Our lost generation | Vital Football

Our lost generation

paz1967

paz1967

Vital Football Legend
At the start of last season we had the following homegrown talent that many of us saw as the promising generation of kindred spirits that come around once in a blue moon. We thought that adding 2 or 3 experienced, at the top of their game stellar signings and we could go places. All improving players with a huge amount of potential.

SMITH
WOZ
YATES
CASH
GRANT
OZZIE
WALKER
BRERETON

We of course also lost BURKE who was one of this group too. Some spoke highly of Appiah and certainly last season he took the eye so we might add him to that list also.

Mostly through the academy, signed up on new contracts at affordable rates, a great youth set up and ways into the first team.

Obviously Im biased in the sense of always clamouring for the kids to have a run. But without everyone just stating "yeah BB was shyte" how do others think that set up would have compared to the current squad and performances? I can't help thinking theyd have been a bloody exciting side by now with at least the same chance of play offs as we do now.
 
Getting Grabban and a million quid for Brereton is the best bit of business we've done for some time. Grant couldn't get in the Luton team, and was dropped by Notts later last season. Only seen Yates once (v Bury) so probably unfair to judge, but he passed sideways even more than Watson who he was playing with. Don't forget except for Brereton, they are all still on our books. Appiah is only just 18, but surely he can't be any worse than Dias?
 
I think we would be relegated.

Simple as that.

Walker has found his level for now. At SBC level he might get 4-7 goals a season if he does well. At L2 level he is becoming prolific. Next stage in development is to try him at L1 and see if he can replicate it.

Ben Brereton seems to have thrown his toys out of the pram. He had his chance comprehensively last season and wasn't ready to be our number 1 striker because he couldn't score the goals yet. He had a chance to stake his claim at 18 at a big club, a chance that very few young strikers his age get, and he didn't take it. That's no disgrace, he wasn't ready to perform at that level at 18, no problem.

But instead of accepting that we need to move on so he needs to concentrate on developing, he seems to have believed the club revolves around him and been dissatisfied with playing a lesser role, thus pushing for the move to Blackburn - where he has played exactly the role he would have done here (probably less actually), received less support from their fans and scored zero goals and 1 assist.

Grant is not good enough for this level. He is a great L2 player and an acceptable L1 player.

Osborn divides opinion but can hardly be claimed we haven't played him after 200 consecutive games. Can't be argued that Cash doesn't get his chances either.

Smith has played nearly a season worth of games and want good enough over the season. Over short spells, yes, but by the time he was dropped he was costing us more or less a goal per game from mistakes or poor positioning.

Those youngsters just aren't that good. It's typical of football fans to talk crap about 'just play the kids', but teams get relegated doing that. This bunch aren't a golden generation - they range from competent SBC standard to good L2 standard. That's still a good crop, but nothing compared to our 'golden generation's of 2002 where more or less all of them had decent PL careers

As for Appiah, until he signs that contract it is difficult. We could lose him for virtually nothing to one of the German clubs circling, and those vultures will only increase in number if he plays and performs well in the first team. In other words- play him now and let him succeed and we are much more likely to lose him.

The lad needs to sign that contract
 
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There is also Worrall who I still believe will have a good career. I just wonder if and how we will benefit.
 
These youngsters won things as youth and I suppose I believe players playing together, real football over a period of time can far outweigh the sum of it's parts. I dont think we got the best out of these players, there seems to be a gap somewhere between our u21's and the main squad. Be it beefing them up or changing tactics. We have had a respected academy for so long and invested a lot of money. If we are really only churning out league one players and the odd great player is just a lottery is it really worth the effort?
 
The Brentford model sometimes seems like a good alternative but I think a club loses some appeal for fans if there isn’t a possibility of seeing someone break through from the academy.
 
paz1967 said:
These youngsters won things as youth and I suppose I believe players playing together, real football over a period of time can far outweigh the sum of it's parts. I dont think we got the best out of these players, there seems to be a gap somewhere between our u21's and the main squad. Be it beefing them up or changing tactics. We have had a respected academy for so long and invested a lot of money. If we are really only churning out league one players and the odd great player is just a lottery is it really worth the effort?
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Yes, because they end up as professional footballers (in the main) at some level within the league.
 
paz1967 said:
These youngsters won things as youth and I suppose I believe players playing together, real football over a period of time can far outweigh the sum of it's parts. I dont think we got the best out of these players, there seems to be a gap somewhere between our u21's and the main squad. Be it beefing them up or changing tactics. We have had a respected academy for so long and invested a lot of money. If we are really only churning out league one players and the odd great player is just a lottery is it really worth the effort?
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In the last 2 years or so, the academy has generated £20m from player sales - Burke & Brereton.

Walker, Grant & Smith - all doing very well at L2 level, getting game time & experience and Worrall - similarly at Rangers.

We can't afford to do this at the minute (i.e. give them the game time they need to learn, strengthen & develop), given the need to be competitive at the right of the Championship - although, Cash and Osborn are both playing regularly for the first team, with Yates & Appiah both on the fringes.

In terms of success, on that premise - I'd say we're doing pretty well, given the competitive and incestuous nature of academy football in the midlands - with Leicester, Derby, both Sheffield clubs & Stoke - all active locally!

You also have to put things in perspective - only a small percentage of players will 'make it' and there are as many academy players that will fail to secure a contract compared to those who do.

Any player that graduates and then plays league football, at whatever level - is deemed a success, with the hope that they will go on to represent our own club the utopian scenario!
 
I would also say that in the last 20 years we have a very good record at not "missing" anyone.

I can't think of any academy players of ours that we have released or believed not good enough who have gone on to make us really regret it.
 
Our Kids Dad said:
Shaun & Bradley Wright-Phillips, Tom Huddlestone, Will Hughes perhaps?
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Huddlestone certainly left if his own accord.

SWP was pre Millennium.

Hughes was also a parent moving them rather than rejection from us.

Certainly nothing on the Sheffield United Maradona scale
 
Pope John XXIII said:
Huddlestone certainly left if his own accord.

SWP was pre Millennium.

Hughes was also a parent moving them rather than rejection from us.

Certainly nothing on the Sheffield United Maradona scale
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SWP was released by us at 17 - so, only just outside your parameters.

Felix Bastians - he's done ok since we let him go.

Huddlestone & Hughes, don't believe that shizzle about the move being down to the parents, had we wanted to keep them, we would have done so - Derby offered more & tried harder to get them to move, than we did to retain them.

There are always the ones that got away, eg Kris Commons - he was at Forest academy, like Andy Cole when younger but both moved on.
 
Our Kids Dad said:
SWP was released by us at 17 - so, only just outside your parameters.

Felix Bastians - he's done ok since we let him go.

Huddlestone & Hughes, don't believe that shizzle about the move being down to the parents, had we wanted to keep them, we would have done so - Derby offered more & tried harder to get them to move, than we did to retain them.

There are always the ones that got away, eg Kris Commons - he was at Forest academy, like Andy Cole when younger but both moved on.
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SWP played against us in 1999 for Man City, but he would be the last ear example.

A teacher I work with has a son who was in the same generation of the academy. Huddlestone's dad took him to Derby because they did not like the academy head (I think Marshall) and they thought he would get a better chance at Derby.

McGugan's dad tried the same but couldn't find him a better club offer.

Hughes I believe was similar
 
I believe Joey Barton was at the academy here.

Darren Huckerby?

I would guess we've let just as many good players away from the academy over the last 20-25 years than we've produced.
 
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