Rudy Gestede - GONE

[Stirchley Villain]

I agree. We had the best academy in the land at one point. There were articles in the broadsheets comparing our to Barcelona's. What the hell went wrong? Look at Siuthampton's. the model for the current era.

[dave.woodhall]

I don't think it was ever that good, but we should have done better with what it produced.

[Stirchley Villain]

I don't think it was ever that good, but we should have done better with what it produced.

But it could have been the best in the land...

[paul_e]

Our biggest problem is we've had the wrong focus, we've produced very good academy teams but not very good players.  On top of that we've also failed badly in the 'transition' period with players either not progressing or stalling and then going backwards.  I'd put it down to a difference in style between the academy and the first team (which is a board level problem because we've not had anyone in there with that focus until this summer) but also to poor first team coaching.  Look at all the managers under Randy and the only one before Sherwood who looked like training was important was Houllier and him trying to get the players to care led to a revolt.  If the first team coaching consists of very little skills coaching you're going to see players go backwards, which has become a bit of a trademark for us, throw academy players into that from a fairly skills intense regime they're used to and you'll see them repeatedly fall off the cliff.

[OCD]

I agree with all the above. I'm interested to see how the next lot turn out because we appear to be getting on the right track now. We've got a manager who came from a background of working in a successful youth set-up and knows the age groups well, we appear to be building a decent squad that should allow us to loan more young players out, we have some promising young players and they will have confidence that they will get opportunities now.

Hopefully there's an overall plan that all age groups will work towards and make the club work in the same directions rather than being very fragmented.

[Matt Collins]

We did ok. Cahill and Steven Davis in particular were sold when they both would have added oodles over the last few years.

[Dave]

Gary Cahill, Craig Gardner, Mark Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Gabby Agbonlahor, Steven Davis, Gareth Barry, Ciaran Clark, Nathan Baker, Jack Grealish, Callum Robinson, Gary Gardner and Boaz Myhill are all players making a living as part of a Premier League squad.

Add to that former England striker Darius Vassell, former Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger and Championship players Andreas Weimann, Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Hogg and Peter Whittingham, are there many academies that boast a much better record?

No, there isn't a Bale or a Rooney amongst them, but if we ring-fence Everton, Southampton and let's generously go with Man Utd over the same time period are there any other academies who have a better record of producing players?

[paul_e]

Gary Cahill, Craig Gardner, Mark Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Gabby Agbonlahor, Steven Davis, Gareth Barry, Ciaran Clark, Nathan Baker, Jack Grealish, Callum Robinson, Gary Gardner and Boaz Myhill are all players making a living as part of a Premier League squad.

Add to that former England striker Darius Vassell, former Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger and Championship players Andreas Weimann, Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Hogg and Peter Whittingham, are there many academies that boast a much better record?

No, there isn't a Bale or a Rooney amongst them, but if we ring-fence Everton, Southampton and let's generously go with Man Utd over the same time period are there any other academies who have a better record of producing players?

The point is though, how many of those have had a profound effect on our own performances, Barry (who is a tough sell seeing as he was 17 when he joined us) and Gabby aside Clark is probably the best of the bunch in terms of games played for us but a fair few people have written him off at various times over the last couple of years.

Too many of our youngsters have had to leave us to become the players that they promised to be.  I think Weimann will be the next who ends up looking better for a few months of decent coaching.

[Diablo]

Gary Cahill, Craig Gardner, Mark Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Gabby Agbonlahor, Steven Davis, Gareth Barry, Ciaran Clark, Nathan Baker, Jack Grealish, Callum Robinson, Gary Gardner and Boaz Myhill are all players making a living as part of a Premier League squad.

Add to that former England striker Darius Vassell, former Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger and Championship players Andreas Weimann, Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Hogg and Peter Whittingham, are there many academies that boast a much better record?

No, there isn't a Bale or a Rooney amongst them, but if we ring-fence Everton, Southampton and let's generously go with Man Utd over the same time period are there any other academies who have a better record of producing players?

I think the Westham academy can be added to that list with their successes - John Terry, Glen Johnson, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick, Mark Noble? Pretty sure there will be quite a few more too.

[cheltenhamlion]

John Terry?

[class-of-82]

John terry was at West Ham before chelski

[gervilla]

Amavi & Veretout look like they can put some tasty crosses in to the box. Rudy looks like he could be banging them in for fun. Happy days.

[cheltenhamlion]

What age did he go to Chelsea at? I never knew he swapped over.

[gervilla]

What age did he go to Chelsea at? I never knew he swapped over.

14. Once he shagged the managers wife there was no coming back for him.

[Matt Collins]

Did somebody above really say we once had the best academy in the world?