Academy future

[Derek Hardballs]

We have an owner who wants to sell and a club that makes very little money outside of the TV revenue. We do not have the luxury of time to have a long term plan where we bed in a young manager and players. If we we stay in the Championship after the parachute payments run out, our ability to attract, and invest in young players is weakened significantly and in turn our ability to compete for promotion or progression in the Prem. What the romantics amongst us are missing is the need for immediate success to ensure our success at academy level. The two are intrinsically linked and unless you want our club to develop and then lose every decent young player we produce to a rival as soon as they show any promise you will see short termism as a necessary evil and to be welcomed. It’s pie in the sky to think we can afford a long term plan as a self sufficient club whose earning potential under the current business model is minuscule compared to those of our rivals with the TV revenue.

With the best will in the world it’s romantic tosh, we are either in the football rat race or we become a glorified Crewe with a better stadium.

---

Allardyce will not be interested in the academy as he has never been in his career so far despite what some of you will claim, He may even request more funding goes to the first team from the academy, Which will be bad news and i believe Big Sam will be given more powers to do this because the obsession of getting promoted.

I would like to see more academy products involved next season and actually have a longer term plan for them. Shame really

That's the problem with short term thinking. A longer term plan is the only one that's a hope of succeeding with a club our size.
Though I'm expecting BFS to get a 2 year contract, it would make more sense to get a younger man in, with a commitment to him that he'll have a future with Albion.
Give youth a chance, alongside some good young players from lower leagues.
Otherwise it's play, repeat, promotion, relegation...
But to do that we need owners who are committed to the club. Like Norwich.

Why do people say things like this? People only commit to managers for as long as they are winning.

Norwich got relegated and were able to bounce straight back up. They aren't the first nor the last to do so. It's not any great work of genius despite what some on here think.

Also, despite supposedly rating the youth, Allardyce picks O'Shea week in week out.

Because seemingly they have no idea how football and business work.

Not anyone suggested we will be a Crewe, Just that we have a better record of playing our youth, Academy are built on success but they are also built on getting 1st team opportunities, And i hope we will see some next season, That's all

That’s fine but we ultimately have to get promoted to keep ourselves competitive, bringing through young players is sometimes difficult to achieve for clubs like ourselves who rely almost entirely on TV revenue to either be promoted or be in the Prem.

[Birdman1811]

In recent years, Field, Harper, Leko, Edwards, Ferguson, O'Shea and of course Berahino all given chances. Some took them, some didn't, some have been unlucky with circumstances.

Sam has been taking an eye at the academy, I know Dowling has a requirement that it is used, so he'll be forced to bolster the squad with academy products to stay here. He's given O'Shea game time and is a big fan of him.

Seems Palmer will be expected to be used next season to, with Griffiths having high hopes attached.

[Remi_Moses]

In recent years, Field, Harper, Leko, Edwards, Ferguson, O'Shea and of course Berahino all given chances. Some took them, some didn't, some have been unlucky with circumstances.

Sam has been taking an eye at the academy, I know Dowling has a requirement that it is used, so he'll be forced to bolster the squad with academy products to stay here. He's given O'Shea game time and is a big fan of him.

Seems Palmer will be expected to be used next season to, with Griffiths having high hopes attached.

Exactly right. Academy players must have a chance. It gives others a boost and attracts new youngsters. The amount of full time players our Academy produces can only be good for us and the game.

[Fido]

We have an owner who wants to sell and a club that makes very little money outside of the TV revenue. We do not have the luxury of time to have a long term plan where we bed in a young manager and players. If we we stay in the Championship after the parachute payments run out, our ability to attract, and invest in young players is weakened significantly and in turn our ability to compete for promotion or progression in the Prem. What the romantics amongst us are missing is the need for immediate success to ensure our success at academy level. The two are intrinsically linked and unless you want our club to develop and then lose every decent young player we produce to a rival as soon as they show any promise you will see short termism as a necessary evil and to be welcomed. It’s pie in the sky to think we can afford a long term plan as a self sufficient club whose earning potential under the current business model is minuscule compared to those of our rivals with the TV revenue.

With the best will in the world it’s romantic tosh, we are either in the football rat race or we become a glorified Crewe with a better stadium.

---

Allardyce will not be interested in the academy as he has never been in his career so far despite what some of you will claim, He may even request more funding goes to the first team from the academy, Which will be bad news and i believe Big Sam will be given more powers to do this because the obsession of getting promoted.

I would like to see more academy products involved next season and actually have a longer term plan for them. Shame really

That's the problem with short term thinking. A longer term plan is the only one that's a hope of succeeding with a club our size.
Though I'm expecting BFS to get a 2 year contract, it would make more sense to get a younger man in, with a commitment to him that he'll have a future with Albion.
Give youth a chance, alongside some good young players from lower leagues.
Otherwise it's play, repeat, promotion, relegation...
But to do that we need owners who are committed to the club. Like Norwich.

Why do people say things like this? People only commit to managers for as long as they are winning.

Norwich got relegated and were able to bounce straight back up. They aren't the first nor the last to do so. It's not any great work of genius despite what some on here think.

Also, despite supposedly rating the youth, Allardyce picks O'Shea week in week out.

Because seemingly they have no idea how football and business work.

Not anyone suggested we will be a Crewe, Just that we have a better record of playing our youth, Academy are built on success but they are also built on getting 1st team opportunities, And i hope we will see some next season, That's all

Thank God for that, for obvious reasons

[Derek Hardballs]

We have an owner who wants to sell and a club that makes very little money outside of the TV revenue. We do not have the luxury of time to have a long term plan where we bed in a young manager and players. If we we stay in the Championship after the parachute payments run out, our ability to attract, and invest in young players is weakened significantly and in turn our ability to compete for promotion or progression in the Prem. What the romantics amongst us are missing is the need for immediate success to ensure our success at academy level. The two are intrinsically linked and unless you want our club to develop and then lose every decent young player we produce to a rival as soon as they show any promise you will see short termism as a necessary evil and to be welcomed. It’s pie in the sky to think we can afford a long term plan as a self sufficient club whose earning potential under the current business model is minuscule compared to those of our rivals with the TV revenue.

With the best will in the world it’s romantic tosh, we are either in the football rat race or we become a glorified Crewe with a better stadium.

---

That's the problem with short term thinking. A longer term plan is the only one that's a hope of succeeding with a club our size.
Though I'm expecting BFS to get a 2 year contract, it would make more sense to get a younger man in, with a commitment to him that he'll have a future with Albion.
Give youth a chance, alongside some good young players from lower leagues.
Otherwise it's play, repeat, promotion, relegation...
But to do that we need owners who are committed to the club. Like Norwich.

Why do people say things like this? People only commit to managers for as long as they are winning.

Norwich got relegated and were able to bounce straight back up. They aren't the first nor the last to do so. It's not any great work of genius despite what some on here think.

Also, despite supposedly rating the youth, Allardyce picks O'Shea week in week out.

Because seemingly they have no idea how football and business work.

Not anyone suggested we will be a Crewe, Just that we have a better record of playing our youth, Academy are built on success but they are also built on getting 1st team opportunities, And i hope we will see some next season, That's all

Thank God for that, for obvious reasons

I did wonder whether I should have said Crewe when I typed it, but I couldn't think of a better example even with the awful back story

[Shabby Russian]

Clubs of our size don't have to totally  rely on TV revenue  if we take player development more seriously.

Clubs like Southampton have been able to compete better than we have in the last 5 years, through good youth development and astute signings of young talented players who they improve and sell for a profit.

My concern with Allardyce is that his way of working at previous clubs has been to use experienced, older players with very little sell on value at the expense of younger players. 

Maybe he will be asked to work differently if he stays with us, which will be great, because in all other regards he is a very good manager and  coach.. But I have my doubts that he can change at this stage of his career.

[Gzbaggy]

We have an owner who wants to sell and a club that makes very little money outside of the TV revenue. We do not have the luxury of time to have a long term plan where we bed in a young manager and players. If we we stay in the Championship after the parachute payments run out, our ability to attract, and invest in young players is weakened significantly and in turn our ability to compete for promotion or progression in the Prem. What the romantics amongst us are missing is the need for immediate success to ensure our success at academy level. The two are intrinsically linked and unless you want our club to develop and then lose every decent young player we produce to a rival as soon as they show any promise you will see short termism as a necessary evil and to be welcomed. It’s pie in the sky to think we can afford a long term plan as a self sufficient club whose earning potential under the current business model is minuscule compared to those of our rivals with the TV revenue.

With the best will in the world it’s romantic tosh, we are either in the football rat race or we become a glorified Crewe with a better stadium.

---

Why do people say things like this? People only commit to managers for as long as they are winning.

Norwich got relegated and were able to bounce straight back up. They aren't the first nor the last to do so. It's not any great work of genius despite what some on here think.

Also, despite supposedly rating the youth, Allardyce picks O'Shea week in week out.

Because seemingly they have no idea how football and business work.

Not anyone suggested we will be a Crewe, Just that we have a better record of playing our youth, Academy are built on success but they are also built on getting 1st team opportunities, And i hope we will see some next season, That's all

Thank God for that, for obvious reasons

I did wonder whether I should have said Crewe when I typed it, but I couldn't think of a better example even with the awful back story

Exeter and Rochdale have been very good in recent years