You know what really grinds my sporting gears?

[grecian]

Why is your youth system so good btw?

Cachement area possibly, and as I say other clubs not taking it too seriously. This I guess is a problem for clubs like Brentford and Tranmere with other clubs around. For instance Ampadu has only stayed here because his dad wanted him to finish his education in Devon, as he felt it was good for him, before he went to Arsenal or whomever. Julian Tagg, Tisdale and Perrymann all back it massively too.

In the end though it starts to become a self-fulfilling thing, people know if they go to Exeter they'll get chances in the first team, and may move on to better things.

 

[GIMH]

Cachement area possibly, and as I say other clubs not taking it too seriously. This I guess is a problem for clubs like Brentford and Tranmere with other clubs around. For instance Ampadu has only stayed here because his dad wanted him to finish his education in Devon, as he felt it was good for him, before he went to Arsenal or whomever. Julian Tagg, Tisdale and Perrymann all back it massively too.

In the end though it starts to become a self-fulfilling thing, people know if they go to Exeter they'll get chances in the first team, and may move on to better things.

Yeah all makes sense

Our youth system was seriously good up to say a decade ago. Nowadays prem clubs keep so many more players on their books that we don't get the dropouts like we used to (Koumas, Parkinson etc). Like most clubs we still produce the odd gem (Cresswell, Power) but these are few and far between.

Honestly think that instead of looking at ideas like B teams, the powers that be want to look at the total number of players clubs have on their books. I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed to loan players out, but Chelsea had something like 30 out on loan a couple of years ago. These players are going from club to club, having to adapt to different coaching and systems sometimes month to month before being released. This is such a huge barrier to young talent developing but nothing will ever be done about it.

 

[Pothas]

Yeah totally agree with limiting total number of players.

Competition at academy level is obviously a problem for Brentford and the club have obviously decided an academy is simply not worth the investment, that the money is much better spent on the age level directly before the first team.