When was the last time we had so many local players in the first team squad?

[DazFred]

Stone,Smith,Gibbo,Hurst,Conlon,Wilson.

All within the Staffordshire area. It means something to them as they are folks who live locally and see neighbours,friends,fans etc on a regular basis.

Throw in Pett,Hall and Garrity who were non league into their 20s and this is the togetherness of the squad.

Local representation and non league players who will bust a gut cos it's their last chance saloon.

Chuck in a bit of quality from old pro's like Proctor and Wozza,add an Asian theme from Benning,some young loans trying their damndest like Cass,Harratt and Edmonson,a backroom staff who really care,local owners, and you recruit a recipe for success.

I've missed a few out but you get the picture.

That's what Port Vale is all about. I love my club

[Joe B]

Honestly besotted with Gibbons. Beautiful boy. Get him bionic hamstrings and he'll lead us to the champions league. Club legend status rapidly approaching here.

[mr.hobblesworth]

13 hours ago, DazFred said:

 

Chuck in a bit of quality from old pro's like Proctor and Wozza,add an Asian theme from Benning,some young loans trying their damndest like Cass,Harratt and Edmonson,a backroom staff who really care,local owners, and you recruit a recipe for success.

 

😟

[Heatwave]

5 hours ago, mr.hobblesworth said:

😟

What's to dislike? Heard him hoping he'd become a role model for Sikh youngsters on TV. 

[SFBT]

I bumped into Ellis Jones and his mum on the tube after the match on Saturday.

They told me that Ellis and Eden Bailey have been released as the club don't have the set up to keep them on.

In spite of this, there they were, supporting the club on their big day.

They must be gutted, and it casts some doubt over the upbeat nature of this thread.

[WV]

10 minutes ago, SFBT said:

I bumped into Ellis Jones and his mum on the tube after the match on Saturday.

They told me that Ellis and Eden Bailey have been released as the club don't have the set up to keep them on.

In spite of this, there they were, supporting the club on their big day.

They must be gutted, and it casts some doubt over the upbeat nature of this thread.

I know edens dad. He will be ok someone will sign him up but I know he will be gutted. 

[boslemportvale91]

15 minutes ago, SFBT said:

I bumped into Ellis Jones and his mum on the tube after the match on Saturday.

They told me that Ellis and Eden Bailey have been released as the club don't have the set up to keep them on.

In spite of this, there they were, supporting the club on their big day.

They must be gutted, and it casts some doubt over the upbeat nature of this thread.

Gutted to hear that. I do hope we can find the next Smith/Gibbons to come up and make a name for themselves. 

 

Football is a cut throat business sadly.  

[Joe B]

1 hour ago, SFBT said:

I bumped into Ellis Jones and his mum on the tube after the match on Saturday.

They told me that Ellis and Eden Bailey have been released as the club don't have the set up to keep them on.

In spite of this, there they were, supporting the club on their big day.

They must be gutted, and it casts some doubt over the upbeat nature of this thread.

Both second-year scholars who haven't been offered a pro deal at 18.

A shame for them but unfortunately indicative that our academy just hasn't produced anywhere near enough over the past 20 years. Gibbons and Smith are the very rare exception. Even Morsy wasn't an academy product.

Be interesting to see what happens moving forward. I know there were some huge personnel changes in the academy setup and Carol mentioned a new Head of Academy, Will Ryder, who has been an academy coach at Man City, a Head Academy Coach and Phase Lead at Stoke and Wigan, U23 Head Coach at Morecambe, Head of Academy Coaching at Crewe, and involved with the FA.

I'm still of the view we scrap it all and go for a B Team of Category 1 castoffs but I understand it's ideologically outrageous.

[DazFred]

7 hours ago, mr.hobblesworth said:

😟

My post wasn't meant to be racist Mr H.

After watching his interviews and emotions I was meaning how Mal has inspired the British Sikh community.

He's been fantastic

[DazFred]

1 hour ago, Heatwave said:

What's to dislike? Heard him hoping he'd become a role model for Sikh youngsters on TV. 

I've had to explain myself although I thought I'd got my message across.

Never mind...I'm not offended

[PV1973]

1 hour ago, SFBT said:

I bumped into Ellis Jones and his mum on the tube after the match on Saturday.

They told me that Ellis and Eden Bailey have been released as the club don't have the set up to keep them on.

In spite of this, there they were, supporting the club on their big day.

They must be gutted, and it casts some doubt over the upbeat nature of this thread.

Sadly the reality is that they aren’t good enough to make the jump from 18s to be challenging for a first team place. It really is a case of sink or swim and it’s also worth noting that we have no u23s or u21s to give the players more time to improve. It seems as though smith and gibbons have very much been the exceptions to the rule this last 5 or 6 years. 

[SFBT]

7 minutes ago, PV1973 said:

Sadly the reality is that they aren’t good enough to make the jump from 18s to be challenging for a first team place. It really is a case of sink or swim and it’s also worth noting that we have no u23s or u21s to give the players more time to improve. It seems as though smith and gibbons have very much been the exceptions to the rule this last 5 or 6 years. 

There's the rub. We get academy loanees in to play for us, and they have a massive leap.

The gap between youth and first team squad is even bigger. It's set up for failure, not success.

So what's the point? 

It's just building up hopes that won't be fulfilled for the youngsters, and a waste of resources for the club.

No doubt I'm being naive again, but I just don't get it.

[geoff1]

when god was a lad!😄

[PV1973]

28 minutes ago, SFBT said:

There's the rub. We get academy loanees in to play for us, and they have a massive leap.

The gap between youth and first team squad is even bigger. It's set up for failure, not success.

So what's the point? 

It's just building up hopes that won't be fulfilled for the youngsters, and a waste of resources for the club.

No doubt I'm being naive again, but I just don't get it.

You’re absolutely right. By the time they get to the end of the scholarship at 18 they have to look like they have a chance of being able to challenge for a first team place soon. The management will be assessing that when the scholars gets drafted into training sessions with the first team squad and in any friendlies during the season, there’s the sink or swim, they need to impress in those sessions and games otherwise that’s it. So based on that it really is an achievement for smith and Gibbo to have impressed enough at that age to warrant a deal, it shows how good they are. 

[Regal Beagle]

23 hours ago, Joe B said:

Honestly besotted with Gibbons. Beautiful boy. Get him bionic hamstrings and he'll lead us to the champions league. Club legend status rapidly approaching here.

 

I'll do anything if it gets him to sign a new contract. ANYTHING.