[theo_luddite]

Starts with the scouts. If they aren't spotting the young kids and getting them down the Academy soon enough then the kids are off to the local sessions run by the likes of Man City and other bigger clubs throwing more money at it. We then get left with trying to make silk purses from the remaining sows ears. Redfearn had a good record while Leeds had a scouting system - they haven't had one for a few years so their supply of youngsters is turning into a trickle, let alone good youngsters that hey can bring through.

The older kids we pick up are being found through the stat based system that they get to use as they get older. It's leg work and contacts in local leagues that gets the good one's found at an early age. I heard one Town scout saying the other year that we were only looking for big tall kids. That was at an Under 8, 9 or 10 match where most of the sprouts on show probably wouldn't get a growth spurt until they were 11 or 12, yet ability on the ball (and off it) wasn't even on his agenda, regardless of the height of the kids. I said to him if he's looking for tall kids he needed to go watch the U12's and above and to send a proper scout to watch these younger kids. He wasn't amused.

Professional clubs were still telling Vardy he wasn't tall enough when he was 18. Doubt he's grown much since and Messi is hardly 6' tall is he? So if scouts are looking for and sending in the wrong kids, all the coaching in the world won't ever make them a pro footballer.