First bit of News

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

As to where we're going from now onwards.  Saunders states that the youth policy is going to be the driving force going forward.  HAllelujah, about time we got a focus on getting younger players into the side.  I see 5 are to be offered pro contracts, hopefully some will go on and do well.

No doubt a lot of news to come out soon.

[donnyroversfc]

Sounds promising 

[Akinfenwa]

It's only positive news if the young players we're bringing through are going to be good enough. I'm all for giving them a chance like, but we do not have a good track record.

That said, the youth team seems to have improved a lot this season. Hopefully some of those players will have something to offer the first team.

[Wellred]

I don't believe any of it. I am sure we haven't really signed these young lads on pro terms its all soundbite.
More happy talk from Saunders.

In fact I bet they are really 5 French kids secretly smuggled in by Willie McKay.

 

[sedwardsdrfc]

great news give 'em a chance

[timdrfc]

Last youth player to play regular for the first team , not including one or two games ?
Paul Green from my recollection ? How many years ago 13/14 years ago what a waste of money that has been, why didn't SOD want or develop the youth?

[The L J Monk]

At youth level results are almost irrelevant. Until we see them at senior level it's very difficult to know how much these five will bring to the first team squad.

[Norfolk N Chance]

Rovers’ manager Dean Saunders has started his rebuilding by looking at this seasons successful youth team as they reach the end of their journey through the youth ranks. The youth team have been consistently one of the better sides in the Football League Youth Alliance and have also reached the National League Cup Final against Exeter in May.

With next season in mind the possibility of a reserve side, Dean has offered five 1st year pro contracts to lucky members of the team.  Keeper Jonathan Maxted, who featured on the bench this season including the game at Portsmouth, Centre Back Liam Wakefield, Centre Midfield Andrew (Jake) McCormick.  Right Midfield Patrick Mullen and striker Jordan Ball have joined James Husband in the squad for next season.

Dean Saunders “I want to give them a route through to the first team and show that when you’re at school and you want to be the next James Coppinger there is a chance to do it at your home town club. I will give them every chance to get into our first team, young James Husband could get his chance before the end of the season if the situation allows.”

Paul Stancliffe, Youth Team Manager “I’m delighted for the lads, they have worked hard all season and their work has paid off, they have got an extra year now to get their heads down and prove themselves. It’s good for the lads and shows Dean and his management team are looking towards the future.
The whole team have had a fantastic season, it’s been a team effort unfortunately a couple of the lads didn’t get contracts but they have played their part in getting these six lads theirs.”
Jonathan Ball “It’s brilliant but obviously the team comes first. I am looking forward to the cup final now but it’s been good to score in every round. Winning the final would be a great end to the season after hearing from Paul Wilson and Paul Stancliffe that I had earned a chance as a pro”

Liam Wakefield “This is the best feeling I could ever imagine and I have been waiting for this a long time. We now have to kick on and finish the season on a high then come back after the summer and start the hard work”

Andrew (Jake) McCormick “This is a dream come true and shows that you can progress. It’s been my aim since I could play football to get a professional contract at a club. I can’t wait now to kick on and get to next season”

Patrick Mullen “This is a big pressure off my shoulders as you spend the second year doing your best to gain a contract, so when it happens its such a great feeling but now I have to concentrate on next year because I know I will have to work hard to impress the manager”

Jonathan Maxted “When I heard that I had got a pro contract it was unbelievable. I have been here since I was 14 so this was my dream to move further but now I know I have to work harder to prove I can do even better”

Along with all the hard work that the youth management set-up has put in to get these lads to pro level, the fans that have joined the Rovers Alliance have played their part by helping fund the development of their careers. This year the Alliance members have contributed double what they put in last year. You too can help by joining the Alliance NOW.

Regards

 
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[donnyroversfc]

Last youth player to play regular for the first team , not including one or two games ?
Paul Green from my recollection ? How many years ago 13/14 years ago what a waste of money that has been, why didn't SOD want or develop the youth?

Well if these new youth players who've signed contracts do any good i guess you could give some credit to SO'D for it...

Baxendale too, SO'D signed him at 18 to develop him into a good player, so he didn't totally neglect the youth as some probably think.

[Wellred]

Last youth player to play regular for the first team , not including one or two games ?
Paul Green from my recollection ? How many years ago 13/14 years ago what a waste of money that has been, why didn't SOD want or develop the youth?

Well if these new youth players who've signed contracts do any good i guess you could give some credit to SO'D for it...

Baxendale too, SO'D signed him at 18 to develop him into a good player, so he didn't totally neglect the youth as some probably think.

Baxendale was signed from Leeds wasn't he?

[Bristol Red Rover]

Its not just the youth team its the reserves too which I think is a crucial piece of the jigsaw we missed. Its something DS talked about from the beginning and he appears to have paid some attention to it whilst having to put so much attention into keeping us up this season.

Without being complacent about the essentials of League 1 survival, I think we will have a little slack now to develop players of all levels not just the youth.

[timdrfc]

Good news , well done Dean Saunders.

[donnyroversfc]

Last youth player to play regular for the first team , not including one or two games ?
Paul Green from my recollection ? How many years ago 13/14 years ago what a waste of money that has been, why didn't SOD want or develop the youth?

Well if these new youth players who've signed contracts do any good i guess you could give some credit to SO'D for it...

Baxendale too, SO'D signed him at 18 to develop him into a good player, so he didn't totally neglect the youth as some probably think.

Baxendale was signed from Leeds wasn't he?

yeah he was released from Leeds at 18 then quickly signed up by SO'D 

[Wellred]

Last youth player to play regular for the first team , not including one or two games ?
Paul Green from my recollection ? How many years ago 13/14 years ago what a waste of money that has been, why didn't SOD want or develop the youth?

Well if these new youth players who've signed contracts do any good i guess you could give some credit to SO'D for it...

Baxendale too, SO'D signed him at 18 to develop him into a good player, so he didn't totally neglect the youth as some probably think.

Baxendale was signed from Leeds wasn't he?

yeah he was released from Leeds at 18 then quickly signed up by SO'D 

Hardly developed as a youth player under SOD though was he?

[RoversAlias]

All he's saying is O'Driscoll did show some value towards youth development by bringing Baxendale in. Obviously it wasn't in O'Driscoll's plans to leave the club 6 weeks later.

This is terrific news and I hope we really can get these players developing well and pushing on into the first team. Now is the time to do it, Sheffield United turned to several youth products this season with good results. I'm excited by the prospect of seeing these guys try to get into the team, and I'd love to see Husband get given a go in our last three league games.

[donnyroversfc]

All he's saying is O'Driscoll did show some value towards youth development by bringing Baxendale in. Obviously it wasn't in O'Driscoll's plans to leave the club 6 weeks later.

This is terrific news and I hope we really can get these players developing well and pushing on into the first team. Now is the time to do it, Sheffield United turned to several youth products this season with good results. I'm excited by the prospect of seeing these guys try to get into the team, and I'd love to see Husband get given a go in our last three league games.

Yep thats exactly what i meant. Hopefully Saunders is cut out for the job of developing these younger players, could prove very fruiful for the club in the future if he is.

[drfcsteve]

People talk about bringing the reserve team back like it would have some kind of major benifit to the team, it was abolished because it was pointless and a waste of money that we couldn't afford. Having a reserve team means you must fulfil reserve team fixtures, even if it means playing members of the 'first' team. What's the point when we can just arrange friendlies on our own terms with local sides to get players fit/give them game time.

[roverstillidie91]

I know it sounds random but do you think the fact bringing through some close to first team could have a positive effect financially and also to the public with bringing through the local players and want people to see them if they are friends family etc. Id prefer to see local talent with experience than players such as chimbonda diouf etc. We need to strive to make sure we can get as many fans next season to give a positive feeling for next year seeing as whats happened over last 13 months

[Bristol Red Rover]

People talk about bringing the reserve team back like it would have some kind of major benifit to the team, it was abolished because it was pointless and a waste of money that we couldn't afford. Having a reserve team means you must fulfil reserve team fixtures, even if it means playing members of the 'first' team. What's the point when we can just arrange friendlies on our own terms with local sides to get players fit/give them game time.

I may be wrong, but isn't the advantage with a reserve team that they play more competitive fixtures than the behind closed doors friendlies, and get into the rhythm of normal 90 min games?

Again, I may be wrong but couldn't youth team players be used to make up the numbers if needs be? If they need to be contracted then no harm in a minimal wage with a contract is there?

[Jonathan]

I'm starting to think we've signed Alastair Campbell.

[donnyroversfc]

Ali Campbelloko.

[hoolahoop]

I'm starting to think we've signed Alastair Campbell.

  How right you are, I suppose it will keep bfyp and Wellred happy but not me.   

[BigH]

Has to be said that the youth set up at DRFC has signally failed to deliver over the last 7-8 years. I hate to say this to all the SOD love children out there but yer man presided over arguably the driest period of youth development the club has ever seen. All we got was Waide Fairhurst. Not good enough really. Perhaps further justification why SOD is/was an A grade coach and a B/C grade manager.

To be a Championship club and not get at least half a dozen players knocking on the door is, in my view, criminal. There are plenty of youngsters from our supposed catchment out there that will emerge over the coming years and we will ask why they didn't come to Rovers.

SOD, bless him, didn't have a scouting network worthy of the name. One of his failings I'm afraid and one of the reasons why his mistakes caught up with him last year. Surprising as well given the youngsters - not youth players - he developed at Bournemouth (and subsequently recruited to DRFC).

In one of his posts Bob G referred to (Dave) McKay and Kinnear as buffoons. Well what I'd give for the youth legacy that they created in their time at the club. Unlikely to ever be repeated but we live in hope.

[Donnybax]

Last youth player to play regular for the first team , not including one or two games ?
Paul Green from my recollection ? How many years ago 13/14 years ago what a waste of money that has been, why didn't SOD want or develop the youth?

Well if these new youth players who've signed contracts do any good i guess you could give some credit to SO'D for it...

Baxendale too, SO'D signed him at 18 to develop him into a good player, so he didn't totally neglect the youth as some probably think.

Baxendale was signed from Leeds wasn't he?

he played youth games with us last season actually

[steve@dcfd]

 The question is if we were safe in the championship would we have signed these five youngsters? Let's hope they can come through in to the first team in the next two years. It's not Sean or Dean it's about the youth team managers who develop these players. But  I hope their development can continue in division one and do not suffer because we cannot keep our best players and therefore fighting at the wrong end of the table again.

[BillyStubbsTears]

BigH

Point of fact. MacKay (Dave) made a big point of claiming credit for our exceptional youth crop in the late 80s. In fact, it was under Bremner & Cusack and in particular under Dteve Beaglehole as the Youth Team coach that the generation of stars came through. Brevett, Rankine, Gaughan, Deane, Raven, Raffell were all first team players or knocking on the first team door by the time that MacKay took over. I was frankly disgusted by the way that he took credit for that group getting to the Youth FA Cup Final - the team was already formed and half way to the final by the time MacKay joined. Beaglehole was the genius behind that set of players.

If there is one bright spot at the moment, it's that the current crop appear to be the best that we've had since 87-88. If O'Driscoll is responsible for that then all credit to him. But it's not before time. Christ knows that we have been the worst professional club in England at developing youth players for the last 2 decades.

As for the very predictable criticism of Saunders once again, I really don't know how he could say anything different on this topic to what he said. There are some on here who would whine if he simultaneously unearthed the next Messi, found the cure for cancer, settled the Palestinian dispute and made each and every fan a clone of Heather Graham to shag in the shitters at half time.

[BobG]

This plainly and clearly proves Saunders is a f**king idiot. Has he forgotten? The team these lads play for have a Cup Final coming up very soon. Just how does he think the ones who didn't get contracts will be feeling? The bloke's worse than an amateur.

BobG

[Chris Black come back]

Bob - was that really necessary? Christ on a bike, this is a GOOD NEWS story you grumpy old goat! The season is drawing to a close, decisions are being made on new contracts. The lads who haven't got deals will want to be sorting their own futures out rather than hanging around at Cantley Park waiting for a decision.

[pubteam]

Decision time for the youth players is around the same sort of time every year, isn't it? Nothing different here as far as I can see.

[Wellred]

BobG aka Victor Meldrew