If we want to spice things up on the board then we need to get the latest updates from the Reserves & Academy. Who is up and coming, who is not cutting it etc.... Eg. Good news, Richard Naylor has rejoined the club to work with the under 18s.
No, because regardless of how he played in his final year for the club. He was a good captain for leeds and does show good professional characteristics that I would like to see in younger players. Him being an ex-player isn't the reason I think its good although it can't hurt can it?
Why does that mean he's a good youth coach? Shouldn't a club like Leeds be making ambitious, forward-thinking appointments of people who can give us a top-class academy? Does Naylor fit those criteria, or is it just another lazy fan-appeasing appointment which papers over the obviously deep cracks in our youth production set-up?
Maybe we should let him prove he's awesome with someone else and then get him if he's successful, so we're not just taking a punt and actually look like we have a strategy, a plan, a vision, or some **** like that.
Jerel, why don't you go forth & multiply. Naylor was a class act who knew what he was doing. That we got him at the end of his careeer & where he wasn't as quick as we might like is not his fault. That he has plenty of valuable experience to pass on to our youth isn't in question. That he has to start his badge process somewhere also isn't in question. Given the above, why wouldn't we want him to start his coaching career at Leeds?
I just explained why. Because we should be getting proven quality, not taking a random chance on every ex-player that wants a couple more years on the gravy train. I've said nothing at all about his career, and for some reason, you and Josh seem to think that's the reason I don't want him. It isn't. Although just because someone has 'valuable experience' doesn't mean they're necessarily good at imparting it, that they have sufficient technical knowledge, nor that they will be a good leader and director of this next generation. It's time for Leeds to become the envy of England again where youth production is concerned. Once more, does an appointment like Naylor really put us in that direction? Obviously he has to start his badges somewhere. What I'm saying is that if he goes to some other club and there's a marked improvement in how they do, fine, go for him. Let him continue that training here. But the ex-player charity circle has to stop if we're gonna move forwards. It's never done Leeds much good in the past. Proven quality.
Maybe we could see he had these qualities when here as a player, and this is not a punt at all? He will have been doing his coaching qualifications whilst playing for Leeds, so maybe this is a brilliant coop for the academy lads.
Couple of points, Jerel: 1. He may be a naturally brilliant coach. He may not. You are assuming the latter. You know what they say about assume - ASS U ME. I don't think he walked into the job without showing some signs of being a prospect. 2. Note that he's not RUNNING the fcuking academy - he's only 'helping out'. So why the vehement objection to a guy who is clearly a minion in the setup? When our academy was in full flight, we still had minions. Not everyone can be the boss. If we followed your thinking, we should have Gordon Ramsey or someone of that ilk running the pie stands. Get a grip, Jerel.
Why go for 'maybe' when you can get 'definitely'? Awful post. 1. I'm not assuming anything. Try reading my posts, and then comprehending them. I'm saying he may be a world-class coach, but we can't act on that ASSUMPTION until it's proven elsewhere. 2. The Academy is far more important than pies. It's the future of our club, and one of the truly defining things about it. He may be a 'minion', but I'll bet we had relatively better 'helpers' there in the 70s, 90s and 00s than Richard 'Bam Bam' Naylor in his current ability level.
Hang on a minute, Jerel. You're telling a fat Jock that pies aren't important? You need to get out more! And I did read & comprehend what you wrote. You clearly didn't. "Shouldn't a club like Leeds be making ambitious, forward-thinking appointments of people who can give us a top-class academy?" - sounds very like you've just assumed that he's not good enough. Perhaps you've not assumed because you were at the interview. I should have thought of that! And I see that you've further assumed, building on that initial assumption, that those employed at the academy in the past were better than Naylor. Or did you do their interviews too?
