Well that was a bloody good show I thought! The 3 guys were obviously clued up on the issues, and it was very interesting. Of course, constantly praising Saints made it that much better.
What Les has been saying explains why we haven't loaned players out to other Clubs, I am not 100% in favour of that idea, I cannot see how a player can benefit by being sat on a shelf rather than getting match time, Sharpy, Lee Barnard and Jon Forte could all have been playing but weren't allowed to, if they weren't good enough they should have been shipped out early doors. Other than that I go along with the way we are doing things differently to other Clubs, for us it is working, not sure others could do it with the same success. It is obvious that there has been an immense amount of work and belief to get where we are today.
Les Reed: - Everyone at Southampton works to the same philosophy - Therefore, the manager can pick young players and allow them to make mistakes - No one at the club is going to punish or criticise the manager for doing that - We take boys from the age of 9 to 17 ideally - At 17 we decide whether to offer them a contract - Contracts offered to 17 year old players are all standardised and the same - We then offer them a range of incentives to encourage good practice and reward hard work - We believe that standardised contracts with incentives are the best way to handle youngsters and encourage them to make the first team - We will offer new contracts to exceptional talents once they get to 18 or older - We emphasise to them that we all start on the same starting line together - From there on, it is all about the hard work that you must put in to reap the rewards - Our club's structure is different from Chelsea or Manchester City - That's because everyone within the club buys into the philosophy - From the youth coaches to first team coach - I say first team coach because that is what he is, he's a very good coach on the training pitch - He was appointed because of his philosophy in this regard - He has plenty of experience in nurturing young talent from his time in Spain - Everyone buys into the fact that whether a first teamer or not, at the ages of 17 and 18 you will train with the first team on a regular basis - For example Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse, they have to train with internationals - Luke had to face Lallana, Rodriguez etc. in training, he trains alongside a Croatian international in defence, Dejan Lovren - This is hugely beneficial, just training with senior pros is useful - I don't understand the logic of investing significant sums in trying to attract the best possible young stars from abroad - You then end up sending out the best of your own prospects to other teams who don't nurture them with the same level of interest - I don't think the lower league environment is the best way to nurture your young players - There's a theory of 'rough them up' but I don't agree with that - We place high standards on our lads - We monitor them heavily - They gain their mental and physical strength at Southampton, nowhere else - I don't buy the argument that loan spells in the lower leagues makes players better - There are cases for loans though - I think youngsters are better off in their own clubs - But it depends on clubs providing the right experience - It's sad to see young players in limbo, it's sad that they will never make their first team and spend their time on loan at several clubs - We'd never attract the players here if it seemed we took lots in, kept some and discarded the rest just to make some money off of it - We are selective - We take our lads in on the promise that we will do everything possible on and off the field to make you a Premier League player - There is a pathway for you if you do what is expected and required of you - Luke and James have not been on loan, neither has Calum - They have made the transition into the Premier League with very little difficulty whatsoever - Competitive football is not important as such - The standard you are playing to is far more important - It's not Southampton's job to produce players for the Football League - It's Southampton's job to provide for Southampton and that is what we will continue to do - We can create the competitive environment in our B Team/U21 side in order to help progression - We need to work together to improve the U21 league - We need to think outside the box to incentivise the league more and make it that 'B' league that many discuss - I can't envisage a time when United and Oldham fans standing together to cheer a team with mixed identity - Is it Oldham or is it Manchester United B? - Our academy is thriving because we believe we are doing the right thing - Loans and feeder clubs are not in our formula - I understand that there are League One and League Two clubs would like the opportunity to borrow players - I can see that as appealing for smaller clubs - But I think a lot more thought needs to go into it - For example Arsenal and Barnet, who turns up to support? - Is it Arsenal fans to see Arsenal's reserves, or Barnet fans to watch Barnet? - I don't believe in loans or feeder clubs - We believe that preparing our players with our own curriculum in house - That makes them suited to our system, not anyone else's system, but ours - It won't work to develop better English talent for the international squads in the future - The difference is, our best 17, 18 and 19 year olds are playing in our first team, not anywhere else - The top clubs, rather than parking players elsewhere, should develop them - These players tend to leave the big club and end up with a career in the Football League - Great for the player, getting a career, but why go to those top clubs in the first place if they don't maximise your potential - As a club, if you just turn the player into a Football League player, why? - We should work together with the U21 league and develop the international aspect - The Next Gen competition etc should be worked on so we can make these young players the best that they can be - We need to think outside the box if we want to develop better talent
Top marks to you DTLW for doing that summary of Reed's thoughts. It was really good listening to the other two guys as well.
Makes you laugh when you see top clubs not giving youngsters a chance because they can make a mistake. When you have experienced world class international players doing the same thing in FA cup game against Wigan
Thanks for doing that, DTLW. I love what he is saying and it is supported by what we see at the club. Mustn't forget that although the Academy was good before Nicola came, this is very much his baby that he sold to Markus.
I am also thinking that we kept some of the Championship Promotion squad on, in case the worse case scenario happened, as insurance!
Here's the podcast. Free to download, without a sky subscription from their website. http://www.skysports.com/podcast/0,20494,26960,00.html
Thanks DTLW for the summary of the show. I watched the recording today. It makes you proud to support Saints with people in charge who have so much integrity and commitment for the way we operate. If the FA really want a club system to enable elite young players come through for England, then they must develop a programme that gives tangible benefits to clubs like ourselves. Praise alone is not enough, for what we are doing to develop English talent. Ways to reward clubs that give something back to the England project need to be developed.
I admire the way they try and develop the person as much as the player. The u19s manager was praising our lads recently and he said that he never had any trouble with the Southampton players. No room for players who get the money and start lording it around...such players will rarely achieve their full potential. As Reed said, SFC believe in giving them identical contracts with incentives.
