For those of you who don't feel a successful academy will have any real viable effect on the first team, have a little read of this. A little patience and we could really see some home grown talent and progress from this.. http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...-set-prove-Robins/story-20081580-detail/story
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...prove-Robins/story-20081580-detail/story.html Is this what you were highlighting ? Link above not working.
I couldn't read it as the link is not working........But I still say, anyone decent coming through the academy will not stay at our club for long.....will that help us? I'm not convinced it will.
Agree. Yeovil and Bournemouth are playing at a higher level than us. The only possible benefit we might get is a financial one, and that's not a shoe in.
Not at all. The Academy needs to be of some benefit to the club to justify its existence. Therefore whether that is a gravy train of talent that we developed and who then stay with us long term, (which if they are any good is unlikely at this level), or we use it to bolster club coffers by developing players and then selling them on are the two scenarios I can see.
I'm sorry I didn't check the link. http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...prove-Robins/story-20081580-detail/story.html. Neil Kilkenny is the most recent example of the disastrous policy of buying 'championship standard' footballers, we end up with sub standard journeymen who care only about the amount they are being paid. Some of you say better players wont stay here, well, they will if they see a tunnel of progress through to the first team (something that has been very sadly lacking here in recent years) and they are playing alongside friends and players that they trust and are comfortable playing with. Don't underestimate team spirit when it is allowed to build. players will always move on, its how side freshen up, but there is definitely a different mindset regarding the academy as Ashton Gate now and that has changed very recently. I disagree with those who say it's a waste of time. In fact i would say it's the only way forward...whether you like it or not..
I don't 100% agree with the negative attitude of they will be sold before playing for us. Isn't it true one of them has already turned down Liverpool to stay here as they see more chance of playing here? If they are brilliant then yes they will move on, like any player that we sign if they up their game the bigger clubs will see it and pinch them nothing has changed in the game since we took a gamble on an unknown Andy Cole. Let's get behind the academy and hopefully we might find a Wayne Rooney if he don't stay he will make the club a fortune either way the club wins.
I completely agree with you. Any negativity towards an accomplished youth academy displays a horrendous lack of judgement. Yes it may be that we have to sell a few - that is the penalty for having average crowds of 14,000 in the Championship, and a local public that will not tolerate the football team on their doorstep. For those who think Bristol is or could be a 'footballing area', that is succinct evidence that it is not. However, Bristol is a nice area, the kind you would want to live in and bring up your kids in (are you listening Mr Maynard ?!). To use that as an advantage, it would be a great place to develop young talent and produce Premiership footballers. Eventually it would be hoped that this would raise the club and its profile to another level, like Ipswich, Norwich, Southampton, Swansea. In fact Southampton are a great example of where a club can go with an exciting youth system. As many players in the England party on the plane to Brazil will have originated from their academy as from that of Manchester United, and its no coincidence that Southampton are currently third in the Premiership. So there is little credibility in any argument against developing the academy. My only gripe is that it took so long, and that it didnt go nearly far enough. I would have spent much of the wasted millions on the academy - to hell with the moaning of supporters if we didnt make a showcase signing (Maynard aside), and so what if it means another year or so in div 1, if the end result looks like those teams mentioned above. The best team Bristol City ever had was 60% home grown. The alternative is the lower reaches, sub standard football, and a life of listening to the grumbles of supporters who dont see the point in an academy, or anything else for that matter
The Academy is the only way for our Club to go forward. The majority of success at City has been founded on local players reared as teenagers by the club. The 1955, 1965, 1976 and 1983 promotion squads all consisted of significant home reared talent. However since then, we have tried to buy our way to success, with only Danny Wilson giving our youth players a chance. If we can produce a constant supply of good young players, there will always be some who are snapped up by the Big Clubs. That is not a new phenomena and has always been the case ever since I began watching City. In my early years, Cyril Williams, Roy Bentley and Con Sullivan all left for First Division giants, but enough good ones remained to gain promotion. AD managed to hang on to Merrick and Ritchie when Arsenal came knocking. Yes it may be more difficult to keep good young players but one must remember that a regular place in City's first team may still be more attractive to someone who by the age of 21 may have played over 50 first team games, to reserve football and/or permanent bench warming in a higher league. The style of play throughout the club is now following a pattern that helps young players development into first team players. I am now confident that the more success the current first team get this season, we will see less and less of the "long ball to clear trouble" that is helping our young team to get results by scrapping against seasoned pros in League One.
'only Danny Wilson giving our youth players a chance' ????? Lita couldn't make the bench at the Millennium final. Wilson was mental, he even picked Hill and kept Mickey Bell on the bench against Cardiff in P/O semi at AG. He kept a great group of players (for L1) down ! 'AD managed to hang on to Merrick' - No he didn't. Arsenal saw how good Merrick was when Hunter joined us. Good in the old Div 2 but ordinary in Div 1. I spoke to Merrick at the time - he was mad and jealous of Hunter. He hated playing LB because Hunter was so much better at LH. We were bottom when Hunter joined us and kept us up for 4 years. If ever ONE player made a team it was Hunter. Merrick wasn't on the same Planet as the great Norman Hunter.
I think the Academy works if you are in the Championship or Premiership, where decent players will stay and learn with quality......The only way it will work for us will be for financial gain....I can't see it any other way......and to compare it to the 50s 60s 70s etc....I don't get it..I think the game has moved on just a tad since then. The academy is NOT the answer IMO to our situation. To move on, we need a board that knows the first thing about football, which we don't. We also need a manager like GJ (and I'm not saying GJ before you start slaughtering it) that is able to make an ordinary side play as one.......he was good at that short term!..............We just need to do what needs to be done to get out of this division...end of...and then maybe the academy will help our cause.
You're totally right there RP. It was very nearly embarrassing to watch to be honest. However, the fact remains that Arsenal made a bid to sign Ritchie AND Merrick in the summer of 1976. With Ritchie they missed out on one of the brighter forwards of that First Division, who would have flourished at any of the big clubs. With Merrick they got lucky, but Merrick was still a good player (and what we wouldnt do to have him here now)
