by Dave » 06 May 2014, 15:53
Gulliball wrote:
To say that Geoff Harrop "doesn't give a rats arse about local talent" sounds like personal emotion taking over. When the youth side were first re-launched, it was the best players from Paignton College and that was it. The chance of getting a first team player from it was virtually nil. Now we are building in the right direction and are getting youngsters into professional contracts and into the fringes of the first team, which is what you want.
Not meaning this as an attempt to start an argument with you, understand what your saying and do agree in part. There's nothing wrong with casting the net wider at all, if there's a quality young lad up in, say Reading with out a club, and we know about bring him in by all means. Trust my view hasn't been formed of the back of personal emotion, I've been involved in youth development coaching at a local level for along time, I would love to get involved at a professional level, but don't either the time nor the relevant qualifications.
My view has been formed of the back of a great deal of insight, not only of our own academy but, of other clubs as well, also I'm lucky enough to know some who run professional development academies, for a small few local players I know that I feel should still be with the club, I also a few who were released and personally believe the club got spot on, my view point has been formed of the back of, a great deal off frustration.
When you talk about Paignton college, yes, I totally agree the chances of finding a player from there is slim, I can tell you as I've spoken to the course director personally, that course is not run as an elite player programme, it also has competition from Tiegnmouth college (Exeter city) South Devon Tech ( Plymouth) and South Dartmoor(Chelsea foundation) some of these other link up courses run both local and elite player programmes.
Your focus seems to be purely on the youth team, I have no worries there. My focus is on the U8-U16 element of the academy, this is where your local born and developed talent is going to come from. My biggest frustration is the constant suggestion there isn't the relevant quality down here, there is, that talent needs a chance, not suggesting we could and should have 11 players from Torquay, but across the Bay, South Hams and Teignbridge there is quality, and we should be getting at least some through from this area.
My frustration is we've been relegated out of the League, some have pointed towards the club not competing on wages, yet we've spent a serious small fortune on chasing level 3 status including the employment of additional full time coaching staff needed to gain that status.
My frustration in part is down to the recent U16 side, this was the very first generation of players that started at the academy at the beginning (2007) some of these lads had gone right through to the end, we as a club have spent £xxx's developing each of those players, just to let them all go, yes, in some cases correct, in others, no, they should been given that chance to progress further, and to see some of them already earning money for playing suggests my view point to be correct.
Every club should be moving at least 7-8 players through into it's youth team from it's U16 side, we had 4 players, 3 of those had been with the club less than a year, that adds to my frustration, this % has to improve and quickly, other wise, why is the club spending so much money on youth development, a said level 4 status would allow to continue working with a youth team/late developer squad, some thing we seem very good at, and would be so, so much cheaper.
Just to add when Bomber says this "What Geoff Harrop is doing isn't about youth development, it's about commodities dealing in effect" I believe he's right, which is a concern because it should be about youth development, I also believe that what GH says in public and what eh thinks in private are two very different things.
[quote="Gulliball"]
To say that Geoff Harrop "doesn't give a rats arse about local talent" sounds like personal emotion taking over. When the youth side were first re-launched, it was the best players from Paignton College and that was it. The chance of getting a first team player from it was virtually nil. Now we are building in the right direction and are getting youngsters into professional contracts and into the fringes of the first team, which is what you want.[/quote]
Not meaning this as an attempt to start an argument with you, understand what your saying and do agree in part. There's nothing wrong with casting the net wider at all, if there's a quality young lad up in, say Reading with out a club, and we know about bring him in by all means. Trust my view hasn't been formed of the back of personal emotion, I've been involved in youth development coaching at a local level for along time, I would love to get involved at a professional level, but don't either the time nor the relevant qualifications.
My view has been formed of the back of a great deal of insight, not only of our own academy but, of other clubs as well, also I'm lucky enough to know some who run professional development academies, for a small few local players I know that I feel should still be with the club, I also a few who were released and personally believe the club got spot on, my view point has been formed of the back of, a great deal off frustration.
When you talk about Paignton college, yes, I totally agree the chances of finding a player from there is slim, I can tell you as I've spoken to the course director personally, that course is not run as an elite player programme, it also has competition from Tiegnmouth college (Exeter city) South Devon Tech ( Plymouth) and South Dartmoor(Chelsea foundation) some of these other link up courses run both local and elite player programmes.
Your focus seems to be purely on the youth team, I have no worries there. My focus is on the U8-U16 element of the academy, this is where your local born and developed talent is going to come from. My biggest frustration is the constant suggestion there isn't the relevant quality down here, there is, that talent needs a chance, not suggesting we could and should have 11 players from Torquay, but across the Bay, South Hams and Teignbridge there is quality, and we should be getting at least some through from this area.
My frustration is we've been relegated out of the League, some have pointed towards the club not competing on wages, yet we've spent a serious small fortune on chasing level 3 status including the employment of additional full time coaching staff needed to gain that status.
My frustration in part is down to the recent U16 side, this was the very first generation of players that started at the academy at the beginning (2007) some of these lads had gone right through to the end, we as a club have spent £xxx's developing each of those players, just to let them all go, yes, in some cases correct, in others, no, they should been given that chance to progress further, and to see some of them already earning money for playing suggests my view point to be correct.
Every club should be moving at least 7-8 players through into it's youth team from it's U16 side, we had 4 players, 3 of those had been with the club less than a year, that adds to my frustration, this % has to improve and quickly, other wise, why is the club spending so much money on youth development, a said level 4 status would allow to continue working with a youth team/late developer squad, some thing we seem very good at, and would be so, so much cheaper.
Just to add when Bomber says this "What Geoff Harrop is doing isn't about youth development, it's about commodities dealing in effect" I believe he's right, which is a concern because it should be about youth development, I also believe that what GH says in public and what eh thinks in private are two very different things.
