Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
I honestly don't get why people are defending the club here.
Let's start with what is the point of having an Academy? I won't go on for ages giving my answer to that question, I'll just say that it certainly isn't to bring about the situation which has existed at Cardiff City for the best part of ten years. In fact, based on the number of first team players the Academy has brought through and how much money it has raised through transfer sales lately, we may as well not have one - there's a strong case for arguing that we may as well just have had a first team squad for the last few years given the amount of use the reserve/development and youth teams have been for the club - how can people say the club are getting decisions right when the decision to have development teams is arguable, we don't produce our own players and we seldom make a profit in the transfer market?
Can I ask how on earth does a young player ever make it into their club's first these days? To read this thread, you'd think they may as well forget it until they are about 24 because they could never cope with the huge step up into the Championship. Are modern day standards so much higher than they were back in the days when it was an oddity not to have at least one locally produced player in the City team, because I've not noticed that much difference.
Managers have been indulged at City in that they have always been given the option of going out and getting a ready made first teamer when a gap appears in it, it's a short term policy which is counter productive in the end. This has led to a position whereby former City youngsters are dismissed as being not good enough by supporters, many of whom have never seen them play in their lives. The Sion Spence's, Cameron Coxes etc who signed their first pro deals were different to the ones they are now and were unlucky to have been around in a time when they could forget about playing in a meaningful league game for the club for a good few years, whereas many of them would have done so if they had been around a decade or two earlier and it seems that there are many supporters who are happy afor this farce to continue.