Dunno the numbers, but the rate of players making it through to first teams, seems to be totally disproportionate to the huge amount of youth players involved in the scheme.
And there is no safety net for those discarded. They often get a season or two in the lower league, usually with the same comment - we have heard it so many times - great technical ability but a bit of a luxury at this level...?
The FA & EFLs answer is to hijack the JPT to give them exposure to competitive football, i am not sure it benefits anyone. Another point to ponder is that quite a few of the players who do make it, have often got their career boosted by a spell away from the system, on loan.
The system appears to fail far & away more people than it actually benefits...!
I couldn’t agree more. It’s very sad. The guy clearly has talent for Wenger to have spoken in those terms about him.
There is clearly more than meets the eye to this, but this is the wrong place to speculate on that.
I just hope he finds a club and can find his form. Talent wise (and I mean raw talent) he was way too good for Crawley Town and League Two, and that is why he struggles so badly. He’d be best going abroad again into a slower league where there is more emphasis on the ball than the blood and thunder we see at our level. Saying he will do better at Conference level or lower is completely wrong. Surround good players with better players and the game becomes easier. Players moving more, making better runs into the right areas is what ball playing midfielders like Randall thrive on.
Good luck to him.
If you say he has talent then who am I to disagree with you, the facts are though that he spent two years at MK Dons and managed 13 L1 and 4 cup matches and wasn't selected at all for their 2015/16 Championship season when he was mutually terminated, it all sounds to me as though Wenger was having an off day as many managers do when they are talking about the future successes of young talent
Wenger was probably talking complete sense at that time. Top level sport is as much in the brain as it is in the talent. You can watch a player with great ability but until you get to know their ability in the brain you have no real idea as to whether they can make it or not.
Two examples - Gareth Southgate was not the most talented footballer. But he had his head screwed on and was total in his commitment.
Richard Brodie was super talented....but his brain let him down which is why he's ended up plotting a path through various non-league sides. He should have had at least a 5-6 year football league career
If you say he has talent then who am I to disagree with you, the facts are though that he spent two years at MK Dons and managed 13 L1 and 4 cup matches and wasn't selected at all for their 2015/16 Championship season when he was mutually terminated, it all sounds to me as though Wenger was having an off day as many managers do when they are talking about the future successes of young talent
Wenger was probably talking complete sense at that time. Top level sport is as much in the brain as it is in the talent. You can watch a player with great ability but until you get to know their ability in the brain you have no real idea as to whether they can make it or not.
Two examples - Gareth Southgate was not the most talented footballer. But he had his head screwed on and was total in his commitment.
Richard Brodie was super talented....but his brain let him down which is why he's ended up plotting a path through various non-league sides. He should have had at least a 5-6 year football league career
agree with Brodie talented and shouldve gone on to much higher level.