I missed the 'world class' thing. Patently ridiculous since Tottenham, where they have players like Van Der Vaart and Modric, have had his services for the last few years Klug's youngsters have far more England caps between them than Norwich City players have in their entire history.
Hampy was intimating that all kids aren't born with talent. This is of course correct. However, when clubs pick these youngsters up, most of them are at the age where their potential can be judged. So, in short, I don't see what talent kids are or aren't born with has to do with this particular debate.
There you go again, banging on about history! Seriously though, your history of bringing up good youth players means nothing now the rules have changed. Your only saving grace is that you have Klug back (I assume he has signed).
I rather suspect that Hampy (if I may talk for him) was saying that a subjective assessment of a youngsters potential was just that. Ergo, the ethos and the education of the recruiting club is of paramount importance in the youngster’s development. At no point was he suggesting some psychic perusal of not yet created embryos. But a minor quibble, so never mind. You appear to be of the opinion that at a certain age, a youngster’s potential can be objectively assessed?
Of course it can. All 9/10 year olds aren't put into a hat and then clubs pick out the names of the kids they are going to coach. They are watched from a very young age and from now on (for the time being) the clubs with the better academy's will get the better kids.
Bang on Jonah. Why have so many great players come from Merseyside and Danny Mills is the best you can do from Norfolk? Is it because scousers have a great player gene that they lack in the darker part of East Anglia? Or is it because Liverpool and Everton have great youth set ups and can get the best out of players born there?
Well, off course it can’t! You can assess where they are NOW physically, you can get a view of where their footballing technique is NOW, you can get a very vague impression of their mentality and you can compare them to where others are at that that age. You can only make a vague, subjective assessment of which ones might develop, never mind the one that might go to achieve great things. I think Hampy’s point is that the ones who look the greatest at nine are not necessarily the ones that make it - that the training, mentoring, the environment and so on might make at least as much difference to the development of an individual as the initial talent at nine or whatever. So, the “best kids” aren’t necessarily the “best kids”. If you think you think you have the formulae to spot infallibly the nine-year-old who will become the greater player in any given group I’d report it to an appropriate research institution if I were you, after getting it patented off course.
I would say that a kid who was good in those abilities would have a better chance of making it as a pro than a kid who didn't, or a kid that was behind. Of course there will be occasions when the kids that are behind will catch up, and sometimes even overtake. However, if I was a scout, I would be looking for kids who were ahead of the others in any given team.
Just to humour you, and I have no idea why I am, how do you think that will help you get the most talented kids? Anyone who is more than 90 minutes away from Norwich is in the catchment area of Chelsea, Arsenal, Villa and beyond.
Yes, but why would any boy want to get coached at a London club, or any other club when he has a category one academy on his doorstep?
if he's on your doorstep then what does the 90 minute rule have to do with anything? You must be deliberately acting this dumb?
Carra, i think it is time you went back to your own board, you are shooting yourself in the foot on this one.!
Simply not true. Teams could pinch kids from our area, but why would the kids up-sticks and leave East Anglia when the kids have a category one academy on their doorstep? Do not think for one second Ipswich will not be affected by the change in rules and the fact you don't have a category one academy. I guarantee 100% if the shoe was on the other foot, you boys would be letting us know all about it.
In response to the non sequitur accusation, was that a surprisingly cunning piece of japery? I have to say I’m impressed! It reminded me of when a workmate was pointing out his car through the office window to boast about the giant exhaust pipe he’d installed. “Is that just to be a pretentious twat?” I asked. “No,” he said in all seriousness “it’s to make people think I’ve got a more powerful car than I’ve got.” All good stuff.
