The Academy...

[655321]

WTF??

We've spent a tremendous amount of money the last year or two on new YOUNG signings that we are waiting for to show potential, but have only started a couple of guys that actually are a product of the Academy that the club spent soooo much cash developing. While I have zero problem with signing new players (if they produce, obviously), is there something about our youth system that I am missing?? Are the new breed really that bad that their possibilities are not worth the money saved by bringing them up and not signing some young foreign kid??

I'm asking this out of ignorance, not complaining. We don't hear too much about the youth system here on the West Coast.

[Matt Clark]

Theories abound. One of the wilder (although not repudiated) ones is that Houllier and Heighway loathe each other and that, as such, kids who come up from the Academy (which happens when Heighway recommends someone and all the Melwood staff agree he is ready) have twice as much to do to prove themselves.

I can add a bit of personal perspective to that, insomuch as I am friends with one of the Tranmere youth coaches who used to work for Liverpool. He is very dismissive of Houllier's attitude to the Academy.

Having said that, it was Houllier who gave Gerrard, , Wright, Maxwell, Otsemobor, Partridge, Mellor and Miles their first-team debuts. The fact that only one of those has gone on to establish themselves (with Mellor looking like a good bet now too) is neither here nor there - we cannot know what potential they actually represented.

In terms of buying young potential from abroad, I think anyone would prefer that more local lads were brought into first-team reckoning. But we can only speculate as to whether there was anyone at the Academy (remember that goes to U-19 level only) who could have taken the first-team places of, say, Vignal (whose debut appearances were hugely promising) or even Traore (who is, according to the other thread, a 'spotty' Premiership player).

Personally, I think Mellor, Welsh and Semmy will make it. With the rest, it's all speculation. Sheridan-Foy and Partridge have also made the move to Melwood and Ste Warnock is in the mix - let's see what a season's loan can do for him at Cov.

[655321]

Let me reiterate that starting this thread was by no means meant to attack any signings or attack managerial decisions. I just have always found it strange that our youth system is so touted, yet rarely used when it comes to the first team.

[Matt Clark]

Understood.

But I dunno if that is accurate - look a the number of players that come through at other clubs. I think the "golden age" at United has skewed general perceptions of the regularity with which a youth set-up produces genuine, nailed-down first team regulars. United themselves have, since the emergence of "the kids" in the mid-90's only produced Wes Brown and John O'Shea as regulars. Chadwick had a bit of it, but he's at Reading now.

Look at Chelsea - Morris and Terry and Cole in what - seven years? And they've jsut released Morris.

Arsenal? Don't make me laugh ... Stuart Taylor.

Newcastle? Erm ... Micheal Bridges, now doing a more than passable Darren Anderton impression at Leeds. All their young talent was bought in.

By contrast, we have done quite well, I think. Next season, we will have Carrragher, Owen, Gerrard, Mellor and possibly Otsemobor and Welsh getting first-team action.

[655321]

I suppose that's true. I never looked at it that way.

Thanks.