Confimred new owners of Raeding Footbal Club

[Ian Royal]

Not to mention securing Cat 1 status for the academy.

Yes, but for how long though? At an annual cost of £2.5m, we will already return to selling our best player every summer to fill the annual black hole, and now have this to find as well.

As long as its producing quality players and saving us in transfers.

[ZacNaloen]

Not to mention securing Cat 1 status for the academy.

Yes, but for how long though? At an annual cost of £2.5m, we will already return to selling our best player every summer to fill the annual black hole, and now have this to find as well.

As long as its producing quality players and saving us in transfers.

If it's producing quality players it will also pay for itself*


*If the senior players don't swallow up all the clubs money in wages.

[Terminal Boardom]

To be fair, Southampton seem to have sorted their financials out and produced some quality players AND netted a fair few pennies with the odd sale here and there. For me, theirs is a blueprint to follow. Plus, a club not afraid to throw an 18 year old debutant in at the deep end against Arsenal recently. Reading, on the other hand, only appear to throw in a youngster when there is no one else available. Is anyone going to tell me otherwise that playing Obita at left back was all part of some master plan?

[Royalwaster]

To be fair, Southampton seem to have sorted their financials out and produced some quality players AND netted a fair few pennies with the odd sale here and there. For me, theirs is a blueprint to follow. Plus, a club not afraid to throw an 18 year old debutant in at the deep end against Arsenal recently. Reading, on the other hand, only appear to throw in a youngster when there is no one else available. Is anyone going to tell me otherwise that playing Obita at left back was all part of some master plan?

TBF Obita was playing games before he was added in as left-back, and what about Karacan, Pearce, McCarthy? Did we only play them due to injury?

[Extended-Phenotype]

Yup, all you need to do is post something and Brendy will reply

I'm not sure if the first part is even necessary.

[Royal Ginger]

To be fair, Southampton seem to have sorted their financials out and produced some quality players AND netted a fair few pennies with the odd sale here and there. For me, theirs is a blueprint to follow. Plus, a club not afraid to throw an 18 year old debutant in at the deep end against Arsenal recently. Reading, on the other hand, only appear to throw in a youngster when there is no one else available. Is anyone going to tell me otherwise that playing Obita at left back was all part of some master plan?

Didn't we throw SimLOLn Church in at the deep end in the playoffs?

[From Despair To Where?]

We did but he has a very buoyant head and kept bobbing back to the surface.

[Uke]

Yup, all you need to do is post something and Brendy will reply

I'm not sure if the first part is even necessary.

It's stopped him posting on this thread though

[Terminal Boardom]

To be fair, Southampton seem to have sorted their financials out and produced some quality players AND netted a fair few pennies with the odd sale here and there. For me, theirs is a blueprint to follow. Plus, a club not afraid to throw an 18 year old debutant in at the deep end against Arsenal recently. Reading, on the other hand, only appear to throw in a youngster when there is no one else available. Is anyone going to tell me otherwise that playing Obita at left back was all part of some master plan?

TBF Obita was playing games before he was added in as left-back, and what about Karacan, Pearce, McCarthy? Did we only play them due to injury?

Fair point abot Obita but of the other three, only McCarthy is worth getting excited about. I can't imagine any of the top 10 PLteams queueing up to sign either Pearce or Karacan.

[Ian Royal]

To be fair, Southampton seem to have sorted their financials out and produced some quality players AND netted a fair few pennies with the odd sale here and there. For me, theirs is a blueprint to follow. Plus, a club not afraid to throw an 18 year old debutant in at the deep end against Arsenal recently. Reading, on the other hand, only appear to throw in a youngster when there is no one else available. Is anyone going to tell me otherwise that playing Obita at left back was all part of some master plan?

TBF Obita was playing games before he was added in as left-back, and what about Karacan, Pearce, McCarthy? Did we only play them due to injury?

Fair point abot Obita but of the other three, only McCarthy is worth getting excited about. I can't imagine any of the top 10 PLteams queueing up to sign either Pearce or Karacan.

Saints have a superb record in recent years. Even if we never hit that height we'll still be able to be doing damn well.

I think it's important to note that our academy was always going to be operating a few years behind Saints'. We're a smaller club less attractive historically and it wasn't that long ago they'd been in the PL for ages. They were always going to be nicking the better youth in the area 5, 10, 15 years ago when most of the players you're talking about would have started their development.

The last wave mostly haven't been up to the level of Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaw et al (although I'd argue Sig and McCarthy are). Maybe the next wave coming through will be.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

I think Saints have probably produced (since I've been watching football) more from their academy than anyone with the poss exception of Man U - you can go back to the Wallace brothers, Le Tissier, Bale etc etc

[grey_squirrel]

I think Saints have probably produced (since I've been watching football) more from their academy than anyone with the poss exception of Man U - you can go back to the Wallace brothers, Le Tissier, Bale etc etc

I think considering their status/base, Crewe Alex haven't done too shabby (ok not recently) and although I hate to say it, Crystal Palace either - and are showing signs of continuing that.

[Hoop Blah]

I think Saints have probably produced (since I've been watching football) more from their academy than anyone with the poss exception of Man U - you can go back to the Wallace brothers, Le Tissier, Bale etc etc

Have Man Utd really produced that many though?

Since the Neville's, Giggs etc came through over 20 years ago have they really produced much in the way of Premier League quality players?

Maybe they have (http://www.givemesport.com/259483-manchester-united-best-youth-academy-in-england)

[Terminal Boardom]

I think Saints have probably produced (since I've been watching football) more from their academy than anyone with the poss exception of Man U - you can go back to the Wallace brothers, Le Tissier, Bale etc etc

And I am quite happy that someone with enough intelligence picked up on that.

TSI have bombed and AZ has vanished. SJM will now stick around until well and truly fossilised. Where is SDR when he is needed most?

[TheLawnMowerMan]

I think Saints have probably produced (since I've been watching football) more from their academy than anyone with the poss exception of Man U - you can go back to the Wallace brothers, Le Tissier, Bale etc etc

Have Man Utd really produced that many though?

Since the Neville's, Giggs etc came through over 20 years ago have they really produced much in the way of Premier League quality players?

Maybe they have (http://www.givemesport.com/259483-manchester-united-best-youth-academy-in-england)

And we are 87th in Europe and 13th in England.
http://www.sportingintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Leading-Eng-producers-for-Big-51.jpg
Not sure who the 5 are ....

I'll guess though, as the list looks like it was from last season:
Gylfi, Long, McCarthy, Karacan, Pearce

[Wimb]

Robson-Kanu?

Would long count as a secondary given he was signed at 17/18?

[SCIAG]

what about Karacan, Pearce, McCarthy? Did we only play them due to injury?

Yes. McCarthy got his chance(s) when Federici got injured, twice.
Karacan broke through due to injuries to Matejovsky, Cisse and Gunnarsson.
Pearce broke through due to injury to Bikey and Duberry.

I think Saints have probably produced (since I've been watching football) more from their academy than anyone with the poss exception of Man U - you can go back to the Wallace brothers, Le Tissier, Bale etc etc

The definite exception of Man United.

If you look at United academy products since Phillip Neville, you'd have a team like this:

Zieler
O'Shea--Brown--Evans--Richardson
--------Gibson---Fletcher------------
Morrison--------------------Cleverley
---------Welbeck----Healy------------

Subs could include Shawcross, Bardsley, Cathcart, Fryers, David Jones, Tunnicliffe, James, and Ebanks-Blake - and that's not including Rossi, Pique, or Pogba.

Southampton's side wouldn't be nearly as impressive. It would have fantastic wingers (the likes of Lallana and Surman would struggle to get in the side, unless others were played out of position), but the centre back pairing would probably be Matt Mills and Chris Baird...

To be fair, Southampton seem to have sorted their financials out and produced some quality players AND netted a fair few pennies with the odd sale here and there. For me, theirs is a blueprint to follow. Plus, a club not afraid to throw an 18 year old debutant in at the deep end against Arsenal recently. Reading, on the other hand, only appear to throw in a youngster when there is no one else available. Is anyone going to tell me otherwise that playing Obita at left back was all part of some master plan?

TBF Obita was playing games before he was added in as left-back, and what about Karacan, Pearce, McCarthy? Did we only play them due to injury?

Fair point abot Obita but of the other three, only McCarthy is worth getting excited about. I can't imagine any of the top 10 PLteams queueing up to sign either Pearce or Karacan.

Pearce was a target for Liverpool before it became evident that Kolo Touré was available. I think they might be regretting their choice given how terrible Touré has been, but then Pearce has hardly captured his form of the past three years this season either.

Karacan has had any slim hopes of being an elite player dashed by his injuries.

I think Saints have probably produced (since I've been watching football) more from their academy than anyone with the poss exception of Man U - you can go back to the Wallace brothers, Le Tissier, Bale etc etc

Have Man Utd really produced that many though?

Since the Neville's, Giggs etc came through over 20 years ago have they really produced much in the way of Premier League quality players?

Maybe they have (http://www.givemesport.com/259483-manchester-united-best-youth-academy-in-england)

And we are 87th in Europe and 13th in England.
http://www.sportingintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Leading-Eng-producers-for-Big-51.jpg
Not sure who the 5 are ....

I'll guess though, as the list looks like it was from last season:
Gylfi, Long, McCarthy, Karacan, Pearce

We have 7, of whom five are at the club.
Pearce, Karacan, McCarthy, Church and Robson-Kanu are probably those five (I'm guessing they ignored Samuel).
Gylfi and Long are our other two, but aren't at the club any more. None of them were with another club for three years between the ages of 15 and 21, so they should really all be our "primary products", but I'm guessing Long counts for Cork and either Sigurdsson for an Icelandic club, Robson-Kanu for Arsenal, or Karacan for Wimbledon.

[melonhead]

cox.

[Royal Lady]

James Henry?

[Pseud O'Nym]

Jamie Ashdown?