Liam Wakefield

[Dr Fundlekrotch]

The Times has a supplement today - "Guide to Elite Apprenticeships".  Full page photo on the front of Liam Wakefield in his Rovers kit and a big interview/article about his apprenticeship at the National College for High Speed Rail in Donny. Interesting article.

[German Rover]

Good to see that he's not just relying on football, and is getting himself a trade.

[dickos1]

I think he's doing it because his football career is now over

[GazLaz]

Another one we have produced that had a taste and hasn’t made it. The academy is definitely doing something wrong.

[phil old leake]

Personally I felt he could have done something. Even at a lower level.

[IDM]

Another one we have produced that had a taste and hasn’t made it. The academy is definitely doing something wrong.

Or perhaps he wasn't quite good enough in the long run??

[GazLaz]

Another one we have produced that had a taste and hasn’t made it. The academy is definitely doing something wrong.

Or perhaps he wasn't quite good enough in the long run??

That’s an all to common theme with our young players though. I think it could be a mentality issue.

[pib]

Made 4 appearances for Boston United earlier this season, not sure if he's still there.

[selby]

  It is not just the Rovers that players do not make a career in football. What's happened to Jet? and he had everything going for him.
   Anyone who comes through the ranks and makes a first team appearance can be considered a success, as thousands fall by the wayside, now from the age of an unbelievable seven years old.
  And the lower down the chain the club is, the less chance of getting the youngsters who can make that breakthrough is, as all the really good youngsters are at the big clubs.
   On talksport radio they asked a Dutch player what had happened to the famous Ajax academy, he answered that most of the really good prospects were being poached by the premiership clubs, and they have no chance of getting the best youngsters in Holland.
  Huddersfield have closed their academy, because they think it makes more economical sense to sign young players who  have been rejected in their late teens by the bigger clubs, and are more likely to be of a known quality, but not quite good enough for the Manchester,Chelsea clubs of this world.

[GazLaz]

JET is earning £20k a week at QPR, Wakefield is crying into his cornflakes every morning, wondering where it all went wrong.

[anne honemous]

JET is earning £20k a week at QPR, Wakefield is crying into his cornflakes every morning, wondering where it all went wrong.

Have a bit of bloody respect for the lad.

He might not have 'made it' and established himself, but he's certainly not sitting on his backside feeling sorry for himself.

[adamtherover]

I didnt realise mason holgate was a donny lad, along with danny rose. Our scouting network really leaves a lot to be desired.  Surely the best kid in the school should be on the rader of the only professional club in the area.

[selby]

  I doubt he is doing that Gaz, if he has the sense to take an apprenticeship and think of the future, thinking on your level may be a little beneath him.

[Campsall rover]

JET is earning £20k a week at QPR, Wakefield is crying into his cornflakes every morning, wondering where it all went wrong.

The only one crying into his corn flakes seems to be you!

[Campsall rover]

I didnt realise mason holgate was a donny lad, along with danny rose. Our scouting network really leaves a lot to be desired.  Surely the best kid in the school should be on the rader of the only professional club in the area.

There are always going to youngsters that go to other clubs. Scouts from a large number of clubs are watching Sunday league football on a regular basis.

[GazLaz]

He will be devastated about not making it as a pro. It’s good for him that he’s retraining, it won’t make him less gutted that he’s no longer a footballer though.

I made the point in reference to what JET is doing more than Liam though. Selby was making a comparison when there simply isn’t one. I was just trying to highlight the vast chasm between the two lads.

[selby]

 Fair enough Gaz, probably Jet was not that good an example, but I would be surprised if a player who had a less than brilliant time of it at Gillingham, gets £20k a week, having said that we do live in strange times, and Q.P.R. are well known for being fools with money.

[anne honemous]

Of footballers currently playing in the Football League who have established themselves, lets say 5+ years experience of regularly playing in the FL or around 100 FL appearances, I wonder what percentage...

A) Came through academies at PL clubs.
B) Got released and did the non league route to get back into the FL.
C) Came through lower league clubs academies.

My guess would be that it's something like 75% came through the PL academies (examples would be McCullough or even Coppinger), 20% through the non-league route (example being Matty Blair) and then 5% or so with a player coming through from a lower league academy.

With all the money and foreigners being signed by big clubs and/or huge academies such as Chelsea or Man City with dozens upon dozens of 'academy' players aged 18 or above, it must be harder than ever for a lad like Liam Wakefield to come through our academy and 'make it'.

Those players in big PL academies, if they aren't going to break through at whatever clubs because the manager insists on spending £50M on a foreign striker from Bundesliga/La Liga/Serie A, naturally they have to drop down.

I don't think we're doing anything wrong as an academy, it's just the way the world is nowadays when it comes to youth/academy football.

[RoversAlias]

Another one we have produced that had a taste and hasn’t made it. The academy is definitely doing something wrong.

There are players like Wakefield at every single club across the land. It's as if you expect a 100% success rate out of our fairly modest academy set-up.

[GazLaz]

Another one we have produced that had a taste and hasn’t made it. The academy is definitely doing something wrong.

There are players like Wakefield at every single club across the land. It's as if you expect a 100% success rate out of our fairly modest academy set-up.

I’d just like to see one. Husband and Green have had good careers but they both joined us at 16 I believe. Schooled elsewhere.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Another one we have produced that had a taste and hasn’t made it. The academy is definitely doing something wrong.

There are players like Wakefield at every single club across the land. It's as if you expect a 100% success rate out of our fairly modest academy set-up.

Money available for the Academy is an issue. A young player with talent will always head for where they'll get the best training and pay. Add to that the "star" factor of being in a top prem set up and the competition is crazily against clubs outside the prem never mind clubs at our level and below.

More money filtered down from the prem for lower academies would help maximise the potential of youngsters we have, but is it better all round to have a system where the best English youngsters are at the top clubs where the real quality is, and for them to later find their level via loans and moving onto lower clubs like some of our current squad have?

Having said that, I do think that us having an academy adds depth to us as a club especially within the Club Doncaster ethos, and our academy will do what it can.

It would be interesting to see stats of the success of various academies, where their players have ended up, especially the home grown players there rather than those imported.

[RoversAlias]

Another one we have produced that had a taste and hasn’t made it. The academy is definitely doing something wrong.

There are players like Wakefield at every single club across the land. It's as if you expect a 100% success rate out of our fairly modest academy set-up.

I’d just like to see one. Husband and Green have had good careers but they both joined us at 16 I believe. Schooled elsewhere.

Whilst we absolutely could stand to produce more, I don't think it's fair when people write off Green or Husband as products of our own, I doubt you could find more than a handful of players up and down the professional leagues who have genuinely been at the club they're with since they were a little boy. Green came to us at 16 yes but not as anywhere near the finished article ready to have the career he's had. He spent 2/3 years living and developing at High Melton as a DRFC youth team player and he progressed because of the schooling he got at our club and the playing time he got with us. I don't think anyone could say his success came from being in the Wednesday academy.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Whilst we absolutely could stand to produce more, I don't think it's fair when people write off Green or Husband as products of our own, I doubt you could find more than a handful of players up and down the professional leagues who have genuinely been at the club they're with since they were a little boy. Green came to us at 16 yes but not as anywhere near the finished article ready to have the career he's had. He spent 2/3 years living and developing at High Melton as a DRFC youth team player and he progressed because of the schooling he got at our club and the playing time he got with us. I don't think anyone could say his success came from being in the Wednesday academy.

That's a real important point. Even if we're low down the rankings as an academy growing players from a young age, the value and quality of our club as a finishing academy is probably what counts most for a club of our level.

[GazLaz]

Another one we have produced that had a taste and hasn’t made it. The academy is definitely doing something wrong.

There are players like Wakefield at every single club across the land. It's as if you expect a 100% success rate out of our fairly modest academy set-up.

I’d just like to see one. Husband and Green have had good careers but they both joined us at 16 I believe. Schooled elsewhere.

Whilst we absolutely could stand to produce more, I don't think it's fair when people write off Green or Husband as products of our own, I doubt you could find more than a handful of players up and down the professional leagues who have genuinely been at the club they're with since they were a little boy. Green came to us at 16 yes but not as anywhere near the finished article ready to have the career he's had. He spent 2/3 years living and developing at High Melton as a DRFC youth team player and he progressed because of the schooling he got at our club and the playing time he got with us. I don't think anyone could say his success came from being in the Wednesday academy.

It’s no coincidence that the two that have played at a decent level didn’t join us till the age of 16 though. The amount of grounding you get when being coached prior to the age of 16 is massive. Gigantic in fact.

[selby]

 But as I see it our club have recognised what you have said is true.
    Mr Wilson and most of the youth coaching staff have been replaced over the last few seasons, so a little lee way, and time,must be given to actually see if things are improving, from what I have seen in the development games, and the report from the U15s last week, things look to be going in the right direction.

[CGJ]

But as I see it our club have recognised what you have said is true.
    Mr Wilson and most of the youth coaching staff have been replaced over the last few seasons, so a little lee way, and time,must be given to actually see if things are improving, from what I have seen in the development games, and the report from the U15s last week, things look to be going in the right direction.

Could you indicate where the report from the U15s is available please?

[silent majority]

With a success rate of 0.5% I don't see how anybody can pin any faith on the academy system as such.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35054310

[The Red Baron]

Liam Wakefield is an example of what concerns me about our young players. They do enough to earn first team shirts then seem to plateau.

I thought Wakefield had the potential to be a decent full-back but he didn't do enough to be kept on here and didn't make much of an impression at subsequent clubs. Replace full back with midfielder and you have Harry Middleton. Mitchell Lund seems to be heading in the same direction. Mandeville's career seems to have stalled after a very promising season last term.

Even lads who have moved to other clubs, like Billy Whitehouse and the McKays haven't kicked on.

I don't know what the problem is but if I was in Fergie's shoes I'd be trying to find out.

[GazLaz]

Liam Wakefield is an example of what concerns me about our young players. They do enough to earn first team shirts then seem to plateau.

I thought Wakefield had the potential to be a decent full-back but he didn't do enough to be kept on here and didn't make much of an impression at subsequent clubs. Replace full back with midfielder and you have Harry Middleton. Mitchell Lund seems to be heading in the same direction. Mandeville's career seems to have stalled after a very promising season last term.

Even lads who have moved to other clubs, like Billy Whitehouse and the McKays haven't kicked on.

I don't know what the problem is but if I was in Fergie's shoes I'd be trying to find out.

That’s why I thought it may be a mentality thing, it’s massivly important in professional sport. If our academy doesn’t breed a culture of ruthlessness and a desire to win, it will struggle to produce players. If it’s not this it’s either poor coaching or just a vastly substandard pool of players. Maybe just a combination of all three.

[roversdude]

Didn’t DF allude to these problems when he first took over