The instincts to keep passing the ball back. And will fit into our system really well.
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He only did it once but he was more comfortable getting close to opposition to block crosses than anyone else I've seen who's played in that position.
Unless I'm imagining it he got far enough forward to get to the byline in their penalty area as well.
Also seems to have more natural physical strength than the other defenders.
Personally i think our academy is probably not money well spent (even if it is grant funded?). I would rather we study other academies across the UK and perhaps take up some of their rejects. I'm sure there are unpolished gems that will slip through the net. especially as it seems we aren't producing anything of Note !?
Totally agree. EPPP makes the investment in youth academies close to pointless as it (like everything else) is totally swung towards benefitting the big clubs.
Your best bet is to create an environment for 16,17,18, 19 year olds who drop out of bigger academies. Pick them up and give them a pathway into the pro game. Let the big clubs put the money into their initial development.
I think we're just starting to see some fruits coming out of our academy again, after being set back years when the previous one was scrapped. Players like Brooks and Sanderson may not have truly broken into our first-team yet, but they're on the fringes and may be a sign of better things to come.
There's also the point that the academy allows us to reach into the local community and has a value beyond the number of first-team graduates it produces, in terms of promoting the Notts County brand and giving us a true connection with the grass roots and the school system.
Obviously I'd love to see us return to the days when Mick Walker's academy produced a steady stream of players into our first team at a level higher than we're playing now, but it will take time. We arguably also miss the 'bridge' between the youth team and the first team that used to be provided by proper, organised, competitive reserve team football - the Pontins League as was.
Although it was only the stream i saw against Forest Green Rovers, I thought it looked like he had bulked up a bit compared to those 2 cup matches earlier in the season at Meadow Lane.
I see from Notts' website that he was in the academies at Manchester Utd and Sheffield Utd as a winger. So could there be possibilities here as a wingback? We wll see.