Start With a Good Steak

[W-S-M Seagull]

15 hours ago, Percy Pig said:

I think the current situation is a perfect storm of many different factors.

We have a manager who has bought into the club's long term rather than being fixated with his own job security.

We have a long standing "aspiration" from the Lansdowns to have a functioning academy, we all mocked the "pillars"... whilst we have deviated from the pathway at times the investment has always stood firm which is to his credit.

We have had a period of ridiculously serious financial issues. It's hard to imagine us being that far from a points deduction over the last couple of seasons.

We have Covid destroying the transfer market.

We have a started to get both our academy recruitment and coaching right and the pathway between 16's, 18's, 23's and pro football is as defined yet as flexible/targeted as possible.

Having worked in and around academy football I'm of the belief that its the phase between 12 and 16 that's the most important- before that you can pretty much teach any athletic/sporty kid with a decent attitude to learning how to be a decent technical footballer. From 12 it's about developing resilience, tactical knowledge, team work and building on the fundamental technical aspects taught/developed in the first phase of development. We've started to get that bit right more often than not.

We are still not that far removed from some very worrying stories coming out of the academy, particularly with regard to aftercare/releases. It was painful to be a City fan and also a coach trying to piece together the fragments of another young man who missed the cut. It was probably the thing that kickstarted me falling out of love with youth football... 

Just happy to see it all coming together at the perfect time for the club. 

I've said this before (during the time most were calling for Pearsons head) that imo he will go on to be one of our greatest ever managers. 

Pearson has fully bought into the club on all levels. Be it the academy, or the women's team or our history. He's involved himself in it all. 

Pearson came in, got a feel for the place and figured out what needed to change. I think his illness probably set his work back a little bit. 

Many many managers would have changed course in order to protect their records/jobs. But not Pearson. Look at LJ and his tombola for example! 

People may not see the work Pearson has undertook behind the scene but he has helped make this club a professional club.

With the academy now finally based at the same place, we are now a one club. Nigel has been hugely instrumental in integrating the two. We are already seeing the benefits of this now and that's only going to improve over the coming years. 

The culture has has created at the club will ultimately work its way down to the academy too. 

I think most can agree our club is now in a better place than it was before he took over. And this is despite him having to hugely cut costs. 

Getting rid of bad eggs like Palmer was also very important as these players were resistant to change. I might be speculating here but I always felt as if Pearson wasn't too fond of Bentley either. I think Pearson is glad that he has gone. 

I think now we only really have JD, Martin and Klose to move on. Possibly Kalas too but Pearson speaks fondly about him. 

Come the summer we are going to be in a very good place. Like we've finally managed to reset ourselves. Hopefully it's looking like we can accelerate our summer transfer plans to this window. 

We can then slowly look at replacing players such as James and Williams. 

I am very optimistic that over the next two seasons we will steadily climb up the table.