Won't be offered a new contract in the summer http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/...n-defender-eyes-bees-switch-109642-30656473/? Was never gunna make it with us once he went to Brentford, and a victim of our success but Good Luck to him!
We have moved away from a few youngsters. The chances of getting into a top Championship club is harder than getting into a league 1 club, so imagine the difficulty of getting into a PL club. We do have a few academy players who are hopes for the future, but there will be many who move on having had the advantage of Southampton training. I would guess that the general standard will go up and up in our academy in the future.
You slated me a few months back for saying that he wasn't going to make it with us. Looks like I was right, yet again.
No need for abuse on this site, even with the smiley which might be misunderstood! I watched Harlee a couple of times, got the impression he was a bit chunky and nothing special, should do OK in a lower Division, but not one for our future.
All clubs take in youngsters who are promising but don't make it. Sheer numbers dictate that they won't all make it at the top. Some can be late developers and get released and then do well at another club where they get more games. Good luck to Harlee.
Clearly Harlee isn't going to be good enough for Saints in the coming years, at his rate of improvement, but one never knows. People should never be written off, otherwise there would be no Lambert, no Connolly [for different reasons] and no Kelvin Davis [oh yes, plenty thought he was rubbish]. By the same token people shouldn't think that because a player does reasonably well for a club that they will turn into some form of great player. I notice Andrew Davies is at Bradford these days and, past injuries aside, is not distinguishing himself either. I also notice Bialkowski is being written off in several people's minds, yet a few seasons back he was going to be one of the jewels in the crown. He still can be. He's got bags of time and is a perfectly capable goalkeeper.
I'm not sure why you say this? Southampton Academy standards are already as good as if not better than any other academy in England. There are squads that regularly beat Chelsea and Arsenal and those that beat Spurs and Man Utd. All academies are going to improve when the new regulations and standard settings kick in but just because Saints may become premiership once more don't think that in itself will improve standards. Saints academy and the current U18 squad is already premiereship.
How do you see the new academy system affecting the set up at Staplewood? In particular do you think the club will continue to develop local players from aged 9 or will we see more brought in aged 14-18. Good to see Steve Mowthorpe getting games in at Jo Tessem's Totton & Eling as well.
Local talent spotting from 8 will continue. Note however that each year group has a minority of local talent anyway. The squad I know most about (U17) have only 2 Southampton boys (Colmer and McQueen). The rest are from Pompey (Ward-Prowse) Swindon/Bath (Sinclair and Turnbull), Gape (Weymouth), Oxford (Ariybi), Reading (Branker), Brighton (Britt), Worthing (Reed), Cobham (Shaw), Mugabi (Fulham), Rowe (West Ham) and Northern Ireland (Johns). The main changes will be increasing the hours boys have training, I reckon even U10 may be called in out of school time. Saints scouts do really well with talent spotting in the south. There may be more buying in at U12 and above but not as much as happens in London clubs. At the end of the day not many lads north of London will want to come south IMHO. Is it true the academy leagues will become based on status and games in Europe will be available for cat 1? Also will there be a cat 1 U21 league?
Wasn't Harlee Dean the one who said something or another after Gary Speed's death and got stick? I think it was him, but I'm not 100% and I can't remember what he said, can anyone help me?
