Liverpool FC Forum

[Big Niall]

I remember Fowler, Mcmanamann& Redknapp coming through (okay Redknapp came from Bourmouth , but still) and then Owen, Carragher and Gerrard but since then nobody has made the grade.

We've had a few players play the odd game but nobody that you would call a regular.

Is there something wrong with our youth system?

[EddieC]

It will always take a few years to start seeing the results of your youth policy.

At the moment we are still seeing the effects of Houllliers system, start getting worried if we're still saying the same thing in a couple of years time.

[account deleted by request]

I think the problem is that only the exceptional players are breaking into the squad and getting a decent run of games. The ones that "might make it" are getting the odd game, but generally if someone is injured or out of form we shuffle the pack rather than offering a youngster the opportunity to show what hes got.

[stmichael]

Liverpool as a city still produces absolutely top young talents, but Heighway makes the very valid point that it is so much harder to break into professional football teams these days, especially at the level of us, Man U, Arsenal and Chelsea.

My nephew is a very good talent, but if I was his father I'd encourage him to go to decent standard clubs like Ipswich or Southapton, who have good academy set ups and a tradition of playing good football, than going to clubs like Liverpool or Arsenal, where you don't just compete with the best local talent (British and Irish), but the best young World talent and world class players (Henry,Gerrard etc) in the first team.

One of my best mates at work is a Gunner and he reckons that kid Stokes would have been an Arsenal regular if he was given the chance, but why take a chance on an 18 year old whizzkid when you have players like Henry, Van Persie and Adebeyor to choose from? Many of Arsenal's young lads like Bendthner and Lupoli will end up going the same way as Stokes. I believe that if a young lad doesn't make the breakthrough by the time he is 20, he is going to be disheartened and even if he is an excellent talent, his performances will start to deteriorate, as young players will still look at the Gerrards, Fabregases and Carraghers of this world making it into the first team at 18. At Liverpool, John Welsh was a good example of this. Now he's at Hull.   

Players of the quality of Gerrard and Owen will always break through, but would a young 18 year old Stevie G or Michael Owen break into the current Chelsea first team....I would have my doubts.

[Effes]

Haven't we just signed up Southampton's scout?

[Redman in wales]

I think it all stems from the fact that we play so many games in todays game. Especially with european qualifying and european league formats in both the champs league and uefa cup.

As teams are playing more games, they need bigger squads. When players get injured, or need a rest, it is important for the player coming in to be able to come straight in and do job. Bigger squads enable the manager to rotate players, and also to cope when others are injured.

This is why we were looking to get Neil as a back-up for Finnan, Peltier was seen as too inexperienced, too young. In the past he would be the back-up, there would be no need for anyone, certainly no need to buy - maybe a season loan if Peltier was considered to young - but would make the grade in a year or so.

With a fully fit squad our possible left wingers are:
Kewell
Garcia
Gonzalez
Aurelio
Risse
- thats 5 players who would be more likely to start a game at left wing than a 18 year old from our youth team

With the exception of carling cup games - when is El Zhar and Lindfield gonna get a game? - With 4 strikers ahead of them, plus, support strikers which could be considered in that position, like Garcia and Gerrard, its very hard for them ever to imagine starting a league game for liverpool.

During our midfield crisis, carra played in midfield, while guthrie was on the bench.  - Every game is seen as so important, that there is no leaniency to let the young kids play. 'We need to put the best team we can out there' senario, rather than having 10 first team players, then one player (who is captain of the reserves) and telling him to start the game and play his heart out for liverpool.

Examples are endless, but i think the problem stems for the need for larger first team squads to cope with the increasing demand on the first team to win every game.

[stmichael]

Another biggest problem with the Academy system as far as I can tell is the recruitment limit. It's biased towards certain clubs. If you look at it, most of the southern and midlands clubs have catchment area populations that are twice the size of ours.

[metalhead]

One question

Didn't UEFA propose a solution by registering local players into the squad for European competition (Obligatory)?

[A.B.]

One question

Didn't UEFA propose a solution by registering local players into the squad for European competition (Obligatory)?

Yes, but it hasn't gone through and it probably won't anytime soon.

[peterc1992]

One question

Didn't UEFA propose a solution by registering local players into the squad for European competition (Obligatory)?

i never heard of it but on football manager 2007  u have too   

[metalhead]

One question

Didn't UEFA propose a solution by registering local players into the squad for European competition (Obligatory)?

Yes, but it hasn't gone through and it probably won't anytime soon.

oh.. I thought it would go ahead in 2008.. hmm...


lol Peterc 

[Marianne]

im reading robbie fowlers book at the mo, he says many top players e.g becks, gerrard, rooney have all come from working class backgrounds, so they might not have had all the top electronic toys etc, but now, most kids have got these, so they spend less time playing round outside. maybe kids just arent as motivated anymore to train train train!

[RUSHIE#9]

Another obstacle that is facing the young english player in the academy systems these days is the current trend of cherry-picking young talent from right across the globe. Wenger started it really a couple of years ago by signing all of these French/African lads, we've started doing it in the past 12-18 months or so with the likes of Palletta, Insua and this young dutch lad we've signed today.
It's almost as if the top sides are saying that they'd sooner invest in bringing the players in from elsewhere than spending the money developing their own talent through the Academies.
When you consider that academies as they are now are relatively new to the english game compared to clubs like Ajax then we are still learning the best ways to use them I believe.

[account deleted by request]

Liverpool have terminated the contract of midfielder David Mannix by mutual agreement. 
Central midfielder Mannix was a product of the Academy and was a regular in the reserve team squad.

Liverpoolfc.tv

WTF I thought he was supposed to be one of our most promising youngsters?

[Redman in wales]

Liverpool have terminated the contract of midfielder David Mannix by mutual agreement. 
Central midfielder Mannix was a product of the Academy and was a regular in the reserve team squad.

Liverpoolfc.tv

WTF I thought he was supposed to be one of our most promising youngsters?

the poor kid has been blighted with injuries.

he's got a worse track record than Kewell!

....

taken from the squad profile:

"Reserves midfielder David Mannix is back at Melwood after his loan spell at League Two outfit Accrington Stanley was cut short because of injury.

Mannix spent the final four months of the 2005/06 season on the sidelines after breaking his ankle in the reserves match at Newcastle on January 10th 2006.

The player only returned from an injury nightmare for the 2004/05 season and made 22 appearances for the reserves after he was out for almost three years with a serious knee injury."