FAN ARTICLES
Improve The Youth System
Comments (19) : With Everton seemingly getting ready to splash some cash on Fernandes, and rumours of £10-12M being offered for Yakubu, I want to put forward the idea that actually, what Everton need is not necessarily massive investment in first team players, but a bigger, reliable production line.
Merseyside, the North-East and East London have always been the key producers of large numbers of quality English players, and with Everton seeming to struggle financially, it seems the way forward is not to buy overpriced players from second rate clubs (Yakubu) or admittedly classy foreign imports (Fernandes ? though don't get me wrong, I'd love us to sign him right now) but to produce your own players over and over again.
We already do reasonably well at this, we must have been the only Premier League club to have two homegrown goalscorers at the weekend, but given the number of scouse footballers produced over the years, surely we can do better. Already this season, we've spent c.£9M on bringing back two scousers who 'got away'. We should have been bringing them through all along.
This is not really intended to be a criticism of the current set-up, because with Hibbert, Osman, Anichebe and Vaughan already established as useful members of the first team squad, it's clear we're doing fine. I would argue, however, that we should look to be doing better than fine, we should aim to be the No 1 producer of young English talent in the league.
West Ham produced Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Jermain Defoe pretty much all at once, and at least three of them can claim to be at or near genuine world class, and are coveted by the biggest foreign clubs in the world. This is the standard we should be looking at; imagine an Everton squad with players of that calibre, and without them feeling they need to leave.
Of course, Rooney came through our system, and before him the talented but idiotic Jeffers, and it's easy to pat ourselves on the back and say 'we're doing fine in youth development', but what we should be looking at is what's possible, not what's 'fine'. With Benitez seemingly set for a long reign of cash-splashing on Spaniards across the park, the only place where local lads will be truly developed and be given Premier League chances will be with us. I'm thinking the next Gerrard, Carragher, Fowler and McManaman, as well as the Rooney, Jeffers, Baines, Jagielka ? even Barton should all be coming through at Everton.
I'm no expert, and I don't exactly know what the methods are at the club, but I believe a bigger catchment and scouting system at a young age, and more methodical technique training should be allied with the right mental approach ? it's significant that in an old interview with Barton I remember reading he said that he only really kicked on as a player after he was released by Everton as it shattered his complacency and made him work his arse off.
Producing a first-team player every year, especially of the calibre of some of the players mentioned above, would totally negate the need for regular £10M+ transfers. I repeat, this is NOT a criticism of our current youth set-up, I just believe in aiming high. We are currently one of the best producers of young players in the country (probably top ten, maybe top five?), we have the motivation, and the talent pool, to become far and away THE best club at producing young players in the country.
Reader Comments (19)
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2 Posted 15/08/2007 at 09:13:55
3 Posted 15/08/2007 at 10:49:08
4 Posted 15/08/2007 at 10:53:51
5 Posted 15/08/2007 at 12:09:47
6 Posted 15/08/2007 at 12:32:27
Vaughan, Osman, Anichebe, Lescott, Osman and Stubbs.
Almost 80% have come through the youth system. I think its working.
7 Posted 15/08/2007 at 13:01:00
"West Ham produced Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Jermain Defoe" West Ham bought Defoe from Charlton.
8 Posted 15/08/2007 at 13:15:40
9 Posted 15/08/2007 at 13:29:00
Oh shit ... none of them are scousers .. we don’t have one single lad from Liverpool in the squad, never mind in the starting eleven.
Not by the reckoning of the ’anti kirkby’ proposal debate anyway
10 Posted 15/08/2007 at 13:31:27
Almost 80% have come through the youth system. I think its working.>
Again, I’m not saying we’re currently doing anything wrong or badly, I explicitly say twice that my article is not intended as a criticism. I’m saying this is a strength we can build on even further, why be complacent, why settle for less than is possible?
As for the 35 mile catchment area, that’s all we need, we just need to have more kids involved and be able to retain and train even the struggling ones, like Barton and Jagielka. Football coaches seem to rule out the possibility of late developers, which has been proven time and time again to be a mistake. By keeping all our kids in an expanded system, we wouldn’t miss out on those quality players who don’t already look like world beaters at the age of 14.
11 Posted 15/08/2007 at 13:36:23
Sorry I’m being a tool, i think there is something like that at the centre’s of excellence but I think academy’s can pretty much have who they want to ensure that the best players get the best coaching and facilities.
If not what are Man U doing getting 9 yr olds from down under!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 Posted 15/08/2007 at 13:35:06
If Jagielka had stayed at Everton would he have developed in the same manner as he did in Sheff Utd?
There are many factors beyond simple ability as to why a player breaks through. Luck plays a big part as well - Ossie didn’t look like he would break into the first team until we started 04/05 with barely any players and he got his chance and took it well. Now he has made 100 starts and scored in every game this season!
13 Posted 15/08/2007 at 15:43:47
That was me in the original article, that’s why I included the idea of some kind of mental training in the approach to youth development, as complacency seems to set in with quite a lot of lads who think they’ve made it cos they’re in a youth system. Its not hard to imagine a realistic system of targets and goals which keeps young players firmly aware that they have achieved nothing by playing for Everton U-15s. The kick up the arse could come without losing the player for good.
14 Posted 15/08/2007 at 15:57:28
15 Posted 15/08/2007 at 17:08:33
16 Posted 15/08/2007 at 18:46:57
17 Posted 15/08/2007 at 19:37:24
Give the Academy as big as a budget as we possibly can.
I would also say keep in mind the competition and that half our catchment area is in the Irish see. -e.g. draw an hours travel time around Manchester and then Liverpool and note the difference in population.
Add in we have Blackburn, who’s academy budget is probably the biggest in England.
Personlly I think ouracademy has done great out of shoddy facilities... Perhaps you can say Everton, Blackburn and Middlesborough have the best academys in the country? Ours wasn’t for facilties , but in terms of cash transfer fee’s produced it is. Look at Vaunghy? hhow much would he command ifthe likes of Mido are 7m ?
18 Posted 16/08/2007 at 00:58:21
Next three off the production line:
Keiran Agard, another Kevin Campbell?
John Paul Kissock - needs to overcome Leon Osman style physical probelms to become the next Michael Owen up front. They tend to play him on the wing to keep him away from imposing centre halves.
Jose Baxter - the reserves youngest ever stirker. I’ve never seen him but I’ve heard so many great things. Rooney mark II? Sign him up Moyes. make sure this fella does not get away! (pay his dad £1,000 a week to be a "consultant"!)
19 Posted 16/08/2007 at 13:39:59
You can have fewer players in the under 15 team than in the under 14. You can’t help but show some lads the door. Jagielka had fallen victim to this "decimation".
It’s damn hard to tell at the age of 14 who’s gonna make it to Prem level. There’s no amount of money that would make this decision easier.
Still, we obviously have a huge talent pool (what an ugly way to describe kids kicking a ball), we can’t have more players at the academy, so we have to improve our selection processes.
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1 Posted 15/08/2007 at 05:36:21