Chelsea Youth

[zolayes 14,489]

I meant becoming such a professional and a Chelsea legend like he has. For me, Lampard was the guy who made me love Chelsea. I'd love it if McEachran would be known like he is and be like he has been to the fans.

I don't think Josh has the same work attitude as Frank .... But then very few have worked as hard as Frank to maximise his potential ..

Frank is the model over achiever ,,,I dont think Josh will be the same

[Duppy Conqueror 1,543]

Lampard' s build when he was at West Ham suggested he wasn't one with a great work ethic in his younger days.I know he has said many times that Claudio helped him to become a true pro.

I Don't like comparing players to another but understand the person who brought it up only meant that he hoped Josh would become a long time midfielder for us and win many trophies etc..

At Josh' s current age I think Frank was playing for Swansea in the third tier..maybe too early to say what he will become..

[Badboy 1,526]

I'm sorry, but anyone who thought the youth system would bear fruit in anything less than decade after the club was radically overhauled was always going to be in for disappointment.

Now is when you'd expect the system to bear fruit and in players like Chalobah, Ake and Loftus-Cheek we actually have a shot at producing top class players. People can be negative about the club and write them off but I really don't see the point in that.

My problem is also with the youth signings who have been bought for silly money at 16 17 18 years of age like Franco Di Santo, Micheal woods, Tom Taiwo

and Gael Kakuta and each of them failing. We missed a whole transfer window because of Kakuta.... Micheal woods and Tom Taiwo was signed for millions when the had only just finished year 11 in school. Frank Arnesen done a horrible job when he was here and our youth scouts are shit.

[The only place to be 11,313]

My problem is also with the youth signings who have been bought for silly money at 16 17 18 years of age like Franco Di Santo, Micheal woods, Tom Taiwo

and Gael Kakuta and each of them failing. We missed a whole transfer window because of Kakuta.... Micheal woods and Tom Taiwo was signed for millions when the had only just finished year 11 in school. Frank Arnesen done a horrible job when he was here and our youth scouts are shit.

That's an inherent problem with ALL youth academies though. Whatever you do, however you scout and however much you pay you're always getting the exact same thing - potential. Right now we have arguably the finest academy and youth teams in England and possibly Europe. What we've lacked is stability in the managerial position to guide these kids through, but when you look at the quality in the young sides and the players we have on loan then I think there's every reason to be positive about our future and not just dismiss every single scout associated with the club as 'shit'.

[Badboy 1,526]

That's an inherent problem with ALL youth academies though. Whatever you do, however you scout and however much you pay you're always getting the exact same thing - potential. Right now we have arguably the finest academy and youth teams in England and possibly Europe. What we've lacked is stability in the managerial position to guide these kids through, but when you look at the quality in the young sides and the players we have on loan then I think there's every reason to be positive about our future and not just dismiss every single scout associated with the club as 'shit'.

No its not though because we have spent much more then any other and we've constantly failed at this club. We actually brought it into fashion to spend millions on youth player who are 16-18 years of age its ridiculous !

Last 13 Years since the start of this century players that are home grown or bought at very young ages who played for the youth academy before breaking through....

Man Utd Darren Fletcher John O'shea Danny Welbeck Tom Cleverly

Man city Micha Richards Joe Hart. Nedum Onuoha

Liverpool.... Raheem Sterling Martin Kelly Jay Spearing...

Tottenham Andros Townsend Ledley King Jake Livermore Danny Rose Kyle Walker ( Kyle Walker is debatable but he still started off in the youth academy then broke through)

Chelsea Bench Warmer oh sorry I meant Ryan Bertrand

John Terry broke through in 1998 and if you say Ledley king broke through at a similar time he never because it was his performance at Anfield in November 2000 that got him into the Tottenham first team squad.

[Atlas Lion 1,223]

No its not though because we have spent much more then any other and we've constantly failed at this club. We actually brought it into fashion to spend millions on youth player who are 16-18 years of age its ridiculous !

Last 13 Years since the start of this century players that are home grown or bought at very young ages who played for the youth academy before breaking through....

Man Utd Darren Fletcher John O'shea Danny Welbeck Tom Cleverly

Man city Micha Richards Joe Hart. Nedum Onuoha

Liverpool.... Raheem Sterling Martin Kelly Jay Spearing...

Tottenham Andros Townsend Ledley King Jake Livermore Danny Rose Kyle Walker ( Kyle Walker is debatable but he still started off in the youth academy then broke through)

Chelsea Bench Warmer oh sorry I meant Ryan Bertrand

John Terry broke through in 1998 and if you say Ledley king broke through at a similar time he never because it was his performance at Anfield in November 2000 that got him into the Tottenham first team squad.

In comparison to now and almost 10 years ago was the mere fact our board and Roman were looking for instant success. Buying players that were in the prime of their game and guaranteed 2-3 years at top level and continuing to buy buy buy. What is different now, is the fact the last 3 years our facilities have focused primarily on youth level academies and to hopefully formulate a method of introducing youth potential on to the side. That is why we have the likes of Piazon, Ake, Loftus Cheek, Kane, Chalobah, etc, players with such a high potential that we couldn't find nor develop players nearly as brilliant back in 2002-07.

Bertrand and Ake are primarily example of players from our academy that will eventually break into the first team. When you give the lads a chance, they might just surprise you. That is why I was absolutely thrilled when Mourinho during his press conference stated that he is hoping to develop youth and transition them into the first team, methods like this guarantees stability so that we can become a sustainable club.

We are heading in the right direction for once with a great future ahead of us so I fail to see any point of finding something to be cautious about.

[zolayes 14,489]

Bad Boy has summed things up ...Our Academy is CRAP ...its either the scouts or the coaches ...

compare us with Southampton.

[Chelsea? 892]

If loftus cheek, chalonah n maybe one more make it threw, I think we'd have the most successful youth academy among the big epl teams.

[ChelseaNZ 2]

I know everyone loves following superstars, big named players who shine brightly for there team, but who out there would rather watch a youngster come up through the grades? Develop through the academy, follow the player from a young age! Check out the Chelsea players we hope to be watching for a long time!
http://www.undisputedsports.com/2013/07/chelsea-youth-to-shine-bright/

[Despiadado.Maleante 1,046]

Good Stuff

[ChelseaNZ 2]

Love watching youth players crack the squad and make the team, you have any favourites?

[The only place to be 11,313]

No its not though because we have spent much more then any other and we've constantly failed at this club. We actually brought it into fashion to spend millions on youth player who are 16-18 years of age its ridiculous !

Last 13 Years since the start of this century players that are home grown or bought at very young ages who played for the youth academy before breaking through....

Man Utd Darren Fletcher John O'shea Danny Welbeck Tom Cleverly

Man city Micha Richards Joe Hart. Nedum Onuoha

Liverpool.... Raheem Sterling Martin Kelly Jay Spearing...

Tottenham Andros Townsend Ledley King Jake Livermore Danny Rose Kyle Walker ( Kyle Walker is debatable but he still started off in the youth academy then broke through)

Chelsea Bench Warmer oh sorry I meant Ryan Bertrand

John Terry broke through in 1998 and if you say Ledley king broke through at a similar time he never because it was his performance at Anfield in November 2000 that got him into the Tottenham first team squad.

You're talking about a United academy that was streets ahead of us in the mid-90s so I'd again refer you to the earlier point that you just need to be patient. The club was overhauled almost completely when Roman took over, the academy and training facilities included. In recent years we've had great success in the FA Youth Cup and now we have players on the cusp of breaking through, although if you want to denigrate Chelsea players like Ryan Bertrand as 'Bench Warmer' than that's up to you. Personally I think he did alright when he started for us in the Champions League Final.

Bad Boy has summed things up ...Our Academy is CRAP ...its either the scouts or the coaches ...

compare us with Southampton.

Fuck off calling our academy crap OK. I'm trying to be polite but people like you who just want to moan and moan and moan really do test my patience. Maybe you should start writing letters to Points of View or your local newspaper and complain about potholes.....or just have a wank .

Our academy's performance in tournaments is anything but crap. The results speak for themselves, but so do the performances of young men like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nat Chalobah.

If you really want to compare us to Southampton then fine - they have lower expectations than us. When Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott broke through I believe they were in the Championship, although I commend them for sticking by Luke Shaw last season. Unfortunately the constant need for success and lack of patience from our fans (who also call our academy crap) means that players don't get the chance to learn in our team, and that's a real shame.

Ultimately you people are part of the problem. You want all the reward without any of the discomfort and that's cancerous to any club looking to develop youngsters. We're about a decade into a new era for our club, so anyone who was expecting La Masia to spring up overnight (without a B team to help them) was going to be sorely disappointed.

Edited August 8, 2013 by The only place to be

[Reddish-Blue 2,510]

If you really want to compare us to Southampton then fine - they have lower expectations than us. When Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott broke through I believe they were in the Championship, although I commend them for sticking by Luke Shaw last season. Unfortunately the constant need for success and lack of patience from our fans (who also call our academy crap) means that players don't get the chance to learn in our team, and that's a real shame.

Ultimately you people are part of the problem. You want all the reward without any of the discomfort and that's cancerous to any club looking to develop youngsters. We're about a decade into a new era for our club, so anyone who was expecting La Masia to spring up overnight (without a B team to help them) was going to be sorely disappointed.

To be honest, as long as 1 of the talented youngsters from our academy makes the Chelsea first team and stays there, I'll be satisfied.

I get the feeling that Chalobah or Aké are more likely to make it. I'm not hating on the rest of our academy but Aké showed promising signs in his cameo appearances last season and Chalobah did well in the majority of Watford's games last season.

As for Josh McEachran, I can only hope we find him a suitable loan destination or sell him with a buy back clause....kind of like what L'pool did with Shelvey.

[zolayes 14,489]

You're talking about a United academy that was streets ahead of us in the mid-90s so I'd again refer you to the earlier point that you just need to be patient. The club was overhauled almost completely when Roman took over, the academy and training facilities included. In recent years we've had great success in the FA Youth Cup and now we have players on the cusp of breaking through, although if you want to denigrate Chelsea players like Ryan Bertrand as 'Bench Warmer' than that's up to you. Personally I think he did alright when he started for us in the Champions League Final.

Fuck off calling our academy crap OK. I'm trying to be polite but people like you who just want to moan and moan and moan really do test my patience. Maybe you should start writing letters to Points of View or your local newspaper and complain about potholes.....or just have a wank .

Our academy's performance in tournaments is anything but crap. The results speak for themselves, but so do the performances of young men like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nat Chalobah.

If you really want to compare us to Southampton then fine - they have lower expectations than us. When Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott broke through I believe they were in the Championship, although I commend them for sticking by Luke Shaw last season. Unfortunately the constant need for success and lack of patience from our fans (who also call our academy crap) means that players don't get the chance to learn in our team, and that's a real shame.

Ultimately you people are part of the problem. You want all the reward without any of the discomfort and that's cancerous to any club looking to develop youngsters. We're about a decade into a new era for our club, so anyone who was expecting La Masia to spring up overnight (without a B team to help them) was going to be sorely disappointed.

and I suppose only you as the "fans favourite " is a true fan ... I really am amazed that someone as knowledgeable as you still

thinks our academy is doing a good job

[The only place to be 11,313]

To be honest, as long as 1 of the talented youngsters from our academy makes the Chelsea first team and stays there, I'll be satisfied.

I get the feeling that Chalobah or Aké are more likely to make it. I'm not hating on the rest of our academy but Aké showed promising signs in his cameo appearances last season and Chalobah did well in the majority of Watford's games last season.

As for Josh McEachran, I can only hope we find him a suitable loan destination or sell him with a buy back clause....kind of like what L'pool did with Shelvey.

I agree with Ake and Chalobah making it and for the same reasons. Loftus-Cheek looks like a thoroughbred as well though, more physically developed than Chalobah was at that age and he already plays with the patience of a pro. He's just got to keep his head because physically and technically he looks further along than any player I've seen at that age for a while.

Josh....urgh. Bored of talking about him because it's always the same. He needs a very particular type of loan, with a very particular type of manager and a very particular type of team. You can't just throw him into any system because it won't work, but with a bit of luck then maybe he can make it.

[Styles 9,790]

Fuck off calling our academy crap OK. I'm trying to be polite but people like you who just want to moan and moan and moan really do test my patience. Maybe you should start writing letters to Points of View or your local newspaper and complain about potholes.....or just have a wank .

Our academy's performance in tournaments is anything but crap. The results speak for themselves, but so do the performances of young men like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nat Chalobah.

If you really want to compare us to Southampton then fine - they have lower expectations than us. When Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott broke through I believe they were in the Championship, although I commend them for sticking by Luke Shaw last season. Unfortunately the constant need for success and lack of patience from our fans (who also call our academy crap) means that players don't get the chance to learn in our team, and that's a real shame.

Ultimately you people are part of the problem. You want all the reward without any of the discomfort and that's cancerous to any club looking to develop youngsters. We're about a decade into a new era for our club, so anyone who was expecting La Masia to spring up overnight (without a B team to help them) was going to be sorely disappointed.

These threads are always very revealing. You can tell who is aware of just how much talent we have and how youth academies work.

Even if none of them come through I will have enjoyed the process. I've been to u21/cup games and will continue to go. No point arguing with some of the people here honestly.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Styles

[The only place to be 11,313]

and I suppose only you as the "fans favourite " is a true fan ... I really am amazed that someone as knowledgeable as you still

thinks our academy is doing a good job

Yeah, because I typed 'fans favourite' in that box.

I think our academy does well up to the age of 18. I think our technical director and the coaches do well in finding suitable loans for most of our youngsters.

What I think we struggle with is that transition into our first-team squad, but that's not a problem unique to us. The lack of stability at the top has added to that. It's hard for a manager to look at a 16 year old and help guide him when there's a good chance he won't be here when that player is 18.

But when you look at how players like Ake performed when given a chance I think there's every reason to be positive about the future of our academy. Take last season's FA Youth Cup final. We lost but we stuck to playing football that translates better to first-team professional football, whilst Norwich essentially played for the win with rather negative tactics. That philosophy is important, so we have youngsters learning to play a certain way be it against Norwich or Barcelona.

These threads are always very revealing. You can tell who is aware of just how much talent we have and how youth academies work.

Even if none of them come through I will have enjoyed the process. I've been to u21/cup games and will continue to go. No point arguing with some of the people here honestly.

I enjoy the games too but of course you want these players making that step up. To me though, there's very few greater joys in football than watching a young guy make it after years of hard work.

[Styles 9,790]

I enjoy the games too but of course you want these players making that step up. To me though, there's very few greater joys in football than watching a young guy make it after years of hard work.

Oh definitely. The fact that we have some players about to become integral to the future of this club like Chalobah is a great bonus.

I just love the buzz of seeing somebody like Boga dominate and then tracking his progress. That process, repeated for several players, for me is the best part.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Styles

[Badboy 1,526]

You're talking about a United academy that was streets ahead of us in the mid-90s so I'd again refer you to the earlier point that you just need to be patient. The club was overhauled almost completely when Roman took over, the academy and training facilities included. In recent years we've had great success in the FA Youth Cup and now we have players on the cusp of breaking through, although if you want to denigrate Chelsea players like Ryan Bertrand as 'Bench Warmer' than that's up to you. Personally I think he did alright when he started for us in the Champions League Final.

Explain the other clubs then without dodging it. Bertrand did well in the CL final but he's still a bench warmer and at 24 years of age the only experience he has is Championship football. The other clubs have at least 3-4 other players who have made their mark in the last decade ! Your point of having the youth academy revamped isn't even a plausible argument. We've seen at least 3 to 4 generations of youth fail at this club with probably the most expensive youth system in the world.

[Kojo 4,676]

I personally think our Youth has gotten better,

Chalobah and McEachran look really impressive, and some of the players that played in the friendlies against City where immense, Loftuscheek & the danish defender. Kalas is a good centre back, not sure if he will make it but you can't just draw the line like that just yet.

And of course Nathan Ake, he has been very good whenever he has played, I would like to see him have a full season loan though this season.

I could be wrong, it's only a few games for some of the players and we can't exactly say 'wow these are going to be great in the future' but the results do look positive for most.