Strange (7 Viewers)

[dongonzalos]

Strange one

However I am quite excited by the idea if giving our academy a go, in this league.

Surround them with 7-8 experienced tough pro's like Jennings and Leon.

Then let Willis, Thomas develop.

It is a shame they never got a sniff this season.

However I do like the idea of a manager who will be prepared to use them.

We could lose 6-7 senior pros and replace them with the kids and have a top squad for league one.

If we do go up and do it we will probably come back down though.

 

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[Otis]

If we go the way of the kids it will be a couple of seasons at lease until we are challenging I would have thought.

 

[dongonzalos]

Sounds a romantic idea but it will be nice to support home grown talent and see them develop.

I think if you get the balance right we could be in and around.

But you do still need the majority to be seasoned pro's with 3-4 kids at any given time.

 

[cyril]

I honestly think Willis should be playing now. He was immense in the games he has played

 

[Deano]

Strange one<br />
<br />
However I am quite excited by the idea if giving our academy a go, in this league. <br />
<br />
Surround them with 7-8 experienced tough pro's like Jennings and Leon. <br />

I'm all for this. If we keep 6-7 experienced players on a salary that suits their ability then promote some of these lads and see how good they are. From what I'm hearing there are few more coming through this year. We need to rebuild on and off the pitch to move forward. If this takes 2-3 years then so be it . I would be happy to wait that long if the club is in a better position. PUSB
<br />
Then let Willis, Thomas develop. <br />
<br />
It is a shame they never got a sniff this season. <br />
<br />
However I do like the idea of a manager who will be prepared to use them. <br />
<br />
We could lose 6-7 senior pros and replace them with the kids and have a top squad for league one. <br />
<br />
If we do go up and do it we will probably come back down though.

<br />
<br />

 

[Deano]

I honestly think Willis should be playing now. He was immense in the games he has played

<br />
<br />
I agree he looks a good player and we might end up losing him if he doesn't get games. Now is the perfect chance to do this

 

[Ashdown1]

If we go the way of the kids it will be a couple of seasons at lease until we are challenging I would have thought.

We'd get battered FFS, with what I've seen so far this season with the League One physicality we'd get bullied almost every week. All this talk to use kids is primarily a way of drastically reducing our playing budget once more.

 

[derbyskyblue]

Poor little fookas wil get the shite kicked out of them.

 

[Otis]

May well be right.

I have this horrible feeling that if we don' go up this season (and that is looking increasingly unlikely) we could be down here for quite a few years.

 

[covcity4life]

May well be right.

I have this horrible feeling that if we don' go up this season (and that is looking increasingly unlikely) we could be down here for quite a few years.

flip flopping again?

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Kids -- I remember the Busby Babes

Nothing wrong with kids -- I was 16 when Man Utd were known as the Busby Babes -- mostly kids. Tragedy struck in 1958 when many were killed in the Munich Air disaster. Busby Babes got Man Utd under Matt Busby into Europe. Give kids a chance -- at least they will not be prima donnas with huge ego's.

 

[philmcc]

i thought we would have seen a lot more of the youth this season as talked about when we got relegated. instead we saw an influx of loans/frees....that tells its own story i feel.

 

[Walking Bird]

We played the "Kids" last season & it didn't work out too well.

Need a blend of youth & experience.

 

[dongonzalos]

Murphy
Christie Willis Cameron( or an experienced freebie) LB ?

Baker Jennings Thomas (Moussa)

Leon Cody

Dunn
Clarke
Rankin
Wilson
Cameron/Malaga
Henderson
Lebjo (whatever his name is)
Daniels
Garner

Any of Malaga, Fleck, Barton, Sleevesthat do not go.

Ball loan will end, Wood's contract us up.
It seems they want Sheff and Bell to go.

I would be happy with Edge going as well. If that was possible.

Jeffers hasn't taken his chances for me.

 

[dongonzalos]

We played the "Kids" last season & it didn't work out too well.

Need a blend of youth & experience.

Yep got to get the right blend and I don't think you can get away with it in the championship.

 

[dongonzalos]

I honestly think Willis should be playing now. He was immense in the games he has played

I agree.....

 

[skyblueman]

We played the "Kids" last season & it didn't work out too well.

Need a blend of youth & experience.

Just our of interest how much does the academy actually cost the club?

 

[dongonzalos]

We'd get battered FFS, with what I've seen so far this season with the League One physicality we'd get bullied almost every week. All this talk to use kids is primarily a way of drastically reducing our playing budget once more.

With the FFP that maybe the only option.

Put the 3-4 kids in with a tough pro beside them and back up so the can be phased in. It could work

 

[dongonzalos]

Just our of interest how much does the academy actually cost the club?

I think it was 500k

 

[skyblueman]

I think it was 500k

There needs to be a budget of nearly a Million a year for our category 2 status - where does this money come from?

 

[Cbaker89]

Good for revenue too....Walcott and bale must of funded some of Southampton promotion push?

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

There needs to be a budget of nearly a Million a year for our category 2 status - where does this money come from?

Bigi sale - then a matched grant from the FA.

 

[oldskyblue58]

Bigi sale - then a matched grant from the FA.

Two queries on that ......

surely we were already incurring costs on the academy wouldnt they count in any calculation?

secondly if the funding was reliant on £500k from Bigi what happens next year ?

 

[WestEndAgro]

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Pardon my ignorance but what does this mean. (genuine response)

 

[skyblueman]

Two queries on that ......

surely we were already incurring costs on the academy wouldnt they count in any calculation?

secondly if the funding was reliant on £500k from Bigi what happens next year ?

Thinking exactly that - can we fund this and to what end?

 

[oldskyblue58]

wasnt there headlines in the CT a few years ago that it cost £250K to keep it going ?

 

[dongonzalos]

wasnt there headlines in the CT a few years ago that it cost £250K to keep it going ?

I thought SISU made a big deal about putting 500k into it in the summer

 

[dongonzalos]

GREGOR Rioch has welcomed Coventry City’s on-going commitment to youth development by investing half a million pounds in the club’s Academy.

The Sky Blues have achieved Category Two status to ensure that they continue to compete with the top two tiers of English football in terms of recruitment and development, as well as guaranteeing set levels of compensation should any young talent be poached by bigger clubs.

City’s owners Sisu have stumped up £480,000 – a figure that will be matched by a Premier League grant – to provide just short of £1million in annual investment in all age groups from seven to 21-year-olds.

The club could have opted for the lesser Category Three which would have seen a fraction of the investment with a total figure, including a grant, of just £315,000 a year.


But the commitment to Cat Two status ends months of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Academy and secures several full and part-time coaching jobs.

“This is a huge signal of intent from owners, without a doubt,” said delighted Academy manager Rioch.

“It enables us to provide a better game programme, have more contact with our players and protect what we have got. And that attracts players locally, rather than them going to a rival club.




“If we were chasing a kid and were Category Three we’d be playing Walsall, Northampton and Cheltenham throughout the age groups rather than established Championship clubs, so from a recruitment point of view it was crucial.




“We’re still competing with Championship and Premiership clubs for bringing players in because of the players we have progressed through the club. Last season we had 141 appearances in the first team from Academy graduates that were under 21.




“There’s only one other club in the country that can better that and that’s Crewe Alexandra who were doing it in League Two, and we were doing it in the Championship.








“On top of that we’ve had youth internationals in Jordan Willis and other lads in other age groups, as well as Apprentice of the Year in Gael Bigirimana, and hopefully that success

 

[skyblueman]

I thought SISU made a big deal about putting 500k into it in the summer

Yes they did - but honestly is it worth it? Yes of course if you're bringing through young talent into the team or raking in piles of cash by selling them on - but are we? Don't see any evidence of either for some time

 

[oldskyblue58]

Don ........ you know you have to look behind the headlines ........... they were already paying out for it the decision was whether to continue paying for it or to reduce it or to close it. The academy has been established for years, has existing costs that should have been recognised.

To be honest a decent academy at the highest level possible should be a no brainer decision for most clubs including ours

Said at the time you have to look at what was actually being included in the funding proposal was it new costs or was was it existing costs reallocated to get the funding. Equally if the academy now runs to age 21 not 18 as previously then there will be players in their on lucrative academy contratcs that will fill out the costs.

By moving costs around they source £500k.............. not saying that is a bad thing but additional investment of £480k i suspect it isnt

 

[dongonzalos]

Agree

Just hope they agree a deal in the rent.

Get the big earners gone.

And start using this academy as it was intended to provide a sustainable future for the club.

Willis could have really stepped in this season.

So could Thomas (I appreciate there was an injury issue)

However these are potential 500k-1 million players if they develop the way we would have hoped.

League one is an ideal place for it.

 

[dongonzalos]

I think that is why Pressley is the number choice as this is what he has had to do at Falkirk.

Hopefully it is a sign that they will sign up for the deal and introduce this model

Just hope they can afford to still have the majority of experienced players whilst blooding the youth

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Good for revenue too....Walcott and bale must of funded some of Southampton promotion push?

Thos two were years before then, I think it was more The Ox!

 

[hamil99]

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Sorry but this has been bugging me for ages, what does this mean???

 

[usskyblue]

It's cold?