Thommo

...and the club's vice-captain hasnt done too badly in the last 2 seasons 🤔

I also thought Hughes would play for England. I thought Huddlestone was incredibly talented when he first came into the team at 15 years old or whatever it was. I think only a lack of pace stopped him from having an even better career.

Holmes was one I had high hopes for, I got that completely wrong! There would be something wrong with us if we weren't a bit rose-tinted with our young prospects, though few make it to the highest level.

Making a living as a professional sportsman is a pretty good achievement in my book. We like to say this or that player is crap but it's all relative, they're all fairly brilliant really compared to us mortals. I managed to become a scratch golfer last year but I'm a million miles from professional level. i was never better than a 24 handicapper as a footballer though I still play now.

Yes, good stuff Desi! But we have also had/have Sibley.

It does put our Academy into perspective in that it has produced players who are at least having good professional careers and who could well get better. No mean feat as Vidal says.

If you go back far enough you struggle to come up with any decent names we have produced - Buxton, Hall, Richardson, Bowers (no!) But more recently what about Webster, Daniel, Boulton, Carsley, Steve Powell, Langan. All could now easily play at the highest or next highest levels.

I hope more of you will delve around and come up with more names as I've no doubt they exist.

comment by Chicagoram (U22653)
posted 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
Yes, good stuff Desi! But we have also had/have Sibley.

It does put our Academy into perspective in that it has produced players who are at least having good professional careers and who could well get better. No mean feat as Vidal says.

If you go back far enough you struggle to come up with any decent names we have produced - Buxton, Hall, Richardson, Bowers (no!) But more recently what about Webster, Daniel, Boulton, Carsley, Steve Powell, Langan. All could now easily play at the highest or next highest levels.

I hope more of you will delve around and come up with more names as I've no doubt they exist.
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How many of those played for England? We have a really expensive top drawer academy but don't seem any more successful in bringing young players to a level where they can can play football at a high level than we were under Tim Ward. In fact we have fewer success stories than when we took young players in as boot cleaners.

The only two whom I believe received England caps were Tom Huddlestone and Phil Boyer. Boyer was kept out the first team by Kevin Hector understandably and received his cap while with Southampton. Huddlestone started his career with Forest.

It has always annoyed me that Forest seem far better at bringing through young players than us. They had players like Tony Woodcock, Peter Davenport and Duncan Mckenzie (although McKenzie never played for England). Recently Mattie Cash has become a Premier League regular as has Brennan Johnson.

So what are they doing right that we aren't?

Coaching their youth to a level that allows them to reach the top. Finding youth with the potential to get there and nurturing the right mindset.

I believed we finally found the right blend of coaching under Wassall, Walker etc....given the quality that was streaming out.... Hendrick, Hughes, Knight, Bird, Sibley, Ebesole, Cashin, Buchanan, Stretton, Louie Watson, Thompson. With a talented player like Rooney to learn from I felt our youth would be in good hands.

Has anyone from within our club looked into what made Ajax so successful, what did Belgium implement in early 00's to benefit from their golden generation?

Several clubs in Bundesliga have similar wage brackets to Champ clubs ,( we were when overloaded with midfielders Johnson, Butters, Bryson, Hughes etc) apparently paying same in wages as Dortmund. Yet if you compare the quality you can see who has the more talented crop and who has just overpaid.

As good as our current management team might be I don't have the confidence they'll be creating a conveyor belt of talent. We may well have seen our 'golden generation' of talented Academy players for some time.

comment by 🏁 AnglianRam 🏁 (U17428)
posted 20 hours, 5 minutes ago
Desi, in the current phraseology, I can only give my opinions 'as I see them at the time'

VC, have you forgotten that we currently have a full Irish international, who came thro the Academy ?
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I was thinking after Bird, Knight and Sibley. I was thinking Watson, Buchanan and others who got the odd game when Wayne was boss.

My son thinks Bird is wonderful, I'm not too sure...we'll see.

Archie Gemmill is 76 today 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

comment by 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 HebridesRam (U2909)
posted 2 hours, 30 minutes ago
Archie Gemmill is 76 today 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
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Same day as Baby Scouse, but 54 years previous!

Elton John's birthday tomorrow and mine.

comment by Spart-Derby really are the best says red dog. (U4603)
posted 45 minutes ago
Elton John's birthday tomorrow and mine.
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Just in case one of us doesnt make it, Happy Birthday for tomorrow, Spart.