Quote Originally Posted by alexmick View Post
One thing is certain to my mind and that involves this outdated academy of ours. Too much money appears to be wasted on this now, as we continue to have youngsters poached by PL clubs, before they even get the chance to progress through our ranks. That means that those coming through are no longer of the same quality that we once had. They are not even good enough to mix it in this L2 football that we are stuck with. I am not saying scrap it altogether, but scale it down and divert that money to where it is needed most. That being the first team. If you don't keep up with the times and adapt to a changing world, then you become extinct. The blame lies with the board, first and foremost.
I hate to say I told you so! But the writing has been on the wall for the last few years and we have wasted many millions of pounds on a wing and a prayer...Dario was successful with a couple of helpers and signing some cast offs and then some bright spark decided we needed to start coaching young children as though we were Barcelona. 10 years coaching costs circa ten million pounds and that is far too risky for a club our size.

I was listening to RS yesterday and they said that PV were playing three lads that had come through their academy which I thought they had done away with but two things came to my mind. They must still have an academy but one that is manageable and less cost and secondly those lads didn't go to a Cat 1 academy like Stoke has or a Cat2 academy like we have and so it would seem that local lads will go and play for their local team which is what I have been saying a long time. So we go back to something similar and save 600 grand per year immediately and without compromising that situation and anyway as you say Mick, the really outstanding ones will be poached by the bigger clubs.

DA is just towing the party line and the problem as always is putting young lads against very strong pro's. But its the Board decision and their money. That must surely be coming to an end and if we get relegated, its a shoe in.

The board have not moved on and shows that old men who are set in their ways are not always the best way forward when things have moved on.. and they can't.