Fourth defeat on the bounce: http://uk.soccerway.com/matches/201...er-18-academy/brighton--hove-alb-u18/2018910/
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[Albion] U18 Leicester 4 Albion 3
- Thread starter perseus
- Start date
Hampster Gull
New member
- Dec 22, 2010
- 13,462
What about our draw with the hammers the game before this?
Hastings gull
Well-known member
- Nov 23, 2013
- 4,635
Of course it is frustrating that the youngsters have lost again, and it may take time for the lure of the training facilities to produce results. It is really rather too early to make a judgement -not suggesting you are, by the way. In the next few years, then we as fans will be entitled to ask whether the concentration on youth has paid off -we were told that this was one of reasons why the facility was built. Of course developing footballers is not an exact science, and it would be unrealistic to expect the entire first team to be from the academy, but you hope nonetheless that some prospects will come through. The club does seem to have spread its tentacles (don't start!) - the primary school football trainers near me here in Hastings are all from the Albion.
mona
The Glory Game
Agree.
Good that the Albion are looking towards Hastings as it's Sussex's top football town - Barry, Hammond and Cook.
Results aren't the prime consideration with youth teams, are they.
I feel this is one of the biggest misconceptions of our newly formed training ground and status.
If you want to spread your recruitment area then fine, it sounds plausible that this will be a great advantage but I am not so sure.
Who exactly do you think we are going to recruit from the young talent pool ahead of say Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal etc. we will be bringing in generally un-associated youngsters that will not be any better than the best that Sussex has to offer.
I agree that it secures our status to perhaps recruit and retain decent Sussex youngsters and positions ourselves to possibly 'trump' the Portsmouths, Millwalls etc if at any time we are interested in a youngster that the Premier clubs do not regard as of necessary quality, so the quality of recruitment doesnt automatically improve as some suggest.
The real key is the development environment and the coaches that carry out the work, sometimes with an active recruitment department trying to justify their own position an over active recruitment policy might impact negatively on the training and coaching environment.
It might be worth remembering that since we have moved to a higher status training ground we have yet to come even remotely close to our previous successes in the real test games of the FA Youth Cup, not actually winning one game to date, whereas with exclusively Sussex youngsters Wilkins lead them to the quarter final of this prestigious competition, beating Blackburn, Chelsea before losing out on penalties to Newcastle, something I fear will never be replicated.
It doesnt necessarily follow that state of the art facilities or Icelandic, Irish or Surrey recruitment delivers better outcomes, its the motivation and skill of the staff employed.
GingerBeerMan
3-0
- Dec 29, 2011
- 8,024
Better staff come to better facilities. The academy will pay off in the long run, it's not even been up a season yet. The youngsters aren't just going to suddenly develop into quality players because they have a few new machines in the gym, it's going to take many seasons before we see the full effect of the academy.
It has undoubtedly reaffirmed our position in the pecking order, but we will inevitably fall short on getting first dibs above higher status clubs on nearly every aspect of a football club.
Only recently Simon Ireland U 21's coach left to go to QPR, a club with a far worse training centre than ours but with a team in the Premiership.
I am not saying the new facility is not a good thing, its brilliant, but the view that it is bound to deliver successes in the near future isnt guaranteed unless its staffing qualities are also there.
Some of the pessimism on here completely overlooks the fact that our youngsters are testing themselves against the best in the country now, week in week out. This is a massive step up from Wycombe, Woking and Northampton, no disrespect to any of these clubs. It is a shame that the U18s have gone off the boil after a fantastic start, but they haven't exactly disgraced themselves.
I hope you didnt think I was commenting on any youngsters, it was more a comment on the system and some thinking its inevitable to see a greater level of development, when it goes far beyond facilities.
The league results have been decent and never quite represent what might be happening in terms of each players development anyway.
Hastings gull
Well-known member
- Nov 23, 2013
- 4,635
I fully agree with you - as always it is the attitude of the staff that will determine the degree of success. But better facilities will presumably attract better calibre people, on which we can build. At present the lure of the London premiership teams will be hard to compete with, as you say, but we have to start somewhere, and this is at least an exciting start. Good facilities AND a committed staff could well be an unbeatable combination.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
I suspect that's also to do with Simon Rusk moving up to the Under 21s team.
Rookie
Greetings
- Feb 8, 2005
- 12,067
And some of the players steeping up to the u 21s while some of the under 16s moving up
The Brighton Buzz
Falmer here we come
- Jan 31, 2008
- 1,277
Was going to post this. The results coincide with him moving up and some players moving up to the under 21 side with him. Don't know who is in charge of the under 18's now though. It is a shame that are slipping down the league now, but not the end of the world, as it is all about their development rather than the results.