The youth setup

Originally Posted by Bunker Buster

Not having scouts at under 8 tournaments is worrying....year and a half in now and he's not sending his staff to the U8's...

"Albert? Today you shall go to Gribblethorpe Common to watch the U8s against Muckleside Colliery. Particularly you shall watch that lad with the mad dad in a kagoule who kees shouting attack attack. Try and look inconspicuous though, we don't want to lose another scoop to the berts... and for £#%&!'s sake don't wear that overcoat or you'll get arrested"

Not sure why people are being so defensive. The question is whether our youth set up and scouting system is as good as it should be for a supposed top 4 world club.

The concern is that a club across the city is investing a gigantic amount as a means of establishing itself as the go to club in the north west and beyond for the best young players.

I would hope that United respond accordingly and I'd understood that lvg's approach was root and branch. Fair enough if it's not but as long as someone at the club is alive to the response that perhaps need to be made.

I have some personal experience of this because my son's involved in a team in which the majority of players are affiliated with either city or one of the other north west clubs. United don't feature particularly. That isn't a problem in itself as long as it's not symptomatic of united's approach or alludes to a developing trend. Thought that point would be obvious but obviously not

Moyes was having a good look at it at one stage I believe. LVG has also apparently informed Woodward that it's not in great shape. They haven't appointed a new Academy Director since Brian McClair left, they offered it to Butt who won't commit to it.

I'd get Moyes back in to do that.

City could spend a billion quid on their youth system, educate them all at Oxford and let them all live in £#%&!ing penthouses; if they don't develop the mindset, and balls, to actually put them in the first team and suffer the frustration and uncertainty associated with blooding youngsters, it won't mean a thing.

I'd love to ask Van Persie where he thinks his son might actually get a shot at first team football if he's good enough.

Originally Posted by utd99

City could spend a billion quid on their youth system, educate them all at Oxford and let them all live in £#%&!ing penthouses; if they don't develop the mindset, and balls, to actually put them in the first team and suffer the frustration and uncertainty associated with blooding youngsters, it won't mean a thing.

I'd love to ask Van Persie where he thinks his son might actually get a shot at first team football if he's good enough.

I'd have a guess he's in Turkey with his pep pep

Originally Posted by RedMenace

Moyes was having a good look at it at one stage I believe. LVG has also apparently informed Woodward that it's not in great shape. They haven't appointed a new Academy Director since Brian McClair left, they offered it to Butt who won't commit to it.

Didn't he have some super duper recruitment computer?

Originally Posted by andyroo

So Keith, how many have the berts brought through out of their super duper new academy we should be emulating?

Underestimating what city are doing with the academies is a bit stupid tbf. They're developing everywhere and investing heavily and I'm not sure what you're expecting to see just now. Even if you say they've been up and running five years, most of their long term prospects will be thirteen years of age

The problem with any of the academies is that going back to what fuzzy said earlier, the game is a money machine and whatever we loved about the game is slowly disappearing. Barring someone like Messi coming rough at Barca again, most of the top teams in the world will take a 6 million a year falcoa before they take a 19 year old James Wilson. Sad but true.

Originally Posted by Mr_Ed

Didn't he have some super duper recruitment computer?

Wee Jimmy telling everyone how it's more powerful than the computers that sent the rocket to the moon

Originally Posted by utd99

City could spend a billion quid on their youth system, educate them all at Oxford and let them all live in £#%&!ing penthouses; if they don't develop the mindset, and balls, to actually put them in the first team and suffer the frustration and uncertainty associated with blooding youngsters, it won't mean a thing.

I'd love to ask Van Persie where he thinks his son might actually get a shot at first team football if he's good enough.

I think you'd probably need to assess the situation in 5 years time say. Would be plainly ridiculous, and therefore not beyond city, to still have had no youth team players progress to the first team by then. And that's the point at which it would have become an investment and pr disaster.

Originally Posted by My Name is Keith

I think you'd probably need to assess the situation in 5 years time say. Would be plainly ridiculous, and therefore not beyond city, to still have had no youth team players progress to the first team by then. And that's the point at which it would have become an investment and pr disaster.

Would then it not make sense to give it at least as long before van Gaal's reforms to the youth set-up (if indeed he has made any) begin to take effect?

Originally Posted by My Name is Keith

I think you'd probably need to assess the situation in 5 years time say. Would be plainly ridiculous, and therefore not beyond city, to still have had no youth team players progress to the first team by then. And that's the point at which it would have become an investment and pr disaster.

Yeah, you can throw money at it but you have to actually know what you're doing and be committed to the reality of it rather than just the idea. Would they accept a manager doing what Fergie did in '95 and drawing public wrath and doubt for placing faith in youth?

Pep did at Barca similar in '08 and after only a few games the knives were out because they didn't start well. Can imagine City being seduced by the idea of putting faith in the academy, but will they back it up with the time, intelligence and patience it usually needs.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Would then it not make sense to give it at least as long before van Gaal's reforms to the youth set-up (if indeed he has made any) begin to take effect?

But van Gaal himself has said he has a three year plan and I think he's got enough on his plate going through his second restructure in two years.

Just goes to show what a £#%&!ing complacent mess the club was in by the time Fergie retired..

Originally Posted by dunk

Just goes to show what a £#%&!ing complacent mess the club was in by the time Fergie retired..

It happens mate to all great empires. They stand still and don't notice the rest creeping up behind them. Before you know it you're being walloped 6-1 at home and finishing 7th.

Originally Posted by dunk

Just goes to show what a £#%&!ing complacent mess the club was in by the time Fergie retired..

I think the myth of united youth set up was over long before Ferguson retired..

Originally Posted by believe

I think the myth of united youth set up was over long before Ferguson retired..

He let it slide, revamped it, and brought the likes of Pogba and Morrison et al in/through and were signing players from all over Europe to boost it, none of it worked and it was just left to drift by the looks of it.

Originally Posted by dunk

He let it slide, revamped it, and brought the likes of Pogba and Morrison et al in/through and were signing players from all over Europe to boost it, none of it worked and it was just left to drift by the looks of it.

Lingers...

We still sign some of these propects. The Fosu-Mensah lad's very highly rated in clogland, read somehwere the berts have signed up some other young Dutchie (not van Perse's lad) so they don't get left behind.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Lingers...

We still sign some of these propects. The Fosu-Mensah lad's very highly rated in clogland, read somehwere the berts have signed up some other young Dutchie (not van Perse's lad) so they don't get left behind.

We had some bad luck with that crop tbh, hopefully Lingers makes it all worthwhile..

It doesn't feel like there is the same emphasis on the youth these days, and hasn't for a while tbh.

Originally Posted by andyroo

read somehwere the berts have signed up some other young Dutchie (not van Perse's lad) so they don't get left behind.

The hottest under 8 in world football right now