I've said this time and time again but obviously people still believe we can challenge in the transfer market, but we are only moving forward by investing in youth, youth and more youth and producing our own quality professionals!! The negligence of the academy, and the lack of quality that has followed in recent times has been utterly shocking and disturbing for a club of Liverpool's status.
Academies are supposed to produce the backbone of teams that outwit the financially superior clubs. And whether we like it or not, there are at least four financially far superior clubs above us in England. Clubs can play all this 'moneyball' nonsense all they like but the fact remains this - clubs with players that are on lower wages and lower transfer fees do not finish ahead of those who spend more.
If you read Soccernomics, only the clubs who have inherited great youth systems can actively challenge those financially superior clubs. Dormund closed the gap on Bayern with some expert buys yes, but crucially, a great youth system was their springboard. Barca.... well they wouldn't have been successful without the academy overhaul that Michels and Cruyff undertook in the late 80s. Some years later, and as a result of those reforms, they have won 4 European Cups since, and given that they hadn't been needing to spend so much as a result of this, they have been able to fill the gaps in their squad accordingly with the few players they do need to buy. And, of course, Liverpool - even in recent years, the trophy success of Houllier and Benitez were centred around, yes you've guessed it, youth product. But since the emergence of those lads in the 90s, we've produced absolutely nothing. And look where it's got us today eh....
Let's get one thing straight here about a successful youth academy:
(A) They cost nothing in comparison, (B) they provide strength and depth to challenge on all fronts, (C) they are generally more loyal to the club they are playing for (before anyone asks - Sterling is NOT a product of our academy), and (D) they are well versed in the tactics and philosophy of the club having been taught such coaching methods from a very early age, meaning their adaption to the first team squad is like water off a ducks back.
Just think how much wasted millions have been spent by our club over the last number of years buying mere squad players? At the very least, youth players promoted from the Academy should be taking up those positions. If that had occurred, perhaps we would have been able to clump all the wasted millions on dud squad players and go that little bit extra for the player in the transfer market that would make all the difference?
I'm telling you this, if we get a good backbone of young talent in the squad, we will be able to spend more wisely on fewer but more quality players.
Then we will be able to progress. Some fans have to get out of this ridiculous deluded mindset that we can buy any world class player - I've seen Tevez name bandied around the lasst few days? Why the hell would he quit a Serie A winning side and Champions League finalist club for us? It's baffling. We don't have the money to outsmart teams in the trasfer market, and we don't have the attraction either.
It's time we put all our efforts towards youth. It provides the concrete foundations upon which we can propel ourselves. Without it, we will constantly be treading water, pathetically thinking we can outmanouevre bigger clubs in the transfer market. But as ever, I'm sure the majority of fans won't give a sh*t about the youth academy, believing that a mere change in manager is going to overhaul everything. Get real - we aren't going nowhere until we can produce talented players ourselves.
« Last Edit: Jun 18, 2015 06:17:44 pm by Son Of A Gun »
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