Leo on Hackney and the golden thread

Is it

Really is it the jewel in our set up?
Or the jewel it should be?
It is very well financed - and useful from an FFP tactical perspective. c£5m per season.
£50m over a decade.

Tavernier and Gibson generated £25m pure profit.
The London scout brought in Spence so another £12.5m profit.
Reach was picked up beyond academy really, but generated £5m profit.

We have Fry on the books who has come through and the same Spence scout brought in Jones, and both have value.
It has probably just about washed its face, but in truth it has only really brought through Tav, Gibson and Fry in a decade who have real academy experiences.
I’m maybe from a financial perspective you could argue about value for money etc … but in terms of what the academy bring to the local area, opportunities to bring players into the professional and semi professional games, and other non financial metrics, I’d say it’s an absolute snip.

I’d also say, if you haven’t got the academy, what other financial outlays do you have to recruit and keep players? I’m betting a whole lot more than the academy running costs.
 
You can argue the academy saves the club from buying 2x 5m first team players. If we had no academy we would have to sign 2 more players, probably every other year.
 
wood looked terrible every time i saw him play.
You could argue that given he only played what 4 league games for us, two of which were in the middle of Warnocks full season when we were awful (lost 3-0 at home to Rotherham and 1-0 home to Blackburn) before sending him out on loan that he didn’t get the opportunity to develop with us. Wilder never played him. He was the consummate bench warmer.
 
Is the academy all that? It has only really produced Downing that has gone on to be a top level performer. A few others have had good careers (Gibson, Reach, Morrison, Wheater) but it hardly pumps out top class players.
 
Is the academy all that? It has only really produced Downing that has gone on to be a top level performer. A few others have had good careers (Gibson, Reach, Morrison, Wheater) but it hardly pumps out top class players.
Hate to say it but can we stop pretending that Adam Johnson doesn’t exist. 20 England caps was it, and bossed it at Man City?

Cattermole, Brunt and Ross Turnbull (and probably Djed Spence) belong on that list too. If the players go on to have a long top flight career and/or give us a huge transfer profit, it’s worth every penny and then some.
 
We are a Championship club , we have to get real and start using our resources , ie our own kids . That's why Wilder was'nt going to work . He was the here and now , not in the next couple of years ! The only thing Gibson wont like is kids dont sell season tickets ( Vikor G was never coming but the rumour sold tickets ) . Plus I also think we are locked up a bit due tp FFP .
 
The fact Wilder has gone so early into the season has made me more annoyed that we sold Wood. I've said it before but I really think we will live to regret that one
Yes when I saw him perform so well for Swansea made me think that Wilder was only thinking about a short term fox for MFC.
 
Our academy is 9th best in the country and the best outside the premier League

Would having Steve Round (Arsenal) Michael Carrick (Man Utd) or Anthony Barry (Chelsea) increase our chances of picking up some extra academy talent? That sweet spot of not being quite good enough to start for a top premier league team.. and being too good for the championship!
 
Hate to say it but can we stop pretending that Adam Johnson doesn’t exist. 20 England caps was it, and bossed it at Man City?

Cattermole, Brunt and Ross Turnbull (and probably Djed Spence) belong on that list too. If the players go on to have a long top flight career and/or give us a huge transfer profit, it’s worth every penny and then some.i
I did miss him out on purpose haha!

I know a few have had good careers but I was really thinking about real top class players
 
I did miss him out on purpose haha!

I know a few have had good careers but I was really thinking about real top class players
😁 Yes, I know what you mean though.

A lot of our academy hits were 15 years ago and we haven’t produced anyone who’s had a sniff of the England squad for many years, Wheater was the last.

A few Danny Grahams every few years make the academy worthwhile, but it would be brilliant to see us produce a Raheem Sterling.
 
Look at the analysis thats been done and you'll see we've produced a bunch of players performing at championship and lower level but not much premier League recently. Tav could certainly make himself a premier League fixture.

I certainly think that the academy is producing enough quality players. Whether we are utilizing the players correctly and making enough profit is another thing.
 
😁 Yes, I know what you mean though.

A lot of our academy hits were 15 years ago and we haven’t produced anyone who’s had a sniff of the England squad for many years, Wheater was the last.

A few Danny Grahams every few years make the academy worthwhile, but it would be brilliant to see us produce a Raheem Sterling.
Don't want to pile pressure on but...

I think Coburn has the potential to be closer to a sterling (or Kane in terms of playing style) than to a Danny Graham.

He just needs that but of luck and to keep his head screwed on and he has a big future, he's a natural finisher and as we know, there are not many of them around.
 
I don't think it really matters if we don't develop "top level" players, providing we develop good players who can be sold for profit.

The issue with ignoring the academy route into the first team is that it rarely alerts other teams to our prospects, increasing their value. Would Spence have gone to Forest last season if he hadn't been involved in our First Team? Possibly not.

If football manager is anything to go by we should a) have kept Wood and b) get Kav into the first team squad ASAP. :D
 
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