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Over the years I can think of several full backs and midfielders that have come from our academy and been reasonably or very successful. I can think of hardly any goalkeepers, wingers or strikers though. In particular since the days of Toshack and Showers when did we produce our own striker? One who has scored for us or at another club. The only one I can think of ironically was the Irish chap who was a goalkeeper turned striker... Josh Maggenis. Surely there are others. If not why not?
Is there another club in the country with such a poor record in this?
Simon Haworth
The OP has a point about there appears a lot of defenders /midfielders in comparison to forwards in particular no 9's
We don’t play the type of football that lends itself to kids.
Yeah, but on a football pitch there are usually 4 defenders and 2/3 midfielders. There's only one number 9. Ergo, clubs will produced more defenders and midfielders.
Actually, thinking about it, how many good left backs has the club produced? Damon Searle is the only one I can think of.
How many goalkeepers? Mel Rees is the last one I can think of. There was John Roberts, he was not very good.
Leon Jeanne.....
Gethin Hill
Christian Roberts and Stuart Fleetwood have had lower league careers
So having read the replies to my OP it seems that Simon Haworth is the only one I hadn't thought of. Earnie and a few others didn't really come up through an academy or equivalent. With respect Fleetwood and Roberts haven't been huge successes in the Football League.Goalkeepers we have produced seems to be an even worse situation. When you think of the many millions we have spent on developing footballers over the last thirty odd years the results in terms of keepers, strikers and even wingers to a lesser extent is dire.
OK and I'll accept Blake and Earnie but it still seems a poor show. Nathan joined us 30 years ago and Earnie 23 years ago. Maybe I exaggerated a little by saying nothing since Toshack but you have to agree it's not a good record. And the keepers record is worse.
Someone mentioned Cameron Jerome. We got him from Middlesbrough at 18 so I would say he couldn't be classed as part of a youth development programme.
Blake ended up at the club after leaving Chelsea after his first year for whatever reason, so he was going on 18 when he joined the club, ernie was the very last apprentice taken on for his year because the club thought he may be to small, Jerome had been bombed by Middlesbrough. We didn't have an academy during the Blake and eanie years and I'm not sure if we had one when Jerome came to the club. What there would've been was schoolboy level training that would've taken place three times per week. Decent schoolboys would've been fast tracked into the youth team.
None of the players I've mentioned came through the schoolboy system. When nathan blake turned up he was head and shoulders above anything at the club in his age range, intact, he was better than some of the first team. As for ernie, he couldn't have been coached anyway, he was doing exactly what he'd been doing previously for a junior side called GE Wales. Those three players were good enough anyway, boro developed Jerome and Chelsea developed blake, ernie did what he wanted
Didn't James Collins start off a as a striker or am I misremembering?
Jerome Earnie Collins Haworth Blake.