FA Youth Cup 5th Round disappointment at Walton Hall Park

I doubt if there is any sense in bringing and buying young players into Everton’s Academy if there is no experienced coach there to guide them through their development. We haven’t had one for years and the last one has just been promoted to coach the first team——— this definitely has to be looked at by the new owners because of how important and vital the part the youth development will play in Everton’s future for playing and selling purposes.

Dave absolutely spot on.

At home v Plymouth in front of your own supporters should have been a home banker, however, Plymouth defended well and our Boys lacked the skill to unlock their defence.
It's a concern that many of these Boys will have been at the Club for 10 years or more and the passage through to the first team is still elusive. Yet we have just brought in a 22 year old from the other side of the World and he is immediately part of the first team squad.
I have always thought and hoped that our first team would contain a couple of local boys, and that the Club would invest in making our Academy one of the very best.
Hopefully there will be less drama surrounding the first team, and this will give some breathing space to allow the New Owners together with David Moyes to take a detailed look at the existing set up and come up with a more effective alternative. If nothing else we owe it to the Boys and their families.

David (3), David I think the intake of the new scholarship boys contained just one local lad, sorry to say I’ve forgot his name, maybe Michael will have the details but again a good experienced coach at this level is just, or more,as important as the lads coming in.

Dave @4,

I don't watch the U18s or U21s as much as I should.

I've said this before, but to your point, I don't think Everton tap into what is on their doorstep. I appreciate it's competitive being close to the neighbours and the Manchester clubs, but I've always maintained we could do more.

I don't mean EitC, but adopting several youth teams at grass roots around the Merseyside area and have coaching staff mentor their coaches and players.

Generally, as I understand it, one a young player signs for an academy they can't play grass roots, although there can be some exceptions.

This avoids putting them in a bubble behind the gates of Finch Farm and lets them carry on enjoying football in their natural surroundings, learning some of the "less glamorous" tricks of the trade shall we call it!

As you say, it is important that the DoF has the right coaches and people in at U18 and U21 levels. His job is the structure of the club on the playing side top to bottom. Or should be if it's done properly.

Yes, Danny in the present system the young players are cocooned away in the Academy from a very young age and if they eventually fail to secure a professional contract the effect on them can be devastating. Judging by the number of foreign players now earning a living in the UK it would seem that Clubs abroad follow a more effective routine.

As well as your post in general David @6, the last sentence resonates.

Written just under 2 years ago, an interesting slant on youth football in Germany, which they took advice on from the Belgian FA.

Link

Interesting that Bayern although running youth teams, decided not to take young players into the academy until finishing U11s. Personally I would raise that bar to U14s.

I'd like to see the system overhauled and not just focus on the so-called elite players, many of whom get spat out of the system at a young age, having pinned their hopes and dreams chasing the end of the football rainbow.

A phrase I like to use in many areas of life; if you stand still, you're walking backwards.

There is a place for players of all levels at all levels in the professional game.

Agree with all comments above, especially Dave A regarding Youth Development and a decent coach. I watched every minute of the game, and their goal came from a penalty in the first 2 or 3 minutes. I have never been a fan of back-passing, except in certain situations.

There was no immediate threat, but the right back chose to do so, not only was it not a good one, the windy conditions saw it go out for a corner. From that corner, a bagatelle in the penalty area, resulted in a penalty which they scored from. I must say that the referee seemed to let the visitors get away with more than was afforded to our lads. Nothing new there then.

The longer the game went on it didn't look like we would even get on level terms let alone progress to the next round. I think Harrison Armstrong would have made a difference had he played. There are some good prospects in that set-up, but it gets back to coaching them properly again or it comes down to giving them some experience to go elsewhere, usually for buttons !

I think the academy system led by Arsenal, Chelsea and City mostly has given us our deepest most talented England squad in years.

It chews up and spits out a lot of players in the process- but the quality coming out at the top appears to be consistently exceptional now.

I coached a school football team in north london for about 28 years til I retired a few years ago, whenever a scout came along to a tournament, cup final, they would always ask, who did I think was my best player etc. I never gave any names out, as I realised the chances of success were few and far between. I had some great players over the years but let them play happily and without the logging all their details etc that the academies do. So proud to see Jonathan Rowe doing well at Norwich and now on loan at Marseille.

Tony (10), A very good post Tony, I think you were wise not to give them any information about the lads you were coaching, why do their job for them if they were doing a proper scouts job they would/ should have been watching the young lads a few times to make their own judgement.

Robert @9, those clubs mentioned have made good progress in recent years, Chelsea since they moved to a purpose built training facility near Cobham in Surrey. Previously, they had trained on fields near Heathrow. A place called Sipson, where local grass roots also played, which is earmarked as one of the villages earmarked for the demolition of hundreds of homes as part of the Heathrow expansion.

Tony @10, I had the same when coaching the youth teams from U11 through to U18s. Watford were terrible for sniffing and asking about players. More often than not, they were trying to surround one, maybe two, who they thought could make it, with decent players who wouldn't. Building their hopes and dreams up.

As Dave says, if they were doing their job properly, they would be watching local teams and players for weeks to assess them.