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Old 09-09-2017, 02:49 PM
Woosie Woosie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adman50 View Post
Woosie- what is your opinion of teams like Brentford ditching the whole academy set up in favour of a B team. I recently read that Huddersfield were going to save over £2m a year doing so.
Wycombe Eagle's post is an excellent one and is well worth reading.

I don't know, it's not an easy thing to have a full opinion on from the outside looking in, regardless of how much information I can retain on how the academy process works.

Until this year I found it very difficult to find information about any age group below the U18s.

Ultimately, I think the academy set-up is the best idea, but it depends on the way in which it is structured, the coaches, the pool of talent you are able to attract, the funding provided etc etc.

The academy also has a lot to be grateful for in respect of educating and developing young men in their personal lives, providing them with a lifeline from a difficult start in life - especially in some of the areas Palace recruit from.

Huddersfield's catchment area is significantly smaller than Palace's, and Palace often take Chelsea's cast-offs. That plays a part in it.

EPPP was a step in the right direction but was also deeply flawed. It has (literally) created a four-tier system. Whereas before, Palace would play Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United, they know no longer have that chance. If you can't play against the best then you have less of an opportunity to develop into the best player, and the club also has a slimmer chance of attracting the best young players to the club and the best coaches.

I don't agree with scrapping the entire academy and focussing on a B team, but I can see why some clubs have done it. If everyone does that then it kind of defeats the point. It would be far better to collectively lobby the PL/FA to create a new plan for the professional development of youth footballers.
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