i dont think we get enough credit for the sheer volume of players we provide our national team. compared to the other major clubs in wales like newport, swansea and wrexham, its fair to say that without the fantastic work that people like neal ardley and co do in our academy, we wouldnt be half the team we are. Players who have come through our academy: Gunter, Collins, Ledley, Earnshaw, Ramsey, Matthews, Blake as well as jerome and now players like ralls.. there are also plenty of players who are cardiff born like bale, giggs, bellamy.. Swansea: Allen. Newport: No-one of note Wrexham: Neil Taylor, though savage and hennessey born in the area if the other clubs like wrexham and newport could make the step up to league football and invest in academies, as well as swansea investing their PL money in the future welsh internationals rather than on some foreign carlos kickaballs then we could be a real force to be reckoned with in the coming years
It's a good point that Cardiff have produced quite a few quality players over the last few years. Unfortunately, in many instances their best days have been after they've left. Hopefully, we're in a more stable place now and the youngsters we develop we can keep.
You don't think you get enough credit but then go on to criticize just about everywhere else in Wales. So are you looking for credit or are you looking to have a pop at other places ?
We are putting money into the academy so keep the **** up. You're on our board often enough. Secondly, Cardiff have had many many years of Championship football (and probably will for the foreseeable future) so it's only right that money would be invested in an academy. Not so easy at lower levels. As for who was born where you have a city with over 100,000 people more than us. Newport and Wrexham smaller again. Straws. Keep clutchin'.
the point of this thread is to highlight how much we contribute to the national side as well as highlighting how the other welsh clubs need to buck up their ideas. those players i listed compared to the others, pretty damning stuff to be honest guys. if our population is 100k more, then ours is 300k say and yours is 200k, that means for every 3 players you should have 2, however those figures dont really stack up to be honest KJ
come on KJ, we had to sell the players i listed. i could flip the same question to you.. how many do swansea have? 2 is the answer, and one of them was poached from wrexham, williams is english. anyway, must dash.
You have benefited from Swansea's lack of academy in the fact that South Wales talent has gone to you. Now Swansea is building it's academy, will that bring more talent through or just dilute the talent that already exists. Who knows, but I recon it's the former.
Last time I looked Williams was a Welsh international. The point related to contributions to the National Team wasn't it? We have THREE regular first teamers playing in the best league in the world. The paltry amount of Welsh internationals you have rarely get a look in playing in an inferior league and will be playing there for some time judging by my TV screen. 3-0 now. I suggest you reassess the value of your contribution.
Well i wish you would contribute some decent players Swamp! Ledley(rat boy), Gunter ,collins and earnshaw have been at the hub of ****e Wales teams in recent years so nothing worth talking about there. The real jump in quality in the National set up has come at u-21 level where the team is dominated by Swans players , and they can actually play unlike Ledly,collins gunter and earnshaw, most of those players couldn't trap a bag of cement ...
The point of the article was who came through the accadamy to the national side, not who plays for you now. How many of your current internatonals did you develop from youngsters?
Norway's got a point, Ramsey aside the rest of them are very average players. Ledley's even gone backwards after leaving you lot to go to Celtic.
Regardless of where they've come from ,its a pretty poor show that there are not many Premiership standard players coming through .Now that may change for the better. Referring to Cardiff's academy .that is a totally different set up from Swansea's in as much that cardiff will trawl through the many leagues bringing kids in (imo driven by the money factor) where as Swansea is based on ability .It would be interesting to see what percentage of cardiff academy players drop out compared to swansea's
yes but where would we be without those players, using lower league reserves? i cant believe i'm having to say this ffs. if swansea are investing their new found wealth in the academy, thats great for the future of welsh football and i applaud them, however signing carlos kickaballs for £10m aint going to benefit the national team. the more good academies the better, to say that it will just mean the players are diluted is nonsense, more players with access to top coaching means more professional players, which is what i'm trying to get at....
why cant people just discuss the topic? one academy player, one poached from wrexham and one english player bought by swansea in his 20's, hardly anything to boast about but somehow you have managed to do that.
