Holt made a good point in recent Guardian article

Obviously biased towards his own experience but gist of it was that in the old days kids knew a lot earlier on at say 16-18 whether they were going to make it in top flight or non-league / lower leagues and would adjust their expectations and life plans accordingly. Now because of stockpiling at big academies kids get their expectations pumped up and only at 21-22 come crashing down when they realise they won’t cut it at top flight. 16-21 are formative years and will be tough for many kids to deal with a temporary high and comedown which never used to exist. Extent of the problem may be limited the academies also provide education and will depend on character of each individual but don’t think should underestimate the potential impact.

Posted By: pat_abb, Aug 7, 08:11:38