The Academy (1 Viewer)

[kg82]

Reading the article in the Telegraph today it seems as if Rioch is very excited about how far the academy has come in his time and where it is heading. That's great cause for optimism. Long term thinking by a football club isn't heard of very often but for clubs in our situation it could be invaluable. I think Rioch deserves great praise for what him and his team have achieved.

 

---

[ccfcdan]

To be honest Rioch isn't going to say any different is he? Its his job to develop the youth players. I'm not sure we would see Bigi,Thomas or Christie in the team if we still had Gunnar and Clarke was fit. As for Jeffers he's not very good at all. Once played footy with him and a few of the lads. The one that stood out for me was Conor Grogan, and he's been released!

 

[wingy]

He has got every reason to feel proud of whats being achieved,its imperitive for clubs in our position to generate at least 2-3 homegrown players a season .It may be only now that these boys get the chance because of financial constraint and the fact we have a lower profile manager.It may have been better to instill this ethos into the club over the last six seasons or so ,rather thanletting the revolving door of managers splash the cash,Ben Turner is agreat example ,where persistance allowed him to develope ,whilst making his mistakes.I could get all negative now and the two in the side now could be sold by summer,young Christie is only signed till2012 ,what arevalation he's been .So praise where praise is due ,lets keep it in our bubble and keep the vultures at bay

 

[Il Pirata]

To be honest Rioch isn't going to say any different is he? Its his job to develop the youth players. I'm not sure we would see Bigi,Thomas or Christie in the team if we still had Gunnar and Clarke was fit. As for Jeffers he's not very good at all. Once played footy with him and a few of the lads. The one that stood out for me was Conor Grogan, and he's been released!

Sounds like you should be a professional scout or coach, with such talent spotting credentials.

 

[ccfcdan]

Sounds like you should be a professional scout or coach, with such talent spotting credentials.

Thanks Pirata, it was an option but the pays not as good as I'm getting modeling swim wear!

 

[kg82]

To be honest Rioch isn't going to say any different is he? Its his job to develop the youth players. I'm not sure we would see Bigi,Thomas or Christie in the team if we still had Gunnar and Clarke was fit. As for Jeffers he's not very good at all. Once played footy with him and a few of the lads. The one that stood out for me was Conor Grogan, and he's been released!

Proof is in what he's done. Youth players are coming through, no matter what spin you put on it.

 

[larry_david]

That Billy Daniels and Jonson-Clark Harris or whatever his name is have been banging them this season and I remember last season Daniels scored about 18-19 didn't he? Hope for the future. Oh and that Courtney Richards we nicked from some non league team is supposed to have improved shed loads, fingers crossed it works out well for us.

 

[ccfcdan]

Proof is in what he's done. Youth players are coming through, no matter what spin you put on it.

Just like a few years ago when David Pipe,Lee Fowler and Robert Betts progressed and we beat Rushden by a few goals everyone got carried away and said they're the next best thing,Where are they now? I just don't believe these players are actually that great.I guess only time will tell.

 

[kg82]

Nope, I didn't think THOSE players were that great. I'm not getting carried away with these but I think these players are better than them and they have to be, the championship is at a much higher standard now then it was then. The likes of Liverpool and Man City weren't sniffing round them either! The set up is also much better now.

 

[Lord_Nampil]

All the best academy's produce alot of first team players ! Boro, villa, man u arsenal, palace, Southampton, sheff utd, everton, Ipswich, crew! All have academy's that produce players that are good enough for first team football! I think we have to bring them through it's a supply we haven't used very well in the past but shud utalise it more today and in the future! To be fair Christie has prob been our best player so far! With Gael just behind juke!

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Fowler was a top prospect but his drinking problems made Kevin Thornton look like a paragon of virtue! He's been rated the best passer in nonleague over the past few seasons but even so can only ever get a short-term deal. Pipe had terrible discipline issues too, despite being Bristol Rovers Player of the Year one season and a crowd favorite. A warning to the present crop that you can be very gifted at 17-18, but it's the model pro's who keep grafting at it like Ben Turner that will make the most of their ability.

What did happen to Robert Betts? Most of our youth players who don't make the grade do ok in the lower leagues or nonleague. I think Betts had a short spell at Kettering or Kiddie then disappeared without a trace :thinking about:

 

[Lord_Nampil]

Craig Pead was a legend at Walsall ! Didn't he get into the team of the yr while he was there???

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Yep, L2 Team of the Year during their promotion season. His career was ended early by injury, sadly. I think he was player-coach somewhere in nonleague last year..Redditch, maybe?

 

[CCFC123]

another one to watch is a lad called Henderson in the youth side ex chapelfield colts player that plays centre half/midfield

 

[ccfctommy]

Reading this thread I Wiki'd Pipe, Betts and Fowler.

Lee Fowler has just signed for Wrexham after playing for several clubs in non league, also suffered from alchoholism.

Robert Betts has completely dissapered off the radar last playing for teams such as RC Warwick and Quorn.

As for David Pipe, he was doing well at Bristol Rovers but has now been jailed for 36 months for fracturing a mans skill in a fight!

 

[CCFC123]

the shamful thing that is missing from the academy is they have no scouting network of such anymore and rely on parents and managers contacting them. The academy would have a lot more talent coming through its doors if they had a decent scouting network and a feeder school (development school) into the academy. Some of the academy staff there are old Birmingham city staff that were moved out. This crop in the youth team were from the old scouting network from years ago. I doubt we will see much more talent coming through i fear now.

 

[sky_blue_up_north]

Don't knock the academy to much, thinking back we have produced some great player:
Graham Oakey - One the best full backs we've ever had till the Villa sand pit destroyed his knee
Mark Hateley - Went on the play for Rangers, can't remember which Italian side
Gary Thompson - Still visits the Ricoh great centre forward part of the team that lost the League Cup Semi to West 'Am
Danny Thomas - Went on to play for Spurs and England till injury finished his career
Alan Green - Scored loads of goals for us
Lloyd Mcgrath - FA Cup made the winning goal
Paul Dyson - Really decent centre half
Mick Ferguson - Perfect partner for striker supreme Ian Wallace who by the way is the best this club as ever had
Les Sealey - Crazy keeper, shame he is no longer with us, played for Man U

We could add the young players we have developed like Gary Gillespie, Ian Wallace, Phil Babb all sold on for huge profits

The list goes on, sure I have missed loads

 

[wingy]

Don't knock the academy to much, thinking back we have produced some great player:
Graham Oakey - One the best full backs we've ever had till the Villa sand pit destroyed his knee
Mark Hateley - Went on the play for Rangers, can't remember which Italian side
Gary Thompson - Still visits the Ricoh great centre forward part of the team that lost the League Cup Semi to West 'Am
Danny Thomas - Went on to play for Spurs and England till injury finished his career
Alan Green - Scored loads of goals for us
Lloyd Mcgrath - FA Cup made the winning goal
Paul Dyson - Really decent centre half
Mick Ferguson - Perfect partner for striker supreme Ian Wallace who by the way is the best this club as ever had
Les Sealey - Crazy keeper, shame he is no longer with us, played for Man U

We could add the young players we have developed like Gary Gillespie, Ian Wallace, Phil Babb all sold on for huge profits

The list goes on, sure I have missed loads

yeah that brilliant young team in the 80s went out of the cup inthe last minute down at west ham ,deemed it failure and moved one of our best managers upstairs Gordon Milne of course:facepalm:

 

[sky_blue_up_north]

yeah that brilliant young team in the 80s went out of the cup inthe last minute down at west ham ,deemed it failure and moved one of our best managers upstairs Gordon Milne of course:facepalm:

The home leg against West Ham was the best game I ever saw at Highfield Road, words cannot describe how great it was, try the win against Man U and times it by 1000. Followed by the Wolves game in 67

 

[Spagbol]

To be honest we have had some brilliant games with West Ham...are you talking about the one which I think we edged 4-3....I was very young and sat...amazingly, with my Dad in the main stand, He won the tickets in a raffle at the Jag in Radford!!

 

[wingy]

To be honest we have had some brilliant games with West Ham...are you talking about the one which I think we edged 4-3....I was very young and sat...amazingly, with my Dad in the main stand, He won the tickets in a raffle at the Jag in Radford!!

THAT was the first leg we won 3-2 after going 2-0 down .Thompson scored an own goal then bagged a brace in the second half

 

[Spagbol]

I remember the atmosphere more than the game....What a night:claping hands:

We will have nights like that again ...won't we???

PUSB

 

[wingy]

I remember the atmosphere more than the game....What a night:claping hands:

We will have nights like that again ...won't we???

PUSB

Approx crowd of 33000 standing up what an atmosphere, can
never have that again