With all the links our players have

[Saint86]

I'd be a lot more confident in keeping our youngsters if we still had a man around that could arrange to have a horses head placed in their beds...

 

Seriously, this summer, keeping Pochettino is the key IMO. I believe that whoever is owner of the club, Kat or whomever she sells it to, must keep some cohesion around the place, and keeping Pochettino may meaning keeping, and building upon, our best players. If the rumours that we're looking at Javi Gracia as his replacement, that needs to be done as soon as the season finishes, to give the players a chance to know him. My fear though is if we lose Pochettino, the key players could be sold on. (Although granted we'd be well compensated for them.)

 

However it was encouraging to hear Shaw gush after his England appearance, saying that he couldn't believe that at the age of 18 he'd played for England AND had over 50 Premier League appearances to his name. Regular football may be our biggest bargaining chip in keeping the likes of Shaw, over losing him to Chelsea or the Manchesters where he may only be 2nd choice.

 

As a Saints fan, as for the academy, I have a sense of pride in seeing the players it produces. Granted it's not massively consistant in the players it churns out, it's only as good as the personnel within it, and as we saw from our relegation season in the CCC you don't always find a diamond like the few we have in our current team (or an un cut diamond in Lallana). How we could've used Shaw back then when we were relying on Molyneux, how we could've used Lallana when we were relying on Ryan Smith, or Chambers in lieu of Lloyd James.

 

Seeing our youngsters sold on is sad, but I still have a sense of pride when I see Oxlade-Chamberlain. The benefit now we're in the Premier League is that we can demand more for our youngsters than when we were in the lower leagues, which I guess is the biggest plus of all. I'm sure we'd all love to see the same set of players start next season, but with one or two additions, but it will be a struggle, especially as so many of them are now in the limelight.

 

Great post, and not to not to high jack Barry's thread (although it is close to descending into a troll feast at any moment - well played restraint everyone!) I think the very ambition and objectives of having the academy relies on players being sold.

 

We can't keep bringing through players like chambers, shaw, warde prowse (one age range) plus target, reed, gallagher, then stephens, turnbull, plus sims, seager, rowe, sinclair etc etc (apologies to the ones i have forgotten)...

 

If we managed this, at the rate of say 3 first teamers a season (which is what it will achieve at this rate and given a few seasons to mature) in 4 years we fill the first team... regardless of buying the quality positions we aren't producing. We need to sell some to give the others first team football!!

 

So you have to accept that we are not going to keep them all.

 

We can't have a squad of just academy players, they will be too young and lack the mental toughness, some will therefore move for first team football, unavoidable.

 

On the plus side, I literally don't understand Barry on any rational level, the academy pays for itself. A player of shaw's level would cost us £12-15m to buy, plus agents fees, plus more expensive wages than an academy kid.

 

Academey players instantly gel with the other kids they have known and played with for years, understands the teams style of play, and will be more loyal and committed.

 

Just from the above they save us a fortune.

 

Then we sell the odd nipper, which helps fund a quality buy like lovren (we can hope )

 

Once this is in full swing, we would potentially end up with a sustainable club, low wages, low agent fees, massive tv revenues, and a low net spend per season.

 

Put it this way, bring 3 through a season, sell 1 for the going rate of what now appears to be in excess of £12-15m (oxlade) or circa £25m for shaw...

 

when our highest transfer is going to be £12m? for wanyama?

 

Job done in my book, seeds sown and time to watch in naturally grow.

 

Every year, teams are spending £7-10m on squad players (look at cardiff, norwich, villa!, qpr, tottenham etc etc... For a comparatively small amount, we have Gallagher, chambers, warde prowse etc etc.

 

All will get better with age and more and more seem to following at an accelerating rate.

 

Keep this squad together for a couple of seasons, let those this batch of nippers become established and grow and the program will roll on and on!!!! Yeah baby!

[shirleysfc]

Even him talking about it as its attainable makes me blush, how can we progress if we sell our best players? If we do that surely it means we are going backwards?

 

Barry, the only flaw in your argument is that we haven't actually sold any of our best players.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

Barry, the only flaw in your argument is that we haven't actually sold any of our best players.

 

This is the future - pre-emptive moaning.

 

Taken from the school of the Daily Mail.

[Bearsy]

Barry, the only flaw in your argument is that we haven't actually sold any of our best players.

 

"Only" ????

[shirleysfc]

"Only" ????

 

Good point!

[Toadhall Saint]

The assumption being that these players want to go else where of course.

[Barry Sanchez]

Seems as relevant as ever.