Do we get anything from our youth teams or are they just a money pit? An under 21, an under 18, the reserve team, and maybe more, yet we still end up starting a game with no striker on the pitch or bench. So short of defenders Hudlestone has to play there. Is there really not one of our youth set up good enough to step up into the first team when we are short due to injuries? We have moved a few out to league 1 and 2 and others on loan ( non league Grimsby ffs ) but the costs of the teams must surly out weigh the return.
Rome certainly wasn't built in a day and our infrastructure isn't gonna be built in a day either - we're donkey's years behind where a Championship club should be; despite all the **** and baggage that comes with the Allams their investment in the youth teams is to be commended hugely. The evidence of thebenefits of a successful Academy are there for all to see e.g. Southampton, Swansea, Arsenal etc
The thing is why are we not putting any of them in the shop window or using them our self, are they that bad? Plenty of others play kids in the first team, West Ham had a 16 year old not so long ago. We are happy to use the loanee's from Arsenal ( 20 year old ? ) but Luer who did well for us in the youth teams and in the cup games can't even get onto the 1st team bench the day we have no fit striker to play. All the commendable investment is wasted if we don't bite the bullet and give the kids a go on the big stage.
We've got Arsenal youngsters who play for England U21's and England U20's - our own youngsters are nowhere near that level, with luck one day they will be, but we don't have any at the moment - when we do, Tony Pennock (the best transfer to Hull City in years), will be bringing him to SB's, or whoever's managing then, attention. Why aren't we playing Luer? I have no idea, I'm guessing the guy who see's him train every day doesn't think he's up to it**. **After Akpoms recent ''Ben Arfa like'' displays I think he may get his chance.
City are definitely producing young players that are good enough to be blooded properly in the first team, the problem is Bruce. Had Barmby remained in charge until now, I'm sure we would have certainly seen a couple of home grown lads from Hull establish themselves in team by now.
Hull City Under 21's v Leeds United Under 21's at the KC tomorrow, k.o. 7.00 pm. £4. Judge for yourselves.
Akpom ticks all the right boxes, English, right age, plays for top 4 club so gets to play for England. Is he really so good? as you say he's put in Ben Arfa like displays more than once. As for our youngsters, if they are not good enough for our squad and the best we can do is sell them to league 1 or 2 clubs, i presume for cheap money, is it worth having the youth set up?
We've only had the youth set up a year, they've only been in a competitive division for a couple of months. Upgrading our facilities and infrastructure isn't going magically turn all our current crop into quality youngsters with real first team potential, it will be years before the effect is started to be seen by lads who get the full benefit of the higher quality of the academy from start to finish. Most of our current development squad probably spent most of their education at the centre of excellence being coached by one or two people.
Nowt wrong with the youth set-up, it is, without a doubt, the best legacy to the club of the current owners. Bruce and Phelan are a different matter.
Of course it's worth having a youth set up, the examples set by Southampton, Swansea et al prove it is, a medium sized club such as ours can't keep buying players in, we need to generate extra income by producing both saleable assets and first team players, as Hat rightly says, ours has been going five minutes - we need to give it a chance ffs. When I was at school in the 60's all the best young talent went away from City, the two most memorable to myself (others will know more) were Kev Lewis, taken on as a youth by Man Utd and ended up at Crewe via Stoke; one of my classmates at Lister, Steve Barnett was snapped up by Oxford (a first Div team at the time), he was the best schoolboy player I'd ever seen, unfortunately his career ended in his teens to, I believe, a serious knee injury ......... move on 50 years and the likes of young Windass, Barmby and Cardwell to name but three, have all gone elsewhere. We've lost some real talent in that fifty years, due to next to zero investment in youth.
I was watching a TV show hosted by Andy Townsend the other week in Jamaica, it had guests Micheal Owen & Cluve Allen. They talked about lots of different things but one thing stuck out that Owen said, he said when he was at Stoke they hadn't had a young player come through for years & the whole set up there was a waste of money, he went on to say that it's the same at most clubs! I've looked on line since I saw it to try & post it, but can't find it? I was thinking how this compared to us & don't really see it as that. Stoke is in the Midlands, plenty of teams to fight with & not too far away from the big North West teams. With us we should be able to pick up plenty of talent in quite a big area! There may be the odd player who can step up, I don't know, Luer seems to be on the verge & it's good to see him on the bench, but when will he get the chance in the league? Next week? Will he be on the bench or start? If SB goes through with his threat I'd expect Luer to get some time at the expense of who I don't know, maybe Aluko, has SB finally realised he's not the best player? The thing is, if players aren't good enough, is there any point even keeping them? Will they be late bloomers or will it just be another one that might have been? Pennock is a key person when it comes to players coming into the first team, if he thinks they're good enough, he needs to push those kids to SB, then SB needs to give them a chance!
Maybe Bruce will find out 'by accident' that Luer is good enough due to yet another completely gash display by the senior pros on Saturday, in a similar way to when, in probable frustration, he dropped Huddlestone and brought in Meyler, we all know what results followed that selection change. It just seems absolutely crazy that our performances have nose dived so badly since Meyler's injury and Huddlestone's subsequent inclusion, and Bruce has simply stood idly by and done nothing to attempt to resolve it, other than the obvious, bringing yet more midfielders in and playing them as ****ing strikers! If he ever has a fire to fight I pray to god that it isn't in my house!
"Hear me out. If I light the bed on fire, then there'll be less wood for the rest of the fire to burn through, and we'll be able to save the house."
This. We've only just decided to invest in a proper academy and it's far too early to be expecting returns from that investment, Pennock managed to get several first team players out of the Swansea academy and needs to be given the time to do the same for us.
