Henry Winter in The Times today (3 Viewers)

[better days]

Big teams owe debt to struggling clubs
When Jordan Henderson was 18, living in a small flat in Leamington Spa, learning to cook and playing on loan at Coventry City from Sunderland, he was written up as “the highly rated teenage winger” by the Coventry Telegraph. Now he’s captaining Liverpool and an England regular. James Maddison also began at Coventry. Now he is starring for Leicester City, a target for Manchester United, and close to England recognition. Callum Wilson, who leads Bournemouth’s attack and is in the national squad, also started at the West Midlands club. The Premier League and England owe struggling Coventry a debt.

At Charlton Athletic, academy heads Steve Avory and Paul Hart worked hard to develop Joe Gomez’s game, his heading in particular, and he now excels for Liverpool and England. Charlton gave Nick Pope his start in the professional game, and he now keeps goal in the Premier League with Burnley and is established in the England squad. Clubs and country owe Charlton, still labouring under an unloved owner, a debt.

So when the England players disperse back to their clubs after tonight’s match against Kosovo, the game should remember those who helped their pathway, whether as starter clubs or taking elite talent on loan, giving them game time and a chance. The FA, which benefits hugely from the development work of many of the EFL clubs, needs to fight for them more when they are threatened. For Premier League clubs, a better remuneration strategy that properly acknowledges the work done down the pyramid has to be considered.

 

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[Covkid1968#]

Spot on

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Big teams owe debt to struggling clubs
When Jordan Henderson was 18, living in a small flat in Leamington Spa, learning to cook and playing on loan at Coventry City from Sunderland, he was written up as “the highly rated teenage winger” by the Coventry Telegraph. Now he’s captaining Liverpool and an England regular. James Maddison also began at Coventry. Now he is starring for Leicester City, a target for Manchester United, and close to England recognition. Callum Wilson, who leads Bournemouth’s attack and is in the national squad, also started at the West Midlands club. The Premier League and England owe struggling Coventry a debt.

At Charlton Athletic, academy heads Steve Avory and Paul Hart worked hard to develop Joe Gomez’s game, his heading in particular, and he now excels for Liverpool and England. Charlton gave Nick Pope his start in the professional game, and he now keeps goal in the Premier League with Burnley and is established in the England squad. Clubs and country owe Charlton, still labouring under an unloved owner, a debt.

So when the England players disperse back to their clubs after tonight’s match against Kosovo, the game should remember those who helped their pathway, whether as starter clubs or taking elite talent on loan, giving them game time and a chance. The FA, which benefits hugely from the development work of many of the EFL clubs, needs to fight for them more when they are threatened. For Premier League clubs, a better remuneration strategy that properly acknowledges the work done down the pyramid has to be considered.

He’s bang on!

 

[shmmeee]

Who was it on here going on about how the EPL owes us nothing?

Article is spot on. The football pyramid is an ecosystem where each bit relies on the other.

 

[ajsccfc]

Not sure we can claim a huge amount of credit for Henderson, but I'm on board with his general point.

 

[Grendel]

Not sure we can claim a huge amount of credit for Henderson, but I'm on board with his general point.

No I remember at the time people moaning he was keeping Robbie Simpson out of the team

 

[JimmyHillsbeard]

No I remember at the time people moaning he was keeping Robbie Simpson out of the team

That’s a great line even if it’s not exactly accurate

 

[steve cooper]

Didn't Henderson win our player of the year or was it young player of the year?

 

[Grendel]

Didn't Henderson win our player of the year or was it young player of the year?

He certainly didn’t win player of the year

He hardly played for us did he?

 

[mark_ccfc]

He certainly didn’t win player of the year

He hardly played for us did he?

Dont know about player of the year, he was a good player, but unfortunately injury prone. Scored some great free kicks

 

[better days]

Henry Winter often writes about Cov and has a lot of sympathy for us

 

[AStonesThrow]

Dont know about player of the year, he was a good player, but unfortunately injury prone. Scored some great free kicks

So did Danny Fox, we've had some decent players over the years when you think about it

 

[TewkesburySkyBlue]

Yes Henry has always been a great advocate of the Sky Blues and other so called smaller clubs. I think it’s immoral how PL clubs reap massive benefits from players that clubs such as ours have developed . The whole process of football transfers needs some serious reform as it’s clearly grossly unfair
at the moment

 

[cc84cov]

Good point teams like us struggling but we’re owed money

 

[hill83]

They paid us for those players didn’t they?*

*devils advocate

 

[JimmyHillsbeard]

Dont know about player of the year, he was a good player, but unfortunately injury prone. Scored some great free kicks

Henderson? He only scored once for us. A scuffed effort at Norwich iirc. He played well for us in about a dozen games and wasn’t injured until a metatarsal injury in April ended his season and loan slightly early.

 

[JimmyHillsbeard]

Henderson? He only scored once for us. A scuffed effort at Norwich iirc. He played well for us in about a dozen games and wasn’t injured until a metatarsal injury in April ended his season and loan slightly early.

Here’s his goal. It’s better than I recalled tbh

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

I think the game Henderson scored in was the game Fox scored that absolute beauty where he cut inside the defender about four times before bending a shot in off the bar

 

[JimmyHillsbeard]

I think the game Henderson scored in was the game Fox scored that absolute beauty where he cut inside the defender about four times before bending a shot in off the bar

Yep

 

[The Great Eastern]

I think the game Henderson scored in was the game Fox scored that absolute beauty where he cut inside the defender about four times before bending a shot in off the bar

The Norwich guy turned inside out by Fox was a forward but I can't recall his name. Clearly didn't have the skills of a defender. That goal more or less sealed the Canaries relegation to L1 but, unlike us, turned it around the next season.

 

[steve cooper]

He certainly didn’t win player of the year

He hardly played for us did he?

No, I'm getting confused with Stephen Warnock. Old age!

 

[Speedies_Chips]

Yep

Bring back the black away kit!

 

[Skybluefaz]

Dont know about player of the year, he was a good player, but unfortunately injury prone. Scored some great free kicks

Who did he score a free kick against?

 

[Skybluefaz]

They paid us for those players didn’t they?*

*devils advocate

And we still make money on their next transfers I believe

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

After the Chelsea FA Cup game we capitulated that season winning just one game

 

[JimmyHillsbeard]

Southgate just trolling Maddison now. He’d rather play the reserve goalkeeper as an outfield player than bring him on.

 

[CJ_covblaze]

Some journos are odious characters that are out for themselves but Henry is one of the best around. Loves football, is a genuine guy and wants change for the good within it. Spent a bit of time with him over the last couple of years and he is always interested in what’s going on with City.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

It’s the trickle down economic argument that doesn’t work in football much like it doesn’t work in wider society.

Greed has destroyed us, is destroying us and will ultimately implode everything

 

[ajsccfc]

I remember for a few games we had the killer combination of Jordan Henderson on one wing, David Bell on the other. Can't believe they didn't both get a half-century of caps really

 

[Nick]

The thing with those examples is that they were sold, there are better examples of big clubs getting in the ears of players and taking them away. (George Thomas, Sambou etc) but we still got compensation for them.

The loan players thing, it could be said that the club's benefit is having a player that they would never be able to afford to buy and is above their level so they help them win games in return for them gaining experience.

If the top 4 want to give us loads of money to build a stadium then I wouldn't complain.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

The thing with those examples is that they were sold, there are better examples of big clubs getting in the ears of players and taking them away. (George Thomas, Sambou etc) but we still got compensation for them.

The loan players thing, it could be said that the club's benefit is having a player that they would never be able to afford to buy and is above their level so they help them win games in return for them gaining experience.

If the top 4 want to give us loads of money to build a stadium then I wouldn't complain.

But the argument on not being able to afford those players is because the richer clubs hoard them. If they weren't allowed to have so many contracted players the 'lesser' clubs could afford them, because then their other option is to not be a footballer.

 

[Esoterica]

The greed has always been there though, it was the money that wasn't there before - for years everyone was worried about the top clubs leaving to play in a European elite league. Now the rumours are of the top teams not wanting further reform in the European cups (Champions league, Europa etc) in case it dents their domestic cash cows. It's a mess that is beyond any hope..

 

[Mcbean]

I am sure Henry was with the Telegraph earlier in his career -sadly we still get it and the sport in general has gone downhill - as if there’s no football below the Prem - no motorcycle sport at all even if a Brit is in the top three - I guess it’s the one thing you notice that the media don’t have much time for League 1 in general only those with big budgets and free bars Like Sunderland

 

[CJ_covblaze]

I am sure Henry was with the Telegraph earlier in his career -sadly we still get it and the sport in general has gone downhill - as if there’s no football below the Prem - no motorcycle sport at all even if a Brit is in the top three - I guess it’s the one thing you notice that the media don’t have much time for League 1 in general only those with big budgets and free bars Like Sunderland

Ice hockey too. In 2017 GB won gold at the World Championships and Nottingham became European Champions. In 2018 GB won Gold again and Sheffield finished 3rd in European Competition. Both years the sport didn’t get a second of coverage during SPOTY.

 

[itsabuzzard]

They paid us for those players didn’t they?*

*devils advocate

Devil's

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