
Originally Posted by
Wartman
The common denominator is insufficient recruitment too small a squad, players flogged to death playing week in week out carrying knocks eventually those injuries catch up with the player and they become lengthy injuries. Every year we recruit half the players we actually need and fill the short fall with kids who are not good enough for league football.
I have been sceptical for a number of years about the academy model and question does it now serve the same purpose as it did 10-15 years ago and the answer is unequivocally no. I think it is time that we switched to the development squad model and with the money we save from the academy use some of that to increase both the wage and transfer budget, the big problem is that nobody at board level has the desire or courage to change course, and unfortunately the academy will bizarrely be our demise and we are a non league team in waiting.