We produce a lot of footballers in the Academy, but very few of real quality if we are being objective.
Pears £0.4m, Gibson £15.2m, Reach £5.3m, Steele £1.0m, Smallwood £0.2m, Bennett £2.8m, Jones £2.5m, Wheater £2.5m are the players sold for fees in the last 10 years for £29.9m.
Downing £11.7m, Johnson £10.2m, Cattermole £4.0m, Craddock £0.1m, Morrison £2.0, Hutchinson £0.3m, Davies £0.3m, Wilkshire £0.3m, Campbell £1.3m in previous 10 years for £30.2m.
Given the Academy definitely has generated enough profit from player sales to cover the cost of operation in each decade AND it provides players who have made a significant contribution to first team (Gibson, Downing, Johnson, Cattermole being the obvious ones) that would otherwise have to have been bought and amortised and at higher wages, THEN it is clear that a Cat 1 Academy that provides FFP expensable development of some talent is worthwhile.
However, the Academy has never produced a striker capable of operating in the first team and scoring goals.
The Academy produces a lot of decent players that do not generate fees or provide a good enough playing staff for us. My criticism is in the quality of player developed, from the quantity.
I can't think of any kids who we have let go that have gone on to make it big anywhere else.
We produce a lot of Football League players, but very few highly talented.
Either the recruitment is questionable, the development questionable, or the route to first team questionable?
And it has definitely been less productive this last decade with less money generated in a massively inflated market.
I know you can't choose, but I'd far prefer an Academy that produces a real class act every couple of years, rather than ten competent players who end up in Leagues one and two.