I can't help but agree with the sentiment of developing and keeping our players. With the original argument of this thread making the case for the Man Utd team of the 50s so dreadfully decimated in Munich, I was moved to examine Saints teams/players since my SFC addiction that started in 1957 as to how many came through our youth systems and went on to play 150 first team games.. There may be the odd mistake but going by debut dates and split into decades it runs like this....
57-59.... 2... Paine and Sydenham
60-69.... 2... Chivers and Channon
70-79.... 5... Holmes, Williams, Moran, Waldron and Baker G.
80-89.... 6... Le Tissier, Benali, Wallace D. Maddison, Shearer and Wallace R.
90-99.... 2... Oakley and Bridge
00-09.... 1... Lallana
18 players in 57 years you could argue paid backed what was invested in them. Or one every 3 years, on average.
Might it be that we look back with tinted glasses? There were certainly eras.. when it seemed the core of the teams were home grown. It also seems we have just had a season when a vision of a core of home grown promised a full bloom. The sentiment behind this idea is perhaps what we are grieving, The squashing of a maturing promise. But only Channon played in a trophy winning team.