Money is again something that's driven is away from having the pick of local talent.. It's easy to go and bring in a Markovic who another side or two have developed in recent times than it is to develop your own.
That's the perception I feel anyway of those local lads, we used to have a basic monopoly of the local talentnp matter if they were red or blue because we were the club that was seen both as successful and that promotes from within..
Look at the ones who came through in the 90s
Fowler
Macca
Owen
Gerrard
Carra
To name 5 most successful, 3 of them were Blues but the better opportunity locally was Liverpool, Carra even went to Everton for a year but came back over as the set up and progression lanes were better here.
It's no coincidence that the two biggest talent to come out of merseyside in the last decade or so (Rooney-Barkley) have come through their academy than ours as we flood ours with kids from abroad, kids from different part of our country who we pay fees for and scatter gun buy players to fill roles
The best will always filter through as those 7 named above have but nowadays it seems Everton are seen as a better progression route than us locally
The rest will come through too and earn livings (Thompson/Spearing etc)but if they are good enough for us as the likes of Nolan et al probably wouldn't be they move on and forge careers elsewhere but I do often question the progression route at Liverpool now for local lads as opposed to brought in lads
Look at Rossiter right now, it's great to see him around, but who will Rodgers fall back on? Rossiter or the likes of Can when even the first choice are out? I hope Rossiter makes it and he has fought his way through but ultimately if he gets a career here like as opposed if he would get one at the blues having come through their system is something the local lads and their parents consider
Logged