It's Quiet - a new dawn

[Dobsy]

Perhaps a bad example, but how old is the current most coveted striker in Europe?

Age is no boundary if your good enough.

Agree this is what it comes down to. Rooney was starting for Everton at 16, Owen for Liverpool at 18. They were good enough so they played.

Linked to this is what pep has said about how it's very hard in England for a coach to judge whether a player is good enough compared to other countries. In Europe the B teams play at such a higher standard that it's a lot less risky.

"The second teams in Spain, at Barcelona or Real Madrid, play in front of 40,000 people and every weekend in the second league. In Italy or Germany they are so tough, so demanding, they are playing with guys who are 28, 29 or 30 and that is the best way to improve, not training with the first team sometimes."

 

[jonmcity]

Perhaps a bad example, but how old is the current most coveted striker in Europe?

Age is no boundary if your good enough.

Boys develop into men at very different rates. You may be good enough, but your body still needs to develop, to be able compete at the top level.

We do not need to rush these lads into the first team. Let them experience it, let them develop. We will be glad we let them grow up in the long run. Rooney was past it in his late 20's.

 

[AustinBlue]

You need to look over his career as a whole. Like many despots, his best years were past when he stepped down. But yes, I'm pleased to agree that City rattled him and pushed him into a more expedient type of management towards the end; Van Rapist and the Ginger Pig being classic examples.

No I don't need to look over his reputation as a whole. My argument was that the world and the league has changed that allows the elite teams the luxury of having a few off years where they can risk relegation or dropping out of the champions league or whatever, and where you could take the long term view - and it had changed to be one where every year counted and elite teams are very tough places for academy kids. You countered by saying that your namesake was the example that it could be done. I said that your namesake wasn't evidence that it could be done, because he stopped doing it at the end of his career in this modern era. We live in this modern era. Pep, back when he was competing with your namesake in the prior era, was playing with almost entirely academy kids in his squad.

 

[bboy]

Agree this is what it comes down to. Rooney was starting for Everton at 16, Owen for Liverpool at 18. They were good enough so they played.

To build on what jonmc is saying, Owen's career peaked at 24, by 30 he was finished. Similar with Rooney, because they are examples of early developers. Examples of late developers are Yaya, Ian Wright, Luca Toni, Klose.

 

[Proy]

Agree this is what it comes down to. Rooney was starting for Everton at 16, Owen for Liverpool at 18. They were good enough so they played.

Linked to this is what pep has said about how it's very hard in England for a coach to judge whether a player is good enough compared to other countries. In Europe the B teams play at such a higher standard that it's a lot less risky.

"The second teams in Spain, at Barcelona or Real Madrid, play in front of 40,000 people and every weekend in the second league. In Italy or Germany they are so tough, so demanding, they are playing with guys who are 28, 29 or 30 and that is the best way to improve, not training with the first team sometimes."

This is the quote I was searching for earlier. Granted, it was part of a bigger interview, but the point remained.

If Pep genuinely thinks that way, then no youth prospect will get a chance during his time here.

 

[jonmcity]

They will after they have proved they can do it in a competitive league. I agree with that stance. We are a team that wants to be the best in the world. You will need to be exceptional to get into our first team.

 

[SilverFox2]

This is the quote I was searching for earlier. Granted, it was part of a bigger interview, but the point remained.

If Pep genuinely thinks that way, then no youth prospect will get a chance during his time here.

I agree for homegrown but he will buy youngsters of similar age if proven at roughly the same league level will he not.

 

[Dobsy]

This is the quote I was searching for earlier. Granted, it was part of a bigger interview, but the point remained.

If Pep genuinely thinks that way, then no youth prospect will get a chance during his time here.

I hope that we'll be clever with the loan system then assess players once they come back and some will do enough to get a go. It's worth bearing in mind that harry kane had two seasons at norwich before being allowed to stay in spurs firdt team squad.

I'm not sure Girona is the best place for it though tbh.

I'm encouraged that Patrick Roberts hasn't moved yet.

 

[Proy]

I agree for homegrown but he will buy youngsters of similar age if proven at roughly the same league level will he not.

Probably. Sort of renders the academy useless though, other then the money it'll make.

 

[Proy]

I hope that we'll be clever with the loan system then assess players once they come back and some will do enough to get a go. It's worth bearing in mind that harry kane had two seasons at norwich before being allowed to stay in spurs firdt team squad.

I'm not sure Girona is the best place for it though tbh.

I'm encouraged that Patrick Roberts hasn't moved yet.

It's the only way it will work.

But as my previous reply said, the academy will be pointless other than to train and sell on. There will come a stage where kids don't sign on because there is no route into the first team.