O'Neill set for academy and reserve-team overhaul 8:00am Monday 21st May 2012 in Sport By Scott Wilson MARTIN O'NEILL will overhaul Sunderland's academy and reserve-team squads this summer in an attempt to stamp his mark on the long-term future of the club. As well as targeting a number of additions to his senior squad, O'Neill is keen to strengthen the levels below the first team. Jack Colback is the only player to have progressed from the academy into the first team in recent seasons â James McClean was bought in from Derry City rather than developed at the Academy of Light â and O'Neill is determined to improve the quality of players attempting to break into the senior set-up. http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/9716625.O_Neill_set_for_academy_and_reserve_team_overhaul/ Sunderland revealed their released list on Saturday, and as expected the headlines were hogged by the departure of Craig Gordon, who will be offered the opportunity to join West Ham United following the Hammers' victory in this weekend's Championship play-off final with Blackpool. West Ham are also set to make a £1.5m offer for Black Cats midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady in the next few days. However, as well as releasing Gordon, Sunderland have also failed to renew the contracts of eight other players from the fringe of their squad. Fellow goalkeepers Trevor Carson and Lewis King are departing, along with defenders Liam Bagnall and Jordon Lavendar, midfielders James Brace and Brett Elliott, and strikers Oumare Tounkara and Jordan Cook, who made a couple of first-team appearances under Steve Bruce.
Elmos is leaving "Jack Colback is the only player to have progressed from the academy into the first team in recent seasons" what about henderson is he not from our acadamy??
I don't agree with the first part of this piece. Did Henderson not come from the Academy then? Yes he moved on but he was still a product of our set up. We also have lots of academy players playing in the reserves and out on loan to league clubs, some of whom still have a chance of first team football. Louis Laing, is on MON's radar apparently. And anyway how many academy players come into other Premier League teams? One every other season at most, so we are doing as well or better than most (not saying we shouldn't make an effort to get more coming through of course!). It's fair enough that MON wants to make his own mark on the whole structure of the club but according to other newspapers today he is also telling our scouts to look for young foreign talent to bring in. It seems to me that as there is no real news this journalist has made up a story from the few facts that are out there (Appointing Craig Liddle to work with the youngsters, and the announcement about released players)
Yep. The Academy is gash, Colback , sold Jordan for £20million, Louis Laing one of the highest rated kids in the country... Utter ****e.
This a Darlington area paper, and obviously the geezer didnt do his homework, perhaps he meant that jack, was the only current academy player in the first team, or just being a div.
Would rather see MON stamp his mark on the first team than mess about with the reserves and academy players. We need to get a good first team up and running then he can sort out the rest. The Academy hasn't really produced the masses of "local" talent most hoped for however I think Hendersons sale to the dippers more or less paid for it so owes us nowt.
I think its refreshing. We've been hearing about all these hot young things in the reseves and we've ended up releasing them. This we need a proper feeder team where players can get sent out on loan to get experience. With York getting promoted its a good opportunity. Its realtively local, they will be playing league football, and we dont have to rely on offers being made for players. If we could just say to (for example) Ryan Noble, you are going to York this season, go there enjoy yourself and score some goals it would be perfect.
I agree with this. We should be utilizing/helping Pools, York & Carlisle, maybe even Gateshead as they will be pushing for a league spot next season.
Can we though, with teams in the same country, not many if any other clubs do it. Only one I can think off is Man U, with Antwerp, but thats abroad. I would love our youngans to go abroad for 2-3 seasons. Learn new ways to play. Learn a new culture/Language. better class of opposition than league 2 Away from the binge drinking culture. Away from the **** British Media. 2nd division team in Spain/Italy gets my vote. But I do think we need to push the acadamy even harder than we are doing, getting a Beckham/Giggs/Scholes probably wont happen, esp not all 3 at once, but if it keeps us ticking over, and saves us spending a fortune, then i am all for it.
Remember Keegan did away with Newcastles Academy, and look what joy that brought. The Academy, like the young folk of this country , is the best way forward. As for the production from the Academy is concerned, its not been long in its current form, only time will tell.
agree with this. Swiss league (Basel , Zurich), French league 1 (bottom half) and league 2, 2nd spanish and italian leagues. hell, at the age of 14 and above they should be spending 1 school term per year in a foreign league imo.
