My friend's grandson, Oscar McCulloch (aged 8) has just been signed by Saints....keep your eyes out in a few years time. He turned down Chelsea....and Bournemouth were also interested.
Good luck to him, he obviously wanted to play for a proper team. You'll have to keep us updated on his progress and hopefully get us some inside gossip from the academy.
Has been issued with an I-pad and has to record what he eats and exercise regime. Apparently the club spend 35K per year on each boy. He has been banned from playing for Eastleigh....which is sad for a youngster, but understandable from the clubs point of view. I asked my friend what position he played....she had no idea, but I gather he isn't a goalie.
Shame Jay not quite ready yet, but no point rushing Looking at that line up and my limited knowledge of the youngsters, I would guess we're mirroring the first team option of 3-5-2 and I would put Targett as the third centre back in the Bertrand role.
I absolutely detest this bit. It is so wrong and drives me crazy. I really want us to be investing in grass roots and getting good coaching for our kids, however this is my number one pet hate with professional Academies. Just leave the kid playing with his local team as well as giving him the professional coaching.
They all seem so paranoid about missing out on the best youngsters that they're forgetting to look after the game as a whole and doing best by every kid. So you need decent quality coaching across the region. CBK made a good point when the club announced its foray into American coaching. Why doesn't the club do more for the local region and its coaching? While I don't think the two scenarios are mutually exclusive, it does seem like a missed opportunity. If every volunteer coach in the Tyro league was given a free or heavily subsidised coaching course and access to the coaching manuals and session planners then it would help raise the bar across the board and that's only going to benefit everybody. The club would then have confidence in allowing the academy boys to play with their friends and enjoy the game. All this diet monitoring on an iPad seems way too serious for an 8 year old.
Congrats to the young lad and all his family. He looks destined to lift the FA Cup in a few years Also good to hear that Le Tissier's coaching school is doing well. I thought it was a nice idea when he launched it a few years ago and I hope it's sticking to the principles it was founded upon.
Fran, how do you go about getting in to the Letiss school? I'm looking at what to do with my boy next...
Sorry no idea and I doubt my friend does either. Best to google it. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/11804066.Learn_to_play_like_Le_Tiss/ Found this on Echo site....seems to be opening classes at schools.
Saints u21s take on Middlesborough this lunchtime. Jay playing is the big news as his come back takes another step
