30 Mar 2015 20:30:42
While I understand that many fans want success - at any cost, which is most likely achieved by transferring in "ready made" players - I wonder how many would accept a period of bringing through our young talent (i.e. giving a chance with a good run in the first team) - even if that meant we wouldn't necessarily be challenging for honours until the youngsters have developed and established themselves and become part of a regularly successful winning team. Of course, our homegrown talent would have to be supplemented by some quality transfers, but I'd love us to have a core (if not a majority) of homegrown players in our side.
Or am I being a dreamer and are most of you other posters wanting success to be "bought" just like a few other clubs with their huge expenditures or massive debts or sugar daddies?
{Ed025's Note - it could be a recipe for disaster imo sid, great in theory mate, but the reality is that they need to be brought in gradually i think, but as i say its just my take on it mate..
30 Mar 2015 21:07:36
Ed025: recipe for disaster? Hmmm? Based on our track record, you may well be right :-(
Looking at how many youngsters we've successfully brought through in the last decade or so, it seems that only Hibbert and Osman have played a lot for us in the first team. The likes of Jeffers, Rooney, Rodwell, etc., that have all come through have been sold - admittedly for good money. Even Barkley is being touted for sale - and many fans would be happy to see him go! Other than those few long-serving players and those incoming transfer funds, what else has our academy done to justify its worth to our club?
Even our current promising youngsters - such as Stones, Garbutt, Galloway, Green, Henen - have been brought in from other clubs. How many of those will eventually be sold - or not even make it to our first team?
{Ed025's Note - most if not all sid, but one rooney is worth the academy mate, the £20 odd million kept this club afloat in difficult times, so really the end result justifies the means so to speak mate..
30 Mar 2015 21:45:02
Ed025: fair point about the money. However, that shows that we had to be a selling club prior to the big TV money coming, and I fear that we'll remain a selling club if we can't get into the UEFA Champions League (UCL), as players want that and won't stay with us. Without these better players, we'll never get in the UCL - and we'll be in a vicious circle. If the way our academy justifies itself is by occasionally developing a player who leaves for big money, then I don't see the point now that we have big TV money and we're no longer financially dependent on selling players. For me, we must give the youngsters a chance - gradually and sensibly I accept - but if the academy players we're developing aren't good enough, then what's the point? Perhaps with Joe Royle involved in the loans - and with Unsworth and other coaches involved in development - we'll now see more youngsters coming through as genuine first-team contenders. I suppose it comes down to this: is our club (and are our fans) prepared to risk giving youngsters a genuine run in the first team or are we too impatient and scared to give that a go? As it stands, we look set for continuing mediocrity (or worse) and are surely miles away from being genuine challengers. If the club's plan is to tread water for a season or two until the youngsters are ready, then OK, but these youngsters need to be unleashed sooner or later.
Ho, hum.
:-(
{Ed025's Note - vicious circle is right sid, if im honest we aspire to be in the second division of the premier league, which means our aim is for a place in the top 6 without challenging for the top 4 places, im afraid thats my honest assessment mate, as you say things are unlikely to change any time soon..
30 Mar 2015 22:02:22
Ed025: I think you're right - I just wish some of my other fellow fans would also moderate their expectations with (imho) a large reality check, albeit while retaining their unquenchable passion and limitless ambition for better things. There's no such thing as "where we belong" or getting what our history deserves - it's what we earn here and now that counts, no more and no less. Maybe we'll progress enough to be regular top-four challengers and trophy-winners, but it'll be an almighty challenge on and off the field for us to crack that.
{Ed025's Note - i cant see it happening anytime soon though sid..
31 Mar 2015 08:26:56
Trouble is that this industry is money and results driven (both go hand in hand) all the top clubs have had additional investment that has pushed them further ahead, the rich get richer and so on. The CL clubs have remained in that position and will continue to do so as they generate vast amounts of income, therefore keep buying the best players etc etc
31 Mar 2015 09:44:49
I've always been of the opinion that these financial fair play rules will benefit no one but the already super rich clubs as they are the only ones that can generate enough revenue to be able to spend big in the transfer windows and even some of them struggle to keep within it's limits. I hear people saying we need to sell to a rich owner who can pump money into the club but under these financial rules we would be unable to spend the money they bring in as we would still not generate the turnover to facilitate buying 4 or 5 really top players the only reason we were able to spend the money on Lukaku was because of the sale of Fellaini and that is our reality the rule maker have made it so the rich get richer and the poorer clubs cannot break into the upper echelons with falling foul of their "fair Play" rules.
31 Mar 2015 09:50:17
wow ran out of space in last post that's never happened before :).
to continue what I was saying, I believe a salary cap would have doen more to even things out as it would stop the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and other buying so many, the players would have to go to lesser clubs so more players would actually be on show and the level of competition would be higher resulting in better quality and more enjoyable game for the fans.
It occurs to me now that this should really have been a new post sorry for hijacking the post.
ToffeeAL
31 Mar 2015 21:01:17
Just to express my opinion. The bringing through of youth players would not necessarily work. We have players such as Jags and Baines who are getting on and to say we are going to spend time developing our youth would, imo, cause older players to leave. No one wants to give up a few years to allow others to develop. All we can do is develop and merge youth into a settled team
31 Mar 2015 23:55:51
A rich buyer for us=new ground=bigger income from bigger crowds=bigger sponsers=moor cash=moor and better players. As for a salery cap in england all that will achive is it will push the best players away from the pl witch will then moor than likley reduce all our clubs tv money therfor we will all have less to spend