Shutdown seagrave

[Jakemoore]

So in summary, we just need to bring Nigel back and everything will be fine. 

[Winstonthedog]

Blaming the weather ..... we must be nearing the bottom of the barrel now

[Claridge]

On 21/08/2025 at 13:28, honeybradger said:

It's been mentioned that windiness around the training pitches at Seagrave means it's hard to train set pieces.

 

Would explain a lot considering our awful run around the time we moved in.

someone should remind them they have the indoor pitch

[Lesterlad]

On 21/08/2025 at 22:06, wardyfox86 said:

When Nigel was here we had some of the best tools in the business and just chucked them in a rusty old toolbox, but those tools built something special.

 

Then we bought a nice shiny new toolbox and proceeded to fill it with some Aldi middle isle special buy spanners.

 

Can have the fanciest training ground going, but we have lost all the good background staff that could best utilise it.

Trust me we still have a lot of tools running the club

[TrentFox]

Suspect this thread is mainly driven by the Forest/Cov/Derby/fans lurking in our midst and green with envy. Disappointing to see City fans falling for that envy. It’s an amazing resource that belongs to an elite club. Yes, we are a long way from that, presently, but we’ll be back there again one day, soon. In the meantime, it contributes to the development of Alves, Monga, Nelson, Aluko, Page, Evans et al. That batch alone will surely more than cover its cost. 

[Rob1742]

Not sure Seagrave was a good move for us. Yes an elite facility, but we have always done well at times where we were considered a family club, where there was a togetherness across the club in all departments.

 

Seagrave I understand has made it less of a family style set up where there are more divisions and departments. 

 

Great I suppose if you are a top 6 side, but if you need some togetherness to get through, then it may not have that feel.

 

I haven’t been, so can’t comment, but  I’ve been to St George’s a number of times and I find it soulless and without doubt a place I would hate to spend my work days in. 

 

If I could compare  St George’s and Belvior Drive, I have no doubt in where I’d prefer to spend my working day. 
 

I understand why we did it, but not sure it was right for a club of our size and the smaller we become the more we’d probably be better in a smaller Belvior Drive type set up. 

 

 

[MonarchFox]

9 academy players in the squad, 5 started.  Admittedly a couple were here before Seagrave was built but have had the benefit since.

 

The facility isn't the problem, the recruitment is.

 

We'll be relying on this to produce for years to come.

[Chrysalis]

On 30/03/2025 at 08:47, l444ry said:

It's not Seagrave itself that's the issue. It's probably the standards, discipline and lack of respect being set by successive Managers and staff. Appoint a proper Manager like O'Neill or Pearson  and this so-called "problem" would go away overnight.

Yet we have had a player state the problem wasnt there until we moved, and that was under one manager.
The place is too shielded from the public, too posh, and is ridiculous for a club our stature and size.
Who in their right mind thought it would improve the quality of the football output without putting world class coaches in there?

[Chrysalis]

On 30/03/2025 at 09:50, Stuntman_Mike said:

The positives of Seagrave as a facility outweigh the negatives, it's the people employed to work there that are the problem. 

 

It was fine when we won the FA Cup whilst being there.

 

Those saying lets go back to Belvoir Drive, it's not like we didn't have long periods of being complete shite when training there. 

What are the positives aside from status symbol?

[Chrysalis]

On 21/08/2025 at 23:17, Clogger_ said:

Yes, also the leadership. Imagine what Nige and crew could have done with the facility

The same as what they with the old place?

[l444ry]

49 minutes ago, Chrysalis said:

Yet we have had a player state the problem wasnt there until we moved, and that was under one manager.
The place is too shielded from the public, too posh, and is ridiculous for a club our stature and size.
Who in their right mind thought it would improve the quality of the football output without putting world class coaches in there?

Take your point but Seagrave is working for the Academy. Still think a strong Manger would sort out the Senior Squad. An element of our recent bunch of players seem to have had too much power, regardless of Seagrave and probably the same situation would be happening at Belvoir Drive. Think that blaming Seagrave alone is too simplistic.   

[Number 6]

We need to lean far more into the academy side of things and Seagrave should be brilliant for this. 

 

I said before that I wouldn't go as far as mandating academy products into the match day squad, but I think actually we should. 3 academy players in every match day squad, minimum. 2 starters for all league cup games, minimum. Every manager should be hired with this in mind. No deviation. 

 

The academy set up should also be there to facilitate players improving and getting first team chances. The younger teams should play stylistically like the first team does. If the first team manager wants to try a youngster as a winger, he should be playing as a winger in the youth team. A joined up approach.

 

We need to be seen as a club that will nurture young talent, give them game time and experience, and then not hinder a big move of they get it. It feels like we invested in Seagrave and then just ticked the "invest in youth" box on the checklist, but it's only part of the picture.

[Fox-LMA]

In May of last year I went to that u16 final vs Man City at the KP.

 

We won 2-1 & it should have been more. If the teams had played in neutral kits you would have thought that we were Man City. We dominated the ball & able to get around Man City with pace & flair at almost every stage of the game. I also think they were fielding over age players as theirs were physically bigger than ours (& Heskey's son was playing for them, & I swear to god he's over 16).

 

As I was watching Monga send their full back for his 10th hotdog, it dawned on me that this is the first exclusively Seagrave generation. These players would have come in at 12 & did the bulk of their youth development there. Not Belvior Drive like KDH, Thomas, Barnes etc..

 

Fast forward a year, & three of that very team have made first team appearances at 15,16 & 17 & are showing genuine promise, with more on the way.

 

Seagrave is working. It's not the vanity driven white elephant people on here seem to think it is.

[Spanner73]

On 23/08/2025 at 07:44, Jakemoore said:

So in summary, we just need to bring Nigel back and everything will be fine. 

The hard long hours and slog that bloke put in over many many years together with a good team of people behind him creating the foundation in which the club was built on, a good atmosphere, a work ethic and everyone pulling together in the same direction has been completely smashed to smitherines by Dumb and Dumber with their lack of interest and pure negligence over many years and now it’s evident for everyone to see, whether they like it or not they are responsible- end of ! 
 

 

[ronnup]

7 minutes ago, Spanner73 said:

The hard long hours and slog that bloke put in over many many years together with a good team of people behind him creating the foundation in which the club was built on, a good atmosphere, a work ethic and everyone pulling together in the same direction has been completely smashed to smitherines by Dumb and Dumber with their lack of interest and pure negligence over many years and now it’s evident for everyone to see, whether they like it or not they are responsible- end of ! 
 

 

 

Tbf , Rodgers dismantled a lot of Pearson's good work

[OntarioFox]

The thing about Seagrave is that it insulates the players far more than Belvoir Drive ever could. It's a nice little bubble where criticism is nonexistant and the chances of coming across a member of the unwashed masses on your way in and out are minimal. Though with the rate shit housing estates are going up in Sileby they might have Deano in his newbuild poking his head over the fence within a couple of years. 

 

That was by design, of course, we're all now acutely aware that this ownership are secretive and would rather the fanbase know as little as possible that isn't spoonfed through the KPFC channels. So it made perfect sense they'd want club activities to happen somewhere isolated away from matchday.

I'd like to see somebody rock up and pop a Rudkin Out banner in the hedgerow opposite the entrance, but whereas previously you were smack bang in the middle of the city, I reckon a lot of folks would struggle to find Seagrave on a map, let alone survive the A46 junction nearby.

Edited 24 August 2025 by OntarioFox

[moore_94]

A management team that has the likes of Nige, Shakey and Walsh would have Seagrave being run "close together" just like it was at Belvoir Drive

 

When you have let muppets like Rodgers, Cooper, and RVN get their hands on it then there is no wonder if there is divisions between departments etc.

 

With a place like that it is always about the people that are running it, not the actual place itself

 

Same with any workplace

[ALC Fox]

It's not Seagrave, it's the culture. Sort out the culture and Seagrave will work. It already is working for the academy. No reason why it can't for the first team as well. We just need a coherent club ethos. As with all things, it's the board and those running the club that are the problem.

[Spanner73]

3 hours ago, ALC Fox said:

It's not Seagrave, it's the culture. Sort out the culture and Seagrave will work. It already is working for the academy. No reason why it can't for the first team as well. We just need a coherent club ethos. As with all things, it's the board and those running the club that are the problem.

Absolutely ! 

[Chrysalis]

10 hours ago, l444ry said:

Take your point but Seagrave is working for the Academy. Still think a strong Manger would sort out the Senior Squad. An element of our recent bunch of players seem to have had too much power, regardless of Seagrave and probably the same situation would be happening at Belvoir Drive. Think that blaming Seagrave alone is too simplistic.   

Thats the one area I accept it can benefit.

[Tuna]

Nothing wrong with Seagrave, other teams have big out of town complex's and are fine, it's the clowns running the show that is the problem. Culture of incompetency.

[OadbyBlue]

One thing I find interesting though is even Albrighton seemed to suggest that Seagrave made the players more comfortable (I think on Fosters’ podcast?)

[HitchinFox]

On 21/08/2025 at 23:17, Clogger_ said:

Yes, also the leadership. Imagine what Nige and crew could have done with the facility

 

Called people ostriches, fight a pack of wild dogs wearing shiny white trainers and brought in some female Thai "entertainers"? 

 

God I miss him. 

[Bert]

13 minutes ago, OadbyBlue said:

One thing I find interesting though is even Albrighton seemed to suggest that Seagrave made the players more comfortable (I think on Fosters’ podcast?)

Yeah he did, and he’s right. You could (can) literally live there and have every last little thing done for you. 

[Mon.is.a.god]

10 hours ago, Fox-LMA said:

In May of last year I went to that u16 final vs Man City at the KP.

 

We won 2-1 & it should have been more. If the teams had played in neutral kits you would have thought that we were Man City. We dominated the ball & able to get around Man City with pace & flair at almost every stage of the game. I also think they were fielding over age players as theirs were physically bigger than ours (& Heskey's son was playing for them, & I swear to god he's over 16).

 

As I was watching Monga send their full back for his 10th hotdog, it dawned on me that this is the first exclusively Seagrave generation. These players would have come in at 12 & did the bulk of their youth development there. Not Belvior Drive like KDH, Thomas, Barnes etc..

 

Fast forward a year, & three of that very team have made first team appearances at 15,16 & 17 & are showing genuine promise, with more on the way.

 

Seagrave is working. It's not the vanity driven white elephant people on here seem to think it is.

Fans turn a blind eye but it’s Rudkin’s biggest achievement here to date. I’m led to believe Rudkin oversaw the whole academy setup at Seagrave. The amount of youth that has stepped up to the first team at both training grounds under Rudkin is never highlighted!