andoru Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 It's a radical suggestion, but just what is the point of our academy if the graduates from it stay a season or two at most before moving on? We hardly ever see any return on the investment on the pitch, which as a fan is what I care about. I couldn't give two s**ts whether the club makes good money off the sales. Everyone bangs on about how great the youth system is at Saints, but I don't feel a lot of pride in it anymore. I mean, why should I? It's only our academy in name. Shut it down and force all the big clubs to start doing their own scouting and development. I'm fed up with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintandy666 Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 There would be no Saints without the academy. We would have been out of business long ago. Or at least, we would have had to have been a differently run club in the past given the hole it would have left in our finance if it didn't exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint in Paradise Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 There would be no Saints without the academy. We would have been out of business long ago. Or at least, we would have had to have been a differently run club in the past given the hole it would have left in our finance if it didn't exist. And this would be a bad thing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian lord Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 The academy is KL's source of pocket-money: no way will she close such an incredibly profitable machine down, it would be insane. It is a licence to print money, that academy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unbelievable Jeff Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 As a smaller club an academy is a way to supplement the money we don't have compared to the big boys, by either playing our youngsters or selling them for re-investment in the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bakovnetski Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 The academy is purely a cash generator now IMO. The concept of a Barcelona of the South is so wide of the mark. Utter BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceandfriendly Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Closing down our academy would be like cutting down a forest full of money trees. Katharina is rolling in Staplewood-produced cash. She's the happiest woman in Southampton right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Sir Robin Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 It'd almost make more sense to shut down all the rest of the club rather than the academy! Producing top quality players to sell to top clubs for huge profits is what we're all about now it seems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeShmoe Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 The forum reaches a new low...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Yes, let's get rid of the one thing that gives us a competitive advantage over other similarly sized clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cascadia Saint Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 It's a radical suggestion, but just what is the point of our academy if the graduates from it stay a season or two at most before moving on? We hardly ever see any return on the investment on the pitch, which as a fan is what I care about. I couldn't give two s**ts whether the club makes good money off the sales. Everyone bangs on about how great the youth system is at Saints, but I don't feel a lot of pride in it anymore. I mean, why should I? It's only our academy in name. Shut it down and force all the big clubs to start doing their own scouting and development. I'm fed up with it. Yay, someone has a second username! Or a third... Time for another round of Which WUM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Why? Plenty of other clubs look at us with envy. Clubs are not run for the benefit of the fans, we should all know that by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winchester Red Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 The forum reaches a new low...... This - 100% Brainless Without the academy we would be a Stoke or a Hull Is that what you all want? Great young players or lots of money to sign other teams players. I know you're all pretending it won't be, but over days weeks and years, that and more will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whelk Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 People are seriously replying to this inane question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 It's a radical suggestion, but just what is the point of our academy if the graduates from it stay a season or two at most before moving on? We hardly ever see any return on the investment on the pitch, which as a fan is what I care about. I couldn't give two s**ts whether the club makes good money off the sales. Everyone bangs on about how great the youth system is at Saints, but I don't feel a lot of pride in it anymore. I mean, why should I? It's only our academy in name. Shut it down and force all the big clubs to start doing their own scouting and development. I'm fed up with it. Skate and/or stupid? You decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goatboy Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Golden thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloydie Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Yes, let's get rid of the one thing that gives us a competitive advantage over other similarly sized clubs. It doesnt when we dont re-invest the money abd disassemble the whole squad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killers Knee Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 The academy is the reason we are in business. We wouldn't raise any money without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 The club objective is quite the opposite , maintain the academy but close down the first team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doddisalegend Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 I bet pompey (and loads of other clubs) would kill for an academy like ours to give them a source of money. Without multi-million pound sponsorship deals' or owners with more money than sense that the big teams have we need the income which the academy can produce. We'd all love to have a team of excellent academy products playing for saints but that is never going to happen in modern football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Fan CaM Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Without the insults, anyone who understands the Strategy of the club will recognise that the Academy is the heart and soul (lol) of it. And something tells me the OP knows this fully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ART Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Here in Montpellier, like at other France clubs, Academies are the main way of staying afloat financially. An annual sale or two of home grown talent keeps the clubs alive. Operating in this manner was how Rupert Lowe saw investment in an Academy, without a sugar daddy, as the way forward. Montpellier chairman, the notorious Louis Nicollin, once compared an Academy as a production line, comparing it to a cake shop. It was wrong to prevent sale of the gateaux just for the sake of admiration or because the Chef wanted to keep it. The aim was to sell at the best price and continue the production, rather than allow the gateaux to deteriorate in the shop window and provide no income Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colehillsaint Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Montpellier chairman, the notorious Louis Nicollin, once compared an Academy as a production line, comparing it to a cake shop. It was wrong to prevent sale of the gateaux just for the sake of admiration or because the Chef wanted to keep it. The aim was to sell at the best price and continue the production, rather than allow the gateaux to deteriorate in the shop window and provide no income Any Frenchman that would use cake as an analogy for developing and maturing young players when wine and cheese are available is obviously an idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ART Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Any Frenchman that would use cake as an analogy for developing and maturing young players when wine and cheese are available is obviously an idiot. Far from an idiot, but his size and weight and love of food, and obviously cakes, his ownership of many restaurants, lets you understand why he tends to use food in his examples. One of his nicknames is " Grand-papa gâteau" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andoru Posted 26 July, 2014 Author Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Without the insults, anyone who understands the Strategy of the club will recognise that the Academy is the heart and soul (lol) of it. And something tells me the OP knows this fully. Obviously I know this. I'm not an idiot. And I'm not seriously suggesting it gets shut down. I was just making the point that while it might be called Southampton's academy, it is only in name. It's nothing but a cash cow, not a real producer of players for us. Anyone who is fine with that needs their head examined. I won't be cheering when Reed or JWP get sold in a year's time. 15 million quid in the bank means nothing to me, especially when it's used to buy two players ten years older and of lower quality, as will likely happen. As a fan, all I care about is the football, and for once I'd like to see our best youth graduates stick with us as gratitude for being given the chance to play professional football. When I hear Luke Shaw talk about moving to Utd to further his career and how he's dreamed of it since he was young I want to slap him - he's only 19 for crying out loud. His career just started. He could give us a couple more seasons and then move on and achieve all he can in football. So what that we got 30m for him? If he ends up having a 15 year career at the top, like he really should, that will be 500k a season. Not worth it in my opinion. Oh well, I guess I was a fool to ever think we could have our own 'Class of X' like Utd did. Those days are, sadly, long gone in football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colehillsaint Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Far from an idiot, but his size and weight and love of food, and obviously cakes, his ownership of many restaurants, lets you understand why he tends to use food in his examples. One of his nicknames is " Grand-papa gâteau" Il est le grande fromage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldridge Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 That's not radical enough. I think the board should completely dissolve the club, then none of our players will ever be bought again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Munster Posted 26 July, 2014 Share Posted 26 July, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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