In Neil Harris defence its not his job to be fighting for the academy budget. Hes been given the role of First Team Manager, and hes only on a 2.5 year contract. Therefore hes not been employed to overhaul the academy and see the benefits of it in 5 or 10 years.
Its up to others within the club to come up with the strategy and budget for the Academy, especially in the long term.
Harris will be judged on first team results, that is clear from his interview. There is clearly an expectation from those above him to rise up the table asap, and dare I say it, still expecting to finish in the play-offs.
He talks about creating a pathway and thats all we can ask of him at this stage and even then only if the players are good enough. I certainly hope to see more of them given a chance, especially in the cup games. Also, if this season turns into a dead rubber towards the end of the season as they did in Slade and Warnocks first seasons I certainly hope to see some given the chance then.