Liverpool FC Forum

[Igor Zidane]

Liverpool have appointed Jose Segura as Academy technical manager, with the 48-year-old taking up his new position on June 1st.
He will report to Academy director Frank McParland and will bring huge experience to the role, having worked at FC Barcelona for both their youth system and Barca B team.

During his time with the Catalan giants, he helped develop players of the calibre of Andres Iniesta, Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Bojan Krkic, Cesc Fabregas and Mikel Arteta.

He later enjoyed great success in Greece. Firstly with AEK Athens and then as assistant coach at Olympiacos before succeeding Takis Lemonis as manager and leading them to a Greek league and cup double in 2008.


Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez commented: "There's a lot to do at the Academy, but we've worked hard to bring in the best people and Jose is a great appointment.

"He's worked with some of the top young talent in Spain and knows the challenges faced in bringing through players to the first team set-up. He's also got experience at the top after his success with Olympiacos and I'm delighted that he's agreed to join us."

liverpoolfc.tv



Sounds good!

[tubby]

Rafa's comments say it all. "There's a lot of work to do at the Academy". Sounds like we got the right man for the job though so im happy.

[NANNY RED]

Good aquisition imo. certainly can spot knows the talent ,

[Greavesie]

Hope he does a good job, welcome to Liverpool

[tubby]

Maybe he can bring Bojan here.

I hope though that in years to come we can develop a few 1st team calibre players. Carra is getting on a bit and whilst Stevie is here now we have to bear in mind that so far we have only seen one player to geniunley break into the first team - Insua. That's simply not good enough so Rafa was right to bring in this guy. Good luck to him anyway.

[Sabre]

Well it's common knowledge that in La Massia a great work has been done with youngsters, but I'm not sure who are the guys that are responsible of this success.

I'll ask some Barcelona supporters I know so that they give me some details about this man.

But it does sound good.

[tubby]

Yeah Sabre get the lowdown on this guy that would be helpful. I really hope in a few years we can produce a few really good players. We can't spend right in the top bracket of the transfer market so a good academy is essential.

[roberto green]

Was this the role King Kenny was ment to be getting?

[tubby]

No I don't think so. I don't think a specific role was actually pinpointed for Kenny.

[JoeTerp]

this is replacing the Dutch guy that is leaving, and I believe is an academy only role. the rumors on Kenny's role were to be involved in all the different levels of the club.

[Keris]

King Kenny has a 'roving, free role'

[Sabre]

Yeah Sabre get the lowdown on this guy that would be helpful. I really hope in a few years we can produce a few really good players. We can't spend right in the top bracket of the transfer market so a good academy is essential.

Well it was interesting to call my two friends, but not for the info required.

He's pretty unknown, even for my friends that do care about watching Barcelona B and Barcelona C games. The second friend I called knew him before Barcelona because that man studied in the same university in Lleida.

His profile is like Rafa's. He has the sames Fitness studies, and he's a fan of methodology. My friend said that he had a lot to do with Bojan's and other small player's development, he cared about their food and tracked height growth techniques.

But all they knew mate were general things.

With the few info I had, I went to google, where, he's pretty much unknown too. It's interesting though that after the Olympiakos title he got he claimed that "he had a strong desire to come back to Spain" as his wife and family were there.

I guess the man just found too challenging the Liverpool experience to say no, because the reputation of the Melwood work is high in all Europe.

Sorry not to provide more info mate, but if the "Joe Terps" of F.C. Barcelona know little about him, I can't say much.

[afficionado]

Pep Segura worked in Greece for two years. I know that they call him "the Professor" and I know that he did a brilliant job with young players. He helped a lot of players to develop their abilities and he was responsible for the best Greek, young defender Socrates Papastathopoulos. He moved to Italy for 4 million Euros which was the biggest sum of money given for a Greek defender. I am certain that all Liverpool players will gain from his presence. And he is also a very gentle and positive person.

[bigmick]

My concerns with the youth development side of things at Liverpool is fairly predictably that we seem to me to cast the net as far as we can throw it, without paying any attention to the fingerlings with growth spurt potential which lurk in the shadows. Very often they don't shine as brightly at such a young age as some of these fish from distant waters, their shimmer doesn't quite catch the light to such a brilliant effect. They may not appear to jink in and out of the shadows with quite the same fleetness of movement, nor do they sound quite so exotic, their names not quite so intoxicatingly glamorous.

There are just a few of these fingerlings though that have something, although it may not be obvious to one whose head is turned by colour and pattern. Lurking in the colder water, in the shadows means they don't always show the potential of their brilliance, but with polish and perseverance it can shine through. They have a tenacious quality, a hardiness and a willingness to survive that often their tropical cousins lack. And they have a fearlessness, a bravery and an understanding of the way things are which is instinctive, a genetic knowledge which can't be taught.

For 20 years we have searched the globe for the brightest starlets. We've cast our net far and wide, on every continent and just occasionally we've turned up something. Many times under closer inspection, under the intensity of the microscope we have been disappointed, but still we persist. It is pertinent to remember though that those pioneering scouts who have circumnavigated the globe in search of treasure, have so often been usurped by the old boys who've stayed local, braving the icy winds down the local park. No fancy hotels for them as they've endured the kick and rush of the uneducated and the great unwashed, watching in the shadows as those aforementioned fingerlings battle for prominence.

And out of the swarming masses of youngsters who "lack technical ability", who are "victims of a failed and broken youth system in this country", against all the odds one or two have come through. The Fowlers, the Owens and the Rush's from down the road, and of course more recently Jamie Carragher. And who could forget the most brilliant one of all, the one who has with polish matured into the most prized catch in the land? Envied by every single other football club in World football, and born however far Huyton is from from Anfield (I won't pretend I know).

Obviously, for every fingerling that has the potential to become Steven Gerrard, there are hundreds of thousands who have the potential to become nothing in a football sense. They are there though those more brilliant ones, they always have been and they always will be. I hope whoever this bloke is he remembers that on every park in the country there are hundreds of thousands of kids playing every weekend, they may not shine as bright today, but one day some of them will. We must remember to look in the shadows as well, it seems to me like we've forgotten that sometimes.


Did I tell anyoine it was national analogy day in New Zealand   

[Reg]

Dont you think Gerrard and Carra should become involved with juniors at local level to find those rough diamonds? Seems strange that our 2 highest profile players, both scousers arent lerading a campaign to find north west youngsters under the banner 'You too can make it' or something similar.