Matt Crocker is to leave Saints to take up the role as Head of Coach and Player Development for The FA. See official site for more. DTLW
Nicola Cortese: "Matt will leave us with the best wishes of everybody associated with the Club. He has given Saints seven years of hard work and dedication, and played an important part in developing the Academy. It is an honour to see the work of a Southampton employee recognised by The FA."
Good recognition of our academy that the FA want him. I don't see it affecting us too much as his influence will obviously remain and the academy will continue much as it has before.
I do wonder why somebody would leave a progressive organisation with a bright future for one steeped in failure.
But how does the FA scout & train players? Surely all the clubs are doing that for any talent that exists from the age of 5 or 7 upwards? Huw Jennings went to the Premier League to do a similar job, got bored as there wasn't anything tangible to deliver and was snapped up by Fulham (along with another ex Saints academy boss Malcolm Elias).
Well we coped without Huw Jennings apparently but Fulham's academy under him are now arguably outperforming us. We'll have to wait and see see whether any of their players make the first team. I just wonder if this is another guy we'll see working for a competitor a couple of years down the line. Hopefully we can pick someone who will go on to outperform both Jennings and Crocker.
Fulham do well in the academy competitions, but don't seem to have found that "breakthrough" young player into their first team as yet.
either that or they are a club unwilling to blood youth, can not think of a player that has come through thier system
Fulham have a Mousa Dembele in the academy, no really. Also, I know of Lyle Della-Verde. He came from Southend and they paid a fee for him though.
"Good morning, Mr Crocker. Now to start we'd like you to make some bricks. Put the straw down, please, Mr Crocker." When I was in my 30's (fantastic memory this boy has) I worked along side a guy who was brilliant at his job and he was head hunted for a job with more money and a great title. We remained friends thereafter and he never ceased to complain of being bored, and stymied by the limitations of the new job. I reckon politicians must suffer the same thing. They want to make a difference and soon find all they can do is occasionally make a noise. For the obviously excellent Mr Crocker's sake I hope we're all wrong. Cortese clearly rates him, and that's a hell of a referee to have, and I'll take the pride in my club line very happily.
Their list of former scholars still playing isn't terribly impressive...Chris Smalling and Danny Hoesen are the only ones on their wiki that are playing top-level football. That said, given how well they've done in the U18s, perhaps this new crop coming through is of a high standard.
Not sure it will be a Spaniard as the academy is a separate part of the club from first team affairs, so won't be Pochettino's choice.
Smalling didn't come through their ranks. They signed him as a pro and I think he was only there a year. He either went non-league to Fulham, or non-league to Gillingham to Fulham. That's like saying Aaron Martin came through our ranks.
