England’s top football clubs have spent millions developing their academies and bringing up a large number of boys from a very young age, yet many have little, or no end product to show for it. Chelsea, for instance, have brought hardly anyone through since John Terry’s progression to the first team, and it has now become common for many clubs to scour other countries for talent, instead of developing youngsters at home. The youth development system in this country has been overhauled so many times, but have any of the changes made any difference, and are British academies failing the youth in this country?

It is over a decade since Howard Wilkinson launched the Charter for Quality document, which set out to revamp youth development in this country, by establishing the academy system that we are now familiar with. The document granted power to professional clubs, who it was thought had the coaching expertise to be able to take talented youngsters to the next level. It also geographically restricted where clubs could draw their players from, to localise and spread elite player development.

There are currently over 40 club academies, and they register children from as young as eight years old. Some have even started to look at younger children from the age of six, which makes you wonder what exactly youngsters are being assessed on. From the time when they are registered, boys are shed by clubs year on year, until there is very few, if any, left to make the jump professionally. Trauma engulfs the academy set up, as youngsters who had set their hearts and hopes on a football career, and little else, get rejected at tender ages. The ones who do come through, are more often than not given little opportunity to play in their clubs first teams, and many have to go elsewhere to develop any further. Clubs invest a lot of money and time developing their academies and youth set-ups, yet the outcome of the system is shattered dreams for the majority, with few positive results.

The way the academy system is set up, sees clubs scour the nation for the best prospects and sign up tens of thousands of children, in order to ensure that no talented child is missed. This often leads to heartbreak and disaster further down the road, as so few youngsters can actually make it in the game professionally. Only 1% of trainees will ultimately play football for a living, which shows the slim odds that those trying to make it are up against. The majority of boys will have given most of their young lives to academies only to suffer disappointment, which is a devastating blow to take after they have invested so much time and effort. Often they are tossed aside, with little thought for what happens to them from that point onwards. There certainly needs to be a better system in place to help young players, once they are cast aside from a clubs academy set-up and this is one of the main failings of the system. Another of its failings is the preference of clubs to scour other countries for teenage talent, which serves no benefit to the youth in this country at all. If you are bringing up your own kids, then what is the point of looking elsewhere for expensive talent, who will then jump ahead of your own academy prospects.

It would be easy to argue that the academy system is not to blame and that talented youngsters would come through if they were good enough, but it seems as if a lot of talent is actually turned away due to the footballing mindset within this country. If we look at the way academies select kids, they often tend to prefer the athletic, tall, strong children, whilst the smaller boys-who could arguably be more skilful-are turned away from an early age. Academy football is also played with a very rigid style, which means that true talent never really gets a fair chance. This priority of physical presence and athletic ability, has certainly not helped to develop technical footballers in this country and needs to change if we are to start developing more world class modern footballers. There is also a problem with the pressure that is put on young children at academies, instead the emphasis should be placed on putting the fun back in the game at the younger ages, with the focus on enjoyment over winning.

The changes that the Charter for Quality set out to make have not really provided the strength in depth, in terms of a bigger talent pool, that they were supposed to. However, it could be our expectations that we need to revamp rather than the academy system. Compared to the footballing superpower of Brazil, England has a much smaller talent pool to draw on, and perhaps we need to scale back our estimations as to why we aren’t successfully developing more world class players.

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The academy system hasn’t been all doom and gloom, and there are many thriving academies which have produced top quality players over the last decade. The West Ham academy is just one of the success story’s, with several of England’s so called ‘golden generation’ passing through the ranks of the famed academy youth system. The environment in the set up, is hailed as an important factor in its development, and maybe this is the problem with many of the academies around the country. You can throw all the money in the world at developing young players, but it takes more than that to produce Premier League quality players. Due to the amount of money that is around in the modern game, academies are now filled with foreign talent, which must be disheartening for the English kids, who are then told they are not good enough. The academy system was never set up to be filled with anyone outside of English youth, and it is a shame in terms of English talent that they are turned away as foreign talent is brought in.

It is interesting to look at the developments at the Liverpool academy over the last few years which illustrate that the academy system is not a total failure. Liverpool implemented changes to their failing youth set-up, taking on the Barcelona mould of developing talent during Rafael Benitez’s reign at the club, and it is already proving to be successful. Their academy has progressed at an astounding rate, and it shows that the academy system can work in this country successfully, if it is well run, and if the youngsters are given time and patience to develop, and are given the opportunity to transition to the senior team. There are success stories in terms of youth development, but there should be more if we consider the widespread changes that the academy system brought in. Perhaps it is unfair to judge the academy system so harshly, as there is so much pressure and demand for instant results in the modern game, that it has never really been given a fair shot to succeed.

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It seems as if the problems and the blame for the state of youth development in this country lie somewhere between the FA and the Premier and Football League’s. The FA can’t monitor the quality of academies as the league’s don’t want them to oversee clubs work, and there is also no central body that is in place to reform and run the system. The Premier League is set to introduce the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which is the newest reform on youth development, and it will be interesting to see if the changes that are proposed can take youth development in this country from its current state of limbo.

Changes like the EPPP, show that those in charge are not averse to change and trying something new to revamp youth development. The changes will make way for the English clubs to match continental methods of training youngsters, and it will certainly be interesting to see what difference, if any, is made. Patience needs to be the key though, as the changes will take time to implement and we can’t keep relying on short term solutions and quick fixes. It is harsh to suggest that the academy system has failed, but it is clear that certain aspects have affected the development of British youth. Despite its problems, a lot of talent is being produced by academies in this country, and perhaps the real blame lies not at the feet of the academy system, but somewhere higher up the development ladder.

Do you think the academy system has failed the young players in this country? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.

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Barcelona and Real Madrid’s tapping up habits are getting out of hand. Sandro Rosell’s recent comments about Bale and Real Madrid’s announced interest in Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere cannot be seen as anything other than a blatant flaunting of the tapping up rules. But wait, what are those rules again? ‘Any clubs caught tapping up players are heavily punished unless you are Barcelona or Real Madrid’ – ah yes that’s it.

In all seriousness though any club wishing to buy a player must go through the club first and ideally give up if their inquiry is rebuffed, try telling the Spanish and Catalan capitals that. The inconsistencies in the punishment of tapping up players have seen Arsenal, and Chelsea punished for tapping up of numerous players whilst Clubs like the Spanish giants consistently get away with it.

Chelsea

The tapping up of Arsenal’s Ashley Cole saw Jose Mourinho, Peter Kenyon, Cole and his agent all punished with six figure fines in 2005. Rightly so too, their approach for Cole and Chelsea were in breach of Premier League rule K5 which states that which states that no approach can be made by club or player for a potential transfer without first receiving permission from the parent club.

Chelsea were also punished by FIFA who initially banned Chelsea from signing players for two transfer windows for causing Gael Kakuta to break with his contract with club FC Lens in 2007. Whilst eventually it was decided that Kakuta’s contract with his French club had not been binding and therefore the ban was repealed the fact remains that FIFA were quick to come down on Chelsea for what they perceived to be wrongdoing.

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Arsenal

Arsenal too have been at the centre of tapping up rows for the signing of Nicolas Anelka and the potential signings of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Joleon Lescott. The case with the latter two was something that was staunchly denied by Pat Rice in 2009 when the Arsenal Assistant manager said: “Arsenal have never been and will never be a club that taps up or illegally approaches a player it wants.” To be fair to Arsenal there was little evidence for any of these occurrences but ultimately they too have been under high levels of scrutiny for their transfer dealings. So why doesn’t the same apply to the Spanish clubs?

Inconsistencies

The problem that we face today is how to define the ‘meetings’ that constitute the tapping up of players. Tottenham have not given permission to Barcelona to start inciting rumours about a transfer to Barcelona much the same as Arsenal didn’t with Fabregas. Real Madrid too have come out and said that Wilshere is part of their ‘two year plan’ and that they intend to sign him. Is unsettling players in this way not the same as approaching them with a view to a possible transfer? Just because they may not meet face-to-face it doesn’t mean that the concept isn’t still the same.

Barcelona seem to think that just because Guardiola himself doesn’t like to get involved in press releases like this that it is ok for the rest of the club to do it. Over the past few years Arsenal have had to put up with comments about Fabregas from the club president and the majority of the Barcelona first team too, just as they had to when Arsenal said they didn’t want sell Thierry Henry either. This war of attrition may appear to be harmless wishful thinking announced to the press but in reality it is a carefully executed plan to unsettle a player which normally results in a slight loss of form and increased pressure to sell.

If that isn’t tapping up I don’t know what is. And now the same will presumably happen with Bale. Real Madrid will also now begin with Wilshere, Goetze and Hazard. Many will think that this kind of complaint is hypocrisy from Arsenal as they are repeatedly linked with players but to be honest you never actually hear any of the Arsenal players or staff saying anything more than they think a player is ‘good’. And even that would be an extravagant divulgence from Wenger.

Barcelona in particular have become the masters of this form of approaching players and it is about time FIFA grew a pair and took on the Catalan club and punished them. Why is it that clubs in England are pulled up and punished over this issue whilst others get away? Spurs fans may enjoy seeing their rival’s players being tapped up and pinched but they will soon realise that they too will be on the receiving end of such deals. They have ambition of becoming a major club but will find it hard to maintain certain levels quality if episodes like the Modric one begin to happen every summer.

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For more debate follow Hamish on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Continuing our look into the foreign wags that put the Premier League ones to shame…

Arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Gigi Buffon has made giant strides in world football and has been pivotal to both club and international success in recent years. There aren’t many centre forwards who enjoy playing against Buffon when he is on top of his game; hence why Juventus are so keen to keep him in Turin.

While his exploits on the pitch continue to draw widespread recognition, his exploits off the pitch draws an equal amount of adulation as he dating one of the most beautiful women in the world. Alena Seredova is a former Czech supermodel and TV presenter whose surname actually translates to ‘ugly person’ – let’s be honest by flicking through the gallery she is anything but…

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Click on image below to see Gigi’s latest lady

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Last week’s round of European Championship play-offs didn’t throw out many surprises: Republic of Ireland steam-rolled Estonia, Montenegro’s tenacity eventually ran out as they lost to Czech Republic, and Portugal – true to form – made their long-suffering, debt-ridden nation have to wait on tenterhooks as they made hard work of defeating Bosnia.

But, and it arises from this latter observation, there was one detail which did elicit a certain amount of bemusement, especially in north London: how is Hélder Postiga, the insipid Tottenham flop, still managing to get into the Portuguese national team? The man who, at 29, has already played in five different countries, has never been prolific, never been resounding, and never been displayed commitment to one club. Yet he started up front, alongside heavyweights Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo , in what was his country’s biggest game of the year.

Following the 0-0 result from the first-leg, the tie was rested on a knife’s edge; taking place in Lisbon, the Portuguese may have just had the upper-hand, but the resilience and determination of the Bosnians – spearheaded by Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko – was always going to make this match-up entertaining. It didn’t disappoint: Portugal ran out winners 6-2, despite at one point throwing away a 2-0 lead and having to dig deeper than previously anticipated.

Two players scored a brace in the game; both strikers, both dastardly handsome and both in their late 20s. But that is where the comparisons end: one is the world’s most expensive and infamous player, famed equally for his gargantuan talent and his model good-looks, decorated with accolades and medals. The other is a journeyman striker, with disappointment and mediocrity stalking him at each of the six clubs he has played for, as the scorching potential he had flickers into a dying ember.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Hélder Postiga were meant to be part of a new generation of Portuguese football, taking the mantle from the legendary enigmas of Luis Figo, Pauleta and Nuno Gomes. Only one of them has lived up to that potential and he netted his 18th and 19th goals of the season on Tuesday night; the fact that only three times in the last 10 seasons has Postiga managed to reach a goal tally of double figures suggests it wasn’t him.

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But where did it go wrong for this precocious talent? Where, along the way, did he disprove those journalists and writers who, in the infancy of last decade, resplendently place him in magazine ‘Talent Scout’ sections, labelling him as one to watch?

After massively assisting in FC Porto ’s vanquish of the 2002-03 Portuguese Primeira Liga – 13 goals in 31 games – few could doubt that Postiga had talent. So when Glenn Hoddle, Spurs manager at the time, signed the then-21-year-old back in 2003, red-top headlines went into overdrive: “Portuguese Postman will deliver” and “How will Hodd Héld on to this great talent” could be heard, with some quarters even labelling Cristiano Ronaldo – signed by Manchester United a month later in the same transfer window – a copycat of Postiga.

Fast-forward 12 months later, to the European Championships of 2004 – taking place in Postiga’s native Portugal – where England and Portugal are vying for a place in the semi-finals. England, leading through a 3rd minute Michael Owen goal, are looking strong, wanting to progress and prove the many, loquacious doubters wrong.

As the clock ticks on, into the latter stages, the hosts are looking desperate; the final throw of the dice is to bring number 23 on, Hélder Postiga, a striker who is short on confidence. England fans breathe a sigh of relief: what can he do, he’s a flop. Commentators reel off the disparaging stats of Postiga’s debut season in England, namely the fact he only managed one league goal in 19 appearances.

But, well into the last 10 minutes, who should pop up and equalise but the man who the Spurs fan perceive as a joke and waste of the £6 million that they forked out for him. The rest doesn’t need re-telling: England lost on penalties with Postiga even scoring one of them. An immediate return to Porto followed (if Tottenham, or England, fans are seeking irony as to dispel their grievances with the striker, in the one season that he was in England, he missed out on Jose Mourinho leading Porto to Champions League glory).

So, seven years and five clubs later, Postiga finds himself back in Iberia, this time plying his trade for Real Zaragoza of Spain. Stints in France and Greece didn’t work out – lack of goals/it not being Portugal , namely – nor did a three-season spell at Porto’s deadly rivals, Sporting Lisbon (12 goals 71 appearances is an awful contribution to a team who have league-winning ambitions).

His star has faded, and continues to fade: he no longer commands the big transfer fees or inflated wages that he used to be able to get away with (Zaragoza paid less than £1 million for him), yet he still lines up alongside his compatriots, some of the world’s best footballers, when on international duty. One thing’s for sure: ‘The Postman’ won’t deliver glory for Portugal next summer with his paltry return of 19 goals from 46 caps.

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Article courtesy of Theo Rowley from This is Futbol

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This week brings the news that Manchester United are reportedly after the signature of 23 year old Benfica midfielder Nicolas Gaitan, with the player’s agent stating that the teams had held informal talks. Much talk has been made recently of United’s apparent need for a creative midfielder, and the young Argentine seems to be the latest to incur speculation. With first hand experience of playing against him in the Champions League this season, Ferguson knows how effective Gaitan can be and was supposedly impressed with his performances. So does this leave the gateway open for a possible move in the near future?

For starters, the potential of Benfica’s hottest talent hasn’t gone unnoticed, and if United were to make a serious offer, they would have to be tabling around close to £30m, if not meeting the reported buyout clause of his new contract close to £40m. Gaitan’s agent is Jorge Mendes, the same man responsible for bringing Cristiano Ronaldo , Nani , Anderson and David de Gea to Man United. Sir Alex said recently that he will not be pushed into ‘panic buying’, such is always the way with the United manager. But he did say that he would not buy, ‘unless someone appears we have always been interested in’. How long he has actually been on the radar is unknown, but if United were to attmpt to bolster their midfield with a new face in the near future, Nicolas Gaitan appears to have many of the required attributes to fill the role.

After moving to Benfica in the summer of 2010, Gaitan enjoyed a properous season in Portugal . Although they finished 2nd in the League, a massive 21 points behind Porto , Nicolas was an influential figure in his team’s Champions League qualification, scoring 7 goals in 26 games. Benfica are currently joint top of the Primeira Liga on goal difference and, since his 8million Euro move from Boca, his value has almost tripled.

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The promise and improvement that Nicolas is showing in his game is being recognised and before long may be calling him away from Portugal. He has already admitted that he would be willing to join Manchester United and, although currently committed to Benfica’s Champions League run and domestic title race, you can’t see him staying out of one of Europe’s top divisions for much longer.

I think that Gaitan has a lot to offer United in a position which is undoubtedly weak in comparison with their rivals at the moment, particularly with the absence of Anderson and Cleverley through injury. The young Argentinian has energy, skill and great technical ability that would serve him well in the Premier League, where players with quick feet and the ability to shift the ball around midfield quickly often have a great chance of impressing. He has the creative mentality and confidence that United need when going forward, with the promise of being involved with attacks and the threat of scoring goals.

I think any transfer for Gaitan is, however, more likely to happen in the summer. Whether Manchester United can nail down an agreement now or not, I can’t see it going through in January. Not only does Ferguson seem reluctant to splash this kind of cash to make additions now, Nicolas has his own focus on Champions League football this season and seeing Benfica’s campaign through. Last year the fans were particularly aggrieved at the departure of Angel di Maria and won’t want a repeat of that scenario with Gaitan. I don’t think he has the problem of first team football to worry about at United, as he would most probably command a place in the starting eleven, but the pressure and change in style of play might also be too much to introduce him at a crucial point in the middle of the season. I don’t think that he would be a realistic addition to Fergie’s team now, but in the summer he will almost certainly be in contention for a big money move.

Article courtesy of Harry Boulton from This is Futbol

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John Terry is reportedly set to lose the England captaincy, as his trial over allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand is set for July.

The Chelsea defender was charged by the FA of making derogatory comments to the QPR defender in a clash between the sides at Loftus Road back in October, and these charges have been taken to court.

The Telegraph indicate that the FA will dethrone the veteran centre back from his position as England captain, as the player’s leadership comes into doubt.

The situation is made all the more tricky due to Rio Ferdinand’s probable inclusion in Fabio Capello’s squad for the tournament in Ukraine and Poland, as the victom’s brother is sure to have lost respect for Terry in the wake of the scandal.

Mirror Football have stated that one of their sources has indicated that the FA are ready to make a move on this immediately, and Terry could even be stripped of the armband in the next 24 hours.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Millionaire Premier League footballers just don’t seem to have the time to get a half decent haircut. In the last 20 years there have been some shocking efforts and Joey Barton, who probably thinks it is a useful mode of expression, started the season in fine form with an appalling attempt of his own last weekend.

Has the extra money affected their thought and common sense so much that their huge ego’s can be covered by a big mop of hair? Some players are more renowned for their head of hair rather than their footballing capability. Maybe that is the plan, to distract from their limited ability on the pitch?

Whatever it is, it looks to be an increasingly worrying trend, can someone please sort out this misconceived style mistakes and get these players a new barber please.

Just click on Cesc below to view the 20 Worst Haircuts in the Premier League check out the fashion faux pas.

Tottenham attacker Rafael van der Vaart has stated that his side will bounce back from their 5-2 north London derby defeat to Arsenal, and that he is still playing for the capital’s best team.

Harry Redknapp’s men were put to the sword at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday and have a tricky game against Manchester United this weekend; the Netherlands international is confident that the loss was a one off.

“It won’t be difficult to lift ourselves,” the Dutchman told The London Evening Standard.

“Do we have the mental strength to put this behind us? Of course. It will be difficult against United but the confidence is there. This season, we have nearly always played well at home. Yesterday was a bad day but that’s all it was.

“The title? Of course you always hope but Manchester City are winning their games so easily, especially now we have lost, so maybe the title is over. Third is our main goal now and I’m really confident we can finish there,” he stated.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham are continuing their pursuit of Junior Hoilett and sent scouts to watch the Rovers ace in action at Ewood Park at the weekend, reports the Daily Mail.

The Blackburn winger is out of contract at the end of the season and it doesn’t look as though signing a new contract is an option for the 21-year-old. The north Londoners were keen on snapping up Hoilett in January, but the Canadian was advised to wait until the summer by his agent.

Spurs chief scout Ian Broomfield was at Ewood Park on Saturday to watch Hoilett in the 1-1 draw against Villa, suggesting that Spurs want to pick up where they left off in January.

Despite their interest Tottenham will face stiff competition from north London rivals Arsenal and Newcastle, it was also suggested that Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were also interested in the Blackburn player.

A move to a bigger club is on the cards and with Spurs said to be leading the chase, Hoilett’s future at Blackburn is very much in the balance.

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Sitting down to pen their pre-season predictions it’s unlikely any writer or pundit would have forecasted a return to European football for Newcastle United. The general consensus was that the Magpies would be battling at the wrong end of the Premier League table after a restless summer that saw them dispense with several of their key players replacing them with some relatively unknown foreign imports and a free transfers.

Fast forward to April and the Toon Army have already booked their return to Europe after a six-year absence and have their eyes set on nicking a place in the top four and next seasons Champions League. Their remarkable renaissance just three years after succumbing to relegation is made all the more remarkable considering the players that jumped ship in the wake of their demotion to the Championship.

This past summer was no different with various members of the first team criticising owner Mike Ashley’s transfer strategy after several key players departed St James’ Park as the club tipped towards another implosion. The perceived lack of quality replacements led people to deduce that the Magpies would struggle to retain their Premier League status.

However they’ve delivered a colossal custard pie to their doubters soaring into the top-four and putting themselves in with a chance of rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite clubs next season. It’s fair to say that there will be a few players that wished they’d never rapidly upped sticks and left Tyneside in search of pastures new. Whilst a few may have ended up bagging some silverware they’ll feel pretty foolish for writing off Newcastle so quickly.

To compound their misery here are the Nine players that’ll wish they’d never left Newcastle United

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