Evolution not Revolution: The Future of Liverpool’s Academy

http://www.thisisanfield.com/2013/11/evolution-revolution-future-liverpools-academy/
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Frank McParland and Rodolfo Borrell left Liverpool Football Club last week despite what seemed to be a highly successful period of youth development under their stewardship. What does this mean for the future of the academy?

McParland, Borrell and the already departed Pep Segura arrived at The Academy in 2009 to find a youth system in total disarray. Liverpool operated as two individual parts, the first team and reserves based at Melwood, and the youth sides settled in Kirkby. There was no clear relationship between the two and seemingly little hope of getting an under 18 player promoted to train with the first team.

Borrell, employed as the new under 18s manager, was horrified at what he found. There was no recognised striker and the player’s tactical understanding was practically none existent.

Transformation

In four years the transformation has been remarkable. The coaching has improved drastically at every age group and the technical proficiency of every player is far in excess of that just four years ago.

The club now operates as a single unit, players who perform well can flow fluidly through the youth structure and into a place to challenge for first team action. Youth players and coaches spend time at Melwood as a matter of course, just this week Jack Dunn, Samed Yesil and Cameron Brannagan among others spent time training with the senior side.

Of course the greatest legacy of the 2009 reforms is the amount of players who have a genuine chance of reaching, and staying, in the Liverpool first team. Raheem Sterling, Jordon Ibe, Suso, Jerome Sinclair, Jack Robinson, Jon Flanagan, Conor Coady, Adam Morgan and Andre Wisdom have all made their Liverpool debuts in the last four years while perhaps the even more exciting talents are still coming through the system, although time will tell.

Time itself is the most disappointing aspect of the sackings. While all the players listed above have managed their debuts following the Academy reforms they weren’t brought through the system as the reforms took place – at 16/17 most were already developed young players – the greater judgement of the Borrell/McParland era will be the fortunes of those who were only 11/12 years old in 2009. Jordan Rossiter, already a mainstay in the U-21s at just 16, is one such player. We’ve gotten rid of the great reformers before the job was done.

Departures

Borrell leaving the club comes as no surprise to Academy followers. An ambitious man, Borrell has worked his way from coaching U-9s in Spain to Academy Technical Director at Liverpool. His ambition was never going to end there. He has made no attempt to disguise his ultimate goals of becoming a Director of Football and his eventual departure seemed inevitable once Brendan Rodgers accepted the Liverpool job on the basis of having no DoF.

McParland’s departure comes as more of a shock. The die-hard Liverpool fan had made no noises about moving on and looked more than content as Academy Director. Why then would Liverpool sack a devoted and hard-working staff member?

The most likely reason is that the much vaunted ‘restructuring’ of the Academy has nothing to do with coaching styles, playing philosophy or unsatisfactory results on player development. Instead the change will come at management level.

The roles of Academy Director and Academy Technical Director always had a confusing amount of cross over in responsibilities, the exact job description of each was unknown and it was largely unnecessary – a short term measure designed to hold on to Borrell for slightly longer by inventing a position to promote him to.

With Borrell now gone the club had to decide what to do with McParland. Make him the sole Academy Director or replace him as well with someone who would amalgamate both roles? It was really a none decision. Doubts about McParland’s coaching knowledge combined with a slightly turbulent relationship with the Liverpool board meant it was always unlikely he’d retain his position.

Where does this leave the Academy in Liverpool’s future?

In the near future we shouldn’t expect much to change. Liverpool’s Academy is working well, producing high quality footballers on a regular basis. Whoever the new Academy Director is will be unlikely to change much about the style or philosophy – although slight changes are inevitable – and if Rodgers is allowed a greater influence then it’s possible we will see an even greater link between Kirkby and Melwood.

One potential downside of the changes however is that McParland and Borrell were very keen to see the first team move to Kirkby on a regular basis. Although they knew this wasn’t a realistic short term aim it was seen as essential for the club in the long term to get rid of the divide that having two separate bases creates.

It would have been an expensive venture requiring the acquisition of lots of extra land space but the result would be comparable to the much vaunted modern training facilities being built currently by Manchester City. Hopefully this dream has not died.

Borrell and McParland arrived at Liverpool to find a backwards youth set up with internal conflict and lack of any cohesive style. They leave, just four years on, with it as one of the best Academies in England. Liverpool fans may doubt this, stating that we have yet to produce a nailed on first team player, however Liverpool will, and are, producing Premier League quality players. It is a matter of when, not if, one establishes themselves in the Liverpool team.

The mantra of the changes then is evolution, not revolution. With a streamlined set up in the management structure of the Academy and greater influence of the senior sides coaching we should see an even closer relationship between the two sides of the club. There is no need to overhaul the set up, it is world class and will prove itself in coming years, but hopefully some fresh ideas will push the level on again in a similar to way to how Swansea have managed to evolve, not start again, after each change of manager.

Liverpool are now in possession of one of Europe’s most highly respected Academy systems and for that we have Borrell, Segura and McParland to thank. They have done our club a great service. Here’s hoping the club acknowledge what we have and don’t take us off the road to success that we are on.

 

Typical piece of corporate chin-music, nothing more and nothing less. To start the 'piece' off by saying that the exisiting system was in "total disarray' is highly demeaning to the work of Steve Heighway. In the system which he directed until 2007 he oversaw the development of players such as Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Dominic Matteo, David Thompson and Michael Owen. I don't see that as the product of a system that was in disarray!

So whilst the present Academy model looks glitzy, it has yet to prove that it is more productive.

Let's have some truth.

 

in fairness dave.... those you name were all made by 2001 and in 2009 frankly... the team won a youth cup with spearing but the critism of where the kids were at is fair. however to say that our academy is all that when everotn are producing a player like barkely to add to rodwell and others while we buy in kids from abroad means that its not right at this point.

the truth is heighway did make players, but he also had a lot of issues such as the divide mentioned. but to say we've this great academy when in fact "Raheem Sterling, Jordon Ibe, Suso, Jerome Sinclair, Jack Robinson, Jon Flanagan, Conor Coady, Adam Morgan and Andre Wisdom" this list has 5 signings on it and one guy leving on a free, two off on loans in the lower leagues and one guy in flanagan nobody thinks is really good enough... funny that

 

I make you right about Heighway, his achievements in the role of bringing on youth bare comparison with some of the best in the business. However. it was in 'disarray' or at least was totally dysfunctional, but that was the result of Benitez making it that way, as he basically ignored it, rather than integrating it.

 

MITO,

It was really only the comment that I highlighted that I took exception to. I don't know enough about the strategy of the Academy to truly comment upon its effectiveness.

 

Are you absolutely sure you don't support Liverpool, Tobes?

 

I know more about them than some of your 'supporters' I reckon mate, but I can assure you I'm not, never have been nor never will be, a kopite.

 

Like a few mancs on here, he's simply obsessed.
Or lonely.

 

sad - but true

 

Is that because we're 'Gobshites'?

 

I don't understand the recent departures but I'm happy enough (at the moment) that the club as a whole is moving in the right direction. Hopefully it will become clear over the coming weeks as to what the plans are to replace Borrell and McParland.

 

"While all the players listed above have managed their debuts following the Academy reforms they weren’t brought through the system as the reforms took place – at 16/17 most were already developed young players – the greater judgement of the Borrell/McParland era will be the fortunes of those who were only 11/12 years old in 2009. Jordan Rossiter, already a mainstay in the U-21s at just 16, is one such player. We’ve gotten rid of the great reformers before the job was done."

Did this paragraph not actually point that out MITO?

Fair enough, it sets itself up with calling them "the great reformers" in the same sentence as admitting its too soon to see the results of players that started after the reforms took place.

A little less fluff and more a simple acknowledgement that the system has been brought up to date and the current ownership and first team management can build on the foundations made by these guys would have sufficed until we actually see results.

 

fair enough... tobes does though he knows more about lfc than anyone. cos he read it on rawk or something or other...

 

wellllllll..... yes that is fair..... your statement on the least sentance is much akin to what i would feel; there is no way really to know that our players who were even 8/9 5 years ago or even as you say 11 in 2009 are even going to make it.

the thing really is that i don't think its at all perfect right now and i don't believe the club is throwing the baby out and all that. I will assume that the club are trying to improve it again just as i assume we tried to improve on the old era.

 

I wouldn't say the 11/12 yr olds were the main benefit either. Sure, they will be a better judgement point but the key stage of development is pre-nine year olds

 

I don't buy the argument that the Academy was fine prior to the 'revolution' under Benitez just because it was producing players like Fowler, Gerrard or Owen. Sometimes things happen, like at United in the early 90's, where a group just appear at once who are supremely talented. Luck. A well run Academy will develop players from eight onwards and will continually turn out PL standard players, not just one offs. We're not and haven't done. Other than Spearing , what international class or better players have we produced since Gerrard? None. Just a stream of mediocre talents who have filtered away to the lower leagues.

The proof of the work that McParland, Borrell and Segura started will be evident in the next three-four years when the players who were eight when the changes rang are turning sixteen and those older will be pushing through the reserves or first team. The noises coming from the Academy are encouraging and it seems that scouts, former players and the media are forever praising the talent in there who are knocking on the door and that's not something I've heard much of in the ten years prior to 2009.

Academy's take time to show results. Lets see what happens before we claim it was a wasted venture or their work is over rated. I believe we'll see great things in the next few years - and consistently too.

 

They searched the country and pinched the best youngsters they could get a hold of. They tried to get Gerrard too!

 

In that case, there was one sane kid living in the early 90's...

 

Robbie savage...?

 

Tony Pennock, Head of Youth Development at Swansea left his position this week.

Greg Rioch, Academy Manager at Coventry City resigned this week as well ...

Coincidence? ...