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This is beyond a joke

Maxi08

Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Messages
81
I don't apologise for taking the same view that I always have which is the benefits of running an Academy are overstated. Sure when you are fortunate enough to see a player through his formative years and he signs a professional contract, you can see a real return on your investment. However, more and more kids are advised to milk the system and if they have real potential their agents move them on to bigger clubs who are happy to pay the pittance involved against a punt that the kid will make real money in the future. I accept that an Academy has social benefits, but I'm not sure that should interfere with a commercial judgement. A team of quality contacts (scouts) would be able to unearth a reliable supply of kids who have just missed out on making the cut further up the pyramid and are maybe now playing non league. The group of coaches we have should be able to turn these players into assets for the first team and long term commercial assets for the club. (I don't expect this view to be universally held)
I disagree, without the academy we would have no club! The top few that have been sold (before hitting the first team) along with the ones that have played (JMT/Pym etc) have made the club millions! If you then take in to account that out of the current first team squad we have 13 players that have come through the academy then the stats speak for themself!! The club also gets funded for the academy from the EFL!! Over the next few seasons they have a few more lads that will definitely hit the first team along with the top few that will obviously be sold!!
 

IndoMike

Very well known Exeweb poster
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
34,044
Location
Touring Central Java...
The present system which allows bigger clubs to nick our best for peanuts is wrong, but we would be daft to shoot ourselves in the foot over a matter of that principle.
Better to try to persuade the FA and the League to smarten up and make the system fair, or else lower league clubs will fold their academies and cut off some of the supply to the big teams. That will not be easy to do, I agree.
 

SEA Grecian

Well-known Exeweb poster
Joined
Oct 14, 2018
Messages
6,076
I don't apologise for taking the same view that I always have which is the benefits of running an Academy are overstated. Sure when you are fortunate enough to see a player through his formative years and he signs a professional contract, you can see a real return on your investment. However, more and more kids are advised to milk the system and if they have real potential their agents move them on to bigger clubs who are happy to pay the pittance involved against a punt that the kid will make real money in the future. I accept that an Academy has social benefits, but I'm not sure that should interfere with a commercial judgement. A team of quality contacts (scouts) would be able to unearth a reliable supply of kids who have just missed out on making the cut further up the pyramid and are maybe now playing non league. The group of coaches we have should be able to turn these players into assets for the first team and long term commercial assets for the club. (I don't expect this view to be universally held)
Why does it have to be either focus on our Academy or bring in young players who have missed out at bigger clubs. At the moment the club seems to be very effectively doing both.
 

ex_user1234

Resigned
Joined
Oct 16, 2019
Messages
678
I don't apologise for taking the same view that I always have which is the benefits of running an Academy are overstated. Sure when you are fortunate enough to see a player through his formative years and he signs a professional contract, you can see a real return on your investment. However, more and more kids are advised to milk the system and if they have real potential their agents move them on to bigger clubs who are happy to pay the pittance involved against a punt that the kid will make real money in the future. I accept that an Academy has social benefits, but I'm not sure that should interfere with a commercial judgement. A team of quality contacts (scouts) would be able to unearth a reliable supply of kids who have just missed out on making the cut further up the pyramid and are maybe now playing non league. The group of coaches we have should be able to turn these players into assets for the first team and long term commercial assets for the club. (I don't expect this view to be universally held)
Interesting view. I don't agree, but it's always good to hear the other side of the argument. Thanks for sharing.
 
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