Academy Under Fire

[EskWeston 696]

In the fallout of the Gael Kakuta saga Chelsea's Academy has come under serious fire. More so than normal as it has been something that the media in particular find it easy to poke fun at Chelsea for, a couple of the worst articles are listed below, they are full of rubbish opinion and completely lacking in fact and judgement:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/05/Chelsea-youth-football

http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2009/09/oliver-kay-the-final-word-on-chelseas-youth-academy.html

Chelsea's academy was effectively set up in 2005, before that it was basically neglected. We currently have 12 young players out on loan at various clubs and are making big impressions. In 2005 we took a youth team to Ireland to compete in the milk cup, that team consisted of:

Rhys Taylor, Ryan Bertrand, Sam Hutchinson, Michael Mancienne, Jack Cork, Liam Bridcutt, Dean Furman, Lee Sawyer, Tomi Sarelma, Shaun Cummings, Scott Sinclair

Of that team 3 have appeared for our first team. 1 is currently a part of our first team squad. 2 are playing regular in the Premier League on loan, 3 are playing in the Championship regulary (2 on loan, 1 permenantly now) and 2 play in League 1 on loan. Rhys Taylor is involved with the first team heavily also. Only 2 have left the club previously and Furman has made a decent career and is now at Oldham i think.

So the question is, what is the TalkChelsea Chelsea fan view on the Academy? Is it a success or a failure so far in your eyes? Do we deserve the negative press we have on our academy or not?

[ZanSnake 1,211]

I am please. To say someone like Furman, whose had a good career and is called a good prospect for the future, came through our ranks is an honour. I do, however, wished we do and did give our youngsters more oppertunities to fight for a first team chance. But, i think that will all change under Carlo. He made a great player out of Pato whilst at Milan, who say he can't do it again and again. I think in the appointment of Carlo, we have finally found the right manager. A manager who has had a succesful career in past tenures and is a manager who knows what to do tactically. I think he can see good talent when it's in front of him. If he stays for a long length of time, then these youngsters will gain oppertunites, like the Carling Cup or FA Cup Round 3. It maybe against small teams, but if it is with players like Lampard and co, it could show how they can mould with the team.

I am proud with our youngsters, and just hoped that Jose had given more oppertunites to shine instead of the one odd sub. Hopefully, with the crisis that we are in, it can show us that the youngsters should be the future, not players who are just going to age.

[warnie_666 1,081]

I made a point about the nonsense articles on our academy in another thread.

We revamped our academy only few years back. Ofcourse we dont field 17 yr olds in our first team like Arsenal or Man Utd do. But when you see JT started playing regularly in the first team at 21, these kids still have couple of years to go.

At the moment, I am excited about Jack Cork to be honest. I want to see him as a future Club Captain. He is 20 has 3 more years on his contract. We can try to play him more in the first team from next year and see how he does.

Gael Kakuta needs to go on a loan andmay be around 20 he can start playing regularly in the first team. He is only 18 now. I see him as a replacement to Malouda

Stoch needs another year before we can play him regularly in the first team. Could be our future right Winger.

Sinclair....Would haveloved to see him but somwhere I dont think he will make it. His rival is Stoch

Mancienne.....Can see him replace Carvalho to be honest next year. We should be seeing him more regularly from next season.

Di Santo..not gonna count him cus he isnt our Academy product.

Cork and Mancienne have been with us since 9 yrs of age I beleive. Would be great to see the two come in the first team by next yr.

[warnie_666 1,081]

Forgot to add Hutchinson hes with us since 9 too. He seems to have been chosen as the back up left back for Ashley Cole. He is already with the first team and im sure we will see more of him in Cup competitions

Edited September 8, 2009 by warnie_666

[Rambo 1,729]

Hutchinson is more of a right back, but to me it doesn't really matter.

[5354 204]

Sinclair is just not performing up to the mark... ):

Maybe he needed more 90mins instate of just 30mins....

[ZanSnake 1,211]

<br />Sinclair is just not performing up to the mark... ):<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Maybe he needed more 90mins instate of just 30mins....<br /><br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

How can you say that if the dude doesn't play a full game?

For coming for the last couple of minutes of a game, he has always made an impact. Either a shot nor a cross, he's on both in the last two of Wigan's games.

[Steve 10,227]

I think the press needs to get the fuck off our back. Half the time the articles the produce about our youth and club in general is a bunch of lies and crap pulled out of there ass.

I personally think our future is going to be very bright for our youngsters with carlo in charge, he has a great eye for young talent as we have already seen with Sam. Some of the players that are coming up in our youth system are going to be world class players, but at the end of the day that takes time, and its bullshit that the press are not giving it too us.

Players i think have a very bright future with our club:

Sam Hutchinson

Jack Cork

Jacob Mellis

Scott Sinclair

Michael Woods

Gaël Kakuta

Tomi Sarelma

Miroslav Stoch

Fabio Borini

Michael Mancienne

Daniel Sturridge

Franco Di Santo

Rhys Taylor

Ryan Bertrand

Liam Bridcutt

Dean Furman

Lee Sawyer

Shaun Cummings

In the next few years we could be seeing half of these players, playing inthe first team. Some of them already are, and are making a name forthem selves. As we can see from other clubs constantly wanting to loanthem out. If our youth continues to develop the way they are and startsgetting that call up for the first team squad, i personally think halfof the players there will be in our first team in the next 1 to 5 years.

Edited September 8, 2009 by STEV3O

[Cameron 30]

Players i think have a very bright future with our club:

Sam Hutchinson

Jack Cork

Jacob Mellis

Michael Woods

Gaël Kakuta

Miroslav Stoch

Fabio Borini

Michael Mancienne

Daniel Sturridge

Franco Di Santo

Errrrr. That's perhaps more accurate, if we're lucky. And even then, I can only see a third of those players ever making it as an active member of the first team squad, and we'd be lucky to have just one of them a regular starter. Negative, but realistic.

A load of the players you mentioned had either been sold already or aren't really good enough. I don't have the slightest clue of what bit of research went into that post.

[Steve 10,227]

Well to be fair im pretty sure the only player that is still not with the club is Tomi Sarelma, and from what i have seen from our youth players, they seem to be decent players who can make a name for themselves.

[EskWeston 696]

Cummings, Sarelma and Furman are not longer with the club. But Cummings and Furman have gone on to decent levels, no idea where Sarelma is though....

This is a key point because only a very small percentage will make it to our first team, and the aim is to get the rest at as high a level as possible and make the academy some money back, we have done that with Nouble and Cummings this summer.

Of the rest of the list that stev3o did i would say that Sawyer, Bridcutt and Taylor have very little chance of a future at CFC, the rest all have some degree of possibility.

Our academy is working, and right now we are the start of where it is working perfectly, players on top loans, a player here and there in our first team and selling players on for a profit if they are not going to make it with us. This is the essense of an academy and it won't be long before we have a first team regular from our academy.

[Aesthetic Relic 301]

Simon Greenberg was on 5-live last night talking about the Academy and Chelsea in general. He came across as very positive about the future of the club stating that Chelseas plan is to have at least 1 player each season break into the first team squad.

Basically the aim of the club is to develop English/London based players. They tried to trip him up with comments about Kakuta and the current media frenzy surrounding the club and the recent "inducing" scandal, but he wouldnt comment as the club is still waiting for the confirmation from FIFA containing the full details of the ruling. We should be in receipt of that within the next 2 weeks before we decide the best way forward to appeal.

[5354 204]

<br /><br /><br />

How can you say that if the dude doesn't play a full game?

For coming for the last couple of minutes of a game, he has always made an impact. Either a shot nor a cross, he's on both in the last two of Wigan's games.

he screwed up a chance of the team scoring with counter attacking when it was 5 vs 2. instead of passing he went for a shot aganist Spurs and Spurs grabbbed a last minute winner.... they could have won in Sinclair passed.

i always rated him very highly, but looking at the performances, makes me thinks otherwise.

[warnie_666 1,081]

Hey Esk....What do u make of Jack Cork?

Do you think he will make it to the first team in the next two seasons?

He looks the Captain Material to me....not so much Mancienne even though he looks the most likely of the academy products to make the first team squad.

[EskWeston 696]

Hey Esk....What do u make of Jack Cork?

Do you think he will make it to the first team in the next two seasons?

He looks the Captain Material to me....not so much Mancienne even though he looks the most likely of the academy products to make the first team squad.

I like Jack Cork very much, and i think he is a little unlucky to not be given a go in the first team this season. I am sure he will make it though because he is a very level headed young man with a lot of ability.