O the OLIE kOKI from the U23/SQUAD...

[sinkov]

A case in point sinkov is if we sold Dwight for £40 million and brought Trippier back for £20 million, the team would not suffer too much and we would have £20 million to smack into the Dry Powder Store.

That's fine BT, until the day Dwight rocks up for the opposition, runs Kieran ragged, and they walk off with the three points. If we're intending to use the best of our Academy to improve our team then I have no problem with it, if we're going to sell them on and improve our PL opposition, then we're shooting ourselves in the foot, and I can't see the point. It depends on our policy, keep them or sell them, what is our policy ? I don't know, but I reckon I could have a fecking good guess.

[antifootball]

Having a good youth setup isn't all about category status though. Crewe have famously had a good academy and its done precious little for their success in the past few years. They have produced some very good players including our own Westwood but if they can't at least get up into the Championship, let alone premier league it tells you a lot about how much more is down to running it than only the category status.

If junior scouting can improve and we can sign players ahead of all the bigger teams around us I can see it making sense. But If we are to rely on rejects from other clubs that won't last forever.

Junior recruitment for Burnley must be the easiest job in the world. You have a task to pick out talent to make it in the first team and don't have to produce any for 20 years and still keep your job.

What I don't like is all the money in the game nowadays, if it wasn't for the big cash then we would see more and more talent get into every team. Its too much of a risk, and I think there are probably some players who step up their game who may miss out...but it is what it is.

And even if I don't agree with the direction the club is taking its inevitable now and the changes are already in place. I guess we will start to see in 10 years time if it paid off or not.

[barrie_burn]

Five consecutive seasons in the EPL -Is that treading water? Be realistic we cannot ever match ManU,Man City,Liverpool etc,we simply do not have the fan base.So we find our "niche" and keep building on it - I see no other sensible way forward.At some time in the future something will happen which will bring down the financial madness of the EPL and when it does we want our Club to be one of the survivors.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Five consecutive seasons in the EPL -Is that treading water? Be realistic we cannot ever match ManU,Man City,Liverpool etc,we simply do not have the fan base.So we find our "niche" and keep building on it - I see no other sensible way forward.At some time in the future something will happen which will bring down the financial madness of the EPL and when it does we want our Club to be one of the survivors.

We have a financial crisis running amok across all sorts of businesses.

After due and careful consideration I think Garlick is right, batten down the hatches and ride out the storm.

Attachment 16224

[antifootball]

So we've done it whether you like it or not, cat 1 academy.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

So we've done it whether you like it or not, cat 1 academy.

Great stuff!

Attachment 16259

[Supersub6]

In all honesty, the whole complex at Gawthorpe was in great need of refurbishment and this is something which I think that Sean Dyche set as a priority not long after he took over in 2012.
It was 4 years in the planning and raising the necessary funds which became available when we won promotion in 2014/5. The work started in 2016 when we were back in the Championship, however, when the players returned to training for the 2017/18 season the complex was complete and it really is an amazing complex which is worthy of a PL Club.

Obviously,a lot of work has continued to develop the Academy status to what has been achieved today and it is to the club's credit that they have continued the plan with the strategy of attracting and developing better players. In addition, much credit has to be given to Sean Dyche for ensuring that we have kept our place in the PL and improved the whole infrastructure of the Club. All of this will certainly help in attracting a new manager when, or if, Sean decides to move on. If you ever get a chance to go into the complex then please do so, as Claret Matelot will tell you, it really is worth seeing.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I've heard of "Youth Development", but the chap next to Duffer is taking it to the extreme!

[sinkov]

It's all well and good, but I'm still a bit 'meh' about it, it enhances the image of the club, the facilities were in serious need of upgrading and now we have state of the art training facilities and academy status. I just can't get too excited about it, I keep reading that we should now get players coming through that will improve the team, and we should be able to sell some on and make money, but in the last ten years we've reached 7th in the PL and qualified for Europe without the aid of any youth development players and we are one of the very few clubs in world football without any debt and running at a profit, and all without any money from selling products of our youth system. As long as it doesn't cost us an arm and a leg to run it, it can't do any harm, but given our record over the last ten years without any contribution from youth development, it all seems a bit superfluous to me.

[1959_60]

It's all well and good, but I'm still a bit 'meh' about it, it enhances the image of the club, the facilities were in serious need of upgrading and now we have state of the art training facilities and academy status. I just can't get too excited about it, I keep reading that we should now get players coming through that will improve the team, and we should be able to sell some on and make money, but in the last ten years we've reached 7th in the PL and qualified for Europe without the aid of any youth development players and we are one of the very few clubs in world football without any debt and running at a profit, and all without any money from selling products of our youth system. As long as it doesn't cost us an arm and a leg to run it, it can't do any harm, but given our record over the last ten years without any contribution from youth development, it all seems a bit superfluous to me.

I'm sure that there were people saying the same about Gawthorpe in the 50's Mon Ami.

Good job our Bob didn't listen to them!