Academy Report 24/01/09

Barnsley (0) 0 v Nottingham Forest (1) 3

Barnsley Team

1. Danny Free (Yr2)
2. Michael Tieman (Yr1)
3. Liam Reffin (Yr1)
4. Callum Branson (Yr1)
5. Sean Reid (?)
6. Danny Fearnehough (Yr1)
7. Alistair Taylor (Yr1)
8. Tyrone Crapper (Yr1)
9. Steven Bennett (Yr1)
10. Reuben Noble-Lazarus (U16)
11.Jack Watts (Yr2)
Subs
15. Tom Mellor (Yr2) for Bennett (53 min)
16. Kieran Scargill (Yr1) for Crapper (53 min)
17. Martin Grundy (yr2) for Branson (62 min)

Last week, much was made of the team's 3-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday, their first away win since October 2007. Little mention was made of the fact that Wednesday have won only once this season and have accumulated just 7 points. Most of the team that lost to Leeds Reserves 4-0 during the week are part of this academy squad. Martin Grundy was left on the bench so the starting line-up contained only 2 second year students. Steven Bennett started up front with RNL playing in the hole just behind him. Jack Watts drew the short straw to play left wing with Tom Mellor occupying a seat in the dugout.

In the first exchanges the two teams swapped a chance apiece, Danny Free's save from the Forest 10 being the pick of the early action after Branson inexplicably lost his man from a cross. Then the game settled until the 23rd minute. Reid misjudged a tackle wide on the Forest right, and the forest 9 galloped away. Free came out to parry the initial effort, but the ball fell to the Forest 10, ten yards from goal, and he rolled his shot into an unguarded net. A minute later the Forest 8 hit the bar with a shot from 20 yards and then on 32 minutes the Forest 9 hit a post after a piece of play that was again embarrassing for Reid who had missed a header wide on the Forest right to allow his man to run on unchallenged. Free was late with his tackle outside the box and the post was struck from a narrow angle, but with no player in a red shirt within 20 yards of goal. The young Reds were lucky to arrive at half time only one goal in arrears.

Barnsley removed Crapper and Bennett on 53 minutes for Scargill and Mellor and reverted to 4-4-2 with Watts up front. However, they went further behind 8 minutes later when Reid was embarrassed once more. A hopeful bouncing ball was missed by Reid and the Forest 9 ran on to round Free and score. Branson's last ditch attempt at a tackle was rewarded only with what looked like a sprained ankle and 6 weeks on crutches. He was replaced by Grundy in the heart of our defense. More embarrassment followed for Reid on 82 minutes. Another high bouncing ball was followed by Reid and the Forest 9 to the corner of the 6 yard box. It looked impossible to score from there, but the Forest player managed to lob the ball with the outside of his foot, over the keeper and in off the far post for a very well taken goal.

MotM
The game was dominated by Forest and it is hard to pick a Reds player who performed well in defeat. RNL in particular was very disappointing playing in the hole behind Bennett and was coached constantly throughout the first half in order to get him to play when the team does not have the ball as well as when it does. The two Reds wingers were hardly involved and the central midfield lost their battle. As a result, the front players were surviving on scraps. Free made several very good saves so once again, the keeper gets it. The best player on the field was the Forest 9 who showed pace, strength and ability to take a chance.

 

red rain, be honest, do you actually think ronnie branson deserves to keep his job nt

 

I think that it is a bit more complex than "It is all Ronnie Branson's fault". I think that we need more from the academy than we are getting, but I am not sure exactly how we get it. I am very frustrated by the lack of quality that we are producing and we have had largely inconclusive debates about the reasons for that on this board in the past from time to time. Simon Davey and especially Patrick Cryne must have had the same debates themselves and I was interested that Mark Stokes carried a similar story on his website recently. Perhaps the matter will come to a head at the end of the season.

 

do you think it will be closed or scaled down nt

 

I am basically in favour of a quality youth set-up. However, it must pay its way. The way that you would judge this is in the transfer fees that it saves the club on new players and in the transfer fees it earns the club in ex-academy players sold to other clubs compared to the cost of running the academy. Clearly, the academy is not currently earning its keep on the basis of this test. Equally clearly, something needs to be done so that it does start earning its keep. However, I do not know what.

 

Thank you again for your insightful report

I always enjoy reading your posts on our Academy.

 

RE: red rain, be honest, do you actually think ronnie branson deserves to keep his job nt

The two Reds wingers were hardly involved and the central midfield lost their battle. As a result, the front players were surviving on scraps. Free made several very good saves so once again, the keeper gets it. </p>

the coach has a different view thought both wingers did well







After the game Mark Burton, assistant Academy Manager gaves his thoughts on the game and the past week. &quot;Three games in seven days has taken its toll on some of the lads and they looked jaded and tired. We started off brightly in the first 15-20 minutes. Forest are a decent side. As the game wore on Forest's possession, especially once they were two goals up, they stroked the ball around and we had to run a lot.

&quot;The lads never gave up despite how they felt and the heavy conditions of the pitch. Danny Free did well, showed good hands and good distribution of the ball. Jack Watts and Alistair Taylor also did well.
</p>

 

RE: Thank you again for your insightful report

So do I apart from the fact we seem to get tonked on a weekly basis.

 

surely if our fringe 1st teamers played reserve football, these lads needn't play 3 games a week nt

 

I don't

It's depressing reading how our youth team is apparently ****.

Not that I don't appreciate the reports, cos I do.

 

RE: red rain, be honest, do you actually think ronnie branson deserves to keep his job nt

Therein lies the problem IMHO. If we spent more money on bringing quality coaches to the Academy, we may see more for our money. When all is said and done, on the basis of recent history, Branson is the next club Manager.

 

I think that I must have gone over the top a bit judging by some of the comment in this thread so just to redress the balance a little:

Before this weekend's games Barnsley were 5th (out of 10) with a points tally of 18. Newcastle and Sunderland (both premiership teams) were leading the league with 34 points. Forest were 6th with 14 points but with 2 games in hand on Barnsley. It should also be pointed out that the team is made up mainly of first year students and that most of the lads also played at Leeds for the reserves on Wednesday and they did look tired.

 

Does Mark Stokes' report of the game look familiar, or is it just me?

 

academy = waste of money

should have sold the land when the housing market was booming and bought back the stadium off BMBC with the proceeds.

white elephant...

 

Just you. After all it was the same game you seen. I take it they scored at the same time!!!!!!

 

RE: surely if our fringe 1st teamers played reserve football, these lads needn't play 3 games a week

spot on. Can't understand why likes of Butterfield, Oddjob, Steele etc don't play for reserve football

 

That was redressing the balance?

If I was Pat Cryne reading your reports I'd shut the f**king thing down.

Mind you don't comment on how good the lads are at sweeping the stands and cleaning the pro's boots, maybe that's what they are there for. It's certainly not playing football according to your reports (and the only thing I have to go on).

 

So, just to get this straight. You want to sell something the club doesn't own in order to buy back something the club doesn't own. Are you a banker?

 

I think the tone of Red Rain's report is very negative and it is written without the perspective offered by the comments in the interview on the other site. I wasn't at the Forest game on Saturday but to start the report by rubishing the previous win at Sheffield Wed sets an unnecessary tone and plays into the hands of all the people who want to close the Academy instead of thinking of opportunities to improve it.
I was at Elland Road on Tuesday and a lot of these lads ran for 90 minutes against a very strong Leeds side and worked hard to close them down. They managed to keep them out for about half an hour and this was bound to take it's toll. They have played 3 games in a week but it is also comes after a months lay off over Christmas.
I think the non playing first team players should be included more in the reserves as this should help develop the Academy lads and keep them fitter. Perhaps this may happen when Davey gets more involved with the Academy as mentioned elsewhere?

 

I am a great supporter of the academy and in no sense does my initial report, or my replies to comment made by other posters indicate anything but support for the continued existance of the academy. However, other posters will make up their own minds on the subject and should have the facts to enable them to do so. The initial preamble to my report contained only facts. No opinions, only facts. I make it a rule not to comment or have an opinion on things that I have not seen. I never comment on away performances as I do not go to away games and I will not comment on the away defeat at Leeds. However, it does not seem sensible to me to play members of the first team squad in meaningless reserve team games when we are in the midst of an injury crisis, allied to the fact that a number of other players have recently left the club. Furthermore, it is the club's stated policy to give academy players as much exposure as possible to higher grade football as they believe that such exposure will bring them on more quickly. Obviously, a consequence might be that they are tired come Saturday and as a consequence, they lose easily. However, let us not forget that the team lost to Walsall, a team operating a centre of excellence, in the most prestigeous youth competition, having not had a game on the previous Saturday. It should also be pointed out that last season, they lost to Swindon in similar circumstances, another team operating a centre of excellence in the same competition. If you think that this is good enough, then I am sorry but it is you, and not me that is endangering the continued existence of the academy.