| Our best ever academy product? 21:22 - Mar 18 with 2766 views | Swansea_Blue |
I’ve been looking at that 2014-15 U14s side mentioned on the other thread to see who’s made it, and it’s not been easy to track people down. It looks like Harry Clarke is the best of that bunch. There’s an EADT article that runs through some of our biggest youth transfers around that time, with the biggest noise around Ben Knight if I remember rightly - https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/21326246.grass-proved-greener-towns-poached-academy- Charlie Brown was seen as a real prospect too with his move to Chelsea. Brown is now with Morecombe in L2, Knoght with Crewe also in L2 but on loan from City.
Got me thinking who our best ever academy product is. The Beat was my first thought, but then you’ve got Warky and Kieron Dyer who both played longer at the top level and had longer international careers. Depends how you define ‘best’ I suppose - best overall player, best career or best honours. Ted Phillips is another shout but well before my time. George Burley was great, but not in the Beat’s or Warky’s league, probably. [Post edited 18 Mar 21:33]
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| Our best ever academy product? on 15:59 - Mar 19 with 170 views | itfc_bucks |
| Our best ever academy product? on 07:30 - Mar 19 by ElephantintheRoom |
This raises an interesting point with school kids being hawked to the highest bidder for a dollop of cash. It’s still going on with a 14 year old being touted at present - so genuinely ‘top prospects’ will never come through the academy under the current system.
Going back a few years the more gifted youngsters like Ambrose and Bent, let alone Wickham were actually given game time for the club before moving on in their teens So it’s several decades since top players actually stayed with the club that nurtured them.
I suppose Pope is the most recent good player to slip through the net. Butcher or Wark possibly the best ever. |
Vaguely related, but I'm aware of an Under 12's lad at Newcastle whose family have been gifted a long term (10year+) exclusive use of an exec box in order to persuade their lad to stay at the Geordie Academy.
Under 12s... |  | | |
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