I thought that we had some lads coming to the academy from Australia. The six new lads listed on the official site are all English: Tom Mellor - Left Winger from Oldham Jamil Adam - Striker from Bolton Martin Grundy - Mid-fielder from Kendal Nick Simmonds - Mid-fielder from Doncaster Danny Free - Goalkeeper from Doncaster Danny Warburton - Striker from Salford At one time it used to be said that we could whistle down a mine shaft and a centre forward would come up. Has the production line stopped since the mines closed. Not one lad from Barnsley. The club were looking for digs for players at the end of last season. Were these for these lads or are the Aussies still on their way. Interestingly, no defenders this year. Do we get defenders one year and attackers the next?
What looks good is their pedigree..... look at some of the previous clubs they've played for.... a few x-man utd youths, Bolton lad, blackburn etc.... maybe we have picked up some future gems...????
</p> The Academy coaches had a good look at the young aussie team that stayed in Barnsley last January.As well as the matches against the Academyfour of the aussiestrialled for the academy in matches. Only one was offered a place in this intake. This was Mitch - the kid who I put a video clip on this board.</p> After the tour, Mitch went to Bolton for three months and then Barnsley Academy for one month. It was always the intention that he take up the Barnsley position if it was offered to him.</p> Problem was that he didn't have a good time of it during those four months. It was his first time away from home and he didn't 'click' with any mates at Bolton. The kids were competitive and older and bit unfriendly. Also he wasn't lucky enough to get 'digs' which were a home from home. By the time he got to Barnsley he had had enough. The Barnsley Academy coaches were brilliant and Ronnie Branson even took him into his own home when he was obviously very homesick. But he was an unhappy lad and he went home early and he didn't want togo backjustone month later.</p> He is playing for his teams in Sydney now and he doesn't seem to havetheenthusiasm that hehad before Christmas. That is where he is at right now.</p> I can't help but think that me and his dad didn't handle this last campaign very well at all. But full marks, once again, to the Academy and in particular, Ronnie Branson.</p> </p>
The young lads really do have to be mentally tough to cope in the competitive environment of a football club. It is a real shame for the lad, but he may benefit in the long run.
Just be careful with him The reason I say that is... My brother-in-law is now 22, but it's taken him a few years to get back into enjoying his football. I live near Oxford and he had a school boy contract when he was 16 with Northampton, not that far away, but far enough to mean he needed to stay in digs. He's a shy lad and didn't really take to staying away from home at such a young age. Like you describe with Mitch, the other lads weren't very friendly and were older and I think he found it tough to adapt and didn't enjoy it. Actually he absolutely hated it and begged to come home ... which of course he did. Ever since he was adamant that he doesn't want to play competitively and has just played with local village teams. I think he just wanted to start enjoy playing football again. When I watch him he's head and shoulders above anyone on the pitch. The first game I played with him was 5-a-side. He was just over the half way line with a man to beat, what he did next I can only roughly describe because I was gobsmacked. He rolled the ball forward, and as he ran past it, he flicked it from behind him over his head and the head of the player in front of him , and met it as it came down with a volley into the bottom corner. Everyone on the pitch stood their open mouthed ... and then someone said "No goal, the ball was in the D" ... which it was. The point is though, he's clearly talented, but his experience at Northampton knocked all of his desire to play competeively out of him. It's really sad to see, but whenever the subject of going for trials somewhere comes up, he gives a very firm no and goes very quiet. I think his step dad pushed him quite hard and gave him a hard time over "giving up", and I don't think that helped. He clearly had a rough time, and I think that the more people pushed him, the more he insisted he didn't want to play professionally, and he actually stopped playing for a year, which I'm convinced was an attempt to stop everyone hassling him. I'm not trying to teach my granny, and I'm sure your doing everything you can for him ... just telling you what happened with my brother-in-law in case it's relevant. I hope Mitch keeps his enthusiasm up. I wish I'd known what to say to my brother-in-law at the time that would have helped.
That is a similar story. Mitch's dad is not pushing. Mitch is working it out for himself. It is still recent. He's been to Barnsley three times now, first time at eleven years old, we didn't think it would be so tough. Me and Eric should have kept a closer eye on it and gone over to make sure it was okay. Also, Mitch is a bit of young fifteen yearold, a bit of a late developer. Anyhow, he seems to have discovered girls...... he'll be alright
