Academy Status

[Erik]

To be honest, I’d say **** him.

If he wants to uproot at that age after spending 7 years at the club to join a nomark club like Reading (Reading will always be dull, middle of the roaders no matter how they are doing) ‘cos they’ve got a better academy then he can **** off.

I’d have understood if he’d left for a big club or even TWS, but Reading = he must be an idiot.

I have nowt against Reading by the way

You've just described us. If I could compare us to any other club, it'd be Reading.

Crewe are a small club, but they've a fantastic youth setup. Why is that? It's certainly not down to SKY money or Premier League millions. For their final third tier match of the 2013 season they fielded a first-XI of entirely homegrown players, and beat a decent Walsall side 2-0. Why shouldn't we be aiming to do something similar at at least Championship level?

 

[Amin Arrears]

You've just described us. If I could compare us to any other club, it'd be Reading.

Crewe are a small club, but they've a fantastic youth setup. Why is that? It's certainly not down to SKY money or Premier League millions. For their final third tier match of the 2013 season they fielded a first-XI of entirely homegrown players, and beat a decent Walsall side 2-0. Why shouldn't we be aiming to do something similar at at least Championship level?

In fairness, in an odd sort of way Crewe have a luxury in the sense that they can blood in more academy players who have learned together in the same way and still be competitive at the level they're playing at. The only clubs that generate masses of the quality able to field a full team of academy graduates and still be competitive at the championship are the English giants.

I think a good part of the reason why crewe's youth system is so effective at churning out first team players is because the graduates are all familiar and settled with everything there from the club and the area itself right through to the playing style and the players around them and they just slot in.