Jump to content

U18s


Sideways Jim
 Share

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, egg said:

Did you moan when we took Meghoma and SAA from spurs academy? That left back from Everton who everyone thought was gonna be a superstar? 

Roundabouts and swings mate. 

True; though I do very much disagree with what we're rumoured to pay SAA and Meghoma vs what we're prepared to pay for our own talents. The rumours I heard were some of our top talents wanted parity with the spurs lads and we weren't prepared to do so. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At the moment, there's no indication that Saints are a good stepping stone club for young players. You really have to walk the walk there, as Dortmund and a few others have, giving 16 and 17 year old players significant game time. Obvs no one is saying that our crop are as good as Pulisic, Reyna, Sancho and Bellingham (and accepting that the latter two were transfers into the first team squad) but we're not playing at as high a level as Dortmund either (especially last season). Dibling in particular did enough in his few cameos to earn more minutes than he got, and we didn't give them to him.

As others have said, why not go to an elite academy, get the best training, compensation and education and then get loaned out to a club with a decent reputation. You'll be playing first team football at a good level as quickly if not quicker than you would for Saints based on recent history.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 02/07/2024 at 21:42, verlaine1979 said:

At the moment, there's no indication that Saints are a good stepping stone club for young players. You really have to walk the walk there, as Dortmund and a few others have, giving 16 and 17 year old players significant game time. Obvs no one is saying that our crop are as good as Pulisic, Reyna, Sancho and Bellingham (and accepting that the latter two were transfers into the first team squad) but we're not playing at as high a level as Dortmund either (especially last season). Dibling in particular did enough in his few cameos to earn more minutes than he got, and we didn't give them to him.

As others have said, why not go to an elite academy, get the best training, compensation and education and then get loaned out to a club with a decent reputation. You'll be playing first team football at a good level as quickly if not quicker than you would for Saints based on recent history.

Hard to argue with that. Unless the young player is really top like Luke Shaw, the reality is that a promotion race or relegation fight isn't really the ideal circumstance for a manager to give them a go. 

Unfortunately for us its hard to see the next 2/3 years being any different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Alejandro Gomez Rodriguez set to sign for Lyon. Everybody cry.

(He never played a first team game, he rarely played an U21 game, if at all, he will either turn out to be the next Gareth Bale or David McGoldrick). 

Smile everyone 😊

He was 15 playing for the 21s tbh, and one of the brightest prospect we have in the academy, it's understandable when these players get poached. They still have a long way to go, but given we are meant to be an academy based club, it's frustrating that players like him don't see us as their best option.

I think we also get far less compensation as he's moved abroad, so pretty shit in that regard

Edited by Saint Garrett
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Saint Garrett said:

He was 15 playing for the 21s tbh, and one of the brightest prospect we have in the academy, it's understandable when these players get poached. They still have a long way to go, but given we are meant to be an academy based club, it's frustrating that players like him don't see us as their best option.

I think we also get far less compensation as he's moved abroad, so pretty shit in that regard

150k according to Jacob Tanswell.

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, SuperSAINT said:

150k according to Jacob Tanswell.

All because we offered him less wages than what we offered the last intake of players. 

Yet happy to pay SAA and Meghoma near professional wages when they signed.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, SaintNewForest said:

All because we offered him less wages than what we offered the last intake of players. 

Yet happy to pay SAA and Meghoma near professional wages when they signed.  

Maybe that tells its own story 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, jimmysaint7 said:

Maybe that tells its own story 

 

Tbh, if we can't match lyon's wages for our best academy player it's pretty laughable. This is a pretty damning day all in. 

Edited by Saint86
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are Lyon one of the French clubs with a millionaire owner, because many of them will be in the &&&& due to the failure of their television deal? Generally French clubs aren't that well off so as Saint86 says.. Maybe some dodgy deal, so it'll be interesting to see where he goes subsequently..

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Think we need to just acknowledge that SR don't care about the academy tbh. They binned off most of the key staff that took the these batches through and developed them and they're now making no serious attempt to even keep what are some serious prospects. Feels like all they really want to do is buy young kids from elsewhere that they can sell on for a profit - seemingly no interest in developing our own home grown talent through to the first team.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

Think we need to just acknowledge that SR don't care about the academy tbh. They binned off most of the key staff that took the these batches through and developed them and they're now making no serious attempt to even keep what are some serious prospects. Feels like all they really want to do is buy young kids from elsewhere that they can sell on for a profit - seemingly no interest in developing our own home grown talent through to the first team.

Which key staff have been binned?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Saint86 said:

Think we need to just acknowledge that SR don't care about the academy tbh. They binned off most of the key staff that took the these batches through and developed them and they're now making no serious attempt to even keep what are some serious prospects. Feels like all they really want to do is buy young kids from elsewhere that they can sell on for a profit - seemingly no interest in developing our own home grown talent through to the first team.

Can’t say I see much evidence of that 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Can’t say I see much evidence of that 

Offering the best talent less in 2024 than we've offered in previous years is telling. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, egg said:

Offering the best talent less in 2024 than we've offered in previous years is telling. 

Yet we offer the Tottenham lads (SAA and Meghoma) at 16 for more than we offered our own talents ... 

Not to mention when, I think it was Kraft, openly saying there's a lack of talent in the academy at one of the fan events. 

They care little for the academy, and would rather spend on other clubs young talents. All the main academy staff driving it have left since SR have come in, that's telling in itself. 

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, SaintNewForest said:

Yet we offer the Tottenham lads (SAA and Meghoma) at 16 for more than we offered our own talents ... 

Not to mention when, I think it was Kraft, openly saying there's a lack of talent in the academy at one of the fan events. 

They care little for the academy, and would rather spend on other clubs young talents. All the main academy staff driving it have left since SR have come in, that's telling in itself. 

Indeed. We're sending the wrong message to the good lads we have and potential signings. We swim in a smaller pool than Chelsea and other clubs, so we've gotta work hard to keep and retain talent. I've grown up watching the Wallace's, Shearer and later all sorts of youngsters coming through, and making us good money.

Decisions like this feel like we're switching off whatever conveyor belt we had. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Saint86 said:

Think we need to just acknowledge that SR don't care about the academy tbh. They binned off most of the key staff that took the these batches through and developed them and they're now making no serious attempt to even keep what are some serious prospects. Feels like all they really want to do is buy young kids from elsewhere that they can sell on for a profit - seemingly no interest in developing our own home grown talent through to the first team.

Closed down the Bath Academy too, which I found to be a disappointing decision. Surely the positives outweighed the negatives. We may not have seen the next Gareth Bale come through it. But, in recent years Max Alleyne, Kamari Doyle and Tyler Dibling have all come from it. Indeed, two aren't with the club anymore and Dibling had a brief time away, but shows that we're still getting in some talent before other Premier League clubs get to them and if we had a bit more focus on the academy and pathways they could still be here.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, HarvSFC said:

Closed down the Bath Academy too, which I found to be a disappointing decision. Surely the positives outweighed the negatives. We may not have seen the next Gareth Bale come through it. But, in recent years Max Alleyne, Kamari Doyle and Tyler Dibling have all come from it. Indeed, two aren't with the club anymore and Dibling had a brief time away, but shows that we're still getting in some talent before other Premier League clubs get to them and if we had a bit more focus on the academy and pathways they could still be here.

Bath Academy closure was not entirely by choice. It has always been a source of irritation especially to Bristol City that Saints were allowed a satellite academy outside of their standard geographical catchment area on the basis that half our designated area is in the Solent. I don't think Brighton or Boscombe were allowed such exceptions and believe the FA had finally concluded that they could no longer justify Saints Bath satellite exception. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

Bath Academy closure was not entirely by choice. It has always been a source of irritation especially to Bristol City that Saints were allowed a satellite academy outside of their standard geographical catchment area on the basis that half our designated area is in the Solent. I don't think Brighton or Boscombe were allowed such exceptions and believe the FA had finally concluded that they could no longer justify Saints Bath satellite exception. 

And yet the Chelsea Foundation can snap up young talent hours outside their catchment area. A local camp near Horsham over the summer, for example.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, sfc4prem said:

And yet the Chelsea Foundation can snap up young talent hours outside their catchment area. A local camp near Horsham over the summer, for example.

They don't have academies down here but they do scout extensively, maybe more than any other club.

They have a lot of kids up for 6 weeks trials and stuff like that. It's quite something how much they put in to finding decent young players.

Edited by The Cat
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
41 minutes ago, Master Bates said:

Oyekunle gets a 2nd, 2 1. Fulham down to ten

A mate who works in the academy told me he really rates one of the youngsters but I can't remember if he said this name or Okonola-Matthews.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Saint_clark said:

A mate who works in the academy told me he really rates one of the youngsters but I can't remember if he said this name or Okonola-Matthews.

Ask him if he’s a striker or defender 😁

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, david in sweden said:

one encouraging feature..on Saturday 24th ..the U18's drew 1-1 away at Crystal Palace ..pretty good considering that 

they had conceded  15 goals  (fifteen) in their last 3 matches against Palace.

Palace were very good yesterday - even with 10 men 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...