Looking at the North Ferriby thread, the OP says about how both teams contained talent which used to be a part of our centre of excellence. But is it because this talent wasn't good enough for Hull City? Or because they didn't know somebody higher up to keep them on. Let me explain a bit more with something I've come across at the very bottom end of this process, with kids going for trials for Hull City/Hull Boys. I think, the problem with our youth is, alot of the time, it's not how good you are, but who you know higher up basically. Working in a primary school, each year I'm sent the forms to send my year 5s (to be year 6s so 10/11 year olds) for trials at Hull Boys (which often leads as a route to Hull City) and I am very reluctant to send any of them forward. I know some of them are more than talented enough, last year I had four outstanding players for example but then there's some crap so and so who's competing for the same position, not half as good, yet they get put forward for Hull Boys cause their dad or their uncle knows somebody in the set up. A similar thing happened to my brother in 2004/5. He went for trials at Hull City for centre back, played a good game (non-biased view, another parent said so) but then wasn't chosen. Instead was some overweight kid selected, who even during the match sat down to play everybody onside at one point, could barely kick the ball, but had a dad who had good friends within the set up. It was the other parent who warned my dad during the game that my younger brother wouldn't be selected and pointed out who the other kids father was and they were stood pally pally with the coaches/scouts throughout the game. There is plenty, plenty of talent on our streets and in our schools but most of the time it is overlooked cause money talks or friendships count. Your thoughts and experiences?
My lad went to an open trial which was sold as a training session with Mark Prudhoe a couple of years ago. It was a disgrace. There must have been thirty lads and two coaches. All they did was pair them up and get them to shoot at each other in the half dozen goals they'd set up. Not saying my lad would have been selected but the lad he was paired up with was deliberately titting about and never got one shot on target. My son therefore could have been the next Gordon Banks but they'd wouldn't have known as he never had a shot to save. It was a debacle.
I know what you mean. Infact I think there was a training session for youths advertised in the Brighton match program, or on their website, I can't remember. I think the wrong people are employed in those roles.
Hull has always been **** when it comes to this. Just for example, when i was younger, there were many players much better than myself (and I was not a bad larker!) completely overlooked in the East Riding leagues, some my old teammates, some my old opposition. Some lads were good enough to represent East Yorks but not "good" enough to get a look-in for a trial due to a combination of some knobs dad being friend of a friend and their scouts not knowing how to get down Hedon road!!
I give another example. Somebody I used to speak to managed to get their son a trial with Hull City, on the basis of being a bouncer around the town centre and frequently bumping into Phil Brown on the said job. The two happened to be playing Pool at the same place one evening and he asked for his son to have a trial at the club. Brown offered the trial. [That said, Brown was put on gardening leave not long after and it never materialised... but still]. Trials are too infrequent and not well organised for most kids to not stand a chance at them. The scouts probably already know 80% of those going forward before it even begins, just because of who they are friends with or what financial contribution was given before hand.
Well I can honestly say that is the biggest load of bollocks I have read on this site. It has nothing to do with who the players dad is and your no better deciding a players future on what you think! Unless of course your a qualified coach who has spent time at the COE ?? The COE isn't looking for "a centre half" or A striker they are looking for a football player a player who has an understanding of football not of a position in the game.
You only need to look at the quality within teams such was Westella and Willerby (last season U18s who know play open age in particular - the team Jack Barmby used to play for) they have gone on to win national and international tournaments in the last couple of years and to my knowledge none have had a sniff from City's scouts...
The willerby and westella team are beating Sunday league teams not pro teams?? Out of interest did your brother go on to be a pro footballer? Or we're City right about him? I don't know what your hoping to achieve with this thread you have no facts and no real understanding of football at academy level so how can point the finger at coaches?
Players with potential is what they are looking for. All round skills, with a ball and without a ball. Just cause a lad can dribble past 7 players and score it don't mean he will be the next Messi. Even at age 7 and 8 they can have picked up bad habits from being coached wrong, that can't be changed in some.
I think they did a little more then beat a couple of Sunday league teams in their time; http://westella-willerby.co.uk/?p=368 If you have watched them play you will see they are streets above the other teams in their (already very competitive) league. I'm not saying they would all walk in to CIty's youth ranks, but I'm shocked we hear of so little local youth prospects.
I didn't say they beat a few Sunday teams, they did well but it's not the same standard. Where do you get there is no youth coming through from? The youth team win the league nearly every year! Last season another 4 players were offered pro contracts that's without mentioning Our 16 yr old England international Max Clarke?
In the past years how many youth prospects have secured first team places? I dont class Cairney as he was a Leeds reject
Cairney came to us when he was sixteen, he still had a couple of years in the academy before joining the first team. We've actually got more first team potential now than we've had for years, obviously Cooper, Cullen and Bradley have now made first team appearances, Townsend isn't far off and Clark is likely to get there too(so long as we don't lose him) and there's a few others with the potential to make the step up.
Who was last player to come through the youth system and play decent amount of games? Mike Edwards? Always though he was a decent player.
Please stop digging I can only just see your head! The point of the thread is about players getting selected because of who they know and this simply isn't true and is a total misconception .
I don't doubt you but the session held by Prudhoe was as unprofessional as it gets. It was a rushed, amateurish debacle. In short it was an embarrassment and I wasn't the only one think that at the time.
If any coaches are reading these boards - My 7 year old lad is a great little player but just needs to be given a chance to be trained properly by a full time coach. There must be a lot of lads out there that go un-noticed by City.
I can't speak for the keepers they have there own sessions which I haven't really watched. It's a shame if that's the impression you got hopefully its improved in recent years?
I should think Deano is the player who went through the youth academy and went on to play the most games(even if there was a slight diversion through North Ferriby).
The Youth Team are in a kind of twilight zone; purgatory, if you will. They're too good for the crappy league they're in, with all the other clubs who either don't have academies or who have poor ones, yet the fact that the players who end up signing professional contracts with us are so poor suggests they're nowhere near the level of those playing at clubs with a history of bringing through youth. Aha, there's no wonder you're defending our shambolic scouting system and pathetic attempt at an academy. I've had similar experiences in the past. I know that it's never announced that scouts will be attending games in the Hull Boys Sunday League, but I never knew of a single person ever attending a match in the many years I played. The only people I knew to be signed by City were from Hutton Cranswick or North Ferriby. It's a shame, as there were many brilliant young lads in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th divisions who stayed with their sportingly-inferior friends as it's what they were used to.
