16-06-2024, 04:14 AM
(15-06-2024, 06:12 PM)Hammie Wrote: The infrastructure needed for a grade 1 is simply ridiculous, just turns out spoilt tippy tappy players who carry on being spoilt and tippy tappy in the U23 league.
I'm not sure what the options are for a genuine reserve team league?
As shown this week, produce anything decent and they are taken away for peanuts anyway.
It does look better now to take them at 20+ very sadly as we love a home grown youngster coming through.
I guess we can let Chelsea do all the leg work and take them back when they are mostly developed.
Totally agree with your comments about the infrastructure, Hammie.
What a load of old bollocks! Who decides, or cares, about Cat. whatever? It’s a total nonsense!
Provide decent facilities and effective coaching and then sell the club to the youngsters, as a place where they can learn their trade and (if they’re good enough) they have a real opportunity to progress. IMO, a reserve team is the key. That jump from apprentice to first team is huge. The opportunity to play against grown men would be invaluable. Give them a path to success.
Crewe had an excellent reputation for producing a long line of successful trainees. The term Cat 1 had never even been coined. It’s all just a very clever marketing ploy, to create a league system of ‘academies’.