Wayne Brown sold

[NorthernWhite]

The academy wasn't providing the calibre of players that was required so they hired Huw Jennings and Malcolm Elias who to be fair have only been in situ a relatively small time. One of their 1st pieces of business was to sign Smalling and unless I'm missing something, that was good business for all concerned.

The club could see there was a problem so hired 2 of the best in the business in unearthing young talent. At least give them time before saying the academy should be shut down.

[TonyGilroy]

I thought it was a requirement that a Premier League club had an academy and that there were minimum standards.

Even so the quality of young players we have is clearly improving but it takes time to break into the first team and the standard we have now set is high.

The Smalling deal alone must have paid for several years of the academy and the likes of Trotta, Marsh-Brown and Briggs clearly have potential.

More than anything though surely as supporters we'd rather have players come through the academy rather than be bought in but if the players we have aren't good enough they have to be let go.

I've never seen Wayne Brown but if he were of Prem standard Hodgson would have kept and used him.

[finnster01]

Let's be clear on one thing Smalling was never a part of the academy, so don't give them credit for him.

But I think Mr Tony is probably right about it is a requirement to keep an academy, I think I read that somewhere.

Anyway, we either get it right and use it properly, or we just keep a token shop around to satisfy league rules. That is my point. But you can't do it both ways.

[TonyGilroy]

I'm not sure that it matters whether Smalling was technically a member of the Academy.

More important for me is the mindset of seeking out young players and developing them. I'm pleased we're now trying to do that and providing the necessary resources and expert personnel.

[NorthernWhite]

Not sure of your point there Finnster, surely the remit for the academy and Elias and Jennings is to scout and recruit young talent. They did this with Smalling so should take the credit for that.

They've recruited other players who are younger so it will take a couple of years for that to bare fruit but Trotta is hopefully one that will make the grade along with Briggs, Hoesen etc.

Unfortunately not all are going to make the grade but I feel with the new talent being recruited some will. Roy obviously thougt Smalling was good enough and wasn't afriad to blood him so as the talent comes though, I'm sure well see them start to make an impact onthe 1st team. Unfortunately it appeas Roy didn't think Wayne Brown was quite good enough and didn't want to see him waste away in the stiffs so let him go.

[finnster01]

Not sure of your point there Finnster, surely the remit for the academy and Elias and Jennings is to scout and recruit young talent. They did this with Smalling so should take the credit for that.

They've recruited other players who are younger so it will take a couple of years for that to bare fruit but Trotta is hopefully one that will make the grade along with Briggs, Hoesen etc.

Unfortunately not all are going to make the grade but I feel with the new talent being recruited some will. Roy obviously thougt Smalling was good enough and wasn't afriad to blood him so as the talent comes though, I'm sure well see them start to make an impact onthe 1st team. Unfortunately it appeas Roy didn't think Wayne Brown was quite good enough and didn't want to see him waste away in the stiffs so let him go.

I'm not being an arse, but how many games have Trotta, Briggsy, and Hoesen got with the first team?
Roy came from Maidstone and I am not so sure Smalling was spotted by our scouts to be honest. I heard it was word of mouth more than anything.
My point still is: We either develop players and give them a chance or do feck all (as we do now). Rooney played Prem football barely at 17. Why don't we give some of our young lads a chance too? Supposedly our academy is doing fantastic but why are they not given a chance to play for the 1st team if they are so great? Someone somewhere is lying.

[NorthernWhite]

Hardly fair to judge other players by Rooneys standard, it was obvious he was a huge talent at 16/17 and would make the grade.

My point is that I don't think it's fair to Judge Elias and Jennings at this stage, if nothing comes through shortly then yes, I'd agree but I'm hoping the likes of Trotta etc will come through during this season.

Let's at least give the new regime a chance before throwing the towel in.

[NorthernWhite]

Bottom line, we all want to see some home grown talent come through and the academy needs t deliver soon on this.

[White Noise]

I think we arer a lot closer to youngsters breaking through than we have been for years and I can really see next season being the one where two or more get and take their chance.

Roy said when he arrived that he was shocked at the state of the youth set up at Fulham - the implication I suppose being that is was a lot worse than what he has seen at places like Blackburn and other clubs of equivalent size. His remarks seemed to suggest a fundamental re-building job was needed on the whole thing.

Huw Jennings has been in place as Academy Director since about November 2008 and Malcolm Elias joined as Head of Talent ID and Recruitment on 6th July last year having been Academy Director at Liverpool. I think they have achieved quite a lot in a relatively short space of time and, in all likelihood, with very little money to play with.

It is difficult to judge but, based on match results and anecdotal evidence, it would seem we have gone from having one of the worst Academy's in the top flight to one that is now in the top 10. The proof of the pudding will be in the first team squad announced in August and how many of the youngsters in it then get to play but the air of financial realism in the game and the new squad changes coming in next season should see the Academy playing an increasingly importnat role at Fulham.

Also, here is an interview with Paul Trollope where he talks about the 'big impact' Wayne Brown made in his short time there -

BBC Sport - Football - Wayne Brown made big impression - Paul Trollope

[Logicalman]

The problem i see with releasing youngsters and our academy players, is that the 8/25 rule applies as of this coming season, and so reducing the pool of availability, unless Roy is supplementing them with 'outsiders', is quite fraught. The rule announces that at least 8 from a quad of 25, must have been registered in England or Wales FA for a period of not less than 3 years prior to their 21st Birthday.

In respect of having to have an academy (or center of excellence), there isn't much in the PL rules, except the item ..."Subject to the requirements of this Section of these Rules, a Club may operate either a Football Academy or a Centre of Excellence." which tends to indicate they are not mandatory.

[timmyg]

Here is what I don't understand. Adolph the Bushman was only signed recently. And now he is moving on already?

Again why do we bother with youth? They will never be given a chance to play under Roy, so lets just cut the expenses of running an expensive academy that is totally meaningless.

Look around the league finn -- every club neglects their academy. Even Arsenal, who field a prepubescent XI, purchase all their players. They just purchase them when they are 12.

The academy system, like the reserve leagues, will soon go away for the reasons you have stated.

[FatFreddysCat]

I've asked this a few times but does anyone know what's happened to the African kids that were on loan in Belgium,LB, Shady and Chez might remember their names, but  the fella who brought Rooney through reckons they could be just as good.

[ScalleysDad]

It seems a shame that as soon as player looks like he might make it he disappears. Certainly he looked like he might have got a run out with the seconds and why accomodate Smallling in place 'our potential' when the agreement to hand him over to Fergie was signed. Certainly if the pecking order has the likes of Kallio and Stoor ahead of the longterm prospects we have a long way to go. Jennings and Elias will need a bit of time but to have no Academy prospects on the bench is a sad indictment that we will become a buying club and have a first team backed up by a squad of mediocrity. If Butchman is going as well then it might be down to attitude. We know Roy does'nt suffer fools gladly and if he were a prospect why did Liverpool let him go. However with the earlier clear out and now two more prospects gone/going in a week the chin rubbing must a full pace.

[cebu]

The source for Buchtmann's alleged imminent departure to Cologne/Dortmund is just another rumor blog. It's no more accurate than any of the UK based ones. BTW all the blog said was that Cologne/Dortmund had shown an interest in the lad. Yes, sometimes these rumors turn out to be true, but on the whole they're pretty unreliable.

[Mr Fulham]

The source for Buchtmann's alleged imminent departure to Cologne/Dortmund is just another rumor blog. It's no more accurate than any of the UK based ones. BTW all the blog said was that Cologne/Dortmund had shown an interest in the lad. Yes, sometimes these rumors turn out to be true, but on the whole they're pretty unreliable.

That's wrong. The Buchtmann rumour wasn't a blogger's rumour.

[LRCN]

From smalling, knight, davis and other youngsters we've probably made 18+ million over the last 10 years from the academy. so...
annoyed about buchtmann though. any official source?

[finnster01]

From smalling, knight, davis and other youngsters we've probably made 18+ million over the last 10 years from the academy. so...
annoyed about buchtmann though. any official source?

Mr Lork,

the bulk of that is Smalling and he was never a product of our academy so don't count him

[Mr Fulham]

annoyed about buchtmann though. any official source?

Not yet. But my source is very close to the BVB academy and it's (former) players.

[LRCN]

From smalling, knight, davis and other youngsters we've probably made 18+ million over the last 10 years from the academy. so...
annoyed about buchtmann though. any official source?

Mr Lork,

the bulk of that is Smalling and he was never a product of our academy so don't count him

he was discovered by our youth set up though.

[beijing ben]

Smalling and Knight were both bought in their late teens. They were both playing non league football when we signed them. The academy cannot get credit for them. Davis, i believe, signed for us when he was fifteen. No-one has really come all the way through from age eight but then we haven't had the academy for that long. It is a shame that we don't have a youth player that has come through to be a regular. It's disappointing that another in Brown has left. With his contract running out this summer, therefore a higher wage can be paid to him, and the prospect of regular football at Bristol Rovers i think the decision of him leaving was more his than ours