As I said on the other thread, there comes a point where a player stops being "promising" and has to deliver. If you count those who have been on the fringes of the first-team squad, 10 of our Under-23 cohort are 20 or over.
That is excellent from the point-of-view of continued success at that level, but I wonder how many of them are going to progress any further with us. Travis and Fisher, almost certainly; Tomlinson: 50/50; Nuttall and Wharton: 40/60?
Some of the others are running out of time. Jack Doyle, for example. Apparently, he did well in Ireland, but he's 21 now and wasn't even included in the Austria trip.
And we've heard very little recently about Hardcastle, Rankin-Costello, Platt, etc.
This is not a criticism. It just proves that most youngsters don't make it.
I wonder if anyone keeps statistics about how many players from PL and Championship Development-Squads go on to pursue full-time careers in the game.
We won the under 23 league last season yet the ones on the fringes of the first team will be no further forward in getting in
Loan spells are great but eventually you have to take the risk otherwise somebody else will reap the rewards of your hard work nurturing.
I think at times some have been given a go, and it's been a bit too soon. Some like Travis, maybe could've played more.
Remember, he was given a go in a crucial promotion away clash, and he got sent off. You have to protect these kids.
Most clubs produce one or two for the first team in a normal generation. We'll do that.
They play st a higher level now, like the first team. So standards are raised.
What they are, are alot further forward under Mowbray than they had been previously.
No club produces a team full. It's a rare thing if that happens.
Maybe they just aren't quite good enough? TM sees them everyday. We don't.
Personally I'd trust in his judgement.
I agree with you, Champs. The management team get a much better chance to see the gap than anyone else, but it is a LOT of investment for relatively little reward. I'm not just talking about Rovers. It seems to be the name of the game in general.
It's a bit like the job-market, I suppose. Lots of companies say they are looking for "experience", but you can't get experience if you're not given a job!
On a slightly different note
Villius pilliukaitis has been linked with coming to us
This young Lithuanian midfielder is strongly touted as the next best thing
It will be quite a coup for the academy and potentially first team in a few years time.
Brilliant aucks
I did think it sounded nasty,joking aside if the player lives up to the hype he could be one for the future.
It is interesting if this is true, because (alongside the signing of that young guy, Durrant, from Liverpool last month), it does suggest that Venky's are happy to continue with investment in the Academy.
At the same time, it just underlines the questions this thread deals with: how many of them will we see as first-team regulars, and what percentage is a decent return on the investment?
I suppose if we see Raya, Lenihan, Nyambe, Wharton and Travis in the match-day squad next season, that would represent success.
Perhaps I was worrying about nothing in my opening post!
Last edited by AucklandRover; 18-07-2018 at 09:30 PM.
I think champs touched on a interesting point,to get a team full of players from the academy is just unrealistic however as you said if we have eventually the players above playing for us then yes it's been a success.