No Escape

[sinkov]

The Gawthorpe Black Hole continues to suck them in,

"Joao Mendes, the son of Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, has been let go by Burnley after a single season in East Lancashire.
The left-sided player is among a raft of youngsters to be released from the club?s academy as Burnley confirm their retained list at the end of the 2024/25 season. He?s not the only player to be released from Burnley?s Under-21 side. Alex Healy-Byrne, Will Hugill, Lewis Richardson, Basilio Rieno Socoliche, Jon Ander Vilar Robinson, Ryan Tioffo and Brandon Ly have also been let go.
In the Under-18s, Adam Abbas, Ben Jordison, Logan Carlin, Luca Jackson and Frankie McMahon-Brown will all move on."


Good luck to the lads, I'll be looking out for some of them on Shawbridge next season.

[Swissclaret]

It must be gut - wrenching to be let go. As ever, one wishes them if they try to make a career out of it.

If it’s any consolation, sinkov, in motor racing, a former client (F1 World Champion) told me that less than one in ten make it in that world. That was 35 years ago, so I imagine that it is even more difficult now.

However it would be good if the Academy produced at least one talent for the first team.

[mnrht]

It's very difficult to understand why the Academy hasn't produced one player of at least Championship standard over the last 15 yrs or so.
This would be totally unacceptable in any other business.

[kritichris]

It's no wonder Accy Stanley are closing their academy, if we can't produce anything what chance did they have?

[barrie_burn]

It's very difficult to understand why the Academy hasn't produced one player of at least Championship standard over the last 15 yrs or so.
This would be totally unacceptable in any other business.

Dwight McNeil?

[sinkov]

Saddest one for me is Lewis Richardson, I'm sure he was scoring for fun 4/5 years ago and was possibly the one most likely to make the breakthrough. He's been on the fringes of the first team, but in the end he's gone the way of all flesh down Gawthorpe, into the Black Hole.

[sinkov]

Dwight McNeil?

Nine years in the United Academy, four years in ours.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Saddest one for me is Lewis Richardson, I'm sure he was scoring for fun 4/5 years ago and was possibly the one most likely to make the breakthrough. He's been on the fringes of the first team, but in the end he's gone the way of all flesh down Gawthorpe, into the Black Hole.

The lad was set back by injury after injury. He's now at York where I hope he can settle and breakthrough.

[ballcock]

It's very difficult to understand why the Academy hasn't produced one player of at least Championship standard over the last 15 yrs or so.
This would be totally unacceptable in any other business.

Centre halfs at Coventry and QPR have both come through our academy.

Football academy business is like flippin houses. You buy cheap, develop, then get shut at a profit

[sinkov]

Centre halfs at Coventry and QPR have both come through our academy.

Jimmy Dunne, 9 years at United's Academy, 2 years at ours. Bobby Thomas was already 16 years old when he signed for us, he'd been at Everton and Crewe before.