Academies in general are a fairly recent concept, in the70s and 80s some kids did make it through the ranks and a few local lads made it into the first team as the game was still fairly localised, the difference now in the modern game is the importance money now plays and that is why Academies were set up. Think of the millions clubs can make and save if they can unearth a star in the making, Ajax for example have had Babel since he was 11yrs old and during that time they fund him and train him and watch him develop with the knowledge that one day they would have a prized asset on there books, one to use in the first team or one to sell for a huge profit and then use that money to improve the team, they really can’t lose.
That is why we have had this influx of young talent because even if two or three of them make it we have hit the jackpot, and I would certainly not call it poaching as with the exception of Daniel Pacheco many of these youngsters come to us from lesser clubs and they are compensated and we get a promising young player who may or may not make it.
The last real impressive production of British talent from a youth system for me was probably when the Mancs had 7 or 8 come through at once but since that time who have they brought through and who is of the same calibre as them? And please don’t say O’shea or Richardson! Arsenal unfortunately have shown the way forward with their ‘spot the cockney’ kids teams they put out in the cups last year, they have been brought in from all over the world and Wenger has no qualms at all about playing a team with not an Englishman in it.
The game is now global and so a wider player base has become available to us and we don’t just bring in kids from local clubs but cast the net as far as we can but I still think you have as much chance of still being spotted as a 12yr old playing in Stanley park as anyone else does, you just have to be good enough!
And hey I don’t want to see gang’s of twenty odd year old fella’s playing footy in Stanley Park pretending they are 12!
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