I wonder whether the three lads out on loan

Sorry wasn't clear - thats exactly what i meant

Promising but didn't make the transition -

 

Last time we gave the 'youth' a chance

http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=515515

If any of them were good enough, they'd be playing in the side. When was the last time we released a young player who then went onto better himself? Rory Fallon? Even Flinders has struggled to establish himself.

The Academy has been the biggest disappointment in the history of Barnsley FC.

 

excluding spackman I presume?

 

Whatever Spackman wasted

The Academy has cost 10 times that. In its early stages, the running costs were £1.5 million a season. We've been nothing more than a feeder club for Worksop Town and Premdor.

 

I agree

Perhaps I'm being over optimistic, but I think it'd help a great deal if the likes of Atkinson, Butterfield, Heslop & Potter were good enough to become first team squad regulars.
However, the bottom line as far as I'm concerned is if the young players coming through are not good enough-get shut.

 

The rules on Academy catchment areas

mean that we're competing with clubs who have more to offer. We only get the kids that cant get fixed up elsewhere, and you cant polish a turd. we might be able to produce the odd lanky centre half, but our money would be better spent developing the best Eastern European scouting network outside of The Emirates.

 

Butterfield

Subs bench, odd 15/20 minutes here and there, build up to a first team start.</p>

Not shove a combo of players you don't want and youngsters together against a top side.</p>

 

Speaking from experience our academy doesn't seem to go out looking for talent as much as other clubs do. My brother plays at junior level and scouts from Wendys, Blunts, Leeds and Huddersfield have all been watching but Barnsley seem to have lads picked for an age group and then that's it. Locally, we cannot compete!

 

There seems to be very few players

From the Barnsley area making the grade at other clubs, either, these past few years. Perhaps the talent is no longer there.

 

The Acxademy isn't the problem per se

It's how we run it.</p>

I notice this summer we've got some free sessions for youngsters to come and just play football - fantastic idea, 3 years after Sheff Utd did it.</p>

</p>

 

Butterfield's free kick

has the ball reached the moon yet?

seriously, can you see him in the 'engine room' of a successful Championship side? men and boys. Im hoping our average height next season is 6 foot 5*.

*JCR excluded from figures.

 

Allot of the players speak highly of Butterfield and reckon big things of him.

 

How long have we waited for that crop of talent to come through?

its not even a trickle. I look at the results occasionally and each time my heart sinks reading a report of how we were unlucky to lose 5 or 6 nil. against bigger boys. its nothing more than a distraction from whats important, the first team. we need players now, not maybe in 12 months. once we're established in the Premiership, then we can talk about introducing the old young un. how many games this season have we had the luxuory of ending the game arms unfolded?

 

Hassel's free kick

Still not a midfielder.</p>

I don't know about Butterfield. Not seen enough of him. However, we can't carry on spending like we did last season being the 5th worst supported team in the division so the Academy needs some professional input to get the youngsters in first and show some imagination to help with that, and also to improve the transition between promising 17 year old and first team regular.</p>

 

Im not writing him off

Im saying if he was good enough he'd be making more of an impact in the first team. Ive seen him play in the reserves a couple of times and at that pedestrian pace, he looked good. But by now if he was any good we should be ready to put him in there against some tall misters who can put a challenge in and run past you at pace, but he's not.

 

Is the problem with what's available ?

Or how it's treated once in the Academy ?</p>

Either way, it is obviously not producing the goods, so needs looking at.</p>

 

Probably both

clubs with coin will have scouts fighting over the best 8 year olds never mind teenagers, we're just not in a position to compete and so end up with whats left over or the ones who've been discarded once or twice already. We then most probably start coaching their ability out of them. I just think a better strategy would be to have a big presense abroad, with a criterior to find talent that can go straight into the first team or thereabouts.

Nyatanga is only 18 months older than Butterfield.

 

Wahey!

You have the mantle, my son. I'll have to find a new subject to preach about now.

 

RE: Probably both

i've heard too many stories about the attitude of the Academy towards lads turning up for trial for it to be one man's bitterness that his lad didn't get in.