Standard of Academy Football

[Iwan is a Welshman]

In 2006-07 we won the FA Premier Academy League.

From what I can work out from the structure it's an u18's league split into four groups. The winner of each group goes through to the Semi-Finals and from then on it's a straight knockout to decide the winners.

Theoretically, because we won it, shouldn't that have meant we had the strongest Academy side in the country at that stage? Since that was 4-5 years ago these lads should have come through now. Does anybody know what's happened to that side?

I think the side included King and Mattock. They're likely to have been the most successful considering they're the first two that come to my mind. Neither of them have established themselves as Premiership players as of yet. What does that say about the gulf between Academy football in this country and Senior football if the side who were crowned national champions 4-5 years ago haven't got any (admittedly - it's still early) Premiership-quality players from it?

I don't mean to criticise the job of anybody at the club at all. We've got a fine academy. I'm just interested as to know what's happened to that side.

[North-LondonFox]

In 2006-07 we won the FA Premier Academy League.

From what I can work out from the structure it's an u18's league split into four groups. The winner of each group goes through to the Semi-Finals and from then on it's a straight knockout to decide the winners.

Theoretically, because we won it, shouldn't that have meant we had the strongest Academy side in the country at that stage? Since that was 4-5 years ago these lads should have come through now. Does anybody know what's happened to that side?

I think the side included King and Mattock. They're likely to have been the most successful considering they're the first two that come to my mind. Neither of them have established themselves as Premiership players as of yet. What does that say about the gulf between Academy football in this country and Senior football if the side who were crowned national champions 4-5 years ago haven't got any (admittedly - it's still early) Premiership-quality players from it?

I don't mean to criticise the job of anybody at the club at all. We've got a fine academy. I'm just interested as to know what's happened to that side.

The gulf between academy football and the top two tiers of the English game is huge. That side also had Max Gradel in I think? But the fact that only a small selection of that team have progressed, tells its own story. Its worth noting that the key indicator of academy success is more the FA Youth Cup than the league. Top sides like Spurs, United, Chelsea etc - often play thier top acaemy players in the reserves or loan them out, so they often don't play their strongest sides other than in the FA YC.

[Bryn]

Plus many of our players in that victory were a year or two older than their opponents (Arsenal?)

[Iwan is a Welshman]

Cheers North London Fox. I know that the youth system in this country is undergoing major reform and by the looks of things it needs it. The FA Youth Cup does get a lot more notoriety than the League. I remember the Final of that being televised by Sky occasionally (when the bigger sides are involved.)

Even with the Youth Cup - according to Wikipedia there's only been 3 players in the last decade who have won that and gone on to play for England. Bothroyd, Wilshere and Kieran Richardson. The gap must be huge.

[Iwan is a Welshman]

Plus many of our players in that victory were a year or two older than their opponents (Arsenal?)

Do you know who else was in the side and who turned out for Arsenal? It could be that, at 18, clubs expect players to have made it to senior status with a club in the top two divisions of English football. Like North London Fox said clubs loan players out.

We beat Sunderland on penalties in the final (in a side that I imagine might have included Jordan Henderson.) Beat Arsenal in the Semis.

[Guest NGoloMode]

Do you know who else was in the side and who turned out for Arsenal? It could be that, at 18, clubs expect players to have made it to senior status with a club in the top two divisions of English football. Like North London Fox said clubs loan players out.

We beat Sunderland on penalties in the final (in a side that I imagine might have included Jordan Henderson.) Beat Arsenal in the Semis.

And Martyn Waghorn?

*edit* in fact I've found the teams on match day..

Sunderland: Carson, Kay, Donoghue, McArdle, Liddle, Henderson, Weir, Colback, Luscombe, Dowson, Home-Jackson. Subs: Backhouse, Waghorn, Cook, Chandler, Madden.

Leicester City: Pentney, Cox, Mattock, Magunda, Lycett, Garner, Gradel, King, McKay, Odhiambo, Beswick. Subs: Chambers, Cisak, Tuttle, Turner, Jauow.

[Iwan is a Welshman]

How the hell did I manage to forget Waggy.

Thanks for the teams. This is what's happened to 'em (according to Wikipedia.)

Carl Pentney - Made one professional appearance for us (as a sub against Swindon at home.) Now at Colchester United but loaned out to Bath City and Chelmsford City.

Lee Cox - Never played a game for us. Released in '09 and has gone on to have what looks like a pretty succesful time at Inverness Cally.

Joe Mattock - Played for England u21. Signed for The Baggies for £1,000,000. Didn't quite cut it and ended up helping Micky Adams take Sheffield United down. Don't know if he'll be at The Hawthorns or Bramall Lane next year. I doubt West Brom will see much use in him playing third tier football so it may be he's elsewhere in The Championship.

Magunda is a place in Kenya and Lycett is either an author, figure skater, painter or doubles tennis player.

Scott Garner - Signed on a free for Mansfield Town in 2009 without playing a game for us. Has since moved to Grimsby. Got a cap for England C.

Maxi Gradel - Played 27 games for us, most in League One from my memory, before making a loan spell permanent at Leeds. In those 27 games he scored 1 goal for us - he's got 21 in 54 for Leeds. Think of that what you will.

Andy King - Definitely my favourite of the bunch. Scored 34 goals in 144 games for us and 1 in 8 for Wales. Captain. Has won Players' Player the last two years running. In the current squad nobody else has played more games for the club (Oakley's closest at 137.)

BIlly McKay - Released at the end of '09 without playing a game, Northampton signed him, and he's made 66 appearances scoring 13 goals. One of them was at Anfield in their cup win earlier in the season.

Eric Odhiambo - Never played for us and was released in 2009. He's at Cally with Lee Cox having scored 9 in 55 appearances.

Ryan Beswick - Went to Kettering Town in 2009. There's a Ryan Beswick at Solihull Moors (Conference North) I don't know if that's the same lad.

I'm not doing subs or Sunderland - can't justify slacking off the work any longer! There's a lot of young lads fell by the wayside there though. Obviously Mattock, Gradel and King are the pick of the bunch (unless you're an Inverness Cally fan.)