Atkinson: Another success of the BFC Academy

There's some right B*ll*cks in this thread

Atkinson did ok (considering his age) the few times he played for the first team but at no stage looked anything special. We won one game of the ten he was involved in and there were a few hammerings among them (Port Vale (a) 5-0; West Brom (a) 7-0; Colchester (h) 0-3; Sheff W (h) 0-3). Grimsby are a desperate team and obviously want/need him but I specifically looked on their forums towards the end of last season and no-one mentioned him as being one of their players of the season. He should have been a stand-out player at that level if he was going to make it for us. With the odd exception, the academy produces players good enough for the lower reaches of the football league at best. Atkinson is another one of that ilk. People on here should get real.

 

Hes not good enough for the championship.

Or a club of our stature, simple really.

 

The Academy

I don't really believe we have a bad academy, I even remember Celtic wanting to model theirs on ours a few years back.

Thing is... ....and here's the nub of the matter... ...they can only work with the players they can get in. Without a reputation for producing talent (and if I take my cynical hat off for a minute, maybe this was another aim of the RNL saga) or the promise of Premier/top of championship play, quality young players will always be greedy and disappear into the massed ranks of the academies at bigger clubs.

I applaud Davey wanting to get stuck in but: 1. surely he should be doing this as a matter of course and 2; surely he already had the youth brief before Ritchie left, with no discernible result.

I think we should keep it despite the cost. It only takes one success.

 

I agree with Scott-Tyke

Davey would not have let him go if he thought owt of him.

 

Excellent post.

Our academy isn't producing what it should but shutting it down would be a nonsense.

 

disagree - saw him v Leeds and he was excellent

bad decision to let him go.

 

The Academy costs peanuts to run........................

compared with the wages paid to players at Championship level.</p>

An Academy coach will be lucky if he he earns a much as a School teacher and the players will be on not much more than they could get as an apprentice. I have said it for years that we have done the Academy on the cheep.</p>

It's only 3 years ago that Man U here questioning why we still had Academy status because at the time we were not meeting the criteria. Davey came in to sort that out and in less than twelve months he was the manager and we had to start again.</p>

Critics of the Academy should answer this question how many Premiership clubs don't have one?</p>

The intelligent amongst you will get my drift.
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i put this on another post ealier think it applies to this as well somewhat

At the moment our academy has got a bit of a bad rep through the local football clubs, players going there and coming back completely demotivated and with a lack of confidence.

my cousins lad has just been offered to attend 3 academies, barnsley, rotherham and leeds and all the people 'in the know' from local football are advising against barnsley.

its a sad state of affairs when local people from local clubs, who i know are reds season ticket holders are advising against thsi because it could destroy his confidence.

the solution. a complete review of the workings of the academy from under 18 down and a resturctutre, work with local junior clubs and build up the reputation again so we don't lose all the good quality local talent and from what i've seen there are some good young players inthis area. that way we may start toprduce good qauality players who will play for us and not end up in the lower divisions of english footabll cos that is no use at all
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Was playing snooker on table beside him and Letheren again last night

He was on mobile saying Grimsby are a good little club - didn't expect him leaving us permanently tho.

 

that and they never get a chance at a run in the 1st team anyways a game here and there is never going to work.

Unless your KO of course!

 

Premiership clubs can afford the luxury.

We can't.