All clubs want success and work within different
models to achieve that success. Do you ever see
academies successfully filling the role of supplying
the core to the first team with predominantly
English players, in the way Manchester united did
with likes of Neville’s, Beckham, Scholes, Butt etc.
Again for all the wrong reasons due to COVID 19 situation this
could be the opportunity academies need. We don’t know how
travel will be affected during these times and what sort of
restrictions or regulations are put in place. It is an interesting
situation. If you had asked me this question under normal
circumstances, my response would probably be, I doubt it, simply
because of recruitment. Recruitment is now global and academy
players are competing against young players from all over the
world, so it makes it so much harder for them. That said it is
refreshing to see the young players coming through at Chelsea
due to the transfer ban. This has forced them to dip nto their
academy and just before the season shut down, one of their
academy players Billy Gilmour made his debut and did brilliantly
well. He is a young player, with a slight build and you have to ask
yourself would he have got the opportunity to play if the transfer
ban was not in place. I am sure that a number of academies up
and down the country have players who can make that step, but
you need a patient board, patient supporters and a manager who
is prepared to put young players into the team. Unfortunately
time and patience is not something you get at most football clubs.
A question to ask is, if Sir Alex Ferguson was not given the time he
was given, what would have happened to Manchester United?
At Everton David (Moyes) gave a number of young players their
debuts, Rooney, Hibbert, Osman, Rodwell, Barkley, Coleman to
name a few of many. Our circumstances at Everton were different
because we had no money, so we had to look at the academy for
players. That said David would only play them if he felt they could
cope.