The Youth

[Smithy]

It’s a shit business.

Yup - I imagine having to release 18,19,20 year olds and shatter their dreams is just about the worst job in football.  I don't suppose knowing on day one that you're going to be releasing most of them from every age group makes it any easier.  The kids being released obviously have it WAY worse.  I just hope that having had a few years in the Villa academy will be enough to get them a lower league contract so they can at least stay in the game professionally and build from there.

Two of my classmates from school did their YTS at Villa after leaving school (they were in Ricci Scimeca's year, yes I'm that old).  They were both released at 18, and both played some lower league football for a couple of years, but neither were still playing professionally by their mid-twenties.  I believe one of them stayed in the game as a coach, but not entirely sure.

I think these days these kids get a LOT more support than back then, but it's still brutal.

[SaddVillan]

They're all 20yrs old.
Haven't really pushed on since the Youth Cup.

From their perspective, better to get released and try and build their careers elsewhere.

We need to move players out to make space for the next age group to move up.

In truth if we get one player a season making it through to the first team squad we'd be doing well.

How many do the Greedy6 bring through?

[pauliewalnuts]

How many do the Greedy6 bring through?

Oddly, Chelsea do very well.

For all this, shows how when a club sells a home grown product even for 4 or 5m, it's a big success for their academy.

[Pat McMahon]

It’s a shit business.

Yup - I imagine having to release 18,19,20 year olds and shatter their dreams is just about the worst job in football. 

Some mates of mine played with a bloke about 25 years ago called Peter Curran. He was playing for a west London team called the Polytechnic whilst working down here but had come through the ranks at Aberdeen under Ferguson. Ferguson deLivered the news he was being released and he resented him thereafter.

I thought it was decent of Ferguson to take it on himself to deliver the news to those being released rather than leaving it to the academy staff.  He did at least have the pleasure of scoring a great goal from outside the box that was on a 100 best ever goals  video in the SPL though - more than most of us will ever achieve.

[dave.woodhall]

It's much better than it used to be - Dave Conn wrote a few years ago about how a team of Manchester United kids (this might have been pre-Academy days) were playing against another club in training. Normal no-one would be watching these matches but at this one there were a couple of dozen very keen spectators. It gradually dawned on the lads that they were all being released and the spectators were other clubs' scouts. 

[Sexual Ealing]

It’s a shit business.

Yup - I imagine having to release 18,19,20 year olds and shatter their dreams is just about the worst job in football. 

Some mates of mine played with a bloke about 25 years ago called Peter Curran. He was playing for a west London team called the Polytechnic whilst working down here but had come through the ranks at Aberdeen under Ferguson. Ferguson deLivered the news he was being released and he resented him thereafter.

I thought it was decent of Ferguson to take it on himself to deliver the news to those being released rather than leaving it to the academy staff.  He did at least have the pleasure of scoring a great goal from outside the box that was on a 100 best ever goals  video in the SPL though - more than most of us will ever achieve.

Polytechnic rings a bell. Are they based in Acton/Ealing?

[Aldridge Villa]

Always feel for the released lads. Wish them all the best.

[PeterWithesShin]

Last I know this was accurate up to late last year (think it was the day of the 85th year anniversary I read it), but pretty sure the run is still going. Manchester United have had a home grown players in every first team match squad going back to 1937, over 4,000 consecutive games.

[Dante Lavelli]

How many do the Greedy6 bring through?

Oddly, Chelsea do very well.

For all this, shows how when a club sells a home grown product even for 4 or 5m, it's a big success for their academy.

No idea of exact dates but you have to go back years, possibly decades, to find a Man U team without a homegrown player.

[PeterWithesShin]

How many do the Greedy6 bring through?

Oddly, Chelsea do very well.

For all this, shows how when a club sells a home grown product even for 4 or 5m, it's a big success for their academy.

No idea of exact dates but you have to go back years, possibly decades, to find a Man U team without a homegrown player.

Just a wild guess but i'll go for 1937...

[Pat McMahon]

It’s a shit business.

Yup - I imagine having to release 18,19,20 year olds and shatter their dreams is just about the worst job in football. 

Some mates of mine played with a bloke about 25 years ago called Peter Curran. He was playing for a west London team called the Polytechnic whilst working down here but had come through the ranks at Aberdeen under Ferguson. Ferguson deLivered the news he was being released and he resented him thereafter.

I thought it was decent of Ferguson to take it on himself to deliver the news to those being released rather than leaving it to the academy staff.  He did at least have the pleasure of scoring a great goal from outside the box that was on a 100 best ever goals  video in the SPL though - more than most of us will ever achieve.

Polytechnic rings a bell. Are they based in Acton/Ealing?

In Chiswick, Paddy, not far from the train station. It was a good club with 9 teams plus veterans, as well as hockey and rugby teams. I played there for a couple of seasons when I wasn’t at Villa games.

[Dante Lavelli]

Saracens pay for each of their youth players to do a degree.  Some sort of safety net should be provided by all clubs.

I’ve long thought that the club should partner with umpteen schools/academies across the midlands, hoovering up the best talent, whilst investing heavily in their education and brain washing them about the Villa brand.  I don’t work in education so I have no idea whether this would be viable/legal.

[ChicagoLion]

It’s a shit business.

Yup - I imagine having to release 18,19,20 year olds and shatter their dreams is just about the worst job in football. 

Some mates of mine played with a bloke about 25 years ago called Peter Curran. He was playing for a west London team called the Polytechnic whilst working down here but had come through the ranks at Aberdeen under Ferguson. Ferguson deLivered the news he was being released and he resented him thereafter.

I thought it was decent of Ferguson to take it on himself to deliver the news to those being released rather than leaving it to the academy staff.  He did at least have the pleasure of scoring a great goal from outside the box that was on a 100 best ever goals  video in the SPL though - more than most of us will ever achieve.

Polytechnic rings a bell. Are they based in Acton/Ealing?

In Chiswick, Paddy, not far from the train station. It was a good club with 9 teams plus veterans, as well as hockey and rugby teams. I played there for a couple of seasons when I wasn’t at Villa games.

I played against them many times Pat.

[Dante Lavelli]

How many do the Greedy6 bring through?

Oddly, Chelsea do very well.

For all this, shows how when a club sells a home grown product even for 4 or 5m, it's a big success for their academy.

No idea of exact dates but you have to go back years, possibly decades, to find a Man U team without a homegrown player.

Just a wild guess but i'll go for 1937...

From the internet:

“ When Manchester United take on Everton on 15 December, it will be the 4000th senior match in succession in which at least one youth graduate is represented in the Reds’ first-team or matchday squad. This extraordinary record stretches back over nine decades to before the Second World War.”

So yeah, you’re probably about right.

[PeterWithesShin]

I know, I said it in the post above yours