Reply With QuoteThe big problem that has been mentioned umpteenth times on here is the fact our first team plays so differently to the others how can we expect any of the younger players to step in to the first team if they're not 6 foot plus and 14 stone
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With the recent Bellamy debacle putting our academy somewhat under a spotlight of sorts, it has reminded me that since the Ramsey era, our academy has been a complete and under failure. The players that are brought through, are not given a fair crack, namely Declan John comes to mind there. Warnock was quick to criticise it and release a load of players who clearly were not going to make the step up when he first came into the club, fair enough... I don't have a problem with that. However, here we are, over two years later and it's the same old story. Today, why such a strong squad was fielded is completely beyond me, moreover, we didn't even give the youngsters who were included a run out! Nor did we against Norwich in the league cup. It's genuinely pathetic that a club, the only professional club in the city, and the dominant club in the south east of the country cannot recruit and bring through better talent. Maybe we should go west and ask Swansea how they do it ? As far as i'm concerned, if Warnock etc cannot fit them into even cup games, at a minimum, then they either need to be loaned out, or gotten rid of. The academy must cost the club a ridiculous amount of money for what it produces.
The big problem that has been mentioned umpteenth times on here is the fact our first team plays so differently to the others how can we expect any of the younger players to step in to the first team if they're not 6 foot plus and 14 stone
the whole academy structures not just us but in the whole UK needs to be looked at . with less than 30% of prem leagues players british there's no justification of running an academy in it's present format . just wish we and the uk would follow the Spanish and Portuguese models in creating technical skill players rather than just the power game that the uk keeps chugging out and coached into our youngsters
a great read here . we will always be left behind if we don't adjust
https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/0...ve-in-england/
Declan John has earned a career in football, that's a success.
It just so happens that he was in no way good enough for Cardiff City.
I don’t think even Morrison is 14 stone.Originally Posted by jamieccfc
And probably only 4 of our starting line up are 6 ft plus.
It’s not about size. Ronaldo, Bale, Pogba are all bigger than most of our squad.
Declan John had 3-4 runs in the side.
Unfortunately he just didn’t do enough.
Swansea have had several years of being a premier league academy and have also brought the in from other clubs several promising youngsters.
Correct me if I’m wrong , but the only one they produced whilst in the prem was Ben Davies and even then it was down to an injury crisis that he got his chance.
Had it not been for relegation I doubt any of the ones that have come through would have been given a chance.
However, I DO agree that yesterday was a chance to try some of the youth.
Not getting a solid lead didn’t help as it would have been easy to throw on 1 or 2 if we were confortable, but if these lads can’t be trusted to play v League 1 sides then it’s best to loan them out and let them get games
Fair point, but we didn't bring a single one through during the time spent inbetween both premier league seasons.
Agree. I’d guess Ralls is the closest, admittedly with most of the work done elsewhere. That’s not good and I’ll be very disappointed if we don’t get another one through in the next few years.
At the end of last summer I was watching my youngest boy in a football tournament and there were a few City scouts there so I got talking to one about what they look for etc and he challenged me to point out what I thought was the best player out of the 4 games that were being played. I picked a slight blond haired kid who looked quick, had nice balance and technique. He agreed that he was very good but the scouts would never pick him.
He explained that the ones that would be picked were the biggest and fastest kids because its believed that they will teach them how to play and the coaching they get will be better than any natural talent and it was size and pace that mattered. He said that he thought it was pathetic but that was what they are charged with. Said it took skill out of scouting and the club may as well send a note out to all schools asking for 8 year olds over a certain height.
I'm not doubting what you were told, but i find it hard to believe that a Professional clubs policy is to pick up on physically mature eight year olds. Boys develop at different stages and growth spurts can be quite late. If a young lad is getting to 15 or 16 and isn't showing a great deal of physical development which is affecting how he plays then i can understand it going against him as a Professional club has to make a call at some point, even if they're proved wrong.
I found it really odd and quite disappointing. He also said that the club wouldn't want anyone after the age of 11 because they would have lost too much ground on the ones that had been club coached for the 3 previous years.
He also said that he'd never scouted one player that had made a first team appearance for Cardiff, although many had gone on to be pro's. Maybe he just wasn't up to much.
with around 12,500 kids presently involved in football academies in the uk and statistics show less than 0.5% will actually make it as a pro it does make you wonder
a - do they provide value for money
b - if so many don't make it what is the point ?
when i think what my lad went through with the city academy /COE it's just a rat race really ! the thing that got my blood boiling was to take him out of local football at the age of 9 at the age when kids just want to have fun with there mates .
That is just simply not true!
I'm not questioning whether you were told that but I know a few lads that that do scouting for the club and their remit is completely the opposite.
The academy try to emulate the Barcelona model where technical players and especially game understanding is pretty much everything. Don't get me wrong I do see some inconsistencies when they go for a big fast battering ram up top now and then but there are stacks of small kids in the academy I assure you.
That's good to hear. I was talking to the parents about it after I stopped talking to him and we were all blown.
It was at Ely Rangers and was the day after the CL Final and given that there were a few shortarses playing in the final we were all a bit surprised.
My lad is in the academy and to me it does appear that strength and size are key factors in recruitment. My boy plays under 7 and I would say that near enough 99% of the lads birthdays are between Sept and December. If you happen to born later in the school year you will more than likely be at a disadvantage because you are naturally smaller. Physicality, strength and aggression seem to be of utmost importance in the academy that said the boys that are in there also possess above average skill and technique. We all know that most of the lads will never play at a professional level but I reckon a fair few will end up playing a decent standard of football like Welsh league. To make it as a pro you are going to have all these attributes mentioned above and more. The scouts that I know are only really interested in boys from age 4 to 8. This is key development stage and if you don't get picked up in this time you probably wont. I was at a festival in Sully earlier this year and saw one of the scouts. We had brief chat and I asked if he'd seen any new players etc. He said he'd seen a couple but he was off now to another festival in Monmouth, I asked him "are you not staying to see the 9's and 10's in the afternoon" to which he replied 'Nah, we done all those before'. Mad to think that if were not spotted when you were 7 you have well and truly missed the boat.
As I posted last week :
Years ago I was involved in local junior and youth football. City had a number of scouts who watched our games. They always picked the quick, nippy, small ones who looked far better than their counterparts. Trouble is, those quick, nippy small ones usually stayed smaller than the rest, and the slightly more cumbersome bigger ones who could pick out a pass but looked a tad slow, began to develop and be more comfortable on the ball, and quicker and stronger than the nippy ones they left behind.
If you recall the number of youngsters who came into the City sides in the 80's/90's, they were usually lightweights who could trap a ball but looked way out of their depth...
..seems the 'policy has changed ..
Now we have lumps who are out of their depth cos they are too slow in body and mind.
There are some great players who big lads, CR7 and Gareth Bale are probably good examples of this but the higher you go in standard then the average size of the players get smaller, all the way up to the champions league.
I think it's understandable cos a smaller player has to use his brain to overcome his physical disadvantage.
The modern game has moved away from what it was in the 80s and 90s and generally players are encouraged to avoid battles.
In the pre academy your lad will encounter a lot of free play and game is a bit like murderball in there at times, but you'll find as he gets older the emphasis will be a lot more on pass and move and decision making.
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