Leeds Academy

[James]

Although England are experiencing a decline in standards, it is clear that Leeds have produced the highest amount of England internationals in recent years.

 

Even when falling through the divisions, they seem to have produced the talent, with Chelsea amongst others, sniffing around their 16 year olds.

 

Obviously it may be worth trying to capture a piece of talent from their academy.

 

However, Leeds are spiralling down the divisions, and will be finding it harder to sign up young talent, so such captures could only be a short term measure.

 

This is probably the most arrogant thing I have ever written, but....

 

Why not just buy Leeds' Academy? (The facilities and staff, not the players)

 

We could have a larger academy network with an infrastructure that is proven to work, and I'm sure the Leeds Academy staff would be glad to see standards return to their initial high level.

 

Alternatively, if this isn't allowed, why not just offer Bates large compo for all his academy staff, and move them all up to Newcastle. Obviously new infrastructure would therefore take a bit of time to be put into place, but it is the people that inevitably cause the success.

 

We have the money, Leeds need money, we need the academy, Leeds already have one - it would be a match made in heaven.

[toontownman]

Thats almost like buying the club and turning it into a feeder club, which isnt allowed.

 

By all means cherry pick their best staff, our facilities arent bad and we have an academy director that is more than qualified.

 

I think we were already moving in the right direction last season as far as the academy is concerned. Big Sam now shaking things up on top of that will only be a plus.

 

It would be a nice idea to link up with a lower league club and farm players out there, but its not strictly legal.

 

I like the idea, but why not just set up academies around the globe, like many others clubs do.

[James]

Thats almost like buying the club and turning it into a feeder club, which isnt allowed.

 

I like the idea, but why not just set up academies around the globe, like many others clubs do.

 

We'd just be buying the academy, it would have nothing to do with Leeds, it just allows the initial infrastructure to remain in place without too much upheaval required.

 

It would definitely be a dream to have an academy in every football hotbed across the globe. The more players in an academy, the better the players that will 'make it'

[Norwegian-Geordie]

Thats almost like buying the club and turning it into a feeder club, which isnt allowed.

 

I thought it was allowed to have feeder clubs.

 

Don't Chelsea have Westerloo (or some Belgian club), and ManU Sporting and Antwerpen (or is it Anderlecht?)?

[Thespence]

Chelsea got the main man from the Leeds youth setup a year a so ago when they signed Gary Worthington.

[Guest Northern Boys Love Gravy!]

other than steve taylor, paul huntington, david edgar (and a couple that i cant think off on the top of my head) i dont think we have a very good acadamy really do we.

I really like spurs and arsenals club policy and buy really good, young players, for example - for arsenal, fabregas (free), walcott and for spurs, - bale (£10million) and aaron lennon (£1.5million) (yea i know walcott and bale cost about £12million and £10million which is quite alot for a youngster, but if its quite obvious they are going to be class players when they get abit more experience- surely wouldnt it be worth the risk of spending a bit more??)

Or maybe we need to try and look into spending abit more on wages to get world class scouts....?? (maybe)

[toontownman]

Well we have tried to overhaul the Academy in the past and just last year we shook it up and appointed Joe Joyce.

 

Its obviously going to take time before we see it bear any fruit. Its not as easy as just going out and bringing the best talent here. There is great competition and we have been hindered by our scouting, that has been particularly poor across the board, but im sure this is something that is changing.

 

Sam will have his say now he is here as well.

 

Joe Joyce is very well qualified and experienced, we have a great basis to build upon and now hopefully we have the money to go out and push our academy to an even higher level.

 

The academy is not something im worried about, its been and is being addressed and by the end of the summer should be more than moving in the right direction.

[Guest Northern Boys Love Gravy!]

Well we have tried to overhaul the Academy in the past and just last year we shook it up and appointed Joe Joyce.

 

Its obviously going to take time before we see it bear any fruit. Its not as easy as just going out and bringing the best talent here. There is great competition and we have been hindered by our scouting, that has been particularly poor across the board, but im sure this is something that is changing.

 

Sam will have his say now he is here as well.

 

Joe Joyce is very well qualified and experienced, we have a great basis to build upon and now hopefully we have the money to go out and push our academy to an even higher level.

 

The academy is not something im worried about, its been and is being addressed and by the end of the summer should be more than moving in the right direction.

 

I look forward to the new players eventually coming through, or being bought. Man City have brought through some good players aswel havent they, for example the defender that played for the U21's (sorry not even goin to try and spell his name) to be honest ive never heard of him, or seem him in the highlights when he played against italy, and abit of tonights game, but he went off....

[Thespence]

I really like spurs and arsenals club policy and buy really good, young players (maybe)

 

If only we knew how to do that, your talking about us signing players who would win  Young Player Of The Year, if only........

 

Whatever happened to the players who won this award in 1998,2002,2003 & 2004. Could of been the backbone of really good team.

[toontownman]

Well we have tried to overhaul the Academy in the past and just last year we shook it up and appointed Joe Joyce.

 

Its obviously going to take time before we see it bear any fruit. Its not as easy as just going out and bringing the best talent here. There is great competition and we have been hindered by our scouting, that has been particularly poor across the board, but im sure this is something that is changing.

 

Sam will have his say now he is here as well.

 

Joe Joyce is very well qualified and experienced, we have a great basis to build upon and now hopefully we have the money to go out and push our academy to an even higher level.

 

The academy is not something im worried about, its been and is being addressed and by the end of the summer should be more than moving in the right direction.

 

I look forward to the new players eventually coming through, or being bought. Man City have brought through some good players aswel havent they, for example the defender that played for the U21's (sorry not even goin to try and spell his name) to be honest ive never heard of him, or seem him in the highlights when he played against italy, and abit of tonights game, but he went off....

 

City had a great academy scarily when Keegan was incharge, Asa Harford did alot of really sound work, that has seen the current crop of players come through aswell as SWP's (albeit Notts Forest can take most of the credit for him).

[Thespence]

Joe Joyce is very well qualified and experienced, we have a great basis to build upon and now hopefully we have the money to go out and push our academy to an even higher level.

 

Does he do much of the day to day coaching? From what I have picked up he is more a overlord putting structures in place, getting the correct level of coaches in, getting them qualified etc.

[toontownman]

I thought he was more the overlord aswell, although he has talked about being out there working with the youngsters.

 

I think we still have the tendancy of being loyal to local coaches at the club or people with links. Which isnt a bad things as local parents would want their kids in the hands of people they know and have a good local reputation.

 

Arguably on the other hand that shouldnt matter, as ideally, when looking at where your son should go Newcastle should be the only club in the N.E. parents want their kids to go to.

 

Local spirit is all well and good, but we need to make the step up from respected academy coaches to world class. Easier said than done of course but thats what we should be gradually aiming for. Joe Joyce and certainly Ashley and SA will still only just be settling in and working out where to go from here.

 

God i can really talk shit. Too much coffee, and boredom at work.

[Thespence]

JJ is Geordie, I don't think  he has played for the Toon. We are not recruiting bad guys to run it, Irvine is now a Premierleague asst manager, Brian Estwick is the manager of Englands U18s now.  But when you see the England U17 captain is a Geordie & he is at the Smoggies you know something is not right.

[toontownman]

Irvine is a top coach, major reason Moyes and Everton have done so well the past few years.

 

I agree we arent recruiting bad guys, we are building a basis now, then we will build on that.

 

Obviously good quality local coaches are an asset, but its like SJH's Geordie dream. To move on to the highest levels we should be looking to add the best variety of coaches to our system, regardless of where they are from.

 

Of course they have to be talented/experienced enough to know and adapt to the English game, but I think Foreign coaches would add alot to us, different cultures, styles, contacts and would surely be a big pull for players abroad.

 

Like with perspective managers, the club has gone a bit too xenophobic and maybe misses out a bit as a result. Id see this as the next step for the academy, along with any upgrades of facility.

 

This could very well change with Ashley and Allardyce at the helm though, fingers crossed.

 

[Thespence]

Irvine is a top coach, major reason Moyes and Everton have done so well the past few years.

 

Former Everton star Peter Beardsley has praised the work of the club's current assistant manager Alan Irvine.

Beardsley had a two year spell with the Toffees in the early nineties and worked alongside Irvine in a coaching capacity at Newcastle.

 

 

"Alan Irvine is well suited to Everton," Beardsley told evertonTV. "He is a people's man but mostly he is a sensational coach. At the Newcastle Academy he was magnificent, the kids idolised him and didn't want him to leave.

 

"Alan is very well respected in the game and was very close of going to the FA before David Moyes stepped in. I think it was a great move by David," he continued.

 

Although the former England international's spell at Goodison was fleeting, Peter admits he loves coming back to Everton.

 

"Whenever I come back to Everton, everybody is fantastic," he said.

 

"Although I was only there two years, it was a fantastic two years. We were not a great team but the atmosphere at that time was magnificent. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey."

 

 

http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=44511

 

[Dr Spectrum]

Well we have tried to overhaul the Academy in the past and just last year we shook it up and appointed Joe Joyce.

 

Its obviously going to take time before we see it bear any fruit. Its not as easy as just going out and bringing the best talent here. There is great competition and we have been hindered by our scouting, that has been particularly poor across the board, but im sure this is something that is changing.

 

Sam will have his say now he is here as well.

 

Joe Joyce is very well qualified and experienced, we have a great basis to build upon and now hopefully we have the money to go out and push our academy to an even higher level.

 

The academy is not something im worried about, its been and is being addressed and by the end of the summer should be more than moving in the right direction.

 

I look forward to the new players eventually coming through, or being bought. Man City have brought through some good players aswel havent they, for example the defender that played for the U21's (sorry not even goin to try and spell his name) to be honest ive never heard of him, or seem him in the highlights when he played against italy, and abit of tonights game, but he went off....

 

City had a great academy scarily when Keegan was incharge, Asa Harford did alot of really sound work, that has seen the current crop of players come through aswell as SWP's (albeit Notts Forest can take most of the credit for him).

 

Our official site has been running an ongoing feature about the 21 academy graduates* who have played for the first team since they opened it - 10 year anniversary of it opening I think. The man who takes most of the credit is a guy called Jim Cassell. Also some credit to Barry Poynton the youth scout - and of course to Joe Royle and the then chairman David Bernstein for the moneys to get it going. Asa Hartford was the reserve team manager for a long period but not any more, I suppose that was important to. But Cassell is the man, I and every other City fan worships the ground he walks on. Thats the important appointment, getting the right man in charge of the academy. Everything else follows from there as long as they have the moneys to implement what they want.

 

*21 are - SWP, BWP, Joey Barton, Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha, Stephen Ireland, Michael Johnson, Ishmael Miller, Daniel Sturridge, Willo Flood, Lee Croft, Dickson Etuhu, Tyrone Mears, Chris Killen, Glenn Whelan, Stephen Jordan, Stephen Elliot, Chris Shuker, Jonathan D'Laryea, Terry Dunfield, and if I can count, 1 more who I can't remember.. All apart from the last 4 are playing in the top 2 divisions. All but Dunfield (Who has had serious injury problems) are still playing professional league football, aswell as few others who never made it into our first team such as Paddy McCarthy and Kieron Westwood. I think thats very good.

[Raconteur]

*21 are - SWP, BWP, Joey Barton, Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha, Stephen Ireland, Michael Johnson, Ishmael Miller, Daniel Sturridge, Willo Flood, Lee Croft, Dickson Etuhu, Tyrone Mears, Chris Killen, Glenn Whelan, Stephen Jordan, Stephen Elliot, Chris Shuker, Jonathan D'Laryea, Terry Dunfield, and if I can count, 1 more who I can't remember.. All apart from the last 4 are playing in the top 2 divisions. All but Dunfield (Who has had serious injury problems) are still playing professional league football, aswell as few others who never made it into our first team such as Paddy McCarthy and Kieron Westwood. I think thats very good.

 

Is that Chris Killen, the New Zealand international?

 

[Dr Spectrum]

*21 are - SWP, BWP, Joey Barton, Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha, Stephen Ireland, Michael Johnson, Ishmael Miller, Daniel Sturridge, Willo Flood, Lee Croft, Dickson Etuhu, Tyrone Mears, Chris Killen, Glenn Whelan, Stephen Jordan, Stephen Elliot, Chris Shuker, Jonathan D'Laryea, Terry Dunfield, and if I can count, 1 more who I can't remember.. All apart from the last 4 are playing in the top 2 divisions. All but Dunfield (Who has had serious injury problems) are still playing professional league football, aswell as few others who never made it into our first team such as Paddy McCarthy and Kieron Westwood. I think thats very good.

 

Is that Chris Killen, the New Zealand international?

 

 

Ya. Didn't look owt when he came thru here, but he's carved out a nice little niche for himself in scotland. Just signed for Celtic! I would have never believed that 5 years ago.