Is it all academic?

[Thracian]

Leicester City's Academy sounds very grandiose and as the Board have obviously heard Levein's opinions on its future development it would be interesting to know the forum's view.

To me it is absolutely vital but will prove an utter waste of money unless the right players are scouted to play within its framework, unless the coaches make the most of skills put before them, unless the manager has the nerve and foresight to play the better ones and unless the same manager is ruthless enough to ignore sentiment and sell one or two on a regular basis.

But for the quirks of English business law, Leicester City would quite possibly be extinct now or, if not, wallowing somewhere near the bottom end of the Football League due to points deductions for insolvency etc.

There were many reasons for their demise but the lack of emerging youth talent was one. If two players come through each season that's two that don't have to be purchased and two who, being young and inexperienced, would command lower wages than such as Blake, Wilcox and others.

If another two are produced the following year and one of the first two (or both if best) are then sold there is a regular source of worthwhile income.

Dario Grady has been the master but other clubs, like West Ham, have consistently produced good young players to help them stay solvent.

The point about Grady is that he's done it year in, year out proving that if you have the talent as a coach you CAN regularly develop saleable and playable youngsters.

Trouble is, as a general rule, I've never been over impressed with the coaching capabilities at Leicester for most of the last two or three decades (with rare exceptions).

Whether Levein has the right men I've no idea cos its too early to say but the unimaginative set-pieces coupled with their poor delivery and the poor crossing of last season wasn't exactly a reference and neither was the poor marksmanship.

This year had better show an improvement, that's for sure.

If so, there's every chance the improving standards will be picked up at youth level. Then, of course, it's up to the Boss to have some faith. GRADY ALWAYS HAD FAITH AND SO DID THE MANAGERS AT WEST HAM.

Question is what does the rest of the forum think - if the directors are willing to listen.

[Foxes1884]

I agree with most of what you say and would really love to see a number of home grown talent brought through. The youth system should always be the life blood of a club such as ours. It becomes more difficult to find youngster of the right quality or even blood these youngsters the more successful your team becomes.

I do though believe it should be noted that it could be said that West Ham played all their prestigious talent too early. This resulted in them being relegated and allowed the vultures to steal their young talent very easily and cheaply.

I also agree that Mario Grady has done a fantastic job bring youngsters through but Crewe have never been more than a Poor Championship/Good Div 1 team. Yes Crewe produce great talent but what’s the point if you can’t keep them to build the team around. Obviously money talks and balancing the book is key and Crewe do this by producing and selling players. I just feel that with the support we have we could have a decent wage structure paid from gate receipts alone and so not need to sell players to balance the books. The problem is the money spinning Premiership. It is nigh on impossible to stay in the Premiership without investment and this is a risk. A risk more and more of the promoted teams, quiet rightly in my opinion, refuse to take. I’m starting to drift into a whole new argument here so will stop. But youth development helps but cannot alone create a successful team.

I can’t remember who said it but in a previous post someone said that we need to produce a minimum of two good youngsters a year. One to sadly sell and one to keep and improve the team. This is probably more of the reality we face ourselves with.

[Anish]

Another great post Thracian.

I agree entirely - our academy is absolutely pointless if some of the youngsters are not going to make the breakthrough to the first team. I know administration hit the academy badly but that was 2 years ago now, and cannot be used as an excuse. We need more players like Stearman to come through because of the aforementioned reasons.

Too many players over the last 5 years or so from the City academy have fallen away into non-league football. I know it's a difficult task spotting talented teenagers and nurturing them for a few years to get them ready for professional football, but each year there should be at least 1 player who rises up to the fringes of the first team. If this isn't the case then something needs to be done - because it is money that is being thrown down the drain taking on all these academy kids and then seeing nothing in return.

Oh, and it's Dario Gradi by the way, not Mario Grady

[step]

I don’t think our academy is any more successful or unsuccessful than any other academy. I just think it is very difficult to select a youngster and know that he will turn out to be a talented player so there is a lot of luck involved in the process of developing young players.

Also, the more talented youngsters get drawn to clubs that are perceived to be bigger than us so we don’t get the cream of the crop, but the real problem is caused by the FA and its youth policy. Read on and weep.

Many years ago the French FA, was rather pizzed because they did not produce many good players, and they did some research, which involved Pele to discover why so many South Americans countries managed to produce so much talent that came from poor back grounds and they discovered that the root cause of these kids ball skills was the fact that the kids learned to play football with anything that they could kick about, tin cans, tennis balls, generally a small object that is very difficult to control.

When these kids got older and got finally got introduced to a large normal sized football they found that the ball control was easy and their ball skills where exceptional.

The French who don’t normally do anything right, decided that they would introduce a system of rules/ recommendations about the size of the football the kids should use, and yes you've guessed it, the kids learned to play football with tennis balls. Years later, the French are producing some of the best players in the world. Not a coincidence.

The British FA, that thinks it knows everything about football does introduce smaller footballs for the kids but they are much larger than the French use and years later, we don’t produce enough home grown players. Again, Not a coincidence

[Thracian]

I don’t think our academy is any more successful or unsuccessful than any other academy.  I just think it is very difficult to select a youngster and know that he will turn out to be a talented player so there is a lot of luck involved in the process of developing young players. 

Also,  the more talented youngsters get drawn to clubs that are perceived to be bigger than us so we don’t get the cream of the crop,  but the real problem is caused by the FA and its youth policy.  Read on and weep.

Many years ago the French FA, was rather pizzed because they did not produce many good players, and they did some research, which involved Pele to discover why so many South Americans countries managed to produce so much talent that came from poor back grounds and they discovered that the root cause of these kids ball skills was the fact that the kids learned to play football with anything that they could kick about, tin cans, tennis balls, generally a small object that is very difficult to control. 

When these kids got older and got finally got introduced to a large normal sized football they found that the ball control was easy and their ball skills where exceptional.

The French who don’t normally do anything right, decided that they would introduce a system of rules/ recommendations about the size of the football the kids should use, and yes you've guessed it, the kids learned to play football with tennis balls.  Years later, the French are producing some of the best players in the world.  Not a coincidence. 

The British FA, that thinks it knows everything about football does introduce smaller footballs for the kids but they are much larger than the French use and years later, we don’t produce enough home grown players.  Again, Not a coincidence

126384[/snapback]

That puts the ball in the City coaches' court, so to speak. Be interesting if they do anything about it. Even in the FA won't respond what's the problem with introducing a small ball for a percentage of all Academy ball skills work?

[Ric Flair]

I don’t think our academy is any more successful or unsuccessful than any other academy.  I just think it is very difficult to select a youngster and know that he will turn out to be a talented player so there is a lot of luck involved in the process of developing young players. 

Also,  the more talented youngsters get drawn to clubs that are perceived to be bigger than us so we don’t get the cream of the crop,  but the real problem is caused by the FA and its youth policy.  Read on and weep.

Many years ago the French FA, was rather pizzed because they did not produce many good players, and they did some research, which involved Pele to discover why so many South Americans countries managed to produce so much talent that came from poor back grounds and they discovered that the root cause of these kids ball skills was the fact that the kids learned to play football with anything that they could kick about, tin cans, tennis balls, generally a small object that is very difficult to control. 

When these kids got older and got finally got introduced to a large normal sized football they found that the ball control was easy and their ball skills where exceptional.

The French who don’t normally do anything right, decided that they would introduce a system of rules/ recommendations about the size of the football the kids should use, and yes you've guessed it, the kids learned to play football with tennis balls.  Years later, the French are producing some of the best players in the world.  Not a coincidence.

The British FA, that thinks it knows everything about football does introduce smaller footballs for the kids but they are much larger than the French use and years later, we don’t produce enough home grown players.  Again, Not a coincidence

126384[/snapback]

There's a chap in England who own Garthford Town that runs soccer schools that incorporate a similar thing. He's been mirroring the Brazilian way for several years and has many soccer academies.

I don't think we can blame administration for the lack of talent coming through from our academy. Look at Ipswich who have also been in administration and they have produced 6 or 7 good players from their academy within the past few years. The whole set up needs changing and as Levein says why should Coventry, Derby, Forest, Wolves, Birmingham and Villa have the pick of the local kids in the midlands? Leicester should be fighting these clubs for them and making a name for themselves.

If Levein can have an input in changing the academy for the better, I think whatever he does as manager here we will have alot to thank in a few years time. As i've said before Levein has his fingers in more pies than Frey Bentos.

[Jonbluefox9]

I don't think we can blame administration for the lack of talent coming through from our academy. Look at Ipswich who have also been in administration and they have produced 6 or 7 good players from their academy within the past few years.

I don't know where cutbacks were made at Ipswich during administration but at Leicester, the academy director got the boot and the deal with Cork City was cancelled either just before or during admin. If Alan Hill had stayed I think the academy would be in a much better state but obviously the administrators felt that our best chance of revenue was by winning promotion and it would be the senior lads that would do that for us not scholars etc. The academy had to take a back seat really. I bet most of those Ipswich players that came through the ranks had made the break prior to admin too. I remember Darren Bent playing for them in the Prem.