BRISTOL CITY BLOG: By a_stockhausen..Our Youngsters..

BRISTOL CITY BLOG: Advances in youth set-up prove Robins are now matching fine words with deeds..

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FOR the few hundred who turned up to watch, this week’s FA Youth Cup first round tie between Bristol City and Newport County offered a tantalising glimpse of the future.

The bare facts tell you that City comfortably beat their Welsh opponents 3-0 at Ashton Gate to progress to the second round where minnows Burgess Hill Town lie in wait.

But the result alone cannot possibly inform those who were not there of the manner of City’s victory. A sparse crowd was treated to a disciplined, technical performance the like of which I cannot recall in more than seven years of reporting the club full-time.

Now there are undoubtedly some clubs that like to pay lip-service to youth development. Those responsible for running such clubs will, from time to time, make grandiose speeches regarding their firm commitment to building a pathway between the under-18 Academy and first teams.

The proof of the pudding is, of course, invariably in the eating and, over a period of time, it is possible to accurately measure a club’s commitment to youth against the number of home-grown products playing in the first team.

City were one of those clubs I felt paid lip-service to youth development without ever really understanding how to deliver on their public pronouncements. Plenty of hot air was expended, but there was little action in terms of young players graduating to the senior squad.

In recent years, midfielder Cole Skuse was the only one to come through the ranks and establish himself in the club’s Championship side. A pretty poor return given the level of investment pumped into the Ashton Gate Academy!

But that was then and this is now. When Sean O’Driscoll was appointed head coach back in January, he was charged with the task of implementing a strategy that represented nothing less than a wholesale change of direction for a club that had become accustomed to pursuing its on-field ambitions in the transfer market.

The Ashton Gate board’s insistence on financial prudence, development and long-term sustainability meant O’Driscoll was tailor-made for the role handed him.

At the time, there was plenty of talk about the importance of the club’s Academy but, given City’s past track record in this area, I opted to reserve judgment. On Monday night of this week, I believe I finally witnessed confirmation that the club is now prepared to match fine words with deeds,

City have undertaken a thorough overhaul of their entire youth structure, attaining Level Two status for their Academy, introducing an under-21 development squad to bridge the gap between youth and first team levels and making long-overdue improvements to their scouting network in order that they can recruit more wisely.

In particular, the appointment of Carlos Anton to manage and coach the club’s Under-18 Academy scholars bears all the hallmarks of a master-stroke. Responsible for coaching age groups from under-19s down at La Liga club Malaga, Anton was eager to widen his horizons and prepared to continue his football education overseas.

In a few short months, the Spaniard has harnessed traditional English qualities of hard work, physicality and willing endeavour and melded them with the technical possession-based style of football more often associated with our Continental cousins.

Although he speaks in broken English, the former Malaga coach sounds just like O’Driscoll when you talk to him regarding young players and how best to harness their natural ability in order to mould them into professional footballers of the future.

Quite apart from his adherence to good technique and attractive football played on the ground, Anton wants the youngsters in his care to understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. His is a thorough and cerebral approach and City’s scholars are proving that English players are capable of buying into such a philosophy.

The ease with which they kept the ball against Newport suggested a strong Spanish influence. But there was also a discernible structure and discipline in place and the players clearly understood what they were trying to do.

And who says developing players and winning football matches are mutually exclusive? Anton certainly does not think so. In his short time at the helm, he has already instilled a winning mentality, one that has played a large part in five straight victories.

These are good habit to ingrain into players who quite possibly represent the future of the football club.

So what are the biggest differences between now and what went before I ask Robins captain Tom Fry? He talks in terms of discipline, structure, understanding. He, too, sounds like O’Driscoll. I mention this because, not so very long ago, there was a marked difference in the way City’s Under-18s and first team played the game.

No longer. Having seen the youth team and the Under-21s in action this season, I can see that the principles that under-pin the style of play are similar to those adopted by the senior players. Not only is there now a discernible pathway between the under-18s and the first team, there is also a common purpose and style of play.

This makes it easier for players to graduate from one level to the next. When they do make the step up, they are less likely to encounter the kind of culture shock that has been the undoing of many a young City player in the past.

And graduate they will, providing they are good enough. O’Driscoll has already shown he is not afraid to blood youngsters and Academy products Bobby Reid and Joe Bryan have established themselves as first team regulars this season, while current second year scholar Joe Morrell was handed a senior debut at the tender age of 16 in a recent Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie at Wycombe Wanderers.

Morrell, of course, attained overnight notoriety earlier this year when turning down the opportunity to join Premier League Liverpool in favour of remaining at Ashton Gate.

The message this sends out to young players and their parents is clear; Bristol City represent a more viable proposition for talented teenagers who wish to carve out a career in professional football. Those who sign on at Ashton Gate know they will be given a fair crack of the whip, unlike the multitude of youngsters who join glamorous top-flight clubs only to sink without trace, denied an opportunity by the legion of overseas recruits who block their path.

Unfortunately, playing in the Under-18 and Under-21 sides can never adequately prepare youth products for the pressures they will face when playing in front of hostile crowds in pursuit of league points. It is something Reid and Bryan are having to learn the hard way.

If City fans understand the reasons behind the club’s new strategy and are supportive of it, they can help create an atmosphere and environment in which youngsters can flourish. We all have a role to play in this respect.

The problem with investing in potential is that it necessarily takes time for the benefits to be felt at first team level. O’Driscoll has started the process and the likelihood is that he will have handed the baton on to somebody else before any of the current Academy crop break into the senior team.

Although he was pilloried when results dipped in the Championship last season, former City manager Derek McInnes was responsible for kick-starting the process of change, introducing some of the structures that have since been adopted by O’Driscoll and his staff.

Unfortunately for the Scot, his hard work counted for nothing when set against the demand for instant success at first team level and he was unable to remain in place long enough to see the job through.

Given the sacking culture that has seeped into modern-day football, O’Driscoll may well suffer a similar fate before his development strategy is able to bear tangible fruit.

But it is the process rather than the individuals involved in it that is important and I, for one, am glad that Bristol City are finally replacing fine words with good deeds.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...prove-Robins/story-20081580-detail/story.html

All bodes well for the future, great piece to read...