Search the Community

There is a growing trend in English football which I feel highlights the flaws in youth progression. Many teams, from Premier League all the way down to League Two, tend to release promising young professionals only to re-sign them a few years later. It feels like the transition into first-team football is majorly flawed - perhaps due to too much pressure to produce good talent? We have seen this from the insane record-breaking transfer of Paul Pogba back to Manchester United, along with the free signing at Notts County of local player Terry Hawkridge. A few weeks ago Michael Keane was also linked with a move back to Man United for another incredible fee, although has since signed with Everton. And despite not being a youth, we have seen this pattern emerge with released players such as the recent saga between Notts and Forest Green Rovers for the services of Liam Noble. Back in 2009/10 when Notts restored its own development of youth players, a batch of professionals was produced who all looked fairly able to make the set up into the professional game, with the likes of Haydn Hollis, Curtis Thompson, Kyle Dixon and Liam Mitchell among others. Yet only Haydn Hollis and Curtis Thompson remain at the club, with other young players like Brad McGowan, Nathan Fox, Jordan Richards and even Montel Gibson all being released after failing to stake their claim for first-team football. So why are we failing to produce natural talent? I think clubs like Notts pile pressure onto young players who are simply not ready mentally for the dizzy heights of the professional game, with a lack of support and further development most likely attributing to the failure of these prospects. It argues the case that clubs like ours really need to help with the mental side, but not just this - having youngsters on the bench is a waste and I strongly feel that they should be sent out on loan where other teams can help establish them further with proper game time. Usually it's quite natural to see a player re-sign for his former club, yet in most cases these are seasoned professionals, players who know what to expect and still have links with the club. I would agree that Hawkridge and Elliot Hodge are prime examples that good players can make the right progression and become useful first team members if they’re only looked after more wisely. Luther Wildin and Jack McMillan are youngsters I was disappointed to see released, as they seemed very capable of making the step up and after the retained list was announced I felt exactly the same about Yohan Rutty-Smith. Whilst academies are getting smarter with their setup across the Football League, more support needs to be given in the lower leagues to enable teams to produce better players. I realise some fans will argue that naturally the players I mentioned are simply not good enough, yet when we fail to produce players who can make more than a few appearances, it does show that there is a lot more to be done. Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans. We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!