Reading player's

[Rustle]

What is it with reading these day's,im not up to speed on this but do they have some kind of academy or something as they seem to be producing some good player's at the moment,or is it they just have a very good youth set up.I know we do ok but we don't produce player's like cox and kanu.

What has changed so much and how can we achieve what they have done.

[Arriba]

they have an academy,and money would be needed to mirror what they do.

[Rustle]

Ahh right thank's arriba,it's sickening really when you think back to their elm park day's they were nothing.

[Samdy Gray]

Isn't Nicky Hammond in charge of their academy?

[tans]

I thought he was like managing director or something??

[Batch]

They start young and over a wide area.

This cock:

http://www.gesoccerschools.co.uk/

has the gall to target Swindon school children for football courses 'in association with Reading FC'.  My lad got a course details and he's 4.

Now I realise that it is unlikely they will find many good players this way, but I'm more worried about them pinching our future fans rather than players.

Enough of that rant, I think Fred covered it before.
--
Basically my opinion is that the facilities and league status of Reading make them a more attractive place to go to when a player is caught in overlapping catchment areas.

And with their better finances they can probably a) employ a bigger scouting network to find the talent and b) afford to keep hold of their younger stars where as we have to sell to balance books.

And academy status has more 'prestige' than whatever we have, they will be playing the top clubs. In fact I don't think they allow academy sides to play the likes of us.

[Rustle]

This is something we should be looking at doing if we are ever going to progress,I suppose you can't blame them for pinching youngster's in catchment areas,in theory they are doing thing's the right way,they're looking after number one.

I wonder what chance we have in the future of matching them.I hope we don't get left behind,what with them and the slave trader's up turn in fortune's we really are becoming the poor relation's. 

[Arriba]

it takes mega bucks to run an academy compared to a centre of excellence like stfc have.they will produce more players though that are capable of playing league football.alot of those that dont cut it at clubs with academys when youth-pro forms are offered will then filter down into clubs that have cofe's like us.parkin,evans,nicho,etc,etc, are examples of this.

stfc will release the majority of homegrown kids at 15-16, and replace them with rejected kids from academys.

[Colin Todd]

seems like a backwards system weighted towards the rich clubs to me.  How are kids from COE's supposed to improve if they are not allowed to play accademy teams from the bigger clubs?

[Batch]

This is something we should be looking at doing if we are ever going to progress,

We do. My lad goes to a Swindon run football in the community course.
 
Childish, but I sent the Reading form back with no stamp on. Mwhahaha.

[Arriba]

seems like a backwards system weighted towards the rich clubs to me.  How are kids from COE's supposed to improve if they are not allowed to play accademy teams from the bigger clubs?

they do play academy teams.but not as regularly as other cofe teams who are played 3-4 times a season.
it's not just about who they play though,more time is spent training too in academys.

[Don Rogers Shop]

im sure i remember a few years ago you were not allowed to play academy teams, i may be wrong. Anyway compared to what these teams spend our youth team seems to have held its own over the last few years.

[inoffthered]

Totally agree DRS when it comes to production STFC are not doing to bad,even after selling 2 of their best youngsters.

[Reg Smeeton]

I wonder what chance we have in the future of matching them.I hope we don't get left behind,what with them and the slave trader's up turn in fortune's we really are becoming the poor relation's. 

We got left behind years ago..when the FA dished out academy licenses we didn't look to take up the chance...as Arriba says it costs loads.

Going back maybe 3 years the Shitheads were spending a mill a season on theirs, about the same time at an AGM I asked Holt how much we spent...the answer 20K.

There'd be little point in our applying in all likelihood, as Bristol, Reading and Soton just about covers our area.

20K seems little, but there are shed loads of grants and stuff, for arrangements with local colleges, and also handouts from the Prem PFA etc.

[Don Rogers Shop]

Would not say we got left behind as such reg as we seem to still be producing a few players but understand your point about the cost etc.