many times such as Bennett and Armstrong. However he has been paid to do a job and loyalty to him for that would be misplaced if he wasn't achieving what they want. I have no idea if he is or isn't but that's what he should be judged on not perceptions of loyalty.

Aye cos the lack of talent is his fault :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
You don't get it do you. The academy IS A SUCCESS. Lord knows where this board obsession has come from recently, that it is not. Very few academies have a better record than ours. As you have personal experience of Chesterfield, how many of their academy graduates are playing in the premier league at the moment? We have two (or does McCartney make it three, can't remember if he was academy).

Countless more playing professionally elsewhere.

If you have higher expectations, they are unrealistic.
Its a good point that we may have made money out of players going to lower league clubs. Would be interested to know the facts.
The only Chesterfield academy player in the prem is Jordan Bowrey at Villa, who paid £500k for him. A lot of money for a club like Chesterfield.
Not sure a bout McArtney but with him being Irish I'm not sure hes a genuine academy product fro a young age.
 
Not saying that. My point was that it isn't about loyalty

And you make a very good point. It might not be Ball's fault that there is a lack of talent but he must take responsibility for a lack of development.
Obviously, if there are no good young players there will be little that can be done; but then the question must be "what is the point of having an academy?" It isn't there just to provide employment for a loyal servant surely.
 
Anyone on here know of players who are at the AOL or moved on who could give an insight? I've heard third hand, from a family member, that one player moved on and his dad was chatting to a professional player who told him it was the best thing he could have done as SAFC is very poor at developing youngsters. The pro was allegedly a little more forthright in his views!!! Second hand news, but I trust the source. I suspect there should be plenty more anecdotes to shed some light on the subject. However, there does seem to be little evidence of success coming from the AOL and very little accountability for those responsible for results!
 
I know Leeds academy have sessions in the east riding of yorkshire. This enables them to widen their catchment area.
 
This is true and absolutely crazy. One of coaches told me that they released a lad last year at age 15 who was technically the best player they have ever had at the academy - for the sole reason that he was 5 foot 6

It's hard to believe, but that's what he told me

Pretty much what happened to Steve Brodie. To be fair, the decision was somewhat vindicated by the fact he never cut it elsewhere (unless you count 50 goals in 150 games for Scarborough) but I saw him play a few times for the youths and he was superb: 6-7 goals a game Rooney-style. Reid inherited some terrific young local players and all bar Gray were written off and sold.
 
People comparing our academy to that of Southampton is absolutely barmy. A high number of the players brought through down there (if not all) was when Southampton were playing in the championship and league one. It's easier to bring people through than it is in the PL. ( we fielded a good amount of youngsters in that league, granted not all of them made it - leadbitter etc.)

The only reason Henderson and Colback have made it is because of loan spells in the championship where the excelled massively (both player of the year?) so the manager couldn't do any other but put them in. Other players who have gone out on loan haven't cut the mustard therefore haven't got a game here.

On the other hand, the above is about nursing players that you already have. Our problem seems to be getting the talent in the first place.

After a prolonged involvement with the Russell Foster league I can tell you on 4/5 occasions I have seen scouts from Boro or Newcastle at games (in the Sunderland area). I'm yet to identify a Sunderland Scout. This is either;

a) they disguise it too well
B) they aren't there to begin with.

I believe it to be the latter. Scouts from the other clubs come in club track suits so are identifiable, so why wouldn't we.
 
It's pretty much unknown how the Academy is really doing. On the one hand there's very little come through to the first team to make a difference, but then again perhaps players are being passed over for the same old useless lot that have dragged us into this position in the first place.

There's an argument that those who have left without having a first team chance haven't gone on to much, but if they had had a chance in the first team maybe they might?

I appreciate that we aren't going to throw in the towel until it's mathematical, but we may as well now. If the first team are as rotten as Poyet makes out, then fuck them off. Lots of kids at the club very eager to go out and do their best. If they get mullered and be shite, it's no difference to what the more experienced professionals would have done in all likelihood.
 
It's pretty much unknown how the Academy is really doing. On the one hand there's very little come through to the first team to make a difference, but then again perhaps players are being passed over for the same old useless lot that have dragged us into this position in the first place.

There's an argument that those who have left without having a first team chance haven't gone on to much, but if they had had a chance in the first team maybe they might?

I appreciate that we aren't going to throw in the towel until it's mathematical, but we may as well now. If the first team are as rotten as Poyet makes out, then fuck them off. Lots of kids at the club very eager to go out and do their best. If they get mullered and be shite, it's no difference to what the more experienced professionals would have done in all likelihood.

On the contrary,marra, it's very well known. The evidence that an Academy is doing well comes in the youth products it produces making their way into the first team. Ours has produced two at the most in the last 7 years of life in the PL. It is not fit for purpose.
 
On the contrary,marra, it's very well known. The evidence that an Academy is doing well comes in the youth products it produces making their way into the first team. Ours has produced two at the most in the last 7 years of life in the PL. It is not fit for purpose.

Perhaps there was more though who have not been given a chance. Keane and Bruce just constantly spent money, O'Neill preferred to have nobody on the bench rather than a kid and Di Canio only brought them onto the bench to make a point rather than ever thinking of blooding them. Poyet for all his recent derision of the team, keeps sticking with them and shuffling them about into different formations.
 
Perhaps there was more though who have not been given a chance. Keane and Bruce just constantly spent money, O'Neill preferred to have nobody on the bench rather than a kid and Di Canio only brought them onto the bench to make a point rather than ever thinking of blooding them. Poyet for all his recent derision of the team, keeps sticking with them and shuffling them about into different formations.

I don't go to Academy games,but there are some on here who regularly do. I've never seen one post from any of them indicating there is a lad who has enough quality to genuinely push for a place in the first team. I've seen some comments saying one or two look better than some of the others,but that's not the same thing.It might be that it's one of the reasons the first team players are content to serve up the dross they do........they know there is nobody pushing them. When you're a PL team,the lads coming through have to be PL quality.......and,apart from JH and,sometimes,JC.....there haven't been any. I'm also pretty sure that,given our current crop of players,if there had been anyone during the time of the managers you mention that was anywhere near to staking a claim,he would have been given a chance.
 
I don't go to Academy games,but there are some on here who regularly do. I've never seen one post from any of them indicating there is a lad who has enough quality to genuinely push for a place in the first team. I've seen some comments saying one or two look better than some of the others,but that's not the same thing.It might be that it's one of the reasons the first team players are content to serve up the dross they do........they know there is nobody pushing them. When you're a PL team,the lads coming through have to be PL quality.......and,apart from JH and,sometimes,JC.....there haven't been any. I'm also pretty sure that,given our current crop of players,if there had been anyone during the time of the managers you mention that was anywhere near to staking a claim,he would have been given a chance.

95% of the first team aren't Premier League quality, and haven't been for years. So it's not really any loss in that respect. The vast majority of the youngsters aren't going to be ready from day one for the Premier League, but they only will be if they are introduced to the first team and begin to train with them, make the odd substitute appearance here and there and continuing to impress in training.
 
95% of the first team aren't Premier League quality, and haven't been for years. So it's not really any loss in that respect. The vast majority of the youngsters aren't going to be ready from day one for the Premier League, but they only will be if they are introduced to the first team and begin to train with them, make the odd substitute appearance here and there and continuing to impress in training.[/QUOTE]

I agree,mate.....but name one?
 
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