Very interesting piece on how good our youth set up is (we beat pompey 8-0 ) ..Heaps praise on Deano and MH and how we have produced and are out producing the so called hot beds of talent.. If i knew how to scan onto here i would .. def worth a read
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times today
- Thread starter ditchy
- Start date
Brighton take lead in search for youth
By Nick Szczepanik
BRIGHTON & Hove Albion 8, Portsmouth 0. Not the score of any match likely to be played between the clubs’ first teams in the foreseeable future, but the respective numbers of locally-produced players to feature for each team in league matches last season. Despite a population of about 1.5 million, Sussex is not usually thought of as bearing a rich seam of footballing talent. Nevertheless, Brighton are outperforming not only Portsmouth but most other clubs in the top two divisions.
The pressure on Premiership clubs to sign ready-made stars means that Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion have also failed to give a locally-born product a game this season, while Ashley Cole, of Arsenal, and John Terry, of Chelsea, have been lone standard-bearers for local youth at their clubs. Liverpool and Middlesbrough lead the way, but each has given starts to only four locals. Even outside the top division, much-vaunted academies are not producing local goods. No Berkshire-born players have started for Reading this season, nor Hampshire-born players for Southampton in the league.
Only Crewe Alexandra’s long-established youth policy can better Brighton’s recent record, and Dean Wilkins, the Sussex club’s youth team coach, would like to go even further. Just as Athletic Bilbao recruit only from the Basque region of Spain, he would like to see an entirely Sussex-bred Brighton team. “I think it’s a nice comparison,” he said. “It lets the local lads know what we are aiming at and I like to think that has inspired many of them to join the club.”
A fanciful aim, perhaps, but the other targets set by Wilkins and Martin Hinshelwood, now the director of football, when they took charge of Brighton’s youth set-up six years ago have been achieved. “Our first target was to produce a regular first-team player,” Wilkins said. “After that, it was international honours, which we had last season with Dan Harding and Adam Hinshelwood in the England Under-21 squad. The last one was to sell a player on for £1 million, and we did that with Adam Virgo, who joined Celtic in the summer for £1.5 million.
“I don’t see why Sussex should be any different from the North East or the Basque region. Kids are kids, they all grow up doing roughly the same things and it’s a case of opportunity, the way you develop them and the support you get at a high level, which we have had with Mark McGhee (the manager).”
McGhee was pleased with what he found when he arrived at the club in October 2003. “It requires a long-term strategy and that is paying off now,” he said. “Some of these boys can go on and play in the Premier League, although at this moment the Championship is their level. Perhaps a few years ago the number of boys coming through our system would have been relatively small. We’re now disappointed if we miss any of the best boys coming through in the county. And we can hold up the examples of Virgo and Harding (who is now with Leeds United) and say, ‘Come here and it won’t stop you going on to bigger clubs’. ”
By Nick Szczepanik
BRIGHTON & Hove Albion 8, Portsmouth 0. Not the score of any match likely to be played between the clubs’ first teams in the foreseeable future, but the respective numbers of locally-produced players to feature for each team in league matches last season. Despite a population of about 1.5 million, Sussex is not usually thought of as bearing a rich seam of footballing talent. Nevertheless, Brighton are outperforming not only Portsmouth but most other clubs in the top two divisions.
The pressure on Premiership clubs to sign ready-made stars means that Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion have also failed to give a locally-born product a game this season, while Ashley Cole, of Arsenal, and John Terry, of Chelsea, have been lone standard-bearers for local youth at their clubs. Liverpool and Middlesbrough lead the way, but each has given starts to only four locals. Even outside the top division, much-vaunted academies are not producing local goods. No Berkshire-born players have started for Reading this season, nor Hampshire-born players for Southampton in the league.
Only Crewe Alexandra’s long-established youth policy can better Brighton’s recent record, and Dean Wilkins, the Sussex club’s youth team coach, would like to go even further. Just as Athletic Bilbao recruit only from the Basque region of Spain, he would like to see an entirely Sussex-bred Brighton team. “I think it’s a nice comparison,” he said. “It lets the local lads know what we are aiming at and I like to think that has inspired many of them to join the club.”
A fanciful aim, perhaps, but the other targets set by Wilkins and Martin Hinshelwood, now the director of football, when they took charge of Brighton’s youth set-up six years ago have been achieved. “Our first target was to produce a regular first-team player,” Wilkins said. “After that, it was international honours, which we had last season with Dan Harding and Adam Hinshelwood in the England Under-21 squad. The last one was to sell a player on for £1 million, and we did that with Adam Virgo, who joined Celtic in the summer for £1.5 million.
“I don’t see why Sussex should be any different from the North East or the Basque region. Kids are kids, they all grow up doing roughly the same things and it’s a case of opportunity, the way you develop them and the support you get at a high level, which we have had with Mark McGhee (the manager).”
McGhee was pleased with what he found when he arrived at the club in October 2003. “It requires a long-term strategy and that is paying off now,” he said. “Some of these boys can go on and play in the Premier League, although at this moment the Championship is their level. Perhaps a few years ago the number of boys coming through our system would have been relatively small. We’re now disappointed if we miss any of the best boys coming through in the county. And we can hold up the examples of Virgo and Harding (who is now with Leeds United) and say, ‘Come here and it won’t stop you going on to bigger clubs’. ”
HampshireSeagulls
Moulding Generation Z
fatboy said:
Bigger Club? Celtic, OK, we can agree with that, but Harding knows that he should have STAYED with the bigger club.......
Scarface
New member
Read that this morning, unexpected but very good piece. Well done to all those involved in the youth setup. 
well done dw and hinsh
Bwian
Kiss my (_!_)
- Jul 14, 2003
- 15,898
Good work by Nick Alphabet too-timely piece for the upcoming Labour Conference/March. It shows that the club are doing everything possible to help local kids get involved in sport. I can't see how the decision will be anything other than a YES but I'll be on the seafront on Monday just in case.....
Ain't it great having Albion fans on the staff of the Nationals?
Ain't it great having Albion fans on the staff of the Nationals?
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eastlondonseagull
Well-known member
Bwian said:
Ain't it great having Albion fans on the staff of the Nationals?
Exactly. And we can expect to see more in the, er, Mail, now that Paul Hayward has defected.
ILOVEBHA
Member
When did we beat Portsmouth 8-0 ?
Cant see it on the main website......Was it just a friendly?
Cant see it on the main website......Was it just a friendly?
ILOVEBHA
Member
Robdinho said:
You are right and i am having a shit monday as i seem to have left my brain at home.
Thanks
- Aug 8, 2005
- 27,234
Portsmouth are a total joke. Seriously, what do they offer to the Premier League? Sweet FA in my opinion.They're just a squad full of mercenaries. In desperate need of a striker, they decide to farm out their most promising youngster, James Keene, on loan. Now they start blaming all their problems on Harry Redknapp!!!!! The man who single handedly got them into the Premiership!!
I hate this club with such a passion
Rant over.
I hate this club with such a passion
Rant over.
Ernest
Stupid IDIOT
What is the point of having a YOUTH policy when the first team is STUFFED full of foreign rubbish ?
My DREAM Albion team is a couple of youngsters with the rest tried and tested ENGLISH lads and an Albion legend management duo of Mullers and Jimmy 'Hard' Case
My DREAM Albion team is a couple of youngsters with the rest tried and tested ENGLISH lads and an Albion legend management duo of Mullers and Jimmy 'Hard' Case
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
ditchy said:
Where is the article? I have a scanner and the times, but cant find the article. Plus is it easy to attach documents to NSC?
If we were in Pompeys position in the premier we would be playing a similar team to them.There is a gulf of difference between the lower reaches of the championship and mid table premiership.I`m not knocking the youth set as I think its brilliant but how many of our local youngsters would or will go on to be good enough for the prem. Pompeys youth set-up is not bad (Gary O`Neil came thru their ranks ) but its very difficult to take a good youngster all the way thru to the very top level.
As a matter of interest who in our squad comprising youth development players would go on to the next level.At the moment only a fit Hinshlewood would get close but we do have a lot of potential I will admit.
As a matter of interest who in our squad comprising youth development players would go on to the next level.At the moment only a fit Hinshlewood would get close but we do have a lot of potential I will admit.
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
Re: Re: times today
I have now scanned it but cant attach. If anyone is interested then let me know how to do it and i will
BarrelofFun said:
I have now scanned it but cant attach. If anyone is interested then let me know how to do it and i will
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
Tom Bombadil
Well-known member
BarrelofFun, you might want to read the thread before trying to scan articles next time
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