Power phone in tonight 6pm

[Arriba]

My personal belief is that they don't mind selling lads to other clubs. I actually believe they encourage it too.

[Summerof69]

Further to the debate on this thread....here's something

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jan/19/manchester-united-premier-league-fans-supporters-trust-deal

There does seem to be some contact between the club and Trust, but maybe a bit informal.....this proposal, would seemingly be helpful to our fans.  BTW it's not really much to do with ManU, and the relevant to us bit is at the top.

If you want to read the full report :

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-expert-working-group-on-football-supporter-ownership-and-engagement

[Abrahammer]

For every Theo Walcott there are a multitude of Henshall's, Stephens', Mills, etc who amounted to nothing but earned us valuable money.

We have probably made a lot more right decisions than wrong ones about floggings kids who are nothing but "potential" at that moment in time.

[Batch]

My personal belief is that they don't mind selling lads to other clubs. I actually believe they encourage it too.

I guess that goes towards a self funding academy. I wonder what % of sold at their age go on to have a good league career - not aimed against the lads that have gone, they could both be brilliant.

edit ^^^ what abrahammer said ^^

Its a bit more disappointing (as a fan) to lose the players that once appeared close to the first team without seemingly getting a chance to prove themselves.

[Frigby Daser]

I guess that goes towards a self funding academy. I wonder what % of sold at their age go on to have a good league career - not aimed against the lads that have gone, they could both be brilliant.

edit ^^^ what abrahammer said ^^

Its a bit more disappointing (as a fan) to lose the players that once appeared close to the first team without seemingly getting a chance to prove themselves.

I can't see the point of a self funding academy if it is seen as a success to flog players to the likes of Derby (great club, but in the league we aspire to be in). United, Arsenal etc, fine - but clubs a league above who we want to be competing with? Maybe I am naive, but the purpose of the academy should be to supply players for our first team with the ones that are simply too good moving on if we cannot keep hold of them.

[Red Frog]

My thoughts also.  What's there to celebrate here?  Why bother developing the Jaydi in the first place if they're going to clear off to a bigger club at the first opportunity?

Hoping for a return of the Jaydi?

[suttonred]

So did we actually get any dosh?

[doomster]

Powers true colours will really only become clear when we release our next accounts.  Show a healthy million plus profit then fair enough.  Anything less and he's just a football agent feeding off the club.  ALA Carlos Tevez agent.  We shall see

[suttonred]

A million from what? 2 kids? Since he's been here? Have you not listened to the phone ins? We are a club that has constantly been in the red, and you want to see an above the line profit asap. Get in the real world.

[Abrahammer]

Powers true colours will really only become clear when we release our next accounts.  Show a healthy million plus profit then fair enough.  Anything less and he's just a football agent feeding off the club.  ALA Carlos Tevez agent.  We shall see

Haha brilliant stuff

[jayohaitchenn]

Powers true colours will really only become clear when we release our next accounts.  Show a healthy million plus profit then fair enough.  Anything less and he's just a football agent feeding off the club.  ALA Carlos Tevez agent.  We shall see

This is the primary argument against fan ownership right here.

[DiV]

For every Theo Walcott there are a multitude of Henshall's, Stephens', Mills, etc who amounted to nothing but earned us valuable money.

We have probably made a lot more right decisions than wrong ones about floggings kids who are nothing but "potential" at that moment in time.

Not forgetting Ben Tozer!

[thepeoplesgame]

For every Theo Walcott there are a multitude of Henshall's, Stephens', Mills, etc who amounted to nothing but earned us valuable money.

We have probably made a lot more right decisions than wrong ones about floggings kids who are nothing but "potential" at that moment in time.

There's no way of knowing, of course, but how might some of those lads' careers turned out if they'd stayed and worked their way up instead of being thrown into the Premier League Academy deep end to sink or swim?

[Paul Mason]

If we sell these players like the two Jaydens and Will Randall and the money gets re-invested into the academy to improve the academy to help produce even better players for OUR first team, great. I have no idea though if that money does or whether it just gets swallowed up in other areas of the club, only people on the inside will know that.

Its when the players get to their teens that im unsure of though, whats happened to the likes of Aaron Oakley who was a Wales U21, Connor Waldon who was well thought of by many as a possible star. Non league is littered with former Swindon players at clubs like Swindon Supermarine, Chippenham etc, were they really not good enough all of a sudden, or were they not given the chances to progress at Swindon?

Then if you think the likes of Will Randall, Josh Cooke and Lee Marshall were all utilised last season in the first team squad which was a stronger squad then than now and they got some time on the pitch yet this season in a weaker squad they have disappeared without a trace yet the likes of Ojamma, Hylton, Balmy have had opportunities, are they really any better than the players the academy provide? You have Belford who is one of our players never gets a chance either, yet we give chances to young players from other clubs, could we not give chances to our own young players and develop them into solid first team players and perhaps then we could use the words "One of our own" 

[brocklesby red]

If we sell these players like the two Jaydens and Will Randall and the money gets re-invested into the academy to improve the academy to help produce even better players for OUR first team, great. I have no idea though if that money does or whether it just gets swallowed up in other areas of the club, only people on the inside will know that.


Its when the players get to their teens that im unsure of though, whats happened to the likes of Aaron Oakley who was a Wales U21, Connor Waldon who was well thought of by many as a possible star. Non league is littered with former Swindon players at clubs like Swindon Supermarine, Chippenham etc, were they really not good enough all of a sudden, or were they not given the chances to progress at Swindon?

Then if you think the likes of Will Randall, Josh Cooke and Lee Marshall were all utilised last season in the first team squad which was a stronger squad then than now and they got some time on the pitch yet this season in a weaker squad they have disappeared without a trace yet the likes of Ojamma, Hylton, Balmy have had opportunities, are they really any better than the players the academy provide? You have Belford who is one of our players never gets a chance either, yet we give chances to young players from other clubs, could we not give chances to our own young players and develop them into solid first team players and perhaps then we could use the words "One of our own" 

Didn't we sign Belford from Liverpool? never considered him to be one of our own