WestYorksRoyalClyde1998tmesis The awkward truth is that the cost of the academy has meant we are forced to have a low wage budget. Unless we can bring players through who can get us up, it's not really helping too much.
Two big problems with the academy at the moment is over the past couple of years, we've already brought through most of the best talent (selling a number of them) and we've had a period where we had financial restrictions limiting the number (and probably) standard of player entering the academy in the first place - at various age groups (probably reduced the standard of coaches available too).
It sounds like the academy is doing well compared to other Category One academies at U16 level and lower, but is struggling in the age groups older that. It could be another season or two before we see another decent batch of young players come through again. Although we'd actually need to give meaningful opportunities for our academy graduates in order for them to actually develop into first team regulars instead of purchasing a load of average (at best) older players.
Some top talents were also sold before making an impact, like Luca Fletcher, Taylan Harris and that lad I forget we sold to Southampton.
Think a gutted a couple of cohorts of its best talent.
Realised I didn't put that in my post. Absolutely agree with this: there was a lad who went to Man Utd (Camron Mpofu); one to Brentford (Naeem Giscombe); one to Burnley (Harry Grimshaw); one to Ipswich (Ayyuba Jambang). The Southampton one was probably Thierry Rohart-Brown, who appears to be playing regularly for their U18s this season and got three goals and five assists. They also took Cameron Frederick from us. The season we got relegated, we also lost Imari Samuels (to Brighton) and Tyrell Ashcroft (to Tottenham).
And these are simply the ones that have been made public. That's going to be another factor as to why our age groups older than U16 are relatively struggling at the moment.
