This is an excerpt from the BBC Football Championship page; "Birmingham City boss Lee Clark joked he will have so many youngsters in his injury-hit squad for Saturday's home game against Burnley that they should be sponsored by a nappy manufacturer. Ahead of the first of Blues' four-game Christmas schedule, Clark told BBC WM:"I'll have eight teenagers in our 20-man squad on Saturday. "That shows where we're at. I thought my nappy-changing days were over. Our commercial department will have to get us sponsored by a nappy firm." Blues had six teenagers in their 18-man squad for last Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Crystal Palace - keeper Jack Butland, midfielder debutant Callum Reilly, substitutes Robert Hall and Mitch Hancox, and Nathan Redmond and Ravel Morrison, who remained on the bench." Liverpool are also putting their faith in their Academy products, likewise Derby last Saturday had an average age of 22 for the five midfielders. So a provocative question for Derek McInnes; Why are you still persisting with some out of form and apparently battle weary older pros, when you have at least five young players with good potential at City? In addition to Joe Bryan who has performed very creditably you have; Joe Edwards, Bobbie Reid, Ajala, James Wilson and even Lewis Carey, although goalkeeper does not appear to be a problem at present. Plus even Wes Burns or others I don't know about?
There is also Holloway who seems to impressed a few people and youth is the way to go in this financial climate
You want youth.. You will need patience (far mare than some of our fans have got!) These kids are developing and playing and looking good at their own level now, but chucking them in at Championship level could do as much harm as good, its a massive step up and with the side struggling too all our expectations may be too much for a 17/18 year old. However, I would definitely like to see a few kids given a run now and then, Bobby Reid for example seemed to be one that was comfortable in his first team debut and could have been filtered in a bit by now. At least the academy does seem to be making massive changes but its a cycle and we will need some patience..
You know what they say Banksy......If the're good enough the're old enough...Problem is, wait too long and they will be off to a bigger & better club. Fact. A club like ours can't afford to pussy about, either the academy is producing the goods or it isn't.
That's a bit naive - how many of them have you actually seen play? And how many have you watched train with the 'men'?! They need to be integrated into the team slowly - they may have great potential but they need to be managed in the right way. As banksy says, the key to developing players is patience which most city fans don't have. You should notice Fergie doesnt rush young players into the team even though they are probably better players, more experienced (winning youth fa cups), and have a winning team to play in.
Youth has always been the way to go with Bristol City, because we cant afford to spend £10m on each player, or compete with the bigger Championship clubs for wages which is why we have a third rate defence. However, Steve always seems to take the cheapest option when recruiting people to run the academy. I would rather see him invest heavily in our academy and keep our squad size to a minimum A good template for a succesful academy is Crewe, where Dario Grady has consistently produced quality youngsters for 20 years. Find us a Dario Grady (you may have to go to mainland Europe)
"A good template for a succesful academy is Crewe" but apparently not a successful blueprint for a first team as Crewe haven't pulled any trees up! I agree with most of your post though..
why must all our youngsters leave, they might of in the past but as it has been said thousands od times now. The academy is run different from the past!! I bet your asking for your christmas presents now. Be patient with the academy we might just might see something good come out of it. Well Said
Its not a fact though is it! Thats why the u23 academy protection rules came in so if good players do move on (thats a fact of football life!) you get financial protection for the time and investment put in to your academy kids, they will all find their own level eventually. My son is currently in a football academy process and that is just what it is a 'process' some develop sooner than others but you could literally ruin some kids by putting them up sooner than they are ready. very rarely you will get a Rooney or Oxlade Chamberlain who can step up (they both share a common unusual physicality at that age!) but the vast majority wont. there is a massive physical difference between an 18 year old athlete and a 22 year old one. All academies need to focus on the development of the players and see where that takes them individually, not line them up as the next cannon fodder for impatient fans waiting to pounce on the next hapless victim.
Banksy, Crewe cannot be compared with Bristol. Population of approx 70,000 compared with approx 500,000. Thus for them a comfortable place in League One is probably the best they can ever aspire to. We all know where at least one team of the Bristol clubs should be - minimum of top end of the Championship.
Also it must be said that Crewe are a selling club, and their record of producing Premiership and Championship stars down the years bears out what I said
The first step is to get the acadamy to produce players who are good enough - I think progress has been made on this front in the last 12 months - the proof of the pudding will be when it happens
No, thats your expectation of where you think we should be.. this also proves that population size does not guarantee production of 'football starlets' but an organised academy system that will eventually produce good footballers. nothing is guaranteed.
I would love to know the population of Wigan. Can't be much more than 70,000 if that. They have been in the Premier League for 7 years now, all thanks to Dave Whelan. Population means nothing, ambition and money means everything. Whelan has always appointed good , sound managers though.
We are weighted down with our level of expectations. 500.000 people = premiership football to our fans, yet Wigan with a tiny percentage of that population continually manage to hit way above their weight, are their fans levels of expectations higher than ours? I would say not, yet why, they have achieved way more than us? As far as I can see we keep making the same mistakes and we need to change those mistakes, most fans agree that begins with the academy, I would agree with that but also argues it doesn't end there, we need better scouting, better networking and a bigger presence. I get the feeling that is being addressed but it wont happen overnight. Our first team so badly struggling whilst these changes are implemented really does not help matters but thats the leftovers we have to deal with from years of inadequacy.
