Just been watching our under18s against Newport. It is one of the brightest things I have seen for ages - like watching the Gooners in full creative flow. Stick em all in the first team now I say
The young lad on the wing who set up the first goal looks like a decent player! Here's the vid if you haven't watched it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pA1wfErR_Y&app=desktop
In my mind, this is where the money needs to be going. I'd be a lot happier if I were told that the Davies/Adomah money went into the academy. In the grand scheme of things, even the likes of Rene Meulensteen would come to a club if we'd spend millions on them. Given our geographical placement, there's very little reason why we can't invest real money into the academy and start churning out players with the quality to play in the Premier League, let alone for a League 1 side. Ideally, Lansdown isn't bullshitting us in order to save costs, and our academy will be capable of feeding the club in the next 5-10 years.
It makes me laugh and scream I begged on this board after our Wembley loss for SL to throw his weight behind an academy run by German or Spanish coaches, to be the best academy in the country (much like Southampton did). If he had done it then instead of spending his cash on an ego boosting succession of dumb assed loans, we would be in the Prem by now. However it was heartening to see the display by our new young stars, and reminded me of the buzz I got from first seeing the likes of Ritchie, Whitehead and Collier
City's academy will cost in the region of eight hundred thousand a year. That creates a status above any other academy in the region. I have banged on about this frequently, but City also have to look at what is being done prior to academy level [below nine]. Bristolian kids are being scouted by Premier league clubs prior to that age e.g West Brom.
In the region being the issue, that puts us in competition with Exeter, Plymouth, Gas, Swindon, and the district big boys Yeovil Town. Yet our supporters want to see us mixing it with Villa, Arsenal Manchester & the like. If we want a club that is in proportion with the size and importance of Bristol then we need to think big in terms of our Academy. Otherwise we will eventually become the big boys in a very small pond. Also, we need to be attracting kids from all over Europe, not just from our own back yard, which is what the Arsenals and Uniteds do. We may not be able to compete with those institutions in transfers, but we could with a serious academy.
For perspective, La Masia (the Barcelona academy) costs around £8m a year, and handles from primary school age up to academy. Even half of that money over ten years would probably give us the quality to field a team of academy prospects and shoot up the Football League.
The Arsenals, Chelseas and Utds are getting kids at fourteen via agents. City can't compete financially there. The South West is a big catchment area. I will say it again. There is a void pre academy age. Premiership clubs are filling what City could. West Brom are down here scouting six year olds. City should occupy that space, but as of yet do not.
It isn't in perspective. Man City's academy may eventually cost tens of millions to set up. It won't be even 5% of their turn over. Academy costs are exempt under FFP, but where would the money come from? Reading on here City always need him, him and him and him as Manager. Patience?
£8m is the day-to-day cost over a year. Man City's is costing more because they're still building it.
The running costs will be comparable. Its cost to put in place is 100 million plus. That puts it along side St Georges park ran by the FA. MCFC have an owner who is wealthier than the FA to fund its running costs. I see no point in looking at that, or Barcelona as a cost perspective. How do BCFC improve their own development pragmatically? How is it funded? A cost effective improvement could be pre academy age coaching, increasing reach, and creating connection between kids and FC. It also would be part of a FC striving to be community centred and meeting one of its own ideals i.e pillar - community.
Yes to the above, but it is worth a look at the bigger, big-time picture. People on here might have thought I was loopy suggesting a foreign coach to teach our kids, but now we have one and we can already see the difference. The fact is, with our club anguishing in the nether-regions we need to do something extra to populate our academy with the best talent from wherever we can get it. That extra is an investment in the academy rather than wasting money on loan-ins. We can invest if Steve is still with us, and although we obviously cant compete with the Champions league clubs, we can still put one of the country's top footy schools in place, and this is the only way that we are going to challenge for a place at the highest level. And the best people to run this academy of ours probably come from Spain or Germany. But as its already happening, and we have our Spanish wizard coach, and a team of technically gifted youngsters playing keep-ball and learning how to press in the final third etc etc, I guess its finally happening. And about bloody time
We don't have £8m to spend on the Academy. We have to invest what we have properly - in my opinion money spent on the Academy is money well spent. Now it's about getting the Academy right - i.e, good player recruitment, player retention, developing them when we get them, education (on and off the pitch), youngsters getting a chance in the first team, all our teams playing the same way, good coaches, good facilities, etc, etc
I am agreeing with you to a degree. However how is this super academy funded? City are pushing the boat out to attain the status they have. That could cost 40-50% of the clubs annual income to service it. What I suggested is increasing the clubs reach prior to academy level. The Premiership vultures are now in Bristol at that level scouting for talent to put into their pre academy training. Increase the amount of pre academy training City provide and it creates a further connection between Community and club, individuals and club, parents and club. I expect in future players to have come through a pathway where their initial connection arose from five onwards e.g school training - Bristol City Community trust side - Academy - First XI. A bigger picture with a timescale of over a decade to see results. Its only in its infancy.
Tinman on the case: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Brian-...yers-Bristol/story-20097792-detail/story.html
Ignoring the cost for an initial build, it's a good thing to note how much the biggest and best academies cost. Obviously, we aren't aiming to match that, but if you consider the sheer amount of money that we've spent over the past few seasons, and think about how much that money would have improved the club if it went into running an already successful academy you can see the level of financial mismanagement we've endured. Naturally, we've lost players on a number of occasions. Recently, we lost an academy hopeful to Liverpool. The coaching is starting to take shape, but I am still cynical on whether we'll be able to keep pushing the level of our academy. Putting a year and a half of effort, alongside Tinnion and an ex-Malaga coach is a decent return, but it's not the end product. We need to keep improving the first-team, and we need to ensure that our talented youngsters get the opportunity to play in the first-team.
