The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

[billy.ronson]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

Thanks ... It's frustrating to see Denham being injured for so long and Davies only just coming back. Even more so with Colwill , is he fully fit ? Where should he play ? I really don't know the solution to getting him playing every week !

[Rjk]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

Thanks ... It's frustrating to see Denham being injured for so long and Davies only just coming back. Even more so with Colwill , is he fully fit ? Where should he play ? I really don't know the solution to getting him playing every week !

perhaps the experiment with the rugby fitness coach didn't go well with the younger players

[the other bob wilson]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

In their last league game, the under 21s played really well to beat top of the table Bristol City, who had half of team of pretty regular first teamers, 1-0. A fortnight later, a team not too different from that one were embarrassed by a Watford side which had lost all but one of their league games before yesterday. On Friday, I watched them at Wolves and they wouldn't have scored if they were still playing now, It wasn't quite as bad on the attacking front yesterday, at least the opposition keeper made a couple of saves, but, throw in the first team game on Saturday and there's been three games from Cardiff City in five days where the standard of creativity and finishing has been abysmal. There really seems to be an air of gloom and despondency around the club at the moment and the lack of any lead from the top is only adding to it.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

David Ornstein says Biancheri has gone to Man United. Passed a medical over the weekend apparently.

[Rjk]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

David Ornstein says Biancheri has gone to Man United. Passed a medical over the weekend apparently.

that's disappointing, they really need to change the rules on poaching youngsters, it's way too stacked in favour of the biggest clubs

[Trigger]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

David Ornstein says Biancheri has gone to Man United. Passed a medical over the weekend apparently.

Begs the question of is the academy providing any value whilst at cat 2.

The better ones seem to leave before we can even get much of a fee.

The others that do progress don't seem to be able to get in the side.

I suppose you are still developing players that will have a career somewhere in the pyramid, much like we take on players who may have come through at bigger clubs. Maybe that's the purpose, because it rarely seems to benefit the club much.

[LA Bluebird]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

Absolute joke, you do wonder what goes through the players head as the pathway to development and first team football at a team like United is a minefield and only one or two in a hundred will make it but then I suppose it hasn’t worked out too bad for Matondo.

Doesn’t seem to be much point in any team at this level having an academy but equally there are success stories out there, Bristol have done well to hang on to Alex Scott. I’m imagine the lack of stability at the club and recent lack of success developing and bringing youth through also plays heavily into the decision.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

that's disappointing, they really need to change the rules on poaching youngsters, it's way too stacked in favour of the biggest clubs

Yeh, good luck with that…

[City123]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

David Ornstein says Biancheri has gone to Man United. Passed a medical over the weekend apparently.

Him and Crewe gone, PL clubs sniffing around others. What's the point investing when they're poached for next to nothing?

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

Doesn’t seem to be much point in any team at this level having an academy but equally there are success stories out there, Bristol have done well to hang on to Alex Scott. I’m imagine the lack of stability at the club and recent lack of success developing and bringing youth through also plays heavily into the decision.

I was talking to a Bristol City supporting mate about this issue the other day. Like you say, they've held onto Scott (until now at least), and they've just sold Antoine Semenyo for about £10m. Both of them joined the club as 17 year olds, but they have others who've been with the club since they were 6 or 7 like Tommy Conway (9 goals this season) and Sam Bell (who scored twice as they beat West Brom on Saturday) who they've kept hold of. They don't seem to have the problem we do with losing academy players to the big teams which he thinks is because they have a track record of giving youngsters regular 1st team game time then selling some them to the premier league (Semenyo, Bobby Reid, Joe Bryan) after a few seasons. A good way to start your career and a reason not to jump ship as a 15/16 year old.

[The Hooded Claw]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

That stands to reason. It’s only the last 2 years or so that we’ve been giving any opportunities to our academy players.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

That stands to reason. It’s only the last 2 years or so that we’ve been giving any opportunities to our academy players.

I don't think they're leaving for first team opportunities... They'll be on seriously good money for 17 year olds, and if they don't make it at Man United, they might fall down to us etc (like Denham and Sang), rather than not making it at us and ending up at a Torquay.

[City123]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

I don't think they're leaving for first team opportunities... They'll be on seriously good money for 17 year olds, and if they don't make it at Man United, they might fall down to us etc (like Denham and Sang), rather than not making it at us and ending up at a Torquay.

Realistically who's turning them down for us?

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

There needs to be something more in it for lower league clubs. Perhaps better compensation, automatic sell-on clauses or maybe preferential status if a player gets loaned out in a few years time, otherwise more and more clubs will stop bothering.

[The Hooded Claw]

Re: The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

I don't think they're leaving for first team opportunities... They'll be on seriously good money for 17 year olds, and if they don't make it at Man United, they might fall down to us etc (like Denham and Sang), rather than not making it at us and ending up at a Torquay.

What I mean is that compared to Bristol City (and Swansea) we still have a poor reputation for converting academy players to first teamers, so it’s going to affect our ability to retain talent.
The evidence is out there: they regularly sell home grown players for big fees, we end up losing ours when they are 15 or 16.
The scalping from big clubs is (as usual) unfair, but those other clubs are in the same situation as us.