We may end up with starting XI this season with no regular players from Bristol or the West Country in it. Considering that football clubs are regional representatives that is piss poor by any means. City have neglected to nurture close links with the South West in the favour of signing journeymen who do nopt play, spunking millions up, the wall in the process, that is self defeating if you think the club are part of the West Country. Buy, buy goes the mantra of many while parts of the clubs identity has been eroded. Kids barely get a chance at BCFC anymore. Bristol City? West Country?
Hopefully Skuse will be in the mix? However, I take your point about the club's "yooff" policy not bringing through local-ish young players - to be fair, it seems that the club are now moving in a different direction on that front, but it will still take time for that to bring people through
Indeed. In an era when a new owner's cash can buy a whole new team challenging for promotion we should be glad we've still got a significant English contingent, let alone a local one.
Patience, I thought there was positive thoughts and changes connected with our Academy. don't forget the posting on 04/06/12 by the club. City have announced the appointment of former Celtic defender Willie McStay as the club's new Academy Head of Coaching. The 50-year-old UEFA Pro Licenced coach arrives in the senior role to oversee the players' coaching programme and the coach development programme. With the club striving for Category Two status in the new Academy system, Willie's role will be pivotal to ensuring City's young players of the future will receive a world-leading coaching programme. Academy director Tim Kirk said: "We needed someone with experience and a proven track record of nurturing youth players into the starting eleven on a Saturday first-team matchday. This has been a missing link in the past. "There is a lot of potential in the young players coming through and hopefully now they will be given the guidance to make that final breakthrough. "We're undergoing drastic changes at the moment to be ready for the new categorization audit in a few months' time. I'd like to welcome Willie on board. He is a key component of the new team we are building." Willie said: "I'm obviously delighted about the role, especially at such a positive time for the club with so many changes taking place. "I can't wait to get started. The prospects to really build something for the future of the club and assist the manager by bringing through players for the first team. "From the top down I've been very impressed with everything I've seen so far and I'm relishing the challenge ahead." Manager Derek McInnes says: "We've brought Willie into the Academy set-up and I'm sure his input will be pivotal. He brings with him bags of experience and knowledge from working in various countries. "We're keen that he bridges the gap between Academy and youth football and the first team. It's something he did very well during his time at Celtic, and that certainly wasn't easy. "He comes with a great reputation and track record and is someone I've worked with before at St Johnstone, when he did some reports for me. I look forward to working with him again." A long-standing Celtic defender during the 1980s, Willie also enjoyed permanent spells with Huddersfield United, Notts County, Kilmarnock and Sligo Rovers. He moved into player-management with his final club Sligo, leading the Irish club to an historic treble in 1993/94. After two seasons he moved back to Celtic, joining the Scottish Premier League giants for 15 years as youth team boss and then reserve manager. In 2009 he moved out to Hungary to take charge of Ujpest FC but returned to Celtic Park a year later to return as reserve team boss. His most recent roles came as Ross County manager and assistant at Stockport County. He also boasts international coaching experience during his time with Scotland at under-17, under-18 and under-19 level. Meanwhile, City have also recruited former midfielder Alex Russell (youth development phase coach and under-14s manager) and ex-FA regional skills manager Marc Canham (lead foundation phase coach) into the Academy. "Alex has been working with us for the past 12 months on a part-time basis," added Tim. "We're delighted to be able to offer a full-time role now working with our young players. His experience and great relationship with young people will be a great asset to us. "Marc is a very exciting appointment. It is very difficult to find coaches with the enthusiasm and expertise to work in what is essentially the most important phase during a player's development. In being part of the FA, Marc has had the best education in how to get the best out of our eight-to-11 year olds.
Squad numbers are creeping up again. Too much money in the past spent on average and ****e v bringing locals lads through. Pride of the west or scotland.
The Academy is definitely to blame for this and I agree it would be better to have some local representation. but the issues have been spotted and they are starting to address them,. It will take a few years to see the benefit though.
The ethos of the club has been spend v develope. Players did get a chance under Wilson, he did attempt to progress players through the ranks. I want to see more than one of ours out there. I'm sure it helps make people feel more passionate about it all rather than love it, indifferent to it, hate it in equal measures because they are just a team of mercaneries. But above all, it is Bristol City, there should be some regional pride involved and a bit of "there you go Son if you work hard, really hard and get lucky just maybe tnhat could be you!"
Who joined the club as teenagers, or on nominal fees and came into a team often full of Bristolians e.g Cashley, Cheesley, Collier, Fear, Garland, Mabbutt, Merrick & Tainton.
2 words. Arsenal and English. Get my drift, athough I must say they do somewhat better these days than a few seasons ago as was stated by Arsene Wenger.
Gooners and city are in the same country thats about it. different ball park altogether. get a few local lads in the starting eleven and parents might also see the club as a good choice rather than southampton and norwhich being the top west country choice for talent. Better to see a wurzel giving it a go in red than the sense of pride we get seeing a hunt.
The drain of local schoolboy talent to Norwich and Southampton has been going on for a very long time guys. Ken Wimshurst who played for Saints, then City, later AD's assistant manager was the main reason through the eighties for local kids going there eg Jason Dodd. And City folk hero of the winning goal at Highbury, Paul Cheesley brought up in one of the Gordanos (?) was bought by City from Norwich who had him from when he left school. We should not become too worried about the birthplace of our Academy talent. It is sometimes better for kids to leave home and go elsewhere early in their life, while others do better by staying in the same locality. A parallel world is university; How many local children go to Bristol or the UWE and how many can't wait to go further afield? Has anyone ever noticed any difference in the passion for Man U between Beckham (Londoner) and Gary Neville (local boy). So long as we get quality in City's Academy who will progress to our first team squad, we should not be overly concerned about their origins.
And that drain should not happen. There is talent in the west country. keep loading the squad up with average or worse and it wont change because average on 4-5-6k will get to play v a lad from somerset or bristol. small core squad few season loaness on top and academy bloods should be the way forward. the academy should be the pathway to the first team and not be blocked by nicky hunts mcgiverns stewarts clarksons = waste after waste. city are the wests biggest club and that is where the clubs effort should be focussed instead of buying **** players and losing nearly thirty million over a few seasons. the losses now cant continue because of fair play rules which is a good job because city have ran like a ****ing drain with money. Gary Neville was an ugly bastard with a moustache and paul scholes was mute and ginger neither look like Beckham or shag that bint.
Personally at this stage I don't care where they come from - the Acadamy needed changing, and it has. We won't know for 2-3 years if that has worked
City should be a proper community club instead of getting players in who could not give a toss about Bristol or the area.
