I hope you're right. Our academy used to be one of the best in the country back in the day. However we have produced very few players in recent times who have gone on to have a career at the top level, never mind in our colours. I can only think of Tomkins, Stanislas and Diangana (if I'm being generous) who have represented us at the top level and then gone elsewhere. Add Johnson and I can't think of too many others who have come through over the past 15 years since Mark Noble emerged from the academy. Even Declan Rice came to us after being released by someone else ffs.hd1 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 8:32 am Whisky, believe it or not our backroom structure has improved a lot over the last two seasons. Now while it might not be as good as Arsenal and the like we are in a much better place than we have been for a long time. For example, look how quickly injured players are getting back to fitness.
People slag off our training facilities but there is little difference between what we have and Chelsea have apart from the number of pitches, and they also have portakabins around the training ground too.
See what we're doing as an evolution, not a revolution. That's the difference between us and Villa and why over the last few seasons we're doing better.
We've had the likes of Reece Burke, who is enjoying a decent career in the Championship but no one who has really hit the heights. So the question surely needs asking. We used to do it, why no more ? I'll take your word about the facilities and support infrastructure but either we are no longer able to pick up the best young talent and have to rely on players of lesser quality or something isn't right within the academy itself. It does worry me, and I accept I have absolutely no insight into how good or otherwise the academy coaches are, that there are so many old boys, Carlton Cole, Steve Potts, Kevin Keen, Mark Robson, around that "jobs for the boys" comes to mind.
There has to be a reason wht, for example, Chelsea have Mason Mount, Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek currently gracing their first team. Arsenal have Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith-Rowe, all home grown. We used to produce players of that quality but, it seems. no more. Surely the question about youth recruitment, and possible shortcomings in the way we go about things, needs to be asked.
But, as I say, I hope your assessment of our structure is an accurate one.