Great support. Only slight negative was that My friend told me a number of Walsall fans were ejected by the police before kick off. Don’t know what happened with that and then after the game I heard some Walsall fans apologising to the stewards for some of the behaviour.
Welcome to the CompletedSaddled forum. All things Walsall since Aug 22. 
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Jesus I can’t even agree with people now……
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Thought it was the Hutchinson fan page myself.
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Everyone’s upsetting you today 
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Did you want it to be the DJ fan page instead?
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The Central League is still going. It’s regionalised. So not like we’d be going to Sunderland or Gillingham.
We put kids teams out in Senior Cups and end up knocked out by the likes of Tividale or Lichfield.
The youth set up at Walsall has never truly paid its way. Even when “producing players” far to
Many of these were Villa Albion Cov Wolves cast offs that we rehomed.
Struggle with the Squad size. Use it to keep an eye on the likes of Jellis. Take on trialists etc. Do something a bit different.
Sadler ain’t interested in younger players anyway. He’s reluctant to play YT graduates.
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Disagree there. Sadler instrumental in bringing the youth team training alongside the first team and had a few on the bench at various stages. Got Maher out on loan where he should have been last season. Will probably do the same with Thomas next season.
Sadler likes youth evidenced by the age of our first team for most of the season but as you alluded to our academy set up has just not produced players of sufficient quality for several years. Mainly due to the many big clubs on our doorstep hoovering up anyone at a decent level.
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Sadler knows the medium and long term future of our club relies on our Academy. As do Trivela hence the increased investment. Clubs like us need a good supply of youngsters coming through.
The problem lies a few years back. I am not sure what happened but the revamp will hopefully bring rewards in the next few years. They obviously rate Maher and Thomas and one or two others.
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The benefits of Youth Systems to clubs like us with where they are geographically are an absolute waste of time.
We’ll class home grown as a player who we had at Walsall pre 16yo / youth team. So this rules out your Scott Danns (Everton) Pattersons (Cov)
Grigg was brought through by Blues.
From say the last 20/30 years. How many home grown players have
- Played 40/50 first team games
- Been sold on for a fee.
It’s only these two parameters that can be used as a measure of success. Far too many YT grads like Perry and Bates land then vanish. These are failures by us.
Not as many as you would expect.
Kinsella ticks box 1.
Liam Roberts the GK
Fryatt and Rico tick box 2.
I don’t think that is true actually, and I’m not saying the academy isn’t of any importance.
Good recruitment is far more important though. The old reserves system was very useful for many reasons, including bridging the gap between u18s to first team.
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oops I think that’s the 2nd time in 24hr someone has got the wrong end of the stick 
Well you may think that but Trivela have put a lot of emphasis on developing the youth system . I support that wholeheartedly. Your point on recruitment is a good on though which is what we used to do in years gone by. That has also changed this season with the likes of Williams , Weir and Jellis being signed.
One other point when you see the numbers of kids in the Academy teams through the age ranges I think that is the club helping our community . We know that only a few will reach league standard but the others others derive great benefit from being in a team and learning about our wonderful game .
What is it that they have done? I’m not being funny, I have probably just missed it. Have they tried to improve the youth category? Or something else.
It’s not that I don’t support it, I just don’t believe our future has to depend on it, as you suggested.
The whole youth system has been overhauled. New coaches appointed and reading the club programme it seems to be a very professional outfit. I am sure we all hope the investment and hard work pays off.
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@WalsallOne that may have happened, but does it change where we are and what other clubs surround us ?
Every penny spent on the youth team (and its staff) is wasted give what we get out of it.
I wonder if someone could tell us how many of this crop of U18s were with us at U16 and how many we took from our rivals released list ? Because every u16 isn’t took on because they spend 2yrs as a YT player.
I wonder how many of the last 10 debutants at Walsall FC were at Walsall FC as an U16.
Answers to this may change my mind !
I only know the likes of Grigg, Pato Dan were brought through elsewhere
As Stretch points out the youth team successes of the last 20 to 30 years have been scant to say the least. But I still think we should continue to invest and try to get quality thtough the system rather than abandon the idea altogether.
We have overhauled the personnel throughout the academy and it is clear Trivela are wanting improvement in the system.
No idea how we go about recruiting the better players from undervthe noses od Wolves and Villa etc.
Quality of our kids is shown by most of them going on loan to West Midland regional league teams which is no preparation for League 2.
We need more that are good enough to go to NL north or to Drogheda.
This could be the best way forward for our youth system. Concentrating on the post 14 to 16 age group, the Villa cast offs etc.
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If you think the only thing that matters is getting players in the first team then you have a point but that was partly caused by poor management over a number of years . Let’s hope the new set up brings results in a couple of seasons.
However I don’t think it is simply about getting players into the first team as I described above .It is about serving our community and getting lads involved in the game . You think that a waste of money I don’t.
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The community side is serviced by the Walsall Foundation teams that run aside ftom the academy giving local lads good facilities and coaching and being more accessible to kids with lesser abilities but still playing a decent standard - The MJPL.
Any kids that shine for the foundation occasionally graduate to the academy. I believe Joe Foulkes was one example.
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