We have a highly rated academy but this year we have had problems with giving them experience in the first team because we are always playing catch up. If we had got ourselves in a great position a few of them might have had a chance. Can we afford to test any of them and are there any that could at least get on bench to help out with injury/suspension problems?
that is the problem... I think it is okay having a good academy but it is about playing them. The pressure is on to get results, so it is a difficult position. In hindsight we all say play the youth, but the minute they have one bad games, fans turn on them and demand results....
Fish Mills is a prime example. Couldn't get into our team regularly and got shipped out to a CCC team where he plays week in week out. He will probably move on. Several of our youngsters will move on at the end of the season and mainly I put it down to the diabolical start we had when the season got under way. To blood players you need to be able to help them grow in confidence. No matter how good the academy is only a handful of players will make it successfully into the game. We have been fortunate in that we have seen the likes of Bale and Walcott flourish. Alex and Adam are two more that I feel will do well higher up. As indeed Drew Surman is right now for Norwich. Oscar Gobern is a player that is close to the team yet his horror tackle last week could easily see him become a marked man. Ryan Doble is being selected regularly for the Welsh team squad but is struggling to get past Lambert, Barnard and Guly. This business is results orientated and after such a poor start we have not been able to risk as many players as we might have liked due to the presssure.
The Saints academy is professionally run and has an eye for talent and bringing it through/improving it. Also with Don Cortese at the helm, he will not be bullied into transfers and wont make mistakes in selling/releasing players. At the moment our academy team is the most successful I've ever known it, and the young players are mentioned more than perhaps former academy players were. If the players are of true quality and talent then they will be brought into the team at the right time, we aren't going to let them go based on one or two poor first team performances, if and when they get them. When the time is right I'm in no doubt they will flourish. Personally I think that time is in pre season friendlies and when the team is in a position where it can play 1 maybe 2 young players in a league match.
