academy

[trevor fisher]

last night after Gareth Barry (34) supplied the cross for the winning goal for Everton, ROberto Mancini raved about the man he called "one of the best England players ever' and that "I have never seen a player with such an incredible professionalism". Can't argue with that. Why is he not playing for Villa since he could have come back after Man City?

The big question about our decline is not why do we not spend big money, its why we don't do a Tottenham and bring through the young players. Last Saturday you could have seen Barry, Gary Cahill, Marc Albrighton and (if you want a goalie) Boaz Myhill all playng for successful Premieship sides. Villa did not have a single home grown player in the team.

We don't want big money signings as much as the kids to come through. The academy is excellent. The first team is a no go area for our young players. Managers come and go, but none bring through our kids. Why not? How come Marc Albrighton is so much better now? Leicester obviously have better coaches than our lot. But why? In the big post mortem about what has gone wrong at Villa, not using the talent in the academy is one of the massive questions. Anyone got any ideas?

Trevor Fisher.

[hipkiss92]

Add Steven Davis to that list

[pauliewalnuts]

last night after Gareth Barry (34) supplied the cross for the winning goal for Everton, ROberto Mancini raved about the man he called "one of the best England players ever' and that "I have never seen a player with such an incredible professionalism". Can't argue with that. Why is he not playing for Villa since he could have come back after Man City?

When we looked at bringing Barry back last time, the package he was asking for was going to cost £20m over four years.

I was told that by someone who'd know, back at the time. That's why we didn't bring him back.

[Ian.]

In hindsight Barry and another amongst all the young and hungry brigade and Benteke up front we might actually have done ok and been at the other end of the table.

[hipkiss92]

last night after Gareth Barry (34) supplied the cross for the winning goal for Everton, ROberto Mancini raved about the man he called "one of the best England players ever' and that "I have never seen a player with such an incredible professionalism". Can't argue with that. Why is he not playing for Villa since he could have come back after Man City?

When we looked at bringing Barry back last time, the package he was asking for was going to cost £20m over four years.

I was told that by someone who'd know, back at the time. That's why we didn't bring him back.

And yet we've probably had Charles N'zogbia for what, 25 million?

The problem with the way Villa has been run for the past 5 years summed up in two transfers.

[LTA]

For a club to win the Next Gen and none of those players to break through into first team regulars, there had to be something seriously wrong.

[ktvillan]

Barry broke through around 1998 - 18 years ago - and was not a pure academy product having been signed from Brighton.  So it's a bit of a stretch to use him as an example of our academy being excellent.   Since then, apart from Cahill, I'd say the academy has produced very few genuinely decent players and it never seems to produce a Rooney/Owen/Bale level player.   Davis, Craig Gardner, Albrighton - reasonable squad players at middling clubs, but no more.  Then we have Clark and Baker who look championship standard at best.  And Gabby - meh. Is it because the youngsters  are not given a chance or because they just aren't good enough?

[ozzjim]

Grealish is the most talented of them but needs to add work rate and temperament to his game.

I agree though I think our academy system could do with an overhaul to be honest and some fresh eyes.

[OzVilla]

Cahill is the only top player our academy has produced for the last decade. 

The rest range are just PL squad players or bog standard Championship , literally all of them.

[Californian Villain]

Cahill is the only top player our academy has produced for the last decade. 

The rest range are just PL squad players or bog standard Championship , literally all of them.

Sad but true.

[OzVilla]

Cahill is the only top player our academy has produced for the last decade. 

The rest range are just PL squad players or bog standard Championship , literally all of them.

Sad but true.

And what makes it even worse is that we kept all of the rubbish and let them stink out the first team yet fucked off Cahill for Curtis Davies!

[tomd2103]

Cahill is the only top player our academy has produced for the last decade. 

The rest range are just PL squad players or bog standard Championship , literally all of them.

But that is all we really needed them to be if we had got our squad management right.