Our Academy!

[Neiler]

Everton academy chief Ray Hall is delighted with the players being produced through the club's system.

He told evertonfc.com:

"One of the disappointing things is we've never developed a goalkeeper, but you look at right back: Tony Hibbert. Centre back: Richard Dunne. I'm not sure on the other centre back, but left back: Michael Ball. You could have Osman, Wayne Rooney and Gavin McCann in midfield and Anichebe and Vaughan up front.


"We could come close in the Championship and the leagues lower down as well. It gives you great pride when you see boys play at the highest level."
He added: "We've received around £50million for players who've come through our Academy in the last seven or eight years, including Richard Dunne, Michael Ball, Francis Jeffers, Wayne Rooney and Gavin McCann.


Its got to be said we do have one of the best acadmeys in the counrty, hopefully from this point on we can keep all the gems we produce!

 

[turner]

apparently our under 9s are the shizzy nizz too. let's keep them coming.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Good but not good enough. Of the players we've produced only one (Rooney) is a regular international. In comparison the likes of West Ham, Liverpool, Man Utd and Leeds have all done better than us in recent years, not to mention Man City and even Arsenal.

 

[Neiler]

Good but not good enough. Of the players we've produced only one (Rooney) is a regular international. In comparison the likes of West Ham, Liverpool, Man Utd and Leeds have all done better than us in recent years, not to mention Man City and even Arsenal.

Thats a good point Bruce but you have to rember that Wally scrapped our Youth Side and we let players of the cailebre of Baines, Barton, Jags, and Johnson go to name but a few!

Richard Dunne is a regular international also. Out of all theplayers prodcued above they have all been recognised internationally bar Osman and Hibbert!

 

[Sukulpat]

Good but not good enough. Of the players we've produced only one (Rooney) is a regular international. In comparison the likes of West Ham, Liverpool, Man Utd and Leeds have all done better than us in recent years, not to mention Man City and even Arsenal.

Dear Bruce, our academy also produced Jagielka, Michael Johnson, Leighton Baines into the senior level, even they are not in international class. However, those players will become the backbone player of his team sooner or later. I believe we can still have un-polished gems inside our academy, but it is up to Moyes and management to let them grow in the right way or not.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Calibre though isn't it?

West Ham produced the likes of Ferdinand, Lampard, Cole, Carrick etc. that are top notch.

Liverpool have obviously produced Gerrard and Owen. Even Arsenal have knocked out Bentley and Cole.

Don't get me wrong, our youth scheme isn't bad but we've only produced one England regular in the past 15/20 years. We're in a position now where we can keep hold of the Rooney's of this world and a really good three or four could send us up into the top 4. That has to be our aim rather than another generation of ok but not great players.

 

[Blue Thunder]

Our's isn't bad considering...

...the goal of the Academy is to produce players capable of challenging for spots in the clubs first team whcih we are now doing consistently year-on-year;

Jeffers, Ball, Dunne, Hibbert, Rooney, Osman, Anichebe, Vaughan through to Rodwell, Irving and Kissock with the likes of Baxter, Krenn, Codling and Barnett hopefully following.

Don't really think it is the goal of the Academy to produce internationals nor should it matter so long as they can do a job for the club. Arteta's not an international does that make him any less valuable to the team? Or, are players like David Nugent, Kieron Richardson, Jermaine Defoe, Dean Ashton, David Wheater etc...are better than our current home grown graduates wherever they are playing?

Biggest differentiators for us are;
1-Half our catchment area is in the Irish Sea, most of the rest of the catchment is uninhabited
2-We are competing with numerous top flight clubs for the same limited resources -(Liverpool, Wigan, Man City, Man Utd, Blackburn, Bolton)
3-Can only offer limited terms, then 3 year term once 17

Compared to the advantages some of the other clubs have, West Ham, Man, City, Man Utd-huge urban catchment population, Arsenal-ability to convince govt. of building on green belt (for the advancement of English football nonetheless!) and others we do pretty ok. If we can keep on improving and wiht the move to Finch Farm I feel this is one area that the Club has cmpletely turned around and got right in recent years and given our financial situation it will need to if we are to ever compete for a title again.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

You'd think England has the best team around with some of these comments. Look globally and our youth development in England stinks. I don't think we do anything like enough on this front, and the sheer number of managers that have critisized the academy system in England is surely testament to that.

It's clear from my previous comments that I don't think we do particularly well in relation to other PL clubs but in comparison to the St Ettiennes, the Ajax's and the Sporting Lisbons of this world we do terribly. Sure we can rest on our laurels and say we do ok but considering we have relatively little money to compete in the transfer market this is an area where we could make a big step forward for relatively little money. Bare in mind that I've chosen three clubs there with a similar budget to ourselves, I havn't gone for the Man Utd's and Barcelona's of this world.

 

[GhostOfDixie]

Bruce, if we can dump the foreign element in this country. The foreign coaches, and bring through our own British coaches, instead of trying to be something we are not.

Watch Soccer AM and we have this Skills School. [Poor language removed] clown showing that they can balance a ball on the back of the head. So [Poor language removed] what, we need grafters, we need passers, quick thinkers, intellect, - we need all these, but what we need more than anything is respect for the game. I reckon half the lads are in it for the money and the inflated ego it affords them.

Yes we can look at Spain and how they had something like 80% possession throughout the tournament, we can look at Ajax and their infamous triangle passing techniques, but what we need to do is get British football back to being British. Until our incredible reliance on foreign players and coaches is toned down, we are never going to develop our game.

I would start by banning foreign kids from being in our academies. I would also say you can't play for an academy if you didn't go to school within 50 miles of the academy.

The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea and I suppose Man U are buying up young talent, filling their academies with people who before they arrived at the academy had probably never stepped foot in the country.

Call it xenophobia if you like, but I truly believe if we are to improve as a nation, we need to concentrate on developing English players, not Spanish players or French ones. They don't need us to develop them.

 

[coyney]

Bruce, if we can dump the foreign element in this country. The foreign coaches, and bring through our own British coaches, instead of trying to be something we are not.

Watch Soccer AM and we have this Skills School. [Poor language removed] clown showing that they can balance a ball on the back of the head. So [Poor language removed] what, we need grafters, we need passers, quick thinkers, intellect, - we need all these, but what we need more than anything is respect for the game. I reckon half the lads are in it for the money and the inflated ego it affords them.

Yes we can look at Spain and how they had something like 80% possession throughout the tournament, we can look at Ajax and their infamous triangle passing techniques, but what we need to do is get British football back to being British. Until our incredible reliance on foreign players and coaches is toned down, we are never going to develop our game.

I would start by banning foreign kids from being in our academies. I would also say you can't play for an academy if you didn't go to school within 50 miles of the academy.

The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea and I suppose Man U are buying up young talent, filling their academies with people who before they arrived at the academy had probably never stepped foot in the country.

Call it xenophobia if you like, but I truly believe if we are to improve as a nation, we need to concentrate on developing English players, not Spanish players or French ones. They don't need us to develop them.

Ghost go and watch the Everton in the community coaches with the kids after keepfit drills they teach them to look before passing,controlling the ball all the basics and it works my grandson is 7 and no I dont think hes the next Rooney but when they play him and his mates hold the ball and pass to a unmarked player it really stands out because a lot of teams the play at that age have every one chasing the ball .so there is hope for the future how ever explain this there is one kid head and shoulders above the rest his parents are season ticket holders at goodison and hes just joined Liverpool? gobsmacked I know its far to early to know if he will develop but they asked about him first despite the Everton in the community advising the club who inquired after he had agreed tojoin the shyte.

 

[GhostOfDixie]

Yeah my nephew is being watched by both Everton and Liverpool. No way he will be allowed to join Liverpool, it just wouldn't happen.

 

[coyney]

Yeah my nephew is being watched by both Everton and Liverpool. No way he will be allowed to join Liverpool, it just wouldn't happen.

We think the same years ago my cousin was offered terms as a kid to join them refused he ended up in non -league but never regreted it every time hes pissed he tells the red noses he turned them down and it always ends up in a bet and he pulls the letter out

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Bruce, if we can dump the foreign element in this country. The foreign coaches, and bring through our own British coaches, instead of trying to be something we are not.

Watch Soccer AM and we have this Skills School. [Poor language removed] clown showing that they can balance a ball on the back of the head. So [Poor language removed] what, we need grafters, we need passers, quick thinkers, intellect, - we need all these, but what we need more than anything is respect for the game. I reckon half the lads are in it for the money and the inflated ego it affords them.

Yes we can look at Spain and how they had something like 80% possession throughout the tournament, we can look at Ajax and their infamous triangle passing techniques, but what we need to do is get British football back to being British. Until our incredible reliance on foreign players and coaches is toned down, we are never going to develop our game.

I would start by banning foreign kids from being in our academies. I would also say you can't play for an academy if you didn't go to school within 50 miles of the academy.

The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea and I suppose Man U are buying up young talent, filling their academies with people who before they arrived at the academy had probably never stepped foot in the country.

Call it xenophobia if you like, but I truly believe if we are to improve as a nation, we need to concentrate on developing English players, not Spanish players or French ones. They don't need us to develop them.

So what you're saying is that youngsters from every other country in the world are prepared to go to a foreign country in order to succeed, but our precious little darlings won't? Our players are too soft. You can earn a bloody lot in the PL for being average and too many become complacent as a result. How many English players (and coaches) are prepared to take a wage cut to ensure regular top football in other leagues? Kazim Richards left England as a nobody but ended up in a Euro semi-final. Why aren't our fantastic youngsters being snatched by clubs in other leagues? After all if all their players are coming here they must have space for some of ours to go there. Doesn't happen though does it. Is it that English youngsters simply aren't good enough? Are we too ignorant to try foreign cultures? Are we not willing to risk earning less money?

We get a similar whining whenever English coaches aren't considered for the England job, but how many players opt for the comfort of the tv studio rather than trying to cut their managerial teeth? How many managers in the lower echelons will bemoan the sky 4 for not giving them the chance but won't try to get champions league football in Holland or France or Portugal?

The comment about playing games at 7 years of age. Do other countries do that? Regularly I hear coaches from overseas saying that young players should forget about games until they're much older. The formative stages should be technique, technique and more technique. Leave game play and fitness until they're older. Instead so much of our development seems to revolve around matchplay. Never mind, we can always blame the coach when Croatia or Russia next give us the run around.

 

[GhostOfDixie]

So what you're saying is that youngsters from every other country in the world are prepared to go to a foreign country in order to succeed, but our precious little darlings won't? Our players are too soft. You can earn a bloody lot in the PL for being average and too many become complacent as a result. How many English players (and coaches) are prepared to take a wage cut to ensure regular top football in other leagues? Kazim Richards left England as a nobody but ended up in a Euro semi-final. Why aren't our fantastic youngsters being snatched by clubs in other leagues? After all if all their players are coming here they must have space for some of ours to go there. Doesn't happen though does it. Is it that English youngsters simply aren't good enough? Are we too ignorant to try foreign cultures? Are we not willing to risk earning less money?

We get a similar whining whenever English coaches aren't considered for the England job, but how many players opt for the comfort of the tv studio rather than trying to cut their managerial teeth? How many managers in the lower echelons will bemoan the sky 4 for not giving them the chance but won't try to get champions league football in Holland or France or Portugal?

The comment about playing games at 7 years of age. Do other countries do that? Regularly I hear coaches from overseas saying that young players should forget about games until they're much older. The formative stages should be technique, technique and more technique. Leave game play and fitness until they're older. Instead so much of our development seems to revolve around matchplay. Never mind, we can always blame the coach when Croatia or Russia next give us the run around.

I don't see why our players should go abroad. Why should they? I hardly think we are ignorant to foreign cultures, some of it is forced upon us via the government, but that's another issue. Sure we can take influence from Ajax and the like, but Spain don't play like Holland, Spain play like Spain. I want England to play like England. Do what we do best, what we used to do. Trouble is, and I don't care what you say or think, foreign invasion in English football is causing issues in our grass roots programme.

How can Benitez bring in a 16 year old Spanish footballer and say he is home grown? Fabregas is not a product of the Arsenal academy, he was snatched away from Barcelona due to some daft loop hole in their rules.

We must be able to produce quality, because we have got some great young players, but many we may never see because of the foreign element in both academies and first team squads.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I'm not saying young players should be forced out of the country, but if players are going to complain about a lack of opportunity then they should go where the opportunity is, and if that means going abroad then go abroad. Perhaps ignorance was the wrong word, lazy perhaps would be a better one. How many Englishmen speak a foreign language for instance? Instead most expect others to speak English.

I guess it comes back to hunger again. Look in all of our sportsmen and women and in the majority you'll see a lack of hunger to succeed. Wimbledon is on at the moment and you can see the number of English flops that have had thousands thrown at them whilst kids from eastern Europe who grew up without a pot to piss in strive to succeed. We give our cricket and rugby teams the earth after one success and they flop ever since. And our footballers are given fortunes for being average. When kids grow up wanting to be rich and famous rather than successful is it really any surprise?

It's interesting to note that our best sports such as rowing and cycling are ones that have very little financial support and most athletes could walk down the average street without anyone having a clue who they are. Their only motivation is to be the best they can be. But I guess that expecting our young people to be a whole lot tougher and hard working is more difficult than it is to blame Jonny Foreigner.