If we sign Robertson or another LB then can see him going out on loan until January then coming back match fit with something to prove.
Great news on Dudge who was one of our most impressive young players before his injury. If we sign Robertson which is a real possibility where does that leave Figgy?
In the stand if Figgy does not perform like he did in the world cup. Nothing like good competition for places.
Don't know if this has been posted before but we've got a young striker from Hereford. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28216672
It's interesting how our recruitment has changed to our last premier league transfer window. We seem to be signing young players who could well star should we be relegated.
I think it just shows how ****e our youth set up is at the moment, which is why we're picking up these rough gems elsewhere.
I think SB realised that, and is now making strides to rectify it, but it is going to take a few years to see the benefit.
So our youth set up is so poor and none of them are good enough to bring through. Yet how are the youth set ups at Folkestone, Hereford and Dulwich Hamlet?? Get rid of Russell he's presided over mediocrity for years. Never mind how can you develop playing against Lincoln Gateshead etc. Well for a start you can beat them 10-0 every week. I've had the misfortune to watch them enough times on Ideal. GK booming 60 yard goal kicks and out of hand rarely throwing to the full backs. How hard is it to coach them to always pass it out from the back, put them under pressure make them have it in tight areas instead of hoofing it. These young lads have been let down for years, I know some who have begged Russell to let them go out on loan...nothing. Get rid of him.
Can't argue with most of that but I don't think Russell is out to do with loaning them out. It's a good point, if we're in such a **** league we should be smashing everyone.
All i know is I talked to a lad who's brother was at City from 9 and when he was 17 18 19 he was begging him to go out on loan. As you say whether its down to Russell to be proactive and sort loans out or to badger the Manager to do it i dont know. But his job is to give them the best chance. He's definitely failed in that respect. I mean a lad could still train with the youth but be on loan at Ferriby, Hall Rd Rangers or Brid Town, plus Grimsby or Lincoln. Has Russell forged any links with those clubs? I bet he hasnt. Its crucial to their development to be playing against seasoned pro's. A couple of the young lads released last season by City havent cut it at Ferriby/Brid and dropped into a lower league. Surely even on fitness alone they should have been able to hold down a place but they couldnt.
I mentioned this a few months ago when people were questioning why we don't send players to North Ferriby. The short answer is, the manager doesn't see any of the youngsters as an improvement on what they already had. Ferriby almost gained promotion to the Conference last season with their own set of players, how would their players have felt if all of a sudden a load of kids from the local PL team showed up? I don't know how good some people think these youngsters are, but a lot of them aren't much better than NPL standard as they are now. Players like CJM and Max Clark might find themselves being loaned out next season, but only if a club comes in for them, we can't just farm them out to clubs and demand they are played.
True, but if no one wants them at that level then something is wrong with the players we're developing. We talk about this gap between 17-21 but surely that's when they should be good enough to get loan deals at a lower level and if no one wants them then they're never gonna be good enough, no matter how good the reserve league is. Some PL clubs have several players out on loan to football league clubs at any one time.
Yeah, they do, but look at the quality of those youngsters, they've come through established academies and in some cases, been scouted and brought in from around the world. Ours have mostly been drawn from local leagues or from Ireland. How many of our released youngsters over the last 5 years have gone on to be first team regulars in the football league? Cairney (Blackburn), Cooper (Chesterfield), Featherstone (Walsall, Hereford and now a Free Agent), East, Bradley (both Portsmouth, Bradley now at Charlton), Devitt (Morecambe), Atkinson (Southend). I suppose you can count Cullen at Luton now they've been promoted. Given how many youngsters we must've released over the years, only 8 have made it as professionals, with only Cairney playing at a decent level consistently. We're moving in the right direction but as our academy manager said, it'll be at least a couple of years before we see any youngsters from Hull making the breakthrough as first team players.
So don't send them to ferriby. Send them to hall rd or brid. It's a lower league. Fitness alone should guarantee a place in the team. Let's not forget a lot of players for those teams are ex city players.
Tom Ince has signed. http://footylatest.com/hull-city-win-the-race-to-sign-talented-tom-ince/58551? I think the websites name is quite apt.
footylastest would be a bold statement though ! its another bastard website that auto plays a ****y video that i dont want to hear FFS !!!!
Everyone's aware of this issue and it's finally being addressed, we've just moved to far better facilities in Bishop Burton, we've nicked Tony Pennock from Swansea to run the academy and we're actively trying to buy talented lads from other clubs. It's a criticism that could be levelled at the club for years, but not now, we're actually in the process of sorting it out.
