Learn From Ipswich

Good youth system, have faith in the abilities of their young players and give them a run of games, usually rewarded-look at the roll call of their youth players over the last three-four years, their sales have kept the club afloat, they're still churning them out, and they look, at the moment (and times may change, I grant you) a better bet this season than we do.

And they play football, they pass the ball, build from the back, use their midfield, even when Kuqi was playing, it wasn't all "wham bam thankyou man" stuff hoofed up to him.

They may regularly fail to win the play off's, but they seem to regularly reach them.

Whats up with our youth system? We're repeatedly told, we know, that we have fantastic facilities bla bla bla, but where is the production line, and whjy are so many of the youth team players shipped out-Hayes and Sinclair are two recent examples, Jarvis and Henderson will be the next two, if they're not good enough, fair enough, but WHY aren't they good enough?

Greeno and Shack, great. Rossi Jarvis-is he going to get a chance of a few first team games, or is Worthy going to muddle by in putting Charlton or someone else in midfield, else stick a forward back in defence before trying and trusting a younger player there. Did anyone note all the kids in the Southampton team on Saturday? One, if not two, were 17!! Can you imagine us picking and trusting kids of that age in first team matches on a regular basis, as they will be doing, do we have any good enough?

I know we don't seem to be spending money in the right positions, but it would be great if the Academy could turn out more than one or two hopefuls every other year-wheres the next Shack?

Posted By: Martin Peters, Aug 24, 10:01:36