Premier ambition

[albionfan37]

Our lack of recent youth products breaking through to the first team ld and sm excluded has not been good and I'm wondering if that is in part due to the fact that we are already a very good side and therefore difficult for the youngsters to break through but that might not have been the case if we were mid table and more able with less pressure to blood them? Leeds and Huddersfield have succeeded in bringing a good few players through this season but would they have risked it if they knew they were going to be pushing for promotion and just got lucky with the crop? Have we missed an opportunity in giving some of the kids games because of our league position and potentially missed better players because of it? Excuse the poor grammar it kind of blurted out as I was watching crap on the telly

 

[Kaiser_Soze]

Our lack of recent youth products breaking through to the first team ld and sm excluded has not been good and I'm wondering if that is in part due to the fact that we are already a very good side and therefore difficult for the youngsters to break through but that might not have been the case if we were mid table and more able with less pressure to blood them? Leeds and Huddersfield have succeeded in bringing a good few players through this season but would they have risked it if they knew they were going to be pushing for promotion and just got lucky with the crop? Have we missed an opportunity in giving some of the kids games because of our league position and potentially missed better players because of it? Excuse the poor grammar it kind of blurted out as I was watching crap on the telly

That is definitely a factor although both Huddersfield and Leeds are top 6 sides. I don't watch enough of the DS to really know how good some of our youngsters are.

I think a bigger challenge we face is that we're 25 miles from London. Whilst we have a great academy, it's relatively new. The likes of Charlton and the caravan dwellers have been hoovering up talent from Sussex and Surrey whilst we were languishing at Withdean. That's before we get onto PL sides having the pick of the talent. It's going to take another 5 -7 years for us to really see the fruits of the last few years and the new academy. The 8-11 year old age group will them be 16-18 and hopefully more will break through.

 

[albionfan37]

That is definitely a factor although both Huddersfield and Leeds are top 6 sides. I don't watch enough of the DS to really know how good some of our youngsters are.

I think a bigger challenge we face is that we're 25 miles from London. Whilst we have a great academy, it's relatively new. The likes of Charlton and the caravan dwellers have been hoovering up talent from Sussex and Surrey whilst we were languishing at Withdean. That's before we get onto PL sides having the pick of the talent. It's going to take another 5 -7 years for us to really see the fruits of the last few years and the new academy. The 8-11 year old age group will them be 16-18 and hopefully more will break through.

I've watched a few games on the seagulls player and there are some decent lads worthy of a bench spot at least and now the young lad Connolly who's been scoring a few at u23 and u17 internationally would I feel get on the bench at any team between 10-15th but won't get a sniff here until we are promoted (fingers crossed)

 

[Stat Brother]

Here's me hoping Premier Ambition was the name of a race horse, or something.
Sadly no it's this BS again.

I bloody well knew the training facility would be used as a stick to beat the club/yoof set up, long before anyone could genuinely expect results.

Although I notice nobody has mentioned any of the kids out on loan, Walton and the double barrelled fella who were ripping it up.

This all but reads like 'it's shite we're second because ...'.

 

[wellquickwoody]

This all but reads like 'it's shite we're second because ...'.

No, it doesn't.

But hey, you having a pop at someone opening up a genuine point of discussion, quelle surprise?

 

[dazzer6666]

We have not had any decent trading facilities until very recently. Why do people expect youth players to suddenly just turn up? It will take probably a good decade before we see the big benefits of our new youth system.

Agree with this. Can't expect an immediate production line of superstars. Very much a long-term project.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

We have two products of our youth system playing regularly for the first team. Two out of 18 (match day squad) and three when Maenpaa was injured.

How many other teams can say that? I think we have a good ratio of youth products.
The academy will produce more in the future. There are a number of youngsters out on loan, getting regular game time, who will become professional league players although not necessarily with us.

 

[Hillian1]

No, it doesn't.

But hey, you having a pop at someone opening up a genuine point of discussion, quelle surprise?

If it's not about how cycling is brilliant and every other sport is drug riddled too Stat is not interested.

In fact he's so not interested he feels the need to post on the thread to inform us how not interested he really is.

 

[Commander]

It's going to take 10 years to start seeing results from the academy. Having nice training facilities doesn't suddenly make a load of average kids great players. I would imagine that having the facilities helps attracts the better kids on the first place, instead of losing them to other clubs, but those kids could be ten years away from the first team when we get them. To have the amount of youth team prospects that have come through for us, or gone on to make it as professional footballers at other clubs, that we have in the last ten years is pretty amazing really given the dire facilities that we've had. With the academy up and running properly now, we should start to see some real results in the next ten years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

As per [MENTION=2095]Commander[/MENTION] post, it will take between 5 and 10 years I would suggest.

There is an 'art' to introducing younger players in to a first team environment. Obviously are they ready ability wise (though I do like the if you're good enough, you're old enough), are they mentally strong enough? Often they may 'fly' on introduction, but then have a lull before picking up again. Are they mature enough? There is a different type of banter and professionalism as you get older. Finally physically, are they strong enough?

Personally, I would like teams forced to use 1 maybe 2 substitute places for U21 players, though to be fair with Rob Hunt and then Tomori we've probably done it anyway.

 

[sparkie]

I think we are doing pretty well with March and Dunk now worth a total of about £25 million.

1 player per year joining the 1st 25/26 is reasonable - this year it's Walton. In good years this could be 2 players. Any more per season is a dreamland fairytale.

 

[NooBHA]

Here's me hoping Premier Ambition was the name of a race horse, or something.
Sadly no it's this BS again.

I bloody well knew the training facility would be used as a stick to beat the club/yoof set up, long before anyone could genuinely expect results.

Although I notice nobody has mentioned any of the kids out on loan, Walton and the double barrelled fella who were ripping it up.

This all but reads like 'it's shite we're second because ...'.

Your Post sums this thread up perfectly.

Premiership ambition has been many years in the making for Brighton.

It's a dream of the owner who just happens to have a lot of cash to try and make it happen because he was and is a fan of the Club. He invested his money in the infrastructure. That was followed by Managers when he seemed to take the approach of ''lets go down the foreign coach route for quite a few years'' in the hope they would get to the PL quickly. That didn't work because they ultimately didn't make it the turning point from that route being the major failure of the last foreign coach.

Then the Owner made the decision to go for a tried and tested Manager in the Championship. That has bourn fruit although no fruit has actually dropped from the tree as of yet.

The reason that this is likely to be successful though is because the Manager and the owner want the same thing. They are pulling together. This Manager wants to be in the PL and this Owner wants to be in the PL. So as soon as CH becomes Manager of Brighton he wants Brighton to be in the PL. That means that both their goals become the same.

I think the other Managers had an agenda of enhancing their personal reputations and perhaps moving on. I think CH on the other hand thinks. ''Become successful on the pitch and Personal Reputations will look after themselves. He did not need to build a reputation. Apart from amongst Norwich City fans he already had a good one. And I even think some of them think differently now in hindsight.

All the while CH and TB are trying to achieve their ambitions of taking Brighton to the PL the Development squad is growing and being enhanced. The facilities are excellent and some players are even giving up first team football at other clubs to come to it. Ben Hall being an example of that. Many others are actually choosing to come to Brighton ahead of some Premiership Clubs

The standard of players in the Youth System is growing year by year. It has not been discarded at the expense of a ''Premier League Dream'' It is still there and getting better. The only difference is that because the Manager has built a better first team squad now then it is going to take real excellence for players to break out of it into the first team but it most definitely not bee discarded at the expense of making it to the PL.

The Development squad in time will consist of player, who if they don't break into the first team at Brighton will be being sold for £5 and 6 Million to clubs in the Championship. It will become self financing and in time there will be little gems which occasionally break into the first team.

It most certainly NOT a ''sideline'' to the first team. It goes hand in hand with the whole infrastructure of the club.

 

[Ernest]

Then the Owner made the decision to go for a tried and tested Manager in the Championship. .

If he had listened to somebody INTELLIGANT like me WE would have been in the PL years ago, I said TRIED and TESTED English manager was the only WAY to go

 

[sjamesb3466]

We have been pretty good over the years at producing defenders (even when we were at Withdean) however our record at producing attacking players of a good standard is pretty poor (Solly March the exception in recent years however he only signed at 17 years old so not really a product of our youth system). Hopefully the likes of Connolly, Bjordal, Tilley and Molumby are going to push on and challenge in the next season or two.

I would love to see a home grown out and out striker come through the ranks though

 

[NooBHA]

If he had listened to somebody INTELLIGANT like me WE would have been in the PL years ago, I said TRIED and TESTED English manager was the only WAY to go

I always knew YOU were ahead of your time Ernest

 

[AmexRuislip]

As per [MENTION=2095]Commander[/MENTION] post, it will take between 5 and 10 years I would suggest.

There is an 'art' to introducing younger players in to a first team environment. Obviously are they ready ability wise (though I do like the if you're good enough, you're old enough), are they mentally strong enough? Often they may 'fly' on introduction, but then have a lull before picking up again. Are they mature enough? There is a different type of banter and professionalism as you get older. Finally physically, are they strong enough?

Personally, I would like teams forced to use 1 maybe 2 substitute places for U21 players, though to be fair with Rob Hunt and then Tomori we've probably done it anyway.

This
I'm guessing on buying the Albion, TB has had a long term plan in mind for the club, and in the birth of the academy, the future is there to unfold.
To tap into the local football talent is something that should've happened a long time ago.
Now we can keep up with likes of the London club scouts who used to pick and choose at their will.
All we have to do is get promoted and bloody well stay there

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Our lack of recent youth products breaking through to the first team ld and sm excluded has not been good and I'm wondering if that is in part due to the fact that we are already a very good side and therefore difficult for the youngsters to break through but that might not have been the case if we were mid table and more able with less pressure to blood them? Leeds and Huddersfield have succeeded in bringing a good few players through this season but would they have risked it if they knew they were going to be pushing for promotion and just got lucky with the crop? Have we missed an opportunity in giving some of the kids games because of our league position and potentially missed better players because of it? Excuse the poor grammar it kind of blurted out as I was watching crap on the telly

What do you mean it's not been good? We're second in the Championship and it's almost April. EVERYTHING is bloody fantastic. Kids just simply can't break into the first team with this much quality in the side. It's as simple as that.

People seem to want instant success with these things. But they take a long time and many many mistakes before you start to see the fruits.

 

[BBassic]

I'm not sure getting into the Premier League is something that would mean a higher likelihood of seeing more youth products entering into the first team. It's such a pressured league in terms of staying up that we'd likely not blood any youngsters for a couple of seasons, if we even managed to stay up, or indeed go up in the first place.

You could argue that if we became an established team up there that we'd see more youth players breaking in but honestly do we see that in the teams already well established in the league? All their youth players get farmed out down here and below and hardly get a sniff at their parent clubs. Look at Tammy Abraham and Izzy Brown. They're having very productive seasons in the Championship but I'll be gobsmacked if either of them make more than 10 PL appearances next season, if they even stay at their parent clubs.

I just don't feel, as a country, we're that invested in youth development which is a shame in so many ways but most specifically for our national team.

 

[albionfan37]

I think there's a bit of misreading here I personally think there are 2-3 players that could've broken through but because of our league position over the past couple of years they've not been given a chance and if we were lower down with less pressure on getting promoted they probably would've been given a chance

 

[BensGrandad]

We are always going to struggle with attracting the youth players when you can drive down the A27 near Lancing Manor and see adverts for Chelsea holding training sessions less than1 mile from our academy. Hopefully in time when we are in the Premier this will change and we may be able to attract them. The problem then will come from Portsmouth if they are taken over by the Disney man.