Saints sign 6 players! (...on professional terms)

[Matthew Le God]

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2228492,00.html

 

Well done to all of them. Nice touch for the club to introduce them to the crowd before tonight's game and give them a medal.

 

James Ward-Prowse and Jake Sinclair look particularly good imo

[for_heaven's_Saint]

Wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of them on the bench at some point this season. If Jake Sinclair is as good as people say he is he could become a top top player under Adkins, who has a brilliant record of nurturing young strikers.

[Window Cleaner]

I wonder just how many of them will ever get more than a few minutes (if that) of first team action.We have loads of players who'll probably never see an entire first team game already.Still I guess we feel good about bringing on players for the likes of Gillingham, Barnet

and Salisbury.I think of our current first team only AOC has come through our ranks.

[Alanh]

I wonder just how many of them will ever get more than a few minutes (if that) of first team action.We have loads of players who'll probably never see an entire first team game already.Still I guess we feel good about bringing on players for the likes of Gillingham, Barnet

and Salisbury.I think of our current first team only AOC has come through our ranks.

 

I get a sense that this is a moan, but the reality is that its the same at all clubs with a decent academy structure. The vast majority of academy players don;t make it to the first team and loads of them don't make it in professional football at all. We aren't bringing on players for other clubs, we are developing footballers who may or may not play for Saints first team. No-one knows how they will develop so why the cynicism in the clubs actions?

[Draino76]

I wonder just how many of them will ever get more than a few minutes (if that) of first team action.We have loads of players who'll probably never see an entire first team game already.Still I guess we feel good about bringing on players for the likes of Gillingham, Barnet

and Salisbury.I think of our current first team only AOC has come through our ranks.

 

You turnip.

[Window Cleaner]

I get a sense that this is a moan, but the reality is that its the same at all clubs with a decent academy structure. The vast majority of academy players don;t make it to the first team and loads of them don't make it in professional football at all. We aren't bringing on players for other clubs, we are developing footballers who may or may not play for Saints first team. No-one knows how they will develop so why the cynicism in the clubs actions?

 

It is not a moan(or turnipping) it is a simple reflection on the number of young footballers that go through the "academy" mill and fail to make the grade.

[SuperMikey]

Does this mean they'll be in the next FM patch, MLG?

[Bartosz Bialkowski]

Does this mean they'll be in the next FM patch, MLG?

 

He did a good job with the current bunch.... ahem...

 

One signing (Mphela) and all season unbeaten in the league. Even beat Everton in the League cup.

 

Move over NA

[SuperMikey]

He did a good job with the current bunch.... ahem...

 

One signing (Mphela) and all season unbeaten in the league. Even beat Everton in the League cup.

 

Move over NA

 

In the demo I made 2 or 3 signings and got to the Semi-Final of the League Cup and was riding high 12 points clear in December in the league (before deleting the save game because it was too easy!).

[Professor]

If this group include people like MacGoldrick, Mills, Lancashire, Patterson or Blackstock, they will either be good enough for the first team or they will bring in transfer fees, and then of course there might be a Lallana, an AOC, or a Bale or a Walcott. Just because a few Academy hopefuls may not fulfil their promise is no reason to denigrate them because some of them definitely will make it. A 3-year contract is already a professional football career that many schoolkids can only dream about.

[doddisalegend]

Good stuff. Window cleaners right though I read somewhere that something like 80% of all academy players in the four football leagues never go onto to become professionals (as in league football) I suppose thats the nature of the game but for all those faliures if we produce the odd Walcott, Bale or Lallana it's got to be a good thing (it be even better if we could ever hang on to them as well, but that will never happen)

[Ewell]

It is not a moan(or turnipping) it is a simple reflection on the number of young footballers that go through the "academy" mill and fail to make the grade.

 

Are you intentionally trying to be dumb? Please look around the Premier League and Championship and there are plenty of examples of players who came through the Saints academy in the last 5 years now playing at a level above us. The sad reflection is for whatever reason we just could not hold onto them.

 

Personally I see it as some just are not happy unless sniping or moaning about something or other!

[Saint 76er]

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2228492,00.html

 

Well done to all of them. Nice touch for the club to introduce them to the crowd before tonight's game and give them a medal.

 

James Ward-Prowse and Jake Sinclair look particularly good imo

 

What's going on here, have the rules changed or something?

 

I thought you had to be seventeen to sign a pro contract, hence the kerfuffle with Wenger trying to get his hands on Theo before he could sign a contract with us and people saying we should have hid talent like him and Bale and not put them on display for Wenger et al to drool over.

 

No way many of this six are over seventeen, Sinclair may still be only 15 I think, but apparently they are now all on three year pro contracts. That's great for us, but the rules were supposed to stop "greedy" football clubs from manipulating innocent young persons (with the obvious exception of Wenger, who appears to be exempt).

 

Can anyone confirm/disprove these thoughts? ..... thanks

[supersonic]

What's going on here, have the rules changed or something?

 

I thought you had to be seventeen to sign a pro contract, hence the kerfuffle with Wenger trying to get his hands on Theo before he could sign a contract with us and people saying we should have hid talent like him and Bale and not put them on display for Wenger et al to drool over.

 

No way many of this six are over seventeen, Sinclair may still be only 15 I think, but apparently they are now all on three year pro contracts. That's great for us, but the rules were supposed to stop "greedy" football clubs from manipulating innocent young persons (with the obvious exception of Wenger, who appears to be exempt).

 

Can anyone confirm/disprove these thoughts? ..... thanks

 

I think the case may be that they have signed onto professional academy youth deals which are maximum £90 a week for 3 years. The club can then give them a pro dea lwhen they turn 17, just like we did a few weeks back with AO-C. I wouldn't be supprised if these kids have signed pre-contractual agreements to sign pro for saints when they turn 17.

 

I may well be wrong and the rules may have changed but that's my understanding of it

[CWD]

I think the case may be that they have signed onto professional academy youth deals which are maximum £90 a week for 3 years. The club can then give them a pro dea lwhen they turn 17, just like we did a few weeks back with AO-C. I wouldn't be supprised if these kids have signed pre-contractual agreements to sign pro for saints when they turn 17.

 

I may well be wrong and the rules may have changed but that's my understanding of it

 

Mine also. What happened when they were introduced last night?

[dubai_phil]

Good stuff. Window cleaners right though I read somewhere that something like 80% of all academy players in the four football leagues never go onto to become professionals (as in league football) I suppose thats the nature of the game but for all those faliures if we produce the odd Walcott, Bale or Lallana it's got to be a good thing (it be even better if we could ever hang on to them as well, but that will never happen)

 

Agree with the facts of WC's post and this. Now all we need is a whacky idea to get the percentage of Academy players who actually go and and play for us higher. Why don't we get all innovative and appoint someone who's only job is to ensure that after they graduate they stay with us and become our players instead of someone else's.

 

We could do with an expert like SCW or Simon Clifford or Glenn Hoddle's idea....

 

 

Oh Well, you know what I mean - big bugbear of mine - they finish Academy and then they have little or no chance of regular football until they leave us at 19 or 20 and blossom at 21 to 23. Some are ready at 17, a lot need longer Get them from 17 to 20 and we will reap the rewards

[Mowgli]

I wonder just how many of them will ever get more than a few minutes (if that) of first team action.We have loads of players who'll probably never see an entire first team game already.Still I guess we feel good about bringing on players for the likes of Gillingham, Barnet

and Salisbury.I think of our current first team only AOC has come through our ranks.

 

+Lallana

and in the first team squad..

 

+Gobern

+Doble

 

If they were still here, you would also have Walcott, Bale, Baird, Balckstock, Best, McGoldrick, Dyer. And that's just off the top of my head.

 

I guess it's pint half full -v- pint half empty but I don't think our problem is producing quality players. It's hanging on to them!

[buctootim]

I wonder just how many of them will ever get more than a few minutes (if that) of first team action.We have loads of players who'll probably never see an entire first team game already.Still I guess we feel good about bringing on players for the likes of Gillingham, Barnet

and Salisbury.I think of our current first team only AOC has come through our ranks.

 

Its ther nature of bringing on young players though. I know somebody who had trials for England at 12, Arsenal and Chelsea at 13, signed for Pompey at 14, let go at 16, playing non league footie at 18 and now doesnt play at at all. Probably 90% of the scholars will end up like him - but in 50 who go through the Saints academy you'll get 6 or 7 like Best or McGoldrick, a couple like Surman or Lallana and 1 like Walcott or Bale. Walcott's fee alone probably paid for 10 years of running costs for the academy.

[Dellman]

There is even a chance now we have a properly structured club with ambition that we may hold to them when they mature, that would be the best of all worlds and we're on that path, thanks ML thanks NC

[Ewell]

+Lallana

and in the first team squad..

 

+Gobern

+Doble

 

If they were still here, you would also have Walcott, Bale, Baird, Balckstock, Best, McGoldrick, Dyer. And that's just off the top of my head.

 

I guess it's pint half full -v- pint half empty but I don't think our problem is producing quality players. It's hanging on to them!

 

I already posted similar above but funnily enough he always seems to go pretty quiet when he is shown up to look a complete fool.