Wayne Brown sold

[simplyfulham]

How can you include Wayne Brown as a part of the academy? Yes he may have played once or twice for the academy and yes he have received coaching and guidance from our academy and yes he may have received a wage for attending our academy and training at our academy. But we didn't sign him the day after his birth, so like Knight, Davis and Smalling, we CAN'T claim any success from Wayne Brown!

(I hop my point is obvious here..)

Taking on player in the way we have with Knight and Smalling is not uncommon and I don't think you have the right idea if you're insisting this shouldn't be viewed as a success by the academy. You're Utopian idea of a boy born next to Craven Cottage being scouted at 5 and becoming Fulham's record scorer and appearance holder is unrealistic and ridiculous.

Most professional players aren't picked up by academy's until the ages of about 12-14 anyway. Most lads taken on early at 8 do happen to fall by the wayside. I think it's unfair to slate the importance of having an academy for not producing players that have shone for the first team. a fair few of these kids have received a good football education and have gone on to carve out reasonably successful careers further down the ladder. Maybe not the success in the Fulham history books, we've done well by these young boys.

[simplyfulham]

....HOWEVER

I don't entirely disagree with you Finnster. All the press coming out of the Fulham about how good the youth ranks are is disproportionate to the amount of successful players to play for Fulham.

(well just players outright really)

And it does seem a shame that more youngsters don't seem to get a chance/make the grade for us. Maybe our expectations are warped by the press coming from Fulham and by that relegation team over in east London putting every young fellow who can successfully work an iPod into their first team (look how well it's done for them this term..)

[finnster01]

How can you include Wayne Brown as a part of the academy? Yes he may have played once or twice for the academy and yes he have received coaching and guidance from our academy and yes he may have received a wage for attending our academy and training at our academy. But we didn't sign him the day after his birth, so like Knight, Davis and Smalling, we CAN'T claim any success from Wayne Brown!

(I hop my point is obvious here..)

Taking on player in the way we have with Knight and Smalling is not uncommon and I don't think you have the right idea if you're insisting this shouldn't be viewed as a success by the academy. You're Utopian idea of a boy born next to Craven Cottage being scouted at 5 and becoming Fulham's record scorer and appearance holder is unrealistic and ridiculous.

Most professional players aren't picked up by academy's until the ages of about 12-14 anyway. Most lads taken on early at 8 do happen to fall by the wayside. I think it's unfair to slate the importance of having an academy for not producing players that have shone for the first team. a fair few of these kids have received a good football education and have gone on to carve out reasonably successful careers further down the ladder. Maybe not the success in the Fulham history books, we've done well by these young boys.

I am not sure what your point is or if you actually have one in the first place.

My point is if the West Ham academy can produce Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Glen Johnson, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe, why can't we produce a single quality player?

And if that is indeed the case, why spend more money on that rubbish? :032: Makes no business sense whatsoever

[White Noise]

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.

Should be back with us next season Freddy -

King Gyan Osei

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Gyan_Osei

http://www.tribalfootball.com/fulham-management-pleased-osei-king-progress-235079

http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/arsenal-scout-young-ghanaian-star

Daniel Owusu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Owusu

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/daniel-owusu/profil/spieler_59436.html

Interesting to see Roys comments of a couple of years ago -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1077535/Fulham-boss-Hodgson-keen-youngsters-follow-Osei-Owusu-Beerschot.html

[LRCN]

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.

Should be back with us next season Freddy -

King Gyan Osei

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Gyan_Osei

http://www.tribalfootball.com/fulham-management-pleased-osei-king-progress-235079

http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/arsenal-scout-young-ghanaian-star

Daniel Owusu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Owusu

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/daniel-owusu/profil/spieler_59436.html

Interesting to see Roys comments of a couple of years ago -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1077535/Fulham-boss-Hodgson-keen-youngsters-follow-Osei-Owusu-Beerschot.html

very very strange about why the club have made love all comment about them. nothing on them on the website at least, despite them being our playerd for 3 seasons now and been rated very highly it seems. they're not even listed on the player profiles. I wonder why that is?

[simplyfulham]

How can you include Wayne Brown as a part of the academy? Yes he may have played once or twice for the academy and yes he have received coaching and guidance from our academy and yes he may have received a wage for attending our academy and training at our academy. But we didn't sign him the day after his birth, so like Knight, Davis and Smalling, we CAN'T claim any success from Wayne Brown!

(I hop my point is obvious here..)

Taking on player in the way we have with Knight and Smalling is not uncommon and I don't think you have the right idea if you're insisting this shouldn't be viewed as a success by the academy. You're Utopian idea of a boy born next to Craven Cottage being scouted at 5 and becoming Fulham's record scorer and appearance holder is unrealistic and ridiculous.

Most professional players aren't picked up by academy's until the ages of about 12-14 anyway. Most lads taken on early at 8 do happen to fall by the wayside. I think it's unfair to slate the importance of having an academy for not producing players that have shone for the first team. a fair few of these kids have received a good football education and have gone on to carve out reasonably successful careers further down the ladder. Maybe not the success in the Fulham history books, we've done well by these young boys.

I am not sure what your point is or if you actually have one in the first place.

My point is if the West Ham academy can produce Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Glen Johnson, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe, why can't we produce a single quality player?

And if that is indeed the case, why spend more money on that rubbish? :032: Makes no business sense whatsoever

I'm not really sure from what perspective your attacking the academy now to be honest Finn.. Is it just the success of the academy you're upset with or is it the whole ideology behind having an academy?

From a business perspective football clubs are a losing game. Running a club as a business is a sure fire way to disappointment (Glazer, Hicks). But even still surely the sales of Davis, Knight and Smalling have proved from a business stance efficacy. From a business perspective you can't tell me Smalling and they like 'don't count'. We bought him for a minor amount, invested time and money in training him over 2 years in the academy and sold him on for huge profits. My point here is the academy has justified itself.

From a football purist perspective the academy has still proved itself. If you don't count Smalling as an academy graduate from a purist perspective then maybe you have a case. But the academy has still given careers to loads of young boys, lot's of players are plying there trade in the football league thanks to their education at Fulham. We saw one on the losing side of the play-off, Mark Hudson for Cardiff.

If you're argument is we aren't successful because we haven't produced a Rooney or a Gerrard well then maybe you have grounds there too, after all we haven't. But that's a bit like complaining we haven't won the title, and since we're not the best what's the point in buying players to try and win it if we're not going to. Might as well save your money.. Might as well save your money on a season ticket!

I agree with you're sentiment Finn, I want to see some good players come through and play for the club as much as anyone, I'm desperate. I regularly attend reserve games. But this kind of thing doesn't happen overnight and it's made worse by sharing catchment areas with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal and a whole host of teams. The efforts of the academy aren't wasted, things are improving, so chill!

[beijing ben]

As i said, the academy is relatively new so to expect players to have come through before now is a bit much. The likes of Hudson, Leacock and Pratley have done well to be regulars in Championship sides and that is fair enough. It should be about now that we see one or two really come through though because we have been a premiership team for nearly ten years. The academy has been top quality, with a lot of funding, for that whole time. I think its fair to expect at least one to break through. I was hoping Brown would be one of them but it appears he won't be now.

If you contrast our last match before the Europa League final where we fielded largely a reserve team to that of Middlesbrough's in 2006 when they were in the same situation i think you can see what we are getting at. They fielded a team where ten of the eleven starters were all born in the area and were part of their youth academy whilst we only had Smalling (who i really don't think we can count as a product of the youth academy. As far as i can tell he never actually played a youth game for us. He was nearly nineteen when we signed him. Also, Knight was eighteen i believe when we signed him).

Okay, Middlesbrough are in the championship now but i think that was largely down to poor management by Southgate. They have brought some fine talent through, with Adam Johnson a possibility for the world cup. In that team in 2006, which they played against us incidentally, they had Wheater, Cattermole and Johnson. Wheater and Johnson have been in England squads and it is just a matter of time before Cattermole is. It would be nice to have that kind situation, whilst remaining a premiership club of course.

[Mr Fulham]

Buchtmann to join Cologne according to sources close to the player. He apparently is unhappy at Fulham and wants to get back to Germany as soon as possible. He was in Cologne two days ago to talk to the management. The talks were positive.

[FatFreddysCat]

I reckon we should invest a lot more in Scandy country Scouts, big tough lot who seem to adapt easily to our football. London is already taken by 13 teams fighting over very few good footballers, were never going to nick a good Northerner and the Africans are away playing crap cup games half the year. Norway, Sweden  and Finland are the way forward.

[Tom]

Buchtmann to join Cologne according to sources close to the player. He apparently is unhappy at Fulham and wants to get back to Germany as soon as possible. He was in Cologne two days ago to talk to the management. The talks were positive.

Why is he unhappy at Fulham? He is a young player, what did he expect to go right into the first team or something? How could anyone be unhappy at Fulham?  :dft012:

[HatterDon]

Buchtmann to join Cologne according to sources close to the player. He apparently is unhappy at Fulham and wants to get back to Germany as soon as possible. He was in Cologne two days ago to talk to the management. The talks were positive.

Why is he unhappy at Fulham? He is a young player, what did he expect to go right into the first team or something? How could anyone be unhappy at Fulham?  :dft012:

Maybe it's the sign at M. Park:

Welcome to Fulham FC.
                                  We can do everything here but poo.
                                                                                      Our asshole is in Hull.

[mike_f]

I find it worrying that we are losing Buchtmann.

I know for a fact that a very very good young right winger rejected Fulham because he felt that the place didn't feel right.

He joined Ipswich.

Maybe we should have a look at ourselves and see what we are doing wrong.