| The footballers who are all pay, no play 22:16 - Aug 17 with 2484 views | TacticalR |
'The biggest clubs like to stockpile the brightest young talent on the off-chance that one day they might turn into superstars,' says Chris Green, author of Every Boy’s Dream (2009), a fascinating analysis of the failures of youth team development in Britain. 'They fear missing out on the next Wayne Rooney. So today’s young players can go almost directly from school to earning millions without so much as putting on their boots. In a strange schizophrenia, top clubs are pouring unprecedented sums into youth development but offering fewer openings to players who emerge.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/2745b0b6-0501-11e3-9ffd-00144feab7de.html |  |
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| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 23:51 - Aug 17 with 2404 views | karl |
Young lad, Gary MacKay Steven, from Thurso (nearest Mainland town to Orkney) was spotted at his Highland League club Wick Academy by Ross County before he played a game, he was then scouted by Liverpool before he played at Ross C and then he was 'discarded' by Liverpool to Fulham both of whom never played him before he played for Airdrie in Scotland's third tier (I think for free) before he was picked up out of contract by Dundee Utd.
In a country sadly lacking in young skilful talent I wish he had never gone to Liverpool as breaking through and playing for Ross County would have been the best career step he could take, as it is he's 24 ish and is still learning the pro game whereby I think he is better than many who have played for Scotland yet they have game knowledge he will only learn now in his 2nd full season of pro football |  | | |
| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 10:29 - Aug 18 with 2199 views | TacticalR |
I really like that line:
'In a strange schizophrenia, top clubs are pouring unprecedented sums into youth development but offering fewer openings to players who emerge.'
It explains why the clubs that have spent a huge amount on youth development never seem to produce any youth players. | |
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| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 10:41 - Aug 18 with 2183 views | MrSheen |
Good article. Remember when Arsenal's league cup teams of five years ago would draw full houses wherever they played, and routinely took Championship and lower Premiership teams to the cleaners? What happened to those players? Sanchez Watt in the article, Jay Simpson now a free agent, Lansbury at Forest, Quincy at Palace, but Vela? Denilson? |  | | |
| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 11:30 - Aug 18 with 2159 views | SomersetHoops |
Perhaps we should be looking closer to home, when Harry bemoans the fact that he's had to put three youngsters on the bench on Saturday. I don't suppose for one minute he's properly evaluated the young players outside the 'main squad'. At twenty, most males are at or close to their peak of athletic development and we've had two instances now where 'fill-in' youth players have scored goals and yet they are discounted as flukes.
Unless this attitude changes most young players are never going to develop and gain the experience to become what they may be capable of. If they are only given the chance through necessity rather than through planned progressive introduction nobody will ever know if they are any good. In the past these youngsters were on very low wages and it was normal for young players to be on the bench and get the chance to show what they could do.
Managers today seem frightened to be part of this development process in case it goes wrong, but the best of them (Fergie) gained his reputation at Aberdeen where he started to win things with a large proportion of 'kids' in his side. And some opinionated person was proved wrong when they said 'you can't win anything with kids. Part of the problem may be that these young players are paid too much to be hungry for success as their forebears were.
Unless things change clubs will continue to buy in developed players from abroad or expensively from home clubs, rather than look at the potential that is available to them within their own ranks. QPR have been a particular example of this and it seems to be continuing under its current managements despite the empty words to the contrary by its owners. |  |
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| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 11:20 - Aug 27 with 2014 views | Juzzie |
Man City's youth development is huge. Why???? They just buy, buy, buy like all the other big clubs. |  | | |
| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 11:36 - Aug 27 with 1987 views | adhoc_qpr |
I'd be very surprised if Ravel Morrison ever knuckled down and became a good player - didn't he get done for witness intimidation aged 18 FFS!? |  | | |
| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 11:43 - Aug 27 with 1977 views | isawqpratwcity |
| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 11:30 - Aug 18 by SomersetHoops |
Perhaps we should be looking closer to home, when Harry bemoans the fact that he's had to put three youngsters on the bench on Saturday. I don't suppose for one minute he's properly evaluated the young players outside the 'main squad'. At twenty, most males are at or close to their peak of athletic development and we've had two instances now where 'fill-in' youth players have scored goals and yet they are discounted as flukes.
Unless this attitude changes most young players are never going to develop and gain the experience to become what they may be capable of. If they are only given the chance through necessity rather than through planned progressive introduction nobody will ever know if they are any good. In the past these youngsters were on very low wages and it was normal for young players to be on the bench and get the chance to show what they could do.
Managers today seem frightened to be part of this development process in case it goes wrong, but the best of them (Fergie) gained his reputation at Aberdeen where he started to win things with a large proportion of 'kids' in his side. And some opinionated person was proved wrong when they said 'you can't win anything with kids. Part of the problem may be that these young players are paid too much to be hungry for success as their forebears were.
Unless things change clubs will continue to buy in developed players from abroad or expensively from home clubs, rather than look at the potential that is available to them within their own ranks. QPR have been a particular example of this and it seems to be continuing under its current managements despite the empty words to the contrary by its owners. |
"...and yet they are discounted as flukes. "
Yes, you have to keep a sense of perspective. If you push a player beyond his capacity you risk wasting points (NW pushing Dave onto the transfer market showroom early 2010-12 (not young, but similar problem)), or setting him up for early failure (can't think of a football example for this, but cricket is especially mindful of avoiding pushing young players too early). |  |
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| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 12:00 - Aug 27 with 1944 views | MedwayR |
| The footballers who are all pay, no play on 10:41 - Aug 18 by MrSheen |
Good article. Remember when Arsenal's league cup teams of five years ago would draw full houses wherever they played, and routinely took Championship and lower Premiership teams to the cleaners? What happened to those players? Sanchez Watt in the article, Jay Simpson now a free agent, Lansbury at Forest, Quincy at Palace, but Vela? Denilson? |
Vela is doing very well at Real Sociedad, who have Champions League football this year too if they get through the play-offs. Apparently Arsenal had the option of re-signing him this summer but didn't take the option which if true surprises me a little.
Denilson is now playing back in Brazil for Sao Paulo, no idea how he's doing but he never quite lived up to expectation at Arsenal.
That Arsenal side looked quality, but perhaps suffered from a lack of opportunity to play competitive football. There's a coaching theory that around the age of 9-12 children are at the golden age of learning where they develop quickly & absorb a lot of information, I think that if there is a golden age of learning then around the ages of 18-21 represents a golden age of opportunity where they need to be playing competitively at the highest level they can in order to gain experience & make the step up. |  |
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