Breakthrough this season

[Mister E]

Barry. Penalty.

As in: "Why didn't Brian take the pitch?"

[paul_e]

I don't think players coming through and playing regularly for the first team happens as much as people may think at other clubs towards the top of the table. I can think of the odd one or two. It's hard. That's what makes it so special when it does happen.

Yep, 1 every 3-4 years (which is about where we are) is pretty decent. What we need to be better at though is getting players coming through who can fill out thew squad for a few years when they're 18-23 and then if they're not established we move them on. The players who could do that are the ones we've been selling, which is a little too early for me. Imagine the squad we have now but with players like Chukwumeka, Iroegbunam and Kellyman playing 15-20 games a season on top and how much pressure that could take off some of our harder pressed players.

[john2710]

Players in the U21's now could have been at the club possibly as long as a decade. Most of the better ones that we've sold, we nicked them off someone else.

It would be a massive boost financially if we could somehow find 3-4 genuine first team / squad players from within.

[Dante Lavelli]

Man City - OReilly, Lewis & Foden
Arsenal - Saka, Nwaneri, Lewis Skelly & Dowman
Liverpool - Bradley, Ngumoha, Jones

Our target to stand still:  Three or four squad players and one first teamer. 

Kane (and Grealish) really were outliers weren't they?  "One of our own" and the team's best player.

[Gareth]

Of course that’s the aim but the majority of those were with those clubs since they were 6/7 years old…that was the reason we rebuilt the academy under Harrison and poached so many from WBA because our structure was bad.  Will take years to get that right and there will always be poaching ie there are rumours that Man City are nicking one of our young u16s this summer and we will be doing the same elsewhere.

[Hookeysmith]

What happened to Rory Wilson - scoring records smashed at every level then not a lot.

Went on loan in Germany i think but not sure how he has done?

Not a kid either as i think he is 20 now?

Hemmings had a bit of a mare in his home debut which seemingly set him back -shame

[Concrete Tom]

It could just be a perception, but youth players come through more readily at other big clubs like Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal.

The big clubs have the money and attraction to hoover up the talent at a young age from the smaller clubs. We do it on a smaller scale but need to work on becoming more attractive ourselves.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Seems like Villa are working to try and get it so that Madjo can play for us before he turns 18 in January.

[Mister E]

Seems like Villa are working to try and get it so that Madjo can play for us before he turns 18 in January.

Where do you read that?