Is the academy still producing?

I agree on Kouyhar…it seems as I said in my response to COOP that DK doesn’t rate him or any of the other youngsters.Is he right in that assessment I wonder?

All the waffle about philosophies and five year plans has been proved to be just that.

If such things ever existed they went out of the door with Dean Smith. Gamble and Mole rode on his coattails, but without him we’ve become the same rudderless ship we were before he arrived.

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Exactly. And this is one of my main main frustrations with the Board. Why haven’t we tried to replicate the same model that delivered relative on-field success, and gave us a footballing identity to the point where the then manager of the Premier League champions commented on how impressed he was with our style of play?

All that’s happened now is we’ve descended back to ‘that club by the M6’, that plays stale football with no atmosphere, a dwindling line of academy products and no real direction other than trying to avoid the drop each season.

If the Board were so committed to the ‘philosophy’, Whitney would’ve gone much sooner for diverting from it and Keates probably would have never been employed in the first place. It’s no surprise that the academy players are struggling to come through when the style of the play they’ve been used to all through their development is completely different to what the first-team are churning out.

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Is it a stupid idea to say that we should find an ex player looking to get into coaching as the YT manager, he can work with John Ward and develop, learn in game management and tactics to hopefully be ready to step up as the next manager? I know Fryatt and Bowerman are there but what about a future for Chambers or someone of a similar ilk

Couldn’t agree more.

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I agree WalsallOne but it’s all relevant to the status of the clubs system and this can only be gauged by successfully bringing through youngsters and that’s my key point…

It seems to be stalling at present and given the coaching staff we have at the club it’s difficult to see why…

We “sold” him to Man Utd a while back. Since then he has left for a club in Portugal from memory

Wasnt that Evandro Brandão?

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Thanks Bags10 and GhostofWalsaaPast.

I remember Brandao but I accept that my rather vague reference meant that trying to read my mind was a big ask.

The boyI’m thinking of never broke into the first team but he was around during the Bradshaw era I think.

Coincidentally, he played in the same team as Raekwon Smith who some fans assumed was related to our ginger haired gaffer. :slight_smile:

I think I was thinking of Romario Reid but a quick google search implies that he hasn’t set the footballing world alight in the last few years… It’s a shame though because I’d have loved to have shouted, “Great goal, Romario!” To a Saddler at a Walsall game! :+1:t2:

Bit of a late reply, but just come across this about Brandao - https://www.planetfootball.com/in-depth/story-evandro-brandaos-journey-walsall-angola-via-man-utd/

Sounds like he wants to come back to England! Wonder if he’d still do a job for us :wink:

There are not that many banks left in Walsall to rob on a daily basis, just to cover his wage demands alone! :wink:

The academy players have not really had much chance to play since Smith went. We’ve had a succession of managers that have preferred to bring in their own players and rely on loans whilst any of our own young players were lucky to make the bench. Ironically for all his faults Dutton actually brought a few through.

My testicles produce more and I’ve had the snip.

Walsall have not had a youth scouting system for many years (Ron Jukes must be spinning in his grave!) and, quite frankly, I wonder if the club should save money by scrapping the academy. Most of our “successes” with young players have been with cast-offs from other clubs’ academies, Sam Perry being the latest (rejected by the Vile). Since Matty Fryatt, very few, such as Liam Kinsella and Liam Roberts, have made the breakthrough from schoolboy level.

Since the Greedy Pigs League imposed EPPP upon EFL clubs, it has hardly been worthwhile. Only last season, 16 year-old striker, Luke Pearce, was “legally poached” from Walsall by Southampton. Maybe we should consider the Brentford B-Team model?

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I remember writing a couple of scathing pieces about the EPPP for old UTS. Weren’t Walsall one of the few EFL Clubs to vote against it? Sadly the premier clubs were offering cash for votes and there plenty more desperate than us around wanting their "solidarity " payment upped.

This has been asked before on here

I’d argue it has never truly produced what people think

You need to put a line through those youngsters who we take on at 16 and recruit from Wolves, Albion, Villa, Cov, Blues. We haven’t brought these guys through the academy they bump our academy lads out the team

So we have a smaller pool of names. Then when you consider how many make a serious first team impact / become a regular over a season or two. Then building on that are sold to make a profit.

There are grounds to argue we should follow the Brentford / Huddersfield model. Especially as the smallest team around here

You make a good point about the number of players coming through but I support keeping the academy for wider reasons. It helps the Club’s links with the wider community and finds something for lads to do who otherwise might come off the rails. I am sure it does cost a fair amount but I think it is worth it if Walsall FC wants to play a key role within the local community. If we do discover the odd Rico Henry so much the better.

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Perhaps if they outsourced they could run it with Ace Academy, instead of having that local training school have a relationship with the Baggies.

Still disappointed ISSA supported them. Feels mucky. I get it was for local kids, but why chuck Walsall supporter money at something where a premier/champ team have an interest. They should pay for it if they have first dibs on the talent.

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