Academy

[Alan Southstand]

Forgive me if this has already been covered, but I’ve just been watching the latest interviews from the new staff appointed into the academy. What a set-up we have right now and we seem to be moving in the right direction.

Some 60 staff involved now. That’s quite some turnaround.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Yes, watched those too. Sounds very impressive so let's hope it attracts the calibre of young talent who have a chance of getting to first team squad level. I guess the 4 lads who came on last week are being pushed forward to show there is a genuine pathway.

[selby]

Don't underestimate the staff such as Tony Cook, Steve Welch, John Buckley, Kevan Wilds, and Tony Mee did for the academy with little to no support from the manager such as Moore and Schofield and had to negotiate a certain board member who had the reigns and no interest at all and gave little support, but was happy to use the moneys generated when other larger clubs poached our players for fees the first team players at the time could not generate, money at the time the academy never saw.
  Plus brought that side of the club through Covid and some good players who had any future in the game stunted, losing months of their attempt to be professional footballers.
  They were all dedicated to the club, and were under valued at the time, put a lot of work in the club still benefit from, and more importantly were looked up to and liked by the boys.
  In John Buckley the club have a special coach as all the others were who inspire and enthuse players to be better than at times they themselves think they can be while turning out well grounded  young men who the majority never make it to the fist team, but will look back in years to come as having the time of their lives at Doncaster Rovers, and that's the best thing about it being as good as you can be off the field of play and on it is no failure.

[i_ateallthepies]

Selby, are those names you mention no longer are part of the current academy staff?

[andyst79]

It was nice to see some of the youngsters get game time in the Everton u21 game. The lad who came on and got a couple of decent shots off looked lively, can't remember his name sorry.

[Barmby Rover]

The further development of the academy does logically lead to a development team playing in a league of some kind but maybe that is waiting for the club being in the Championship!

[selby]

 I ate all the pies, Tony Mee is head coach at the  JPL academy at Marr which allows him to look after a family member easier, Steve Welsh a great enthusiastic coach who makes training sessions fun for the lads but drives them very hard is at Lincoln City, Tony Cook who was the academy head at the Rovers and a  great personality and drove the academy on in trying conditions and a calm influence  is at Peterborough and Kevan Wilds is responsible for bringing exceptional talent, so feeds off academies like us if we have anyone exceptional at u13s/14s for Liverpool.
  John Buckley is still with us thank god.