McClair senior on the Academy

oskarutd · 9th August 2008, 12:59

Man United claim English football youth system must change to better next generation
Amid the chatter of fans excited by the clatter of studs emerging from dressing rooms again, another sound can be heard.

By Henry Winter, Football Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:21AM BST 09 Aug 2008
Old school: Phil and Gary Neville were brought through from the youth side at Manchester United Photo: EPA

It is the lament about England in crisis, about the dearth of good youngsters. Manchester United disagree.

"We could put a B team in the Championship and they would do well,'' argued Brian McClair, United's academy director.

The European champions this week hosted the Nike Premier Cup, a competition for the world's leading under-15s, and there could be no doubting the potential of some of the English ball-players in the United team, particularly in central midfield during a 4-1 thrashing of Juventus. "We drew with Real Madrid, drew with Paris St-Germain and have players who could play in the Fluminense team [the overall winners],'' McClair added. "They're not better than our best players. They just have more of them.''

Such sentiments about the "quantity of quality'' in foreign ranks echo the views of Fabio Capello. England's coach has hailed significant talents like United's Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Owen Hargreaves (and how he would love Paul Scholes back in the fold) but bemoaned the lack of numbers. England would build around Cesc Fabregas; Spain began him on the bench for much of Euro 2008.

In the wake of a fallow summer for England, and the possibility of quotas, the Football Association are under pressure to improve the flow of youth development through the much criticised academies.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes United's under-15s "definitely'' learned more from this week's exposure to Madrid, PSG, Fluminense and Juventus then in any academy tussle with English rivals.

"I watch academy games and I see humdrum stuff all the time,'' Ferguson observed. "I don't see anything exciting or exceptional. It's always nice to see technical players like here [in the Premier Cup].''

Many academies are suspicious of United, fearing their leading schoolboy lights will be lured to Old Trafford, and McClair remarked that "one club close to here haven't played their best [youth] player against us for three years''.

Yet paranoia among opponents and at Soho Square sadly prevents football adopting many of the excellent principles being applied at McClair's academy. His younger age-groups play four-v-four, small-sided games which place an emphasis on technique and intelligent movement. "It's to do with more touches,'' McClair said. "Nobody has played us at four-v-four for years.''

As for the FA's "Respect'' campaign which kicks in this weekend, McClair shrugged. "We've had that for a long time,'' he said. "We don't accept any bad behaviour. In our academy games, if anybody turns round and says anything to the ref or linesmen, we take them off. Sometimes we play with 10 men, so everybody understands.

"In this tournament, we have refs from all over the world. That gives the players experience that, if they get into the big show with the first team and play in the semi-final of the Champions League, away in Italy with a French referee, he might send you off, which could cost the club the chance to play in a Champions League final.''

McClair's brow furrows most at mention of the new Youth Management Group, the multi-party body charged with restarting the conveyor-belt of young talent.

"It's ridiculous having a 10-man committee – and the majority are administrators. There are people from the FA, Football League and Premier League talking about football – they should be technical people. And they don't get on. The Football League and Premier League can't agree on anything. There are so many vested interests. The boys are stuck in the system.''

To liberate the boys, help themselves and assist England, United want a freer hand in recruiting the best schoolboys, recreating a hothouse atmosphere akin to when the "you'll win nothing with kids'' generation of Scholes, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and the Nevilles burst through.

"There was scouting all over Britain, so we got the best players nationally,'' McClair noted. "There was Robbie Savage, Chris Casper and Keith Gillespie in that group as well. When you have the best boys, they challenge each other.

"It's easier and more financially viable now to take a boy from Italy or Spain [because of academy restrictions].

"Fluminense can scout all over Brazil but we're restricted for an hour from here. We still find one or two excellent boys within an hour's travel but I'd like that rule to go. The best English boy could be anywhere.''

If the rule doesn't go, United want to build a boarding school attached to their academy. "That would be ideal,'' McClair said.

While advocating a system that delays schoolboys committing to clubs "until they are 14'', McClair also wants a more equitable compensation method for prospects who move from the club that has nurtured them. Citing John Bostock's controversial transfer from Crystal Palace to Tottenham, McClair said: "Nobody explains how they [the tribunal] get the figures: £750,000 up front is hefty for a 16-year-old, but £1.3 million if he becomes a first-team player at Tottenham isn't.''

Being a promising youngster is one thing, but making the first team in the foreigner-filled, high-stakes Premier League world is another thing altogether.

"I played with the Beckham generation in the reserves, and yes we could see they were talented, but it was about them getting the opportunity,'' McClair recalled.

"Sparky [Mark Hughes], [Paul] Parker and [Andrei] Kanchelskis went, Robbo [Bryan Robson] was near the end, so Beckham, Butt and Gary Neville all took their chance.

"The system is different now. The demands are much greater because we won the Champions League and Premier League last year.''

McClair's Academy aim to get one graduate every other season into Ferguson's first team – "that would be great, if [it was] a local boy we'd be delighted".

It's about opportunity as well as ability. No wonder United want to put out a B team in the Championship to develop their youngsters further.

link.

Red442 · 9th August 2008, 13:08

Good article. I personally enjoy seeing good homegrown youngsters coming through rather than expensive foreign players

FlawlessThaw · 9th August 2008, 13:37

The sooner they get rid of the 60 minute rule the better.

RedPhil1957 · 9th August 2008, 13:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlawlessThaw

The sooner they get rid of the 60 minute rule the better.

to true, Wilkinson's dumb idea.

loki · 9th August 2008, 17:59

To improve the future invest in the kids and get them well coached and managed. Thats not really happening as much as it should and things suffer.
Good to hear we are more progressive in some aspects of this.

greater wall · 10th August 2008, 13:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlawlessThaw

The sooner they get rid of the 60 minute rule the better.

That would require the FA to admit they were wrong. That is not likely and will take another decade and more qualifications for major tournaments missed before they do anything. Then they will actually try to restrict the number of foreign players in the first team. I don't hold out much hope for England.

9th August 2008, 12:59	#1 (permalink)
oskarutd Reserve Team Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Iceland Posts: 1,327	McClair senior on the Academy Man United claim English football youth system must change to better next generation Amid the chatter of fans excited by the clatter of studs emerging from dressing rooms again, another sound can be heard. By Henry Winter, Football Correspondent Last Updated: 1:21AM BST 09 Aug 2008 Old school: Phil and Gary Neville were brought through from the youth side at Manchester United Photo: EPA It is the lament about England in crisis, about the dearth of good youngsters. Manchester United disagree. "We could put a B team in the Championship and they would do well,'' argued Brian McClair, United's academy director. The European champions this week hosted the Nike Premier Cup, a competition for the world's leading under-15s, and there could be no doubting the potential of some of the English ball-players in the United team, particularly in central midfield during a 4-1 thrashing of Juventus. "We drew with Real Madrid, drew with Paris St-Germain and have players who could play in the Fluminense team [the overall winners],'' McClair added. "They're not better than our best players. They just have more of them.'' Such sentiments about the "quantity of quality'' in foreign ranks echo the views of Fabio Capello. England's coach has hailed significant talents like United's Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Owen Hargreaves (and how he would love Paul Scholes back in the fold) but bemoaned the lack of numbers. England would build around Cesc Fabregas; Spain began him on the bench for much of Euro 2008. In the wake of a fallow summer for England, and the possibility of quotas, the Football Association are under pressure to improve the flow of youth development through the much criticised academies. Sir Alex Ferguson believes United's under-15s "definitely'' learned more from this week's exposure to Madrid, PSG, Fluminense and Juventus then in any academy tussle with English rivals. "I watch academy games and I see humdrum stuff all the time,'' Ferguson observed. "I don't see anything exciting or exceptional. It's always nice to see technical players like here [in the Premier Cup].'' Many academies are suspicious of United, fearing their leading schoolboy lights will be lured to Old Trafford, and McClair remarked that "one club close to here haven't played their best [youth] player against us for three years''. Yet paranoia among opponents and at Soho Square sadly prevents football adopting many of the excellent principles being applied at McClair's academy. His younger age-groups play four-v-four, small-sided games which place an emphasis on technique and intelligent movement. "It's to do with more touches,'' McClair said. "Nobody has played us at four-v-four for years.'' As for the FA's "Respect'' campaign which kicks in this weekend, McClair shrugged. "We've had that for a long time,'' he said. "We don't accept any bad behaviour. In our academy games, if anybody turns round and says anything to the ref or linesmen, we take them off. Sometimes we play with 10 men, so everybody understands. "In this tournament, we have refs from all over the world. That gives the players experience that, if they get into the big show with the first team and play in the semi-final of the Champions League, away in Italy with a French referee, he might send you off, which could cost the club the chance to play in a Champions League final.'' McClair's brow furrows most at mention of the new Youth Management Group, the multi-party body charged with restarting the conveyor-belt of young talent. "It's ridiculous having a 10-man committee – and the majority are administrators. There are people from the FA, Football League and Premier League talking about football – they should be technical people. And they don't get on. The Football League and Premier League can't agree on anything. There are so many vested interests. The boys are stuck in the system.'' To liberate the boys, help themselves and assist England, United want a freer hand in recruiting the best schoolboys, recreating a hothouse atmosphere akin to when the "you'll win nothing with kids'' generation of Scholes, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and the Nevilles burst through. "There was scouting all over Britain, so we got the best players nationally,'' McClair noted. "There was Robbie Savage, Chris Casper and Keith Gillespie in that group as well. When you have the best boys, they challenge each other. "It's easier and more financially viable now to take a boy from Italy or Spain [because of academy restrictions]. "Fluminense can scout all over Brazil but we're restricted for an hour from here. We still find one or two excellent boys within an hour's travel but I'd like that rule to go. The best English boy could be anywhere.'' If the rule doesn't go, United want to build a boarding school attached to their academy. "That would be ideal,'' McClair said. While advocating a system that delays schoolboys committing to clubs "until they are 14'', McClair also wants a more equitable compensation method for prospects who move from the club that has nurtured them. Citing John Bostock's controversial transfer from Crystal Palace to Tottenham, McClair said: "Nobody explains how they [the tribunal] get the figures: £750,000 up front is hefty for a 16-year-old, but £1.3 million if he becomes a first-team player at Tottenham isn't.'' Being a promising youngster is one thing, but making the first team in the foreigner-filled, high-stakes Premier League world is another thing altogether. "I played with the Beckham generation in the reserves, and yes we could see they were talented, but it was about them getting the opportunity,'' McClair recalled. "Sparky [Mark Hughes], [Paul] Parker and [Andrei] Kanchelskis went, Robbo [Bryan Robson] was near the end, so Beckham, Butt and Gary Neville all took their chance. "The system is different now. The demands are much greater because we won the Champions League and Premier League last year.'' McClair's Academy aim to get one graduate every other season into Ferguson's first team – "that would be great, if [it was] a local boy we'd be delighted". It's about opportunity as well as ability. No wonder United want to put out a B team in the Championship to develop their youngsters further. link.

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9th August 2008, 13:08	#2 (permalink)
Red442 Last Man Standing Champion Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Here> Posts: 1,458	Good article. I personally enjoy seeing good homegrown youngsters coming through rather than expensive foreign players

9th August 2008, 13:37	#3 (permalink)
FlawlessThaw most 'know it all' poster Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Posts: 10,532	The sooner they get rid of the 60 minute rule the better.

9th August 2008, 17:59	#5 (permalink)
loki Reserve Team Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gonna be real pissed if I get banned..........again Posts: 884	To improve the future invest in the kids and get them well coached and managed. Thats not really happening as much as it should and things suffer. Good to hear we are more progressive in some aspects of this.