How about Jose Riga as Director of Football, perhaps Europe wide, with Nathan Jones back as Head Coach - though Karel Fraeye is the more obvious choice I guess. Whoever then runs the Academy is heavily supervised by Riga who oversees player development across the Network. If Duchatelet is going to succeed with his strategy he needs to do something like this and to employ the best coaches (not quite the same thing as a traditional British Manager) he can get hold of.
And if that is true we would have to sadly congratulate PH on his promotion, because unquestionably thats what it is. He seems to have done a very good job for us. Can someone remind me when he started? Did he work with Shelvey and Jenkinson?
Hart joined the club in June 2011. Shelvey had left the summer before, and Jenkinson went that summer.
Possibly only a small point in all this. I would like to distinguish between the concept of a 'feeder club', and a 'reserve team'. In the network, if a couple of thunderingly competitive hairy arsed German players at Carl Zeiss Jena are being fattened up to explode into English football with Charlton Athletic, and haul us to the promised land, they would be a feeder club for us. Wehey! If however, mistaken or failed signings elsewhere, perhaps recovering from injury, seeking to find form, or still a little bit too young, are played at Charlton Athletic to gain a credible footballing equilibrium, and are then moved on, or back. That scenario would see us as the Priory of the network, the convalescent home to maintain player value, and not necessarily here to haul us into that promised land. In my view the worry is less the feeder club concept, but more the reserve team concept.
In all honesty, though I empathise with your anxiety, these are hypothetical possibilities only as far as I can tell. The real concern, in my view for what that's worth, is that Roland Duchatelet has a vision for his Network which is equally theoretical and, hence, unlikely, in practice, to add the value he anticipates.
As a practical matter, for example, it is unlikely that anybody playing for Carl Zeiss Jena will be good enough for the Championship, at least not until they step up a level or two. On the other hand, Duchatelet has just learnt, first hand, how difficult it is for fringe players at Standard to compete in the English Second Division and Jose Riga has just demonstrated that if they aren't good enough they won't play.
I would have Nathan Jones as our head Coach in a heartbeat. What he did with the U21s last season was brilliant. I have also heard that Riga will take over the Academy and our next coach is in employment at the moment. I am just reporting what I have heard. Could be a load of toffee.
And if that is true we would have to sadly congratulate PH on his promotion, because unquestionably thats what it is. He seems to have done a very good job for us. Can someone remind me when he started? Did he work with Shelvey and Jenkinson?
Hart joined the club in June 2011. Shelvey had left the summer before, and Jenkinson went that summer.
Thanks.
Do those here who monitor the youth teams, feel that under Paul Hart the crop of youngsters is significantly better than before? Clearly we have Cousins and Poyet, and also Morgan Fox has made a good impression. Michael Smith has brought significant revenue in, thanks to his sale. I guess that is already a pretty decent haul from three years work.
However his predecessors also produced Shelvey, Jenkinson, Solly and Wagstaff, over a similar period....
I find it difficult to assess, and look forward to more informed comment from those of you who watch the academy carefully.
And if that is true we would have to sadly congratulate PH on his promotion, because unquestionably thats what it is. He seems to have done a very good job for us. Can someone remind me when he started? Did he work with Shelvey and Jenkinson?
Hart joined the club in June 2011. Shelvey had left the summer before, and Jenkinson went that summer.
Thanks.
Do those here who monitor the youth teams, feel that under Paul Hart the crop of youngsters is significantly better than before? Clearly we have Cousins and Poyet, and also Morgan Fox has made a good impression. Michael Smith has brought significant revenue in, thanks to his sale. I guess that is already a pretty decent haul from three years work.
However his predecessors also produced Shelvey, Jenkinson, Solly and Wagstaff, over a similar period....
I find it difficult to assess, and look forward to more informed comment from those of you who watch the academy carefully.
Michael Smith was bought from Darlington, not one of our youth products. The next youth products coming through are Harry Lennon, Morgan Fox who have already had a bit of first team experience. Joe Gomez, Terell Thomas, Holmes-Dennis, Archie Edwards. Then there is Ahearne Grant who looks a natural goalscorer but is younger than the above.
And if that is true we would have to sadly congratulate PH on his promotion, because unquestionably thats what it is. He seems to have done a very good job for us. Can someone remind me when he started? Did he work with Shelvey and Jenkinson?
Hart joined the club in June 2011. Shelvey had left the summer before, and Jenkinson went that summer.
Thanks.
Do those here who monitor the youth teams, feel that under Paul Hart the crop of youngsters is significantly better than before? Clearly we have Cousins and Poyet, and also Morgan Fox has made a good impression. Michael Smith has brought significant revenue in, thanks to his sale. I guess that is already a pretty decent haul from three years work.
However his predecessors also produced Shelvey, Jenkinson, Solly and Wagstaff, over a similar period....
I find it difficult to assess, and look forward to more informed comment from those of you who watch the academy carefully.
Michael Smith was bought from Darlington, not one of our youth products. The next youth products coming through are Harry Lennon, Morgan Fox who have already had a bit of first team experience. Joe Gomez, Terell Thomas, Holmes-Dennis, Archie Edwards. Then there is Ahearne Grant who looks a natural goalscorer but is younger than the above.
Ah yes, forgot that we bought Smith. Was Nick Pope also brought in from outside?
Do you think there are 1-2 more in the group who might turn out to be as good Cousins and Poyet? Hard to call of course, we've been disappointed in the past. One thing I do agree with RD, is how important it is to have a good academy.
We got Pope from Bury Town, pleased that he is doing so well at York. I think that Gomez is the star of the U18s as is Ahearne-Grant but they are both very young. If you think Richard Rufus then Gomez is very similar, he also passes the ball better than Richard. I know a lot of big clubs are very interested in Joe especially after his displays for England.It is imperative that we get him to sign a professional contract as soon as he can.
Got to agree about the potential of Gomez, he could have the best features of Steve brown and Richard Rufus combined, but he is still very young, he must not be rushed, just as we would be wise not to rush to judgement. Similar with Archie Edwards who is as wraith-like as Solly is vertically challenged.
Blimey! So we have seven players in the academy who are potentially good enough to come through in the next year or two. The board in Bartrams shows that there are roughly four youth players making their first team debuts every season but I've not heard the same talking up of the academy since the 90s when we had several England prospects come through. The risk is that players are so good they go to Premier League clubs and do not sign professional for us. But giving so many U21s their first team debuts and building the team around the academy can only assist in convincing players to stay with us... This summer will see a lot of older players leaving clearing the way for the youngsters to start.
Comments
In the network, if a couple of thunderingly competitive hairy arsed German players at Carl Zeiss Jena are being fattened up to explode into English football with Charlton Athletic, and haul us to the promised land, they would be a feeder club for us. Wehey!
If however, mistaken or failed signings elsewhere, perhaps recovering from injury, seeking to find form, or still a little bit too young, are played at Charlton Athletic to gain a credible footballing equilibrium, and are then moved on, or back. That scenario would see us as the Priory of the network, the convalescent home to maintain player value, and not necessarily here to haul us into that promised land.
In my view the worry is less the feeder club concept, but more the reserve team concept.
As a practical matter, for example, it is unlikely that anybody playing for Carl Zeiss Jena will be good enough for the Championship, at least not until they step up a level or two. On the other hand, Duchatelet has just learnt, first hand, how difficult it is for fringe players at Standard to compete in the English Second Division and Jose Riga has just demonstrated that if they aren't good enough they won't play.
Hope it is with us.
Do those here who monitor the youth teams, feel that under Paul Hart the crop of youngsters is significantly better than before? Clearly we have Cousins and Poyet, and also Morgan Fox has made a good impression. Michael Smith has brought significant revenue in, thanks to his sale. I guess that is already a pretty decent haul from three years work.
However his predecessors also produced Shelvey, Jenkinson, Solly and Wagstaff, over a similar period....
I find it difficult to assess, and look forward to more informed comment from those of you who watch the academy carefully.
Then there is Ahearne Grant who looks a natural goalscorer but is younger than the above.
Do you think there are 1-2 more in the group who might turn out to be as good Cousins and Poyet? Hard to call of course, we've been disappointed in the past. One thing I do agree with RD, is how important it is to have a good academy.
Similar with Archie Edwards who is as wraith-like as Solly is vertically challenged.
And Fox looked good today.