Oakwell Academy...

I've been thinking back over the years and Barnsley F.C doesn't seem to produce many if any attacking midfielders or strikers.

Just defenders and defensive midfielders. There have been exceptions such as Jordan Clark, Rory Fallon, John Parkin (defender at Barnsley). Danny Rose dropped down the ladder. Jacob Butterfield didn't start out at Barnsley.

The majority though were defenders or defensive minded players. Digby, Heslop, Wroe, O' Callaghan, Mulligan, Barker, Morgan, Stones, Holgate, Kay, Smith, Potter, Ackroyd, Wolfe, Palmer, Helliwell and Moon.

 

Andy Liddell was through the Academy I think

 

That about sums it up. If someone like your good self is going back to 1992 to find a proper attacking player.

 

You're right, there does seem a dearth of attacking players from the Academy

 

Hopefully Marsh, Jalo and Dyer shake that up

 

Jacob Brown but not sure how long we had him from when he was young

 

Before Liddell, would it be that charlatan Hirst?

 

Jackson?

 

I seem to remember that when Bobby became involved he recognised that the whole academy was focused on developing defensive players.
I can only assume that this has been addressed and players like Marsh and Jalo are the products of this.

 

I think it's because average young strikers are ten a penny so we can just go out and use the scattergun to buy loads of them who fail so we don't need to spend years to train one up to fail.

 

I think it is down to a few reasons. Most academy teams, particularly at the younger age groups only play one striker. Plus most kids want to play in midfield. Clubs then progress through the age groups with plenty of options for all positions with the exception of the strikers. When you think what these lads are up against trying to go through the system to earn a pro contract, the odds are stacked against them. And it’s obviously even harder to find a striker capable of making the grade. It’s a numbers game and clubs aren’t developing enough of them through the system.

 

Any half decent strikers from this area will be poached by Man City, Man United, Leeds, Wednesday or Blunts academies. The days of a David Hirst coming through the ranks are gone.

 

But it seems to me that we buy in a ridiculous amount of young strikers compared to other positions.

 

I agree. But we do that to try and fill the gap. And these strikers are lads who have not made the grade at other clubs. And quite often because the bigger clubs have recruited strikers from overseas. We would be better developing our own strikers from the entry age level in the academy. When you consider the striker options for the England team you begin to see the problem. We are spoilt for choice in midfield, full-backs and wide areas. If all clubs were encouraged to play formations with 2 strikers in academy football, we would instantly double our chances of getting better strikers into professional football.

 

I could be way off here, but I think attacking players often show their potential earlier and as such are often poached before they could come through for a team like us, except in rare occasions. Defenders often don't show their full potential until they get older/bigger and as such can already be signed to a contract at a club like Barnsley

 

Miller, Phenix, Tuton, Sodje, Adeboyejo, White, Onibuje, Kayden Jackson.

 

We clearly can't spot one. If we could we'd be naming Horsfield and Vardy

 

Said same myself a couple of weeks back on here.

In terms of strikers we have been woeful in bringing a gem through.

Marsh is gonna go either way for me, either end up non league in a couple of years or make an impact, no in-between.. he is a bit of a short arse and wouldn't go too far wrong looking how someone like Raheem Sterling operates to develop his game effectively.

Matty Wolfe in midfield needs a bit more work in game management and the psychological side of keeping your head, and he could net the club some serious money. Has the right physical attributes to go far. A season in league 1 could actually be a real blessing for him dealing with some tougher mistimed challenges etc..

Beyond those 2, we are a bit thin on the ground of home grown talent coming through IMHO.

 

Respectfully disagree. I think Winfield, Jalo and Dyer have potentially excellent futures. There are others. The academy is in the best place it’s been in for years.