Wise or...

[Costanza]

That's depressing enought that son of a Town fan plays for Reading juniors

They have an academy, no contest really.

[leefer]

They have an academy, no contest really.

Add to the fact they are two leagues higher,almost.

[Costanza]

True, although the aspect of an academy set-up is more important at that age.

Southampton and Reading have first dibs on Wiltshire kids.

[lazyboy]

True, although the aspect of an academy set-up is more important at that age.

Southampton and Reading have first dibs on Wiltshire kids.

we are both season ticket holders

It not the case of the likes of Reading or Southampton having first dibs on kids, its all about the scouts and the scouting network, my little'un played local football from 8 years old to 12 years old, his team won the league 3 years out of 4, won their cup, and played on the County Ground pitch 3 out of 4 years, played for the league reps team for 4 years and played for Swindon schoolboys, YET was never offered a trial at Swindon or asked to come in and train. Reading saw him play twice and offered him a trial.
The academy set up at Reading is good, training 3 times a week, at good facilities and playing against better oposition.

But if he was offered a trial at Swindon he would have taken it like a shot

[pauld]

Really surprised by that lazyboy. My lad plays Under 9s and his team at Under 7s and Under 8s were pretty good. We had scouts from Swindon watch our lads about 3-4 times a season, esp Kevin. And not just watching us, obviously, sometimes he'd be there watching the opposition. We also had the Reading scouts a couple of times, but Swindon were, if anything, there too often. And Kevin was an ever-present at summer 6-a-sides etc, always saw him there.

[Arriba]

we are both season ticket holders

It not the case of the likes of Reading or Southampton having first dibs on kids, its all about the scouts and the scouting network, my little'un played local football from 8 years old to 12 years old, his team won the league 3 years out of 4, won their cup, and played on the County Ground pitch 3 out of 4 years, played for the league reps team for 4 years and played for Swindon schoolboys, YET was never offered a trial at Swindon or asked to come in and train. Reading saw him play twice and offered him a trial.
The academy set up at Reading is good, training 3 times a week, at good facilities and playing against better oposition.

But if he was offered a trial at Swindon he would have taken it like a shot

i think i know who your boy is .js?
my lad played against him years ago in local footy,but your lad was a year group older.my boy was 6 in a team of 8 year olds.
they go to the same school now too.
my lad is on swindons books but wasn't scouted.his coach at the time had a son at the club and he recomended my boy.he had a 6 week trial and he's been there ever since.swindons scouting has improved but alot are recomended by other parents etc.
my boy played in tournaments during previous summers for a local team my mate runs,and had reading and fulham enquiring about him,but as he was signed to swindon it was left at that.

i aint seen your boy play for years but have heard good things about him.to be honest i thought there were better players at his local club all those years ago,but your boy obviously came through and reading brought him on big time.
good for him.

another lad who was at swindon and then went to reading for a fee,was recently released,came back to swindon and wasn't offered anything.that lad was dynamite 3 or 4 years ago.
some lads improve and some dont meet their early potential.i think your boy would have eventually ended up at swindon but reading got in first.

the best lads will always get spotted and get trials eventually.it's all down to timing though.

[Batch]

we have a 7 year old lad in my sons team that plays for both reading and swindon too.  they were both scouted playing in the local league by swindon.  I was surprised that happened so much at such a young age. but of course it does.  get the most promising young and from then on its survival of the fittest,  pretty ruthless.
................

on an unrelated note I just booked a days holiday so that I can take my lad to goalkeeper training course organised by fraser fraser digby!  is it wrong to be more excited than my son? !

[lazyboy]

i think i know who your boy is .js?
my lad played against him years ago in local footy,but your lad was a year group older.my boy was 6 in a team of 8 year olds.
they go to the same school now too.
my lad is on swindons books but wasn't scouted.his coach at the time had a son at the club and he recomended my boy.he had a 6 week trial and he's been there ever since.swindons scouting has improved but alot are recomended by other parents etc.
my boy played in tournaments during previous summers for a local team my mate runs,and had reading and fulham enquiring about him,but as he was signed to swindon it was left at that.

i aint seen your boy play for years but have heard good things about him.to be honest i thought there were better players at his local club all those years ago,but your boy obviously came through and reading brought him on big time.
good for him.

another lad who was at swindon and then went to reading for a fee,was recently released,came back to swindon and wasn't offered anything.that lad was dynamite 3 or 4 years ago.
some lads improve and some dont meet their early potential.i think your boy would have eventually ended up at swindon but reading got in first.

the best lads will always get spotted and get trials eventually.it's all down to timing though.

 
Yes thats him, he has come on leaps and bounds from when he was playing local football, different player totally, due to the coaching he has revieved, I would also agree that he wasnt the best player in his local team, but worked at his game and has worked hard at Reading, and has bought himself up to that level.

Agree some boys mature at different rates and its not always the best boys
at 8 or 9 that are the better boys at 15 or 16.

Good luck to all the boys that are in schools of excellence or academies or even playing local football, they are all doing it because they want to and it keeps them busy and focused

[thedarkprince]

ii aint seen your boy play for years but have heard good things about him.to be honest i thought there were better players at his local club all those years ago,but your boy obviously came through and reading brought him on big time.
good for him.

I know it's not meant this way but that makes you sound like a massive patronising cunt. 

[Arriba]

I know it's not meant this way but that makes you sound like a massive patronising cunt. 

why say it then?
was never meant that way at all, and i explained the point in detail so whay be a twat about it?

[Arriba]

Yes thats him, he has come on leaps and bounds from when he was playing local football, different player totally, due to the coaching he has revieved, I would also agree that he wasnt the best player in his local team, but worked at his game and has worked hard at Reading, and has bought himself up to that level.

Agree some boys mature at different rates and its not always the best boys
at 8 or 9 that are the better boys at 15 or 16.

Good luck to all the boys that are in schools of excellence or academies or even playing local football, they are all doing it because they want to and it keeps them busy and focused

please dont think i was being patronising to youabout your son.(dont think you did judging by your response)i think i expalined myself well enough but just want to point that out nonetheless.
i have heard your lad is different class now and also a great athlete.
i wish him well.
must be great to see all that money forked out on petrol by yourself,up and down the m4 3 times a week pay off with a scholarship.

[thedarkprince]

why say it then?
was never meant that way at all, and i explained the point in detail so whay be a twat about it?

Because i'm upholding the age-old right of all TEFers to take something completely out of context and call the poster a cunt.  

Seriously, nothing meant by it at all.

[lazyboy]

please dont think i was being patronising to youabout your son.(dont think you did judging by your response)i think i expalined myself well enough but just want to point that out nonetheless.
i have heard your lad is different class now and also a great athlete.
i wish him well.
must be great to see all that money forked out on petrol by yourself,up and down the m4 3 times a week pay off with a scholarship.

Arriba no problem dont worry about it, i'm the first to say he wasnt the best player in the team, or in any subsequent teams hes played for. Hes worked hard and got his reward. Also 3 times a week is just training, the game could be anywhere, this weekend hes got Norwich away, I was going to drop him off at Reading so he could take the team coach and then catch the Brenford game, but he wants me to go and watch him instead.
so line well and truely drawn under the matter !!

[donkey]

on an unrelated note I just booked a days holiday so that I can take my lad to goalkeeper training course organised by fraser fraser digby!  is it wrong to be more excited than my son? !

In this case, no.

[herthab]

My son's team used to be coached by Tom Jones.

I was definitely more excited about this than he was.