Youth Development

[drwhoman]

I have been reflecting on the fact that we have not had any decent home grown players come through since Max Power. The most obvious reason is that the clubs further up the pyramid have very thorough scouting teams these days while Rovers are probably not as attractive to young players and parents as they used to be. At the same time I wonder whether the quality of management and coaching is as good at our current level? Also, the players around them are on short term contracts, have usually not been successful elsewhere, and are very self focussed? Finally, with Rovers desperate to get out of the National League Brabin was concentrating on players who he felt might achieve this goal and hence youth development has not been a priority? What do others think?

 

[bigmart]

Think it can be a tough balance for a manager as there is the need to be successful against the need for clubs like ours to developer players potentially for a decent fee.

For me over the last few years we have used far too many loans at the expense of giving some of our own young lads a game, hopefully after last Saturdays showing Mitch Duggan will be in the frame on a regular basis at least while we are down on numbers

 

[Boz]

The plan under Butler-Rob Edwards was to develop our own players and sell them on. Given the theadbare squad we had at the time, it was never going to work. Mark funded Adams' failed fire-fighting, had indicated when we went down that it was still an aspiration to produce our own youngsters, but then appoints Brabin whose track-record suggests little success in that area. It's telling that Paul Carden has given a home-grown player a debut in his first game in charge, something Brabin couldn't bring himself to do in around fifty. There were opportunities missed, like Daren Askew at home to Barrow last season.

With Solar Campus in place, part of the future has got to be developing our youngsters. It's hard to assess the quality of coaching at youth level, but quite a few players coming through the system and by reports one or two were unlucky not to get a pro contract for this year. With the 5 subs limit at NL level, opportunities are more limited, but agree with bigmart that we should be trying our own young lads rather than someone elses.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

The biggest frustration for me this season was that Gumbs was sent out on loan again. He was excellent in pre-season and outshone several of the first teamers and should be fighting for a place in the starting eleven now. Brabin's policy of sending out the youngsters on loan is fine when they are first year professionals but inhibits their development later on and was typical of his 'risk averse' approach. How can the young players ever prove themselves if they are not even part of the first team squad ?

 

[Ian]

Agreed and at this level (which isn't very good) they might be really good players.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

You have to remember that when all the young pros joined we were a League One club, so presumably we thought they could make at least L1 standard. Being loaned out to NL North clubs isn't satisfactory. Cole Stockton must have a wide smirk on his face, unwanted by us but getting a gig in League Two.

 

[Mal]

unwanted because he couldn't score for Tranmere if we made the goal area as wide as the pitch....

 

[Boz]

unwanted because he couldn't score for Tranmere if we made the goal area as wide as the pitch....

The goals at Morecambe are no bigger than ours. Does the fact that he's scoring regularly for the Shrimps and potteda couple while at Southport not suggest the problem is with the way Tranmere have handled him rather than Cole himself??

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I think one of the problems for the youngsters in recent years has been the turnover of managers we have had. Only Rob Edwards really backed Stockton and played him regularly, and within a couple of months he was gone. It can't be good for young players when they never get to develop a relationship with a manager over a period of time. Obviously, Max Power did progress but I think he has got an exceptional character, whereas a lot of youngsters need more support.

 

[Ian]

The combination of the excellent issues raised above have all but halted a lot of our youth development. The club has been on a downward spiral for years and that includes the development of the youth players.

Hopefully that will change with the excellent facilities MP is putting in place but we still need to be doing the right things to really push these players on.

You can have the best facilities in the world but if the manager is insistent on playing players out of position and very reluctant to turn to youth then you have a problem.

Someone mentioned a few days ago on here how other players who were mediocre here have moved on and done really well. No coincidence really..

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Ian, it was me who said that and I think we all realise now that the players we had in League One were half decent.

On youth development, Cole Stockton is an interesting case. He seems to have been on the scene for years even though he's only 22. That's because he and Jake Kirby are our longest serving players by far and both made their debuts aged 17 under Ronnie Moore. The following season, Cole played 31 times in League One, then 21 times in the season we got relegated. Ronnie used to rate him quite highly but I think he fell out of favour with John McMahon. As I remember, he played a lot for Rob Edwards (who had no money and was told to develop the youngsters) and then hardly got a game when Micky Adams arrived. Last season, he was given a few chances by GB before ending up on loan at Morecambe.

RLC makes a fair point in his last post. In fairness, Ronnie also played him quite a lot for a young player, but when the team was in trouble, McMahon and Adams just brought in outsiders. Cole has had several chances to impress over the years but has only managed 9 goals in 81 appearances for Rovers. That's disappointing, even though many were substitutions. However, he's scored about 10 in 35 for Southport and Morecambe. As RLC says, changing managers so often can't help, but I would add that McMahon, Adams and Brabin were risk averse and preferred experienced outsiders (wrongly, in my view).

I doubt he'll play again for Rovers. We now have so many strikers that when his loan ends at Christmas it will either be extended or he'll be transferred. At the end of the season, his contract will be up and he'll surely be off.

 

[Ian]

I doubt he'll play again for Rovers. We now have so many strikers that when his loan ends at Christmas it will either be extended or he'll be transferred. At the end of the season, his contract will be up and he'll surely be off.

Yes I can't see him in a white shirt again. Not sure if it was Stockton or another youngster but one of them was given a 5-year contract a few years ago.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Yes I can't see him in a white shirt again. Not sure if it was Stockton or another youngster but one of them was given a 5-year contract a few years ago.

I don't remember anyone ever getting 5 years in one go. As I recall, Cole, Jake and Max Power all got three-year deals in 2012. All were offered two-year extensions in 2014. So Jake and Cole have had a total of five years.