How Do Crew Produce So Many Good Academy Players?

[numbeast]

Crew seem to have developed an excellent production line for young talent and all though we do produce some good player we pale into insignificance by comparision. Is it the scouting or the general development of young talent and is there anyway we can copy their technique or tempt their youth scout?

As I said this isn't a dig at out academy who I think are doing a great job just a little envy at a side who are doing a better job more consistantly

[simon uk]

well they have dario gradi who is just about the best in the country at bringing through young players, and his reputation means that they will continue to attract good youngsters, in spite of the small stature of the club. I think he also manages in a similar way to GJ - all his players are respectful and disciplined, so you know that if you pick up a crewe youngster, they are going to be good pros as well as good players, which obviously would catch GJs eye.

Imagine if we could get him here as head of our academy! I am sure any club in the country would take him in a shot, but I think he has things running nicely for himself at crewe - I think he gets a cut of the transfer fees received, although I might be wrong.

I don't usually go over board about opposition managers, but Gradi isnt far off a football manager legend in my eyes - sure hes not high profile like Fergie et al, but he has a bit of magic about him that makes him get the best out of players, like our very own manager, but he has done it for 20 years at Crewe.

Si.

[Blagdon red]

Crew seem to have developed an excellent production line for young talent and all though we do produce some good player we pale into insignificance by comparision. Is it the scouting or the general development of young talent and is there anyway we can copy their technique or tempt their youth scout?

As I said this isn't a dig at out academy who I think are doing a great job just a little envy at a side who are doing a better job more consistantly

25 years of pursuing a consistent youth development policy led by the same man.

I was working in that area in 1983 when Dario joined the club ... and he's still producing good young footballers 25 years on. Consistency in youth development policy has a lot to do with it.

[potbelly]

Part of the reason is that they have a massive catchment area in one the the countrys largest hotbeds of football talent.

They have the whole of Greater Manchester as well as Liverpool and a big chunk of the midlands at their disposal.

No matter how good our scouting set up is, we just don`t have the access to that many available youngsters.

[cheshire_red]

I watch many an Academy match at Crewe's training ground (it's on the outskirts of Nantwich) and the set up is superb, far and away above what we have had including their own indoor training area on the site.

It's true about their massive catchment area and many many kids choose Crewe over their far more illustrious local Prem clubs. They know they will be looked after, they know they will get an opportunity of first team football at an early age and much more.

Dario has been a Director of the club for a long time now, a proper Director if you know what I mean. He knew that a club in a town as small as crewe would never be self sufficient and realised very quickly that their only chance of competing was to develop their own players. They have to sell the better ones to survive and he doesn't let them go cheap.

There is a left back there at the moment who is a very hot prospect.....

[Dynamite Red]

Another significant detail is that young players need games in the first team and are allowed to make mistakes, Crewe are happy to throw players in for 15-20 games and learn there trade.

I remember when players like Doherty, Coles, Hill and Phillips were blooded into the first team and most took 10-20 games to really start producing the goods and develop as they gained experience, our club is not set-up like that anymore we can't afford to give players the time to establish themselves. Would the likes of JMW, Artus, Plummer, Ribeiro, Wilson have played more games if they had been at Crewe? Most likely yes someone like Ribiero would probably have 30-40 odd appearances behind him already.

Our youth players need to be exceptional immediatley to break into the first team and that is lot to ask of any youngster. I think we should set up better links with Bath City, Forest Green, Yeovil and Cheltenham e.g. as soon as a Youth player signs pro-forms he is immediately sent to one of these clubs for 1 or 2 seasons to gain first team experience.

[miketh2nd]

Crew seem to have developed an excellent production line for young talent and all though we do produce some good player we pale into insignificance by comparision. Is it the scouting or the general development of young talent and is there anyway we can copy their technique or tempt their youth scout?

As I said this isn't a dig at out academy who I think are doing a great job just a little envy at a side who are doing a better job more consistantly

I think in way I think Crewe sacrifice league poistion for the academy possibly. So I think the real question is would you rather have an amazing academy produce good youngsters and then loose them to the bigger clubs. OR create a good first team and be able to use the academy yet not rely on it. Which I think Bristol city do we are championship level it's so yes it's going to get harder to blood youngsters into the team espcially if we are gunning at the top of the table. But at the moment we have skuse with a few on the fringes Ribeiro , Wilson ,Jennison williams, Plummer.

Either way I'm not commenting on weather I think our acdamey is worked the proper way. Although the club puts plenty of money into the academy therefor I do think GJ does want to use them however they have to be good enough. I also think this links with the reserves getting more games and at a better standard. Hopefully the championship reserves league will be set up that was talked about a while back?