SFC Youth Academy - currently active professional players

[SuperSAINT]

Adrian Caceres?

[Lazlo78]

Adrian Caceres?

 

According to Wikiepedia he plays for Real Mataram in Indonesia...

[ribbo]

Our academy is so so well run. The right people have all got their fingers well on the pulse.

 

For example, I indirectly know Matt Richie (former skate) through family connections. I know for a fact that from the age of seven that we were tracking him, asking him every year to move to us from the blue few. Matt's parents wanted him to leave Portsmouth but Matt himself said no, being a die hard pompey fan. IMO he'd be a far better player now if he had. (according to Matt's brother he is now greatly regretting not making the switch, but of course he would )

 

Just a little insight into how active our scouting of youngsters have been over the years. Long may it continue!

 

I still cant believe the blue few sold him to swindon for peanuts, barmy squad managment.

[SuperSAINT]

Random players that I can remember that I have no idea where they are now from years gone by...

 

- Dutton-Black

- Tom Dunford

- Jamie white

- Holder-Spooner

- Dani Rodrigues

- Jack Boyle

- Jamie Hatch

- Kyle Critchell

- Garyn Preen

- Condesso

[Chez]

Has Martin Thomas retired yet? You can possibly add Jamie Cureton as well, although he left to join Norwich at 16

[Lazlo78]

- Dutton-Black

- Tom Dunford

- Jamie white

- Holder-Spooner

- Kyle Critchell

- Jack Boyle

- Jamie Hatch

- Garyn Preen

 

Non-league (mostly Eastleigh) or disappeared off the radar (Hatch + Preen)

 

- Dani Rodrigues

- Condesso

 

Lower leagues in Cyprus and Spain...

[ribbo]

Random players that I can remember that I have no idea where they are now from years gone by...

 

- Dutton-Black

- Tom Dunford

- Jamie white

- Holder-Spooner

- Dani Rodrigues

- Jack Boyle

- Jamie Hatch

- Kyle Critchell

- Garyn Preen

- Condesso

 

Critchell is playing for Dorchester i think

Tom Dunford is playing for Winchester City

Jamie White is over in Australia

Holder-spooners @ eastleigh on non-contract terms

Preen is at Neath in the welsh premier league.

[doddisalegend]

Critchell is playing for Dorchester i think

Tom Dunford is playing for Winchester City

Jamie White is over in Australia

Holder-spooners @ eastleigh on non-contract terms

Preen is at Neath in the welsh premier league.

 

Blimey it's like a list of shattered dreams. Join saints as a kid dream of PL one day end up playing for winchester or some such.....

[Horley CTFC Saint]

Fook me where did Le Tiss, Shearer, Wallace brothers etc come from

They were the illegitimate spawn of Mick Channon and Steve Williams

[david in sweden]

Did he play for a Saints youth or reserve team before making his first team debut?

 

He went from Oliver's Battery in Winchester to Saints. Your semantics made nothing here, he is a product of Saint's youth scouting and precursor to the current academy. He is a product of Saints.

 

I go with that, too Colin

 

on another recent thread discussing the Academy /Rupert Lowe... etc ( article in Telegraph ?.)......RL stated that he originated the idea of an Academy, (but probably not much was done at the time because DJ was desperately trying to keep us in the Prem. and there was (presumably) a big chance that we might get relegated having commited SFC to the expense, (my opinion)

... but the Centre of Excellence was opened at Bath. during this time).

 

We had a strong youth team in this period... included goalies Bevan and Blayney, Chris Baird, Sam Basham, Aaron Davies, Simon Gillett, Matt Mills, Gary Monk, Andrew Surman..and of course Wayne Bridge.

 

Yes - you can look at a calendar and say they weren't " proper Academy ", (as it exists today) because the concept was just being created ...BUT there was a strong YOUTH SCHEME in operation all the time - even if it didn't have a " fancy name and fancy premises".

[SaintsAhoy]

Did you mean Steve Basham?

[SuperSAINT]

http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?newsmode=FULL&nid=87529

[Chez]

Throughout the mid / late 1980's Dave Merrington managed the most successful Youth sides Saints have ever produced, many moving up to First team level and international honours. Alan Shearer and Neil Maddison came from the north East as 16 y.olds and played at youth level before signing pro. Matt Le Tissier began as a 16 y.o. apprentice as did the three Wallace brothers - and no-one can say they didn't get some sort guidance and training (!).

 

actually Danny, Ray and Rod were all at Southampton a long time before being offered YTS apprentichip. Bob Higgins ran the the youth development and was responsible for unearthing and bringing through Shearer, Banger, Kenna, the Wallace brothers, KP and many others as associate schoolboys. He handed these players to Dave Merrington, who completed there footballing education. The youth development scheme at that time was second to none, but it fell apart when Higgins left under a cloud (taking Darren Eadie and Jamie Cureton with him I might add) only returning to former glories when Lowe invested heavily in it.

[Ken Tone]

Errrm given the OP said "former/present youth players are currently active in professional football above conference level." ....I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned James Ward-Prowse etc!

 

Looking at that list, it reminds me how hard it is to judge the potential young players. I thought Kayne McLaggon was going to be as good as Walcott, and he's only just about playing in the FL, in fact he went non-league for while didn't he?

[SuperSAINT]

http://www.forestgreenroversfc.com/news/first-team-news/2012/racine-delight-at-permanent-deal?

[kpturner]

Léandre Griffit?? Don't think so.

[Lazlo78]

Just updated the list in the first post. Did I miss out any of the young players leaving in the last year? Can't really remember any of them at the moment...

[Saint_clark]

http://www.forestgreenroversfc.com/news/first-team-news/2012/racine-delight-at-permanent-deal?

 

Wasn't David Hockaday the head youth coach when Racine was here? Makes sense he'd go back for him.

[ozzmeister]

You missed the lad who used to knock them in for the youth team, got released sand joined Celtic to have a fairly good goal return there.

 

Was in someone McDoland?

[Lazlo78]

You missed the lad who used to knock them in for the youth team, got released sand joined Celtic to have a fairly good goal return there.

 

Was in someone McDoland?

 

Nope, he's there. Look in the FLC: Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough)

[SuperMikey]

Jamie White is currently banging them in for Salisbury. Had an incredible scoring record for Winchester City - just over 30 games played, scored well over 50 goals. Moved to Salisbury at the start of the season and is doing well for them.

 

Good luck to him! Always had potential, just very unlucky with injuries.

[david in sweden]

The academy system started in 1998/99. Bridge turned 18 in August 1998 and was playing for the first team in 1998/99.

 

YES of course, you're quite correct MLG, but that's " nit-picking" a bit isn't it ?.......it's not as if we suddenly discovered a youth system in 1998 and decided to call it .. Academy.

......even Rupert Lowe was talkng about it in his first year as Chairman, and we already had a reasonable base and good history for producing young players before, and Dave Merrington's 11 year stint

from 1984 - on..as youth team coach (or whatever title he had then) produced that often quoted list of someof the best players the club has produced - MLT, Shearer, the three Wallaces .and the list goes on.....and could even be said to be comparable with the latest crop.

 

Wayne Bridge was a trainee for two years before his first team debut (in 1998), but it would be wrong to suggest he wasn't the product of the Saints' youth system, and because " the name - Academy " hadn't been thought of.... and wasn't over the threshold at the training ground.

Edited 17 January, 2013 by david in sweden

[david in sweden]

actually Danny, Ray and Rod were all at Southampton a long time before being offered YTS apprentichip. Bob Higgins ran the the youth development and was responsible for unearthing and bringing through Shearer, Banger, Kenna, the Wallace brothers, KP and many others as associate schoolboys. He handed these players to Dave Merrington, who completed there footballing education. The youth development scheme at that time was second to none, but it fell apart when Higgins left under a cloud (taking Darren Eadie and Jamie Cureton with him I might add) only returning to former glories when Lowe invested heavily in it.

 

yes of course Chez, that's right, but I was reacting to the pedants who insist that any young players before 1998 weren't Academy products. It's just a name

... but as you mentioned, there was a comprehensive youth system in place, at schoolboy and youth level ....long before the name Academy began to be used.

 

Whilst we currently refer to JWP and Luke Shaw as new Academy products. I heard (in interview) that Luke said he and Jamie W-P had played together since they were 8 years old.....

Making it to / and through..entering the Academy is the final accolade, but like Theo W.and Gareth Bale they had established reputations long before entering the (official) Academy age group.