Half of the team from the academy

[niceandfriendly]

Cortese and others from the club have said before that their dream is to have half of the first team coming from the academy. Sounded like a big ask when they said it and were laughed at by some. Yesterday we had 4 in there (Lallana, Shaw, Chambers, JWP) so only need one or two more to achieve that dream. Just goes to show the quality of our youth structure (which I guess some credit needs to go to a certain teddybear named ex chairman?).

 

Are there any others players that might be able to make the step up this season? I'd imagine Isgrove might get a few games, so that would take it to 5, and possibly Ryan Seager at some point?

 

It's great to be spending money on new transfers, but it's also very satisfying seeing all this young British talent coming through. Well done SFC

[hutch]

Oh how we laughed. Almost as much as when they told us we would be back in the Premier League in 5 years, and that we would be playing in Europe.

[rooney]

Oh how we laughed. Almost as much as when they told us we would be back in the Premier League in 5 years, and that we would be playing in Europe.

I can remember turning to my son and saaing that I would never see Saints back in the Premiershp in my lifetime, after we lost at home to Rochdale.

[CB Fry]

Oh how we laughed. Almost as much as when they told us we would be back in the Premier League in 5 years, and that we would be playing in Europe.

 

Not sure why you laughed at getting back into the Prem from L1 in five years, that was always very realistic with the cash we spent. Ditto Europe. Done before on a fraction of the budget.

 

The "half the team from the academy" was always the toughest ask of those three and still not sure we can quite do it consistently - we'd need ten in the squad at least.

 

But a sensational start this season with the boy Chambers alongside JWP who seems to be rapidly improving. Four in the side is superb and a real credit to the club. Infinitely more satisfying than just buying success.

[Glasgow_Saint]

I got shot down a few times when i mention Chambers, Shaw and JWP as future Saints (and England) players about 18 months ago.

 

I have always been able to spot raw football talent. My super power

 

I will stick my neck out again and say that Turnbull and Cropper will also have big Saints futures.... You heard it here 1st

[saints_is_the_south]

Great to see 4 academy products in the starting XI yesterday. Even with our superb academy, I don't mind admitting I was sceptical and doubtful that we'd ever fulfil NC's vision of half our first team made up of our own, but here we are just 2 players away from doing that.

 

Chambers was superb yesterday, looked very comfortable and assured and if you didn't know any better you'd have thought he'd been playing at this level for ages. Shaw was just Shaw, very very good. JWP put in plenty of graft, but he needs to put some more practice in on his set pieces, thought most of them were pretty dreadful.

 

Overall, there was many pleasing aspects of yesterday's win, but this was the best of the lot for me. Really proud.

[niceandfriendly]

The thing which is impressing me the most is how seamlessly the academy players are stepping up into the first team. Shaw, Chambers and JWP have all looked fantastic since their very first games. No bedding in period, no nervousness, just class from the beginning.

 

I remember this is what Poortvliet and Wotte wanted to implement, I wonder if they started it all off?

[SNSUN]

_{Looking through and you can see what players we have to come through. The likes of Seager, Isgrove, Sinclair, Stephens, Gape, Targett and Turnbull are all to come through yet. It depends, I suppose on their position and how lucky they are to get first team action.}

 

_{Turnbull and Stephens are battling Jos, Jose, Dejan and Yoshida for a chance in the first team, and while that's good for squad depth, some fans would still like another top CB to come in, meaning even less chance for the youngsters to break through this season. Targett is currently battling both Shaw and Fox for a chance, and even if Fox does leave before the transfer window ends (which I find unlikely), I'd expect to see another left back brought in. Gape perhaps has the hardest route to the first team, as a central midfielder seeing Wanyama, Cork, Morgan,. Davis and JWP all ahead of him.}

 

_{I'm looking forward to the future with all these young players to come through - i'm sure it reflects on team spirit too to have them all come through together. As long as they're manager well, they could go far.}

[thefuriousb]

I got shot down a few times when i mention Chambers, Shaw and JWP as future Saints (and England) players about 18 months ago.

 

I have always been able to spot raw football talent. My super power

 

I will stick my neck out again and say that Turnbull and Cropper will also have big Saints futures.... You heard it here 1st

 

You must have got tasty odds on that happening!

[Pwoite]

No one has mentioned Oscar Rowe. Playing well in U21 and could be an impact player this season, especially if Mayuka fails to impress.

[H]

I got shot down a few times when i mention Chambers, Shaw and JWP as future Saints (and England) players about 18 months ago.

 

I have always been able to spot raw football talent. My super power

 

I will stick my neck out again and say that Turnbull and Cropper will also have big Saints futures.... You heard it here 1st

 

After watching U21s game on Friday night I would agree about Turnbull ... was very pleasantly surprised but perhaps the hardest position for a youngster to break through? Absolutely disagree about Cropper though ... seems a good shot-stopper but too small for me. As for Matt Targett ... looks like he could do a job one day but for those saying he could be back-up this season all I would say is imho he looked a long way off Luke Shaw at the moment.

 

Anyhow where was that post where you made those predictions Glasgow? ... Surely a great opportunity for you to prove your integrity to all those who doubted your dubious claims about your betting activities.

[H]

...

Edited 18 August, 2013 by H
Why so many double posts at the moment?

[ssaints]

If we don't sign another striker or winger I expect to see the likes of Rowe and Sinclair get a chance in the cup games to push for a regular spot on the bench.

[Dazza82]

If we don't sign another striker or winger I expect to see the likes of Rowe and Sinclair get a chance in the cup games to push for a regular spot on the bench.

 

I would put Isgrove above both of those at the minute

[Pwoite]

Obviously Isgrove is ahead at the moment, otherwise he wouldn't be in the squad, gone on pre season and so on, but I think we are looking beyond that to those not in the first team squad. So much depends on who is bought and who is injured. It also depends on cup games, how many we have and who needs to be given match time in those.

 

For example, come the Barnsley game, Mayuka should start, so that excludes Rowe, possibly, but it might open up chances for Sinclair or Targett. I guess MP will look at the first team squad, and see who needs a start, then fill in the gaps with the kids.

 

Then, having had that chance, that youngster needs to impress on the night to force their case. If they miss that chance, then there might not be another.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

I dare say everyone reading this will be pleased to see so many of our academy players coming through - I know I am. However do we really think that JWP has done enough yet to truly earn a starting place ahead of established players such as Jack Cork or Steven Davis, or was he perhaps selected to further this stated club policy?

 

If the manager genuinely thinks he's the best option he has on the day then that's all well and good. If however (and it is a 'if') MP is being pressured to select a certain number of Academy players for each game, then I'm not so sure that would be a good thing.

[Olallana]

I dare say everyone reading this will be pleased to see so many of our academy players coming through - I know I am. However do we really think that JWP has done enough yet to truly earn a starting place ahead of established players such as Jack Cork or Steven Davis, or was he perhaps selected to further this stated club policy?

 

If the manager genuinely thinks he's the best option he has on the day then that's all well and good. If however (and it is a 'if') MP is being pressured to select a certain number of Academy players for each game, then I'm not so sure that would be a good thing.

 

JWP is a better player on the wing than what Cork/Davis is and I think he also was choosen to play there to support Chambers. JWP is a very clever player and since Chambers and him probably know each other better from playing together in the youth teams he was the better choice yesterday. Also think that´s why for example Guly and Puncheon wasn´t in the team at all.

[JoeShmoe]

JWP is a better player on the wing than what Cork/Davis is and I think he also was choosen to play there to support Chambers. JWP is a very clever player and since Chambers and him probably know each other better from playing together in the youth teams he was the better choice yesterday. Also think that´s why for example Guly and Puncheon wasn´t in the team at all.

 

Now he's bulked up a bit JWP is the sort of a player who will bust a gut for 90 mins, getting up and down - if he can add a bit of pace, trickery, creativity he could really be something else in a few years. He's better than Guly obv but still think Punch has more of an end product/goals and the ability to take someone on. So JWP is great away and Punch more at home...

[DuncanRG]

I dare say everyone reading this will be pleased to see so many of our academy players coming through - I know I am. However do we really think that JWP has done enough yet to truly earn a starting place ahead of established players such as Jack Cork or Steven Davis, or was he perhaps selected to further this stated club policy?

 

If the manager genuinely thinks he's the best option he has on the day then that's all well and good. If however (and it is a 'if') MP is being pressured to select a certain number of Academy players for each game, then I'm not so sure that would be a good thing.

 

I think the only pressure, if you want to call it that, will have been during preliminary talks with Cortese when he was looking to bring MP to the club - explaining that he wants to give academy players a clear path into the first team. Those will be Pochettino's decisions now, and there certainly won't be any quotas.

[Saint]

_{Looking through and you can see what players we have to come through. The likes of Seager, Isgrove, Sinclair, Stephens, Gape, Targett and Turnbull are all to come through yet. It depends, I suppose on their position and how lucky they are to get first team action.}

 

_{Turnbull and Stephens are battling Jos, Jose, Dejan and Yoshida for a chance in the first team, and while that's good for squad depth, some fans would still like another top CB to come in, meaning even less chance for the youngsters to break through this season. Targett is currently battling both Shaw and Fox for a chance, and even if Fox does leave before the transfer window ends (which I find unlikely), I'd expect to see another left back brought in. Gape perhaps has the hardest route to the first team, as a central midfielder seeing Wanyama, Cork, Morgan,. Davis and JWP all ahead of him.}

 

_{I'm looking forward to the future with all these young players to come through - i'm sure it reflects on team spirit too to have them all come through together. As long as they're manager well, they could go far.}

 

[qwertySFC]

Considering the SFC Academy at this moment

 

38 listed players only 5 of those are listed as non English players

 

1 USA

 

1 Nigeria

 

1 Australia

 

2 Scotland

 

33 England

 

Talk about home grown talent

[aintforever]

Things are looking bright.

 

I expect a fair few of the doubters on here will be eating their words in the next few years.

[Chewy]

Things are looking bright.

 

I expect a fair few of the doubters on here will be eating their words in the next few years.

 

Yep, then all we will need is a bigger stadium

[qwertySFC]

As a scenario : If you were an academy player say at Sunderland , who have brought in 10 players this T/Window I think what sort of message does that give out to its development or under 21 squad.

 

For two or three days now , many of the SFC academy players who are on Twitter have been sending best wishes to LS, JWP & CC , their is a picture being banded about by a lot of the academy players showing all three of them celebrating at WBA - they all want a piece of this action talk about motivation for them , the path is there and MP interview yesterday dismissed the idea of ages and surprises of team selection , "they are Southampton players" - It's looking good

[Minsk]

Never really saw why it was so crazy. It's just something to aspire to, not saying we will play half a team of academy players regardless. Just an aim that long-term half the team should be coming from academy. All clubs should be looking towards that if they want any financial stability, or real team spirit to be honest. You can't replicate that easily with signings. Players who've been together ages and have that understanding are worth so much more.

 

All depends on the quality though. We have a few who are good enough, which is amazing given our recent history. Producing that many premier league footballers, hopefully a few more, and several who've left in recent years, that's unbelievable.

 

Really hope one of the young strikers comes through in the next couple of years.

 

Spot on.

 

As I posted on this topic a while ago, imagine if we still had Bale, Walcott and OxC. (I know he injured at the moment, but...) We could have easily fielded a starting 11 yesterday with all but 4 being from our own academy. And that is not even looking too far back. So, in a couple of years time, we could conceivably do just that.

[Fan The Flames]

It is a laudable target and of course it is in our interest to have a productive academy, but it is more likely that we will not field half a team of academy graduates. We would have to produce a couple a year for a few years that are good enough to compete at the level we want, whilst keeping hold of the ones that are really good.

 

The people that claim any sort of credit for Lowe, haven't got a clue. Bringing players though the system has been happening at every football club since football began. A lot of the investment in the academy under Lowe was required by the premier league.

[Webby]

I have to say that this has shades of the man utd youngsters of the early 90s. As well as talent, the togetherness and spirit of those utd youngsters is what helped them succeed.

 

Great things happening here.

[Fan The Flames]

Spot on.

 

As I posted on this topic a while ago, imagine if we still had Bale, Walcott and OxC. (I know he injured at the moment, but...) We could have easily fielded a starting 11 yesterday with all but 4 being from our own academy. And that is not even looking too far back. So, in a couple of years time, we could conceivably do just that.

 

To have kept hold of those players we would have to be competing consistently for fourth place for the last four or five years. Tottenham are struggling to keep hold of Bale as we speak, Arsenal consistently loose payers to rivals. What chance have we got. We are selling an ambitious dream at the moment but talk can only hod players to a club for so long.

 

There seems a great comaraderie and intent about the players at the moment, which is great. But if we are to rise to the top end of the table it will be on the backs of brought it talent.

[Lighthouse]

What's the strongest team of Saints academy players who are still currently playing in wonder?

 

Poke

 

Chambers - Mills - Cranie - Shaw

 

Surman - JWP

 

AOC - Lallana - Bale

 

Walcott

 

 

A bit dodgy at CB and especially in goal but that's not a bad team. The central two probably not comfortable playing that deep but we seem to have produced an abundance of offensive talent. We've still got room for Bridge on the bench.

[Give it to Ron]

Considering the SFC Academy at this moment

 

38 listed players only 5 of those are listed as non English players

 

1 USA

 

1 Nigeria

 

1 Australia

 

2 Scotland

 

33 England

 

Talk about home grown talent

 

 

Are any of them over 4ft 6 though?

[ericofarabia]

You could argue that Spiderman could be added to the list of homegrown players having been with us since he was 17, and could if he so wished apply for a UK passport!!