Bellingham and others…

[HesNotGudjonsonn2]

I just wondered if I am alone on my thinking that when you are the current biggest fish in an area then you should be aware and look to acquire the best local talent. So, Bellingham being the player who was clearly showing promise at a lower league team just down the road. Were we aware and if so then why didn’t we bring him in to our youth team? Isn’t that what this fantastic academy is for? 

[rico]

We were interested in him but he set his sights higher

[Unabomber]

I have to say this is the most random thread of 2022 and it’s the 31st of December so good job.

[Cadno'r Cymoedd]

Wrong thread!! 

Edited 31 December 2022 by Cadno'r Cymoedd

[Unabomber]

Just now, Cadno'r Cymoedd said:

Come on Brighton!!! 

Man what is going on tonight 

[Ric Flair]

4 minutes ago, HesNotGudjonsonn2 said:

I just wondered if I am alone on my thinking that when you are the current biggest fish in an area then you should be aware and look to acquire the best local talent. So, Bellingham being the player who was clearly showing promise at a lower league team just down the road. Were we aware and if so then why didn’t we bring him in to our youth team? Isn’t that what this fantastic academy is for? 

Bellingham got picked for their first team very very early so would have been difficult to nab but there's been plenty of other jewels in Midlands academies that we have gone nowhere near and it is frustrating. We're too nice, wouldn't want to upset anyone.

[davieG]

11 minutes ago, HesNotGudjonsonn2 said:

I just wondered if I am alone on my thinking that when you are the current biggest fish in an area then you should be aware and look to acquire the best local talent. So, Bellingham being the player who was clearly showing promise at a lower league team just down the road. Were we aware and if so then why didn’t we bring him in to our youth team? Isn’t that what this fantastic academy is for? 

Leicester City made an offer to sign Jude Bellingham but lost out to Borussia Dortmund, according to ex-Birmingham City CEO Dong Ren.

Bellingham was hot property having come through the ranks at the Blues which led to a string of clubs battling to sign the talented teenager. Manchester United even held meetings with Bellingham in a bid to convince the teenager to complete the switch to Old Trafford while Leicester and Wolves were also keen.

But the England international, who is now being tipped to move to Liverpool in the summer, opted for Dortmund ahead of Bayern Munich and wrapped up a £25m move in 2020.

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-city-jude-bellingham-transfer-7978916

[st albans fox]

Most young kids play for their local team - parents aren’t wanting to cart their teenager thirty to forty miles three times a week when they have a club fifteen minutes up the road. 
 

I reckon it’s difficult to pull kids away once they are established in their local academy with the promise of x and y. Remember that the really good ones will have likely been there since they were seven or eight. 

 

But we certainly shouldn’t be losing any youngsters from s notts or s derbys to forest or derby 

[davieG]

13 minutes ago, HesNotGudjonsonn2 said:

I just wondered if I am alone on my thinking that when you are the current biggest fish in an area then you should be aware and look to acquire the best local talent. So, Bellingham being the player who was clearly showing promise at a lower league team just down the road. Were we aware and if so then why didn’t we bring him in to our youth team? Isn’t that what this fantastic academy is for? 

We did get Gray off of them.

[Ric Flair]

4 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Most young kids play for their local team - parents aren’t wanting to cart their teenager thirty to forty miles three times a week when they have a club fifteen minutes up the road. 
 

I reckon it’s difficult to pull kids away once they are established in their local academy with the promise of x and y. Remember that the really good ones will have likely been there since they were seven or eight. 

 

But we certainly shouldn’t be losing any youngsters from s notts or s derbys to forest or derby 

Villa have managed to

[whoareyaaa]

Would be great for Arsenal

[st albans fox]

Just now, Ric Flair said:

Villa have managed to

From where though?  if you’re talking Birmingham, wolves, cov or West Brom then it’s not v much different is it?  Around here, kids get invited to Watford, spurs, arsenal, Luton, Stevenage  ….. it doesn’t make much difference re travel. the odd one will go to palace, Chelsea or West Ham but the best are snapped up early and stay local.  

 

I reckon if villa have the best reputation for 16/18 y o development in the West Midlands then they have a decent chance of nicking a few at 16.  It’s tougher for us but I have no idea if we’re trying to get a few out of forest and derby as we should be. 

[moore_94]

Aren’t there rules around how far away kids can live from training grounds and stuff like that as well?

[Ric Flair]

52 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

Aren’t there rules around how far away kids can live from training grounds and stuff like that as well?

Yes but think most of the Midlands we'd be OK on and once 16 the catchment is much bigger.

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, st albans fox said:

From where though?  if you’re talking Birmingham, wolves, cov or West Brom then it’s not v much different is it?  Around here, kids get invited to Watford, spurs, arsenal, Luton, Stevenage  ….. it doesn’t make much difference re travel. the odd one will go to palace, Chelsea or West Ham but the best are snapped up early and stay local.  

 

I reckon if villa have the best reputation for 16/18 y o development in the West Midlands then they have a decent chance of nicking a few at 16.  It’s tougher for us but I have no idea if we’re trying to get a few out of forest and derby as we should be. 

Yes that's what I mean, they've taken loads of the best academy players from Northampton, WBA, Stoke, Birmingham, Wolves, Derby etc.

 

We were the standout club in the Midlands for 5 years having won everything domestically and we've done fcuk all with the investment to our academy. Villa's academy was the pits so they threw a lot of time and effort in to it and it's paying dividends.

[Bert]

Re Bellingham, we made a bid that was accepted. 

[Sly]

12 minutes ago, Bert said:

Re Bellingham, we made a bid that was accepted. 

Yep, he was clearly an externally talented player at 16. He just set his sights higher and wanted to play first team football. He’d never have played here. 

[Beliall]

if we had got him he would be a chelsea player by now anyway

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, Bert said:

Re Bellingham, we made a bid that was accepted. 

We should be pushing the boat out for his brother !  

[shailen]

Tbf our academy produces a lot of players including Thomas, Barnes and Dewsbury Hall who are all starting for us at the moment. We've had a number of other players who have come through our academy and gone on to have/had decent careers. I think we've done pretty well on this front. 

[CosbehFox]

Worth mentioning as well that Birmingham’s academy is very good and plenty of people in football would say it’s a decent place for a player to develop. 

[jayfox26]

15 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Bellingham got picked for their first team very very early so would have been difficult to nab but there's been plenty of other jewels in Midlands academies that we have gone nowhere near and it is frustrating. We're too nice, wouldn't want to upset anyone.

The "too nice" thing applies on and off the pitch unfortunately. Sometimes wish we'd be bastards a bit more and do some of the dark art shit that even the biggest teams do but nah we just carry on being little old leicester that's ever obliging!