| Importance of academy highlighted. 18:17 - Aug 16 with 10091 views | aberhugh |
There's nothing quite like the refrain 'He's one of our own.' Fans love to see a player their club has nurtured break into the first team and succeed. In the past few weeks we have seen how the club can generate considerable funds and how an input of young players can bolster the first team. I really enjoyed watching the contribution youngsters made in the cup match this week.
It is a considerable investment for a club like Swansea outside the top tier to maintain it's Category 1 status. The highest rated academies are able to sign the best players and command the largest fees. Category 1 academies have high contact time with young players, require a minimum of 18 full-time staff and an operational budget of £2.5m. Academies are reviewed every two years and re-categorised if necessary. Categorisation is the result of an independent audit.
If we maintain our present status in this league it will take considerable nerve and commitment to finance the academy. This will be especially so when in the lean years we may produce very little of any quality. A concern must also be the possible poaching of academy staff by others and of course the disappointment Cameron Toshack must feel. To avert any exits may again take more money in extra wages.
I did both my referee and coaching badges many years ago and developing young players is full of many unfulfilled dreams and potential never being achieved. This makes our academy really something very special and a jewel to be treasured. |  | | |  |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:33 - Aug 17 with 1972 views | Dr_Winston |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:26 - Aug 17 by jasper_T |
You might be surprised. Adam King cost more than McKay according to the manager of his last loan club. [Post edited 17 Aug 2019 11:27]
|
Still £1.5m to go even if true.
I wouldn't rule out us taking the odd £100k punt on a talented youngster, although we'll probably be a lot more selective now, which given your list of players is probably no bad thing. |  |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:59 - Aug 17 with 1935 views | jasper_T |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:33 - Aug 17 by Dr_Winston |
Still £1.5m to go even if true.
I wouldn't rule out us taking the odd £100k punt on a talented youngster, although we'll probably be a lot more selective now, which given your list of players is probably no bad thing. |
You have to have very, very good people running the shop to ensure being more selective doesn't rule out an Oli instead of a Maric. Youth development is always a gamble, and a numbers game even for the best academies (especially them).
When we were in the Premier League strengthening the u23s and u18s sides with older bought-in talent wasn't a poor policy, even if the individuals weren't likely to progress themselves. It improved competition within those teams and created a winning environment/culture for the future stars. But when you haven't got the resources to keep doing that we saw last season how quickly standards can drop off. Going to be interesting to see how a 3/4 Welsh team fares in division 2. Very different type of group to the one that won the league and cup double. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 14:18 - Aug 17 with 1864 views | Blue_Blood |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:33 - Aug 17 by Dr_Winston |
Still £1.5m to go even if true.
I wouldn't rule out us taking the odd £100k punt on a talented youngster, although we'll probably be a lot more selective now, which given your list of players is probably no bad thing. |
If course you'd have to be a bit more diligent in terms of recruitment but I don't think you can underestimate how important a pathway is when it comes to kids choosing where to play.
At the moment you've got to be the team that provides the best pathway to first team football and being cat 1 would also boost your chances if it came to picking off youngsters released by the top clubs.
There is also the fact that you would become the first choice when it comes to recruitment at younger ages in South Wales.
As a Cardiff fan I personally think that we have been better than you at recruiting the best young kids in the area but I believe that you have coached better and your kids tend to overtake ours as the years go on.
Category one would also give those youngsters better coaching which would improve their chances of becoming better players in the long term.
This hasn't been explored yet as to how successful this could be as you haven't been category one long enough to see the benefits of this. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 00:57 - Aug 19 with 1774 views | morristonboy |
We are right to be proud of our academy and how we nurture young players. It then makes me sick to hear that Rodon has received abuse from some of our so called fans on social media for his performance yesterday. Young players make mistakes have awful games and awful runs of games. They need support not vile abuse from cowards hiding behind a screen. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 08:09 - Aug 19 with 1693 views | Kilkennyjack |
Hi Cameron.
Extra wages ? Do feck off.
Hugh - if you were half correct, why would there not be 92 Cat A Academies...?
I will tell you why ? Most clubs cannot afford it outside if the Prem.
We are outside of Prem with parachute payments ending soon, get real ?
Best get real and work hard with the local lads. Think Joey and Ben.
I know its harder than signing ready made players like Oli and Dan but there you go.
Love you still Kenji, x |  |
| Beware of the Risen People
|
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 09:52 - Aug 19 with 1638 views | NotLoyal |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 14:18 - Aug 17 by Blue_Blood |
If course you'd have to be a bit more diligent in terms of recruitment but I don't think you can underestimate how important a pathway is when it comes to kids choosing where to play.
At the moment you've got to be the team that provides the best pathway to first team football and being cat 1 would also boost your chances if it came to picking off youngsters released by the top clubs.
There is also the fact that you would become the first choice when it comes to recruitment at younger ages in South Wales.
As a Cardiff fan I personally think that we have been better than you at recruiting the best young kids in the area but I believe that you have coached better and your kids tend to overtake ours as the years go on.
Category one would also give those youngsters better coaching which would improve their chances of becoming better players in the long term.
This hasn't been explored yet as to how successful this could be as you haven't been category one long enough to see the benefits of this. |
Our academy benefit financially ?
In two months 38 million.
PL2 champions, and a cup.
Not sure how more you can guage our success.
Roberts, Rodon, James, Welsh internationals.
Mcburnnie, Scottish international.
I'll leave that here for now, there's more. |  |
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 10:11 - Aug 19 with 1616 views | Blue_Blood |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 09:52 - Aug 19 by NotLoyal |
Our academy benefit financially ?
In two months 38 million.
PL2 champions, and a cup.
Not sure how more you can guage our success.
Roberts, Rodon, James, Welsh internationals.
Mcburnnie, Scottish international.
I'll leave that here for now, there's more. |
Personally I think there PL2 and cup successes are irrelevant.
What's relevant is that you're producing players that have kept you sustainable and are upholding your first team.
Could you imagine where your club would be now if you didn't have players like Mcburnie, James, Rodon, Roberts, Grimes, Byers, Fulton etc who have been ready to step in and keep you competitive at championship level after your reckless spending over the last few seasons?
I think there's no doubt that when next season's academy production figures come out that you'll be number one in Britain in terms of success.
I can't get my head around the blaśe attitude of some of your fans toward your academy. For me it's a no brainer that Category one status has to maintained in order to give you every opportunity to continue the path you're on.
I think your biggest chance of this is the appointment of Steve Cooper who will obviously see the importance of youth development having spent so much time with Liverpool and England. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 10:28 - Aug 19 with 1599 views | NotLoyal |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 10:11 - Aug 19 by Blue_Blood |
Personally I think there PL2 and cup successes are irrelevant.
What's relevant is that you're producing players that have kept you sustainable and are upholding your first team.
Could you imagine where your club would be now if you didn't have players like Mcburnie, James, Rodon, Roberts, Grimes, Byers, Fulton etc who have been ready to step in and keep you competitive at championship level after your reckless spending over the last few seasons?
I think there's no doubt that when next season's academy production figures come out that you'll be number one in Britain in terms of success.
I can't get my head around the blaśe attitude of some of your fans toward your academy. For me it's a no brainer that Category one status has to maintained in order to give you every opportunity to continue the path you're on.
I think your biggest chance of this is the appointment of Steve Cooper who will obviously see the importance of youth development having spent so much time with Liverpool and England. |
As I've said despite his wreckless spending Jenkins wasn't all wrong.
Toshack is fundamental as well. Richards etc.
However, football success is based on trophies so for me the reserve sides are always going to be judged on success. And at under 18 we have some real gems. Some from Cardiff. It wasn't that long ago a certain fictional writer down your way was moaning the Swans fielded a u17 side made up of players all from the east of Bridgend. | |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 10:38 - Aug 19 with 1593 views | jasper_T |
Grimes wasn't signed for the academy. He trained with the first team and was involved in matchday squads within a month of joining. You can't attribute his current success to Category One status, or the academy in general.
Fulton similar. Both had a lot of senior games under their belt before we paid big sums for them at the tail end of their development careers. Buying promising 19 year olds and sticking them in the reserves or on loan is not a privilege of Cat One academies alone. Brentford's entire business model is built upon it, they don't have an academy at all.
Even Connor Roberts is stretching the point. We got full Cat One status in the summer of 2016, after he had completed his first full senior season in League Two. Cat One facilities and coaching did not produce him. It's the current crop of first and second year pros in the u23s that will have benefited from significant time within a top level academy. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:05 - Aug 19 with 1577 views | Badlands |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 08:09 - Aug 19 by Kilkennyjack |
Hi Cameron.
Extra wages ? Do feck off.
Hugh - if you were half correct, why would there not be 92 Cat A Academies...?
I will tell you why ? Most clubs cannot afford it outside if the Prem.
We are outside of Prem with parachute payments ending soon, get real ?
Best get real and work hard with the local lads. Think Joey and Ben.
I know its harder than signing ready made players like Oli and Dan but there you go.
Love you still Kenji, x |
Oli McBurnie
Dan James
Bought for - £315,000
Sold for £34,000,000
Annual running cost £5,000,000
Value to our squad 2019-20 not having to buy equivalent
Benda
Rodon
Harries
Roberts
Grimes
Fulton
Byers
Dhanda
CBC
Cabango
Garrick
Rushesha
Cooper
Cullen
de Boer |  |
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:17 - Aug 19 with 1564 views | JackSomething |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:05 - Aug 19 by Badlands |
Oli McBurnie
Dan James
Bought for - £315,000
Sold for £34,000,000
Annual running cost £5,000,000
Value to our squad 2019-20 not having to buy equivalent
Benda
Rodon
Harries
Roberts
Grimes
Fulton
Byers
Dhanda
CBC
Cabango
Garrick
Rushesha
Cooper
Cullen
de Boer |
Kilkenny has been pissed off about our academy from day one and isn't going to stop now.
If it doesn't produce a Ben Davies or a Joe Allen every season then it's sh*t apparently. |  |
| You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don't help. |
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:24 - Aug 19 with 1557 views | Blue_Blood |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 10:28 - Aug 19 by NotLoyal |
As I've said despite his wreckless spending Jenkins wasn't all wrong.
Toshack is fundamental as well. Richards etc.
However, football success is based on trophies so for me the reserve sides are always going to be judged on success. And at under 18 we have some real gems. Some from Cardiff. It wasn't that long ago a certain fictional writer down your way was moaning the Swans fielded a u17 side made up of players all from the east of Bridgend. |
Nobody takes anything Annis says seriously and he is derided more by our own fans than anyone else.
We'll have to agree to disagree when it comes to what is deemed as success at youth levels. I believe it's all about development at those ages and someone like Eddie Harrison isn't remembered winning the FA youth cup but for producing the class of 92.
This is where I believe our academy goes wrong (among other reasons) it is obsessed with winning tournaments etc at every level so they can go on Twitter and say congratulations to the u12s etc for winning this or that tournament | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:52 - Aug 19 with 1520 views | waynekerr55 |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 19:18 - Aug 16 by Badlands |
I think we are already seeing the beginning of the end for the high status academy.
Because we raided the older players last season the under 23 weakened and were relegated.
This season we are already looking to promote younger players leaving the under 23s even weaker.
We really need to be bringing in more talented youth.
PS
Very good OP [Post edited 16 Aug 2019 19:19]
|
Younger players should be pushed up and challenged, that's the point of these squads. Winning games is a by product, not the be all and end all |  |
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:53 - Aug 19 with 1520 views | jasper_T |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:17 - Aug 19 by JackSomething |
Kilkenny has been pissed off about our academy from day one and isn't going to stop now.
If it doesn't produce a Ben Davies or a Joe Allen every season then it's sh*t apparently. |
There are certainly legitimate complaints to be made about how our academy has been run. Expensive bought-in talent has been clogging up the pipeline in some positions for years, meaning local lads like Jack Evans have been starved of gametime, and three goalkeepers more or less forced out (Lewis Thomas playing at Forest Green, David Cornell at Northampton, Nathan Shepperd recently taken on by Brentford playing for their B team).
People try to reduce the argument to pro- and anti-academy when it's more complex than that. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 12:02 - Aug 19 with 1508 views | Dr_Winston |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 10:28 - Aug 19 by NotLoyal |
As I've said despite his wreckless spending Jenkins wasn't all wrong.
Toshack is fundamental as well. Richards etc.
However, football success is based on trophies so for me the reserve sides are always going to be judged on success. And at under 18 we have some real gems. Some from Cardiff. It wasn't that long ago a certain fictional writer down your way was moaning the Swans fielded a u17 side made up of players all from the east of Bridgend. |
Deciding to invest so heavily in the academy and youth development is the only thing close to an ongoing positive legacy Jenkins has.
Vital that we continue to try and develop players, be they all local boys or from further afield. | |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 12:06 - Aug 19 with 1488 views | Gaz_M |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:53 - Aug 19 by jasper_T |
There are certainly legitimate complaints to be made about how our academy has been run. Expensive bought-in talent has been clogging up the pipeline in some positions for years, meaning local lads like Jack Evans have been starved of gametime, and three goalkeepers more or less forced out (Lewis Thomas playing at Forest Green, David Cornell at Northampton, Nathan Shepperd recently taken on by Brentford playing for their B team).
People try to reduce the argument to pro- and anti-academy when it's more complex than that. |
Jack Evans starved of game time? Interesting take on it.
The three goalkeepers you mention rightly released. Not good enough. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 12:51 - Aug 19 with 1464 views | Blue_Blood |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 10:38 - Aug 19 by jasper_T |
Grimes wasn't signed for the academy. He trained with the first team and was involved in matchday squads within a month of joining. You can't attribute his current success to Category One status, or the academy in general.
Fulton similar. Both had a lot of senior games under their belt before we paid big sums for them at the tail end of their development careers. Buying promising 19 year olds and sticking them in the reserves or on loan is not a privilege of Cat One academies alone. Brentford's entire business model is built upon it, they don't have an academy at all.
Even Connor Roberts is stretching the point. We got full Cat One status in the summer of 2016, after he had completed his first full senior season in League Two. Cat One facilities and coaching did not produce him. It's the current crop of first and second year pros in the u23s that will have benefited from significant time within a top level academy. |
I find it odd that a Cardiff is continually having to defend your academy against someone who clearly has a lot of involvement in it.
Grimes and Fulton may or may not have been signed for 1st team football and James may have been signed when the club was Cat 3 but nevertheless you cannot convince me that they haven't benefited from play against the best young players in Britain and sometimes Europe week in week out as part of their development.
You often hear Cardiff fans arguing that our style of play will catch a few teams out cos they're not used to playing against teams like that anymore and it's a fair argument (though one I don't agree with) but the reverse applies in your case.
The games programme would be against teams like Newport, Exeter etc where most teams would be accustomed to playing a more direct game and therefore your players wouldn't get as much exposure to playing against sharper more technical players.
The Brentford situation was a lot to do with location as well. They were getting pillaged of their better players and the compensation wasn't there due the EPPP so it made sense to them to wait til teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham released players and sweep them up at u18 level.
Their geography is entirely different to ours. There is a massive catchment area untouched for Swansea and the potential catchment would be even bigger for Cardiff but you have a massive advantage in that your academy is working.
Your right in saying that you're also yet to see the full benefits of having a category 1 academy too. Only after 7 or 8 years will you see if the increased training time and quality make the local kids better as they will then have seen the benefits of the full programme. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 14:04 - Aug 19 with 1407 views | jasper_T |
In terms of playing the most competitive football we've already seen a drop off in what Cat One offers. Due to the first team's failings we no longer get Checkatrade fixtures against senior EFL sides. And in division 2 our weekly opposition is weaker than we faced in the last two seasons.
With players making breakthroughs to the first team sooner, spending less years languishing in development football, the value of the extra couple of million a year to maintain Cat One for that specific reason ought to be questioned. The same money doesn't buy what it once did, while being a far, far greater percentage of our overall budget. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 21:50 - Aug 19 with 1324 views | aberhugh |
When I was involved in coaching youth football the most difficult aspect of the job was managing parents and parental expectations. It was irrelevant how much I resented this interfering with my job but it is the parents who make the decisions about their children. Whether the player is a local lad or recruited from elsewhere parents (along with an agent) will research the academy this will include facilities, standard of coaching, contact time, progression plus success in competitions. If you expect to service your first team and make money from sales then invest in young players. Yes, money can be saved by giving up Cat 1 status but cutting resources will not allow staff to do the same job and outcomes will not be the same. When this is the case parents will send their lads elsewhere and this will include locals who will travel to what are perceived more attractive institutions, | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 21:58 - Aug 19 with 1311 views | jasper_T |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 21:50 - Aug 19 by aberhugh |
When I was involved in coaching youth football the most difficult aspect of the job was managing parents and parental expectations. It was irrelevant how much I resented this interfering with my job but it is the parents who make the decisions about their children. Whether the player is a local lad or recruited from elsewhere parents (along with an agent) will research the academy this will include facilities, standard of coaching, contact time, progression plus success in competitions. If you expect to service your first team and make money from sales then invest in young players. Yes, money can be saved by giving up Cat 1 status but cutting resources will not allow staff to do the same job and outcomes will not be the same. When this is the case parents will send their lads elsewhere and this will include locals who will travel to what are perceived more attractive institutions, |
We've already cut staff. Turns out in order to compete with the big academies the minimum standards for Cat One are just that. Everyone is staffing well over what is asked for. It's an arms race we couldn't afford to try to win in the PL (hence signing older players to go direct into the u23s rather than the 15/16 year olds at millions a head) and certainly can't compete in now.
You work an academy to match the level of production you require. As Stuart Webber said in one of his interviews, if Norwich were in League Two he'd have the academy downgraded to Cat Three and bring through 3/4/5 players every season no problem. It's not simply a case of chucking the most money you can at it, regardless of the context the club finds itself in. Others have deeper pockets, and Big Club badges will always have sway compared to a Championship side.
An extra sports scientist and a second jacuzzi isn't going to keep a lad from going to Southampton or Liverpool if the opportunity presents itself. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 23:34 - Aug 19 with 1277 views | Kilkennyjack |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 11:05 - Aug 19 by Badlands |
Oli McBurnie
Dan James
Bought for - £315,000
Sold for £34,000,000
Annual running cost £5,000,000
Value to our squad 2019-20 not having to buy equivalent
Benda
Rodon
Harries
Roberts
Grimes
Fulton
Byers
Dhanda
CBC
Cabango
Garrick
Rushesha
Cooper
Cullen
de Boer |
Thanks for proving my point.
Post again with the players that actually came through our Academy structure.
Dan was from Hull City academy.
Oli comes from Bradford City academy.
Grimes comes from Exeter City academy
Etc .etc...
Now the recruitment of Dan and Oli has paid back in many millions. But lets not pretend our Academy produced them. We signed them ready made from elsewhere.
We produced our own international and premier league players before we had riches. We just worked hard with local lads under the great Mr Curtis.
I know you don't understand the difference.
Very soon we will need to return to this model cos we are skint. [Post edited 19 Aug 2019 23:35]
| |
| Beware of the Risen People
|
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 23:44 - Aug 19 with 1263 views | NotLoyal |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 23:34 - Aug 19 by Kilkennyjack |
Thanks for proving my point.
Post again with the players that actually came through our Academy structure.
Dan was from Hull City academy.
Oli comes from Bradford City academy.
Grimes comes from Exeter City academy
Etc .etc...
Now the recruitment of Dan and Oli has paid back in many millions. But lets not pretend our Academy produced them. We signed them ready made from elsewhere.
We produced our own international and premier league players before we had riches. We just worked hard with local lads under the great Mr Curtis.
I know you don't understand the difference.
Very soon we will need to return to this model cos we are skint. [Post edited 19 Aug 2019 23:35]
|
We bought them young and progressed them over a number of years, it should be no surprise that the golden era ( because this is what it is ) is bearing fruit for the club, maybe James would never have made it to the level he has without the Swansea way of coaching ?
Who can say, but you should be proud the club you support has been so successful, and hopefully the sales have finished. | |
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 00:07 - Aug 20 with 1235 views | jasper_T |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 23:34 - Aug 19 by Kilkennyjack |
Thanks for proving my point.
Post again with the players that actually came through our Academy structure.
Dan was from Hull City academy.
Oli comes from Bradford City academy.
Grimes comes from Exeter City academy
Etc .etc...
Now the recruitment of Dan and Oli has paid back in many millions. But lets not pretend our Academy produced them. We signed them ready made from elsewhere.
We produced our own international and premier league players before we had riches. We just worked hard with local lads under the great Mr Curtis.
I know you don't understand the difference.
Very soon we will need to return to this model cos we are skint. [Post edited 19 Aug 2019 23:35]
|
When you look at tonight's u23s lineup we seem to have returned to it already. Only Josh Gould, Cian Harries, Kees de Boer and young Thomas Carroll weren't brought through the age groups with us. 9 players involved tonight, plus Cam Evans and Dan Williams unused on the sidelines, and Ben Cabango, Cam Berry and Tom Price not involved.
Compare that to the 16/17 cup winning side which featured only three local products in the starting lineup (Joe, Keston now at TNS and Connor) and another three on the bench (Aaron Lewis now at Lincoln, Lewis Thomas now at Forest Green, and current captain Jack Evans). Even if you include DJ as "ours" for joining at 16 the makeup has shifted dramatically. | | | |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 00:24 - Aug 20 with 1218 views | jackrmee |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 14:04 - Aug 19 by jasper_T |
In terms of playing the most competitive football we've already seen a drop off in what Cat One offers. Due to the first team's failings we no longer get Checkatrade fixtures against senior EFL sides. And in division 2 our weekly opposition is weaker than we faced in the last two seasons.
With players making breakthroughs to the first team sooner, spending less years languishing in development football, the value of the extra couple of million a year to maintain Cat One for that specific reason ought to be questioned. The same money doesn't buy what it once did, while being a far, far greater percentage of our overall budget. |
For someone who is so involved with the u23s, I am constantly confused about how little importance you put on our academy. Really don't get it.
I'm far from an expert on youth footbal and I'm not one for agreeing with Cardiff fans on here, but this Blue Blood geezer is talking total sense.
It pains me to disagree with our u23 guru, but I just can't fathom your thinking. |  |
| |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 00:27 - Aug 20 with 1217 views | jackrmee |
| Importance of academy highlighted. on 21:58 - Aug 19 by jasper_T |
We've already cut staff. Turns out in order to compete with the big academies the minimum standards for Cat One are just that. Everyone is staffing well over what is asked for. It's an arms race we couldn't afford to try to win in the PL (hence signing older players to go direct into the u23s rather than the 15/16 year olds at millions a head) and certainly can't compete in now.
You work an academy to match the level of production you require. As Stuart Webber said in one of his interviews, if Norwich were in League Two he'd have the academy downgraded to Cat Three and bring through 3/4/5 players every season no problem. It's not simply a case of chucking the most money you can at it, regardless of the context the club finds itself in. Others have deeper pockets, and Big Club badges will always have sway compared to a Championship side.
An extra sports scientist and a second jacuzzi isn't going to keep a lad from going to Southampton or Liverpool if the opportunity presents itself. |
We may not be able to compete with the prem clubs, but we are the best of the rest.
Every time a player signs for us, they seem amazed at our facilities and each one of them say it was a big factor in signing. That must go for the kids too (or their parents, as has already been mentioned). | |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
