Ask any football fan about the most heart-warming sight that they can associate with and a rags to riches tale about a local lad doing good will not be far from their lips.
Tough to qualify, but glaringly obvious in the chests of Liverpool fans whenever Gerrard excels. Ear splittingly obvious whenever Robbie Fowler would score.
Such decibel levels have seldom been heard on Merseyside since, save for Dan Gosling’s FA Cup goal against the Reds at Goodison, or Jack Rodwell’s snorter at the Gwladys End against United.
It’s a shame for us Wolves fans that we’ve got nothing to compare, not least because we’d dine out on such memories for years and years to come.
After all, we all know where we were the day Robbie Keane shone in brilliant white away at Norwich, while we might even remember Matt Murray’s less illustrious debut at Selhurst Park against Wimbledon.
I can even recall two youth inspired moments that ended in disappointment! Mark Little’s barnstorming run against Sunderland at Molineux when teeing up Leon Clarke for obligatory scuff and Dan Jones’ free kick at Burnley in August 2006 which smashed the woodwork.
Maybe it’s a sign of the unforgiving Premier League that renders so many promising youngsters so readily dispensable at Molineux. Maybe Mick could blood them a bit more liberally in the inevitable cup games that will arrive. Maybe they’re just not good enough.
One thing is undeniable: The Academy should be producing far, far more first team regulars in 10 years than Murray, Lescott and Hennessey. Particularly when Aston Villa can boast more today in one single game.
Many Mick detractors have used this topic as a stick to beat him with over the years and will continue to do so when he opts for Mujangi Bia, Leigh Griffiths, Kyel Reid and co over some young and hungry kids closer to home.
(And I won’t even go into the Mark Davies debacle for the sake of railroading this blog!)
I’d prefer to stick to the old adage that if they’re good enough, they’re old enough. I’m sure Mick does too, which is why Zele Ismail is still to make any meaningful impression.
So with all this in mind, I’ve gathered some feedback on the prospects of David Davis, Scott Malone and Sam Winnall, who all showed signs of real progress while on loan at Shrewsbury Town, Burton Albion and Burton Albion respectively.
David Davis: (from Shrewsbury Town season ticket holder Greg Jones)
David Davis was a superb signing, far too good for League 2. Getting him and Wroe into our midfield turned the season round as we were going nowhere fast. He was a breath of fresh air, a guy at this level who looks up and can play a good pass to feet, definitely has a good future whether it is with Wolves or elsewhere.
He isn’t ready for Wolves team yet but a season on loan would benefit both clubs a lot and once he has had 50-70 games you might have a very good player on your hands. Just needs the experience to go with his undoubted talent.
Scott Malone (from Burton Albion press officer)
Before this report, check out his goal for AFC Bournemouth in pre-season, who he is now on loan to. Wow!
Scott joined the Club on an initial one month loan in October, making his debut at left back against Bradford City where he was the man of the match. Due to the injury of regular left back Paul Boertien, Scott continued in the position and his loan was extended until January.
Scott continued to be a regular in the team his loan was extended until the end of the season. For the closing months of the season Scott played as a left sided attacking midfielder, suiting his natural talent going forwards.
He was called up to the England Under 20 squad but was forced to withdraw through illness. Scott scored his only goal for the Club in the 1-1 draw away at Southend in the penultimate game of the season, the point ensuring Burton Albion’s survival in the Football League.
Sam Winnall (from Burton Albion press officer)
Sam also joined the club on an initial one month loan deal and scored his first goal for the Club away at Wycombe Wanderers in a 4-1 defeat. This goal was Burton Albion’s 100th goal in the Football League.
Sam continued to play regularly and after scoring twice against Lincoln City in a 3-1 victory his loan deal was extended until the end of the season. Sam also scored a vital late penalty against Macclesfield Town as the Club earned a much needed 3-2 victory.
Unfortunately a straight red card for Sam away at Bury sidelined him for three matches but he returned to make a substitute appearance in the final game of the season.
Not sure all this sheds too much light, but all good food for thought.
Will these three ever make the step up? History would tell us no, but it feels that along with Ebanks-Landell, Danny Batth, Mendez-Laing, Johny Gorman and co, the conveyor belt is certainly moving in the right direction.
Nice blog Ben.
Agree that we should be producing more, but while I think we could do more it’s also quite hard for Mick to risk playing them (in the league atleast)
of our current youngsters, i’d say batth is most likely to make it at Wolves. He’s a solid defender and I think when/if Craddock retires (although you never know!) I think he will be able to step up and take a place in the squad.
Gradually, as we progress and become a bigger club, I think the quality of the players coming through might imrpove. I hope so, because it’s a great sight to see a local lad or academy product do well for us.
Increase the size of the squads from 25 too 30 is the answer. I’m sure English talents would get more opportunities then.
You can name as many youngsters from your own academy in your squad as you like, as well as the 25 senior squad members.
So we could have 25 seniors and still have Davis, Batth, Winnall, Malone, etc available to play all season.
Ok. Then the regulation isn’t a hinderance.
It’s going to be exciting to see if some of them plays against Celtic.
Celtic have had a decent pre-season so far, and have only conceded one goal. Besides one loss they have only victories
I’m also going to watch out especially for Tomas Rogne, a norwegian defender. A huge talent only 21 years old.
Excellent post and I think this highlights an important issue.
Every season we see these youngsters given a run-out in pre-season but then vanish, either sent out on loan or left to rot in the reserves. Surely that can’t go on forever?
You might argue it’s a risk to play them in the Premier League but how the hell else are we going to find out if they’re up to it or not?
It’s a catch 22. Mick can’t pick them because they don’t have Premier League experience but they can’t get Premier League experience because he won’t pick them.
It sounds a bit cruel but I think they need to be thrown in at the deep end. Sink or swim. Prove you can do it.
Look at Hennessy. Thrust into the limelight against Albion in the play-offs and hasn’t looked back since.
Why not throw the dice like that a few times this season with the Batth or Davis, players who’ve done their stints out on loan and have the potential to do well?
Like you say Ben, why gamble on untested talent from outside like Griffiths, Mujangi-Bia, etc, when we can gamble on our own untried talent? It just doesn’t make sense.
Sadly, I fear the likes of Batth and Davis will once again be farmed out to lower leagues this season or if they’re lucky, given a token runout in the League Cup.
Then what?
It’s back to Molineux for more of the same next season or released on a free. Just seems like a big of a merry-go-round.
Talent has undoubtedly slipped through our fingers in recent seasons.
Mark Davis is obviously one example but there were other factors to his departure.
I’d prefer to concentrate on young Elliott Bennett, a promising young creative midfielder, who came through our academy less than three years ago.
We sent him out to Crewe and Bury for two years, didn’t give him a single go in gold shirt and then let him walk away for nothing.
He subsequently ran the show for Brighton in League One and secured a transfer to Norwich. Yes, that’s right, back to the Premier League.
We’re now faced with the very serious prospect of having egg on our faces with one of our own coming back to haunt us.
How embarrassing.
And it’s not like we’re an Arsenal or a Man Utd, where it’s more conceivable that a great talent could get lost in the crowd.
I’ll finish with a suggestion:
Every Premier League side, should, by law, have to name at least one academy graduate in their matchday squad, meaning he’s either in the starting eleven or on the bench.
That kind of radical thinking is the only way we’ll see more of the kids coming through, which obviously has wider implications for the national team.
Good piece Ben, always fascinating to know how Wolves lads do on loan.
It’s particularly infuriating when a young player does well and then gets sold anyway – I know he wasn’t a youth teamer but I remember Jason Roberts going out, scoring plenty and then being sold for 250k anyway – what was the point?!
Having said that, I think fans have to appreciate the level we are at now. When you’re a midtable Championship club it’s going to be easy enough to find lads in the academy who can compete. When you have aspirations of being a Premier League midtable side then it’s obvious that few (if any) of the kids will be good enough.
When people say to me “why don’t Wolves ever give kids a chance” I always wonder who it is they mean? Mark Davies obviously. Keith Andrews got to the Prem in the end. Elliott Bennett has managed it (although not played there yet). Gavin Mahon briefly with Watford years back?
That’s 4 youth team guys we let go in 20 yrs that you could say proved us wrong. Not many.
Now think of the dozens who fans on message boards told us should be given more of a chance. Ryan Green, Lewis Gobern, Adam Proudlock, Keith Lowe, Shane Tudor, Colin Larkin, Leon Clarke.
All carved out careers but frankly none of them were good enough for where we wanted the club to go.
You’re right to highlight Villa – as long as you are aware that this is arguably the best youth set-up in the UK. The truth is that if there is one, maybe two, in the current academy set-up (let’s hope Zele can be one) that can play a part in our being a success then that’s really not the worst return in the world.
Hi Adam. Glad you made the point about the kids that have gone out and haven’t made it. I was trying to fit that in but the blog was already long enough!
This is a point that Mick can always throw back at his detractors, because many kids have gone out and hardly excelled. Ashley Hemmings was a case in point for me. Oozed class, not to mention speed at Walsall last year and in my eyes, was a real find.
What happens next? He goes out to Torquay on loan and barely made their first team! Dan Jones at Oldham and Sheff Wed hasn’t made that big step up either has he?
But Thomas’ point also rings true. The all too familar cycle of farming out, impressing, coming back, stagnating, farming out, impressing and then being sold is all a bit sad.
Take Mendez-Laing. A real prospect from what I’ve heard, if not a bit raw and rough around the edges (to quote Andy Gray about Bully on an old Wolves video I have – anyone remember it?!)
If his rough edges do get ironed out by Peterborough, they will make big bucks on him compared to the ‘undisclosed fee’ that we’d sell him for.
You’ve got to presume it is down to the ‘good enough, old enough’ motto.
But surely, surely Scott Malone is worth a place on the bench as left back cover when Ward and Elokobi are so inconsistent.
Dalglish didn’t think twice with John Flanagan when faced with a similar headache at full back. Now what’s he worth?!
A bit surprised Malone hasn’t been involved that’s for sure – especially when it’s so obviously a problem position.
Johnny Gorman is a strange one too – regular Northern Ireland international?!
I agree that it can be depressing to see no lads come through. I wonder how Moxey and Morgan feel when the cost of the Academy is so much and then Mick or one of the coaches there just says “nah, none of them good enough in this year”!
Again, the boring answer is that Wolves just have to ‘play the game’ as it were – give a handful of pro contracts, sometimes even when they don’t truly believe the guy will ever be Premier League class.
This is because it would be disastrous for Wolves to get a reputation for not bringing kids on. How can they sell the club to an 11-year-old’s dad if when he asks “who got pro contracts this year?” and the reply is “err, no-one.”
It doesn’t matter so much to that dad if the club doesn’t have many first-teamers as long as wolves can turn round and say “of the 16 kids in X age group, 14 of them have been given pro contracts somewhere.” Because of this it’s well worth the club’s time fixing players up with your Walsalls and your Kidderminsters.
I know I’ve strayed off topic a bit but it’s an interesting subect (to me!).
Gorman hasn’t really been involved with the first team squad because he was only training part time. He was still at school. I think this is his first year as a full time pro, so maybe we will see more of him. He looked okay, nothing special when he played for Northern Ireland.
Yeah he’s been at Repton. Extraordinary situation.
Remember Ryan green playing for Wales before the club, so don’t get too excited for johnny Gorman!
One point not mentioned is the talent spotters we employ.
Are we not getting good enough youngsters because our scouts are not up to snuff?
Are we not keeping the right youngsters because our management team cannot recognize talent when they see it?
Don’t know, but it’s a possibility.
I agree 100% with the “if they are good enough, they are old enough” adage.
Would the likes of Best and Rooney been playing for Wolves at 16?
Doubtful.
If McCarthy has a case of “Old Trafford I give up”, this coming season, he should put out a team of 11 youngsters and see what happens.
erm…. robbie keane? wayne hennesey? jo Lescott?
Keogh is and always has been a joke.
He should not be thought of as a current squad member, or even a potential fill in until something better comes along.
we need a completely new management and coaching team.
Sticking to my guns, Berra, Foley, Ward, Henry, Craddock and Elokobi should be second string at best.
One point not mentioned is the talent spotters we employ. Are we not getting good enough youngsters because our scouts are not up to snuff?
A pattern is emerging. What about the ground staff, the stewards, the physios, Wulfy, Mr Sizzle?
Doesn’t pinning all our hopes on Zeli kind of miss the point. He’s hardly a local lad, not even British! I doubt Arsenal fans gush with local pride at the likes of Fabregas and Djourou.
Not really IMO Rich. If he’s been at the club since a nipper, as Zele has, then I’d warm to him like any other kid, just like I did Robbie. And far, far more so than someone like Mujangi or Halford.
Hasn’t Zele been here virtually all his life? If he talks like he’s from Wednesfield then he is imo.
McCarthy just dont like home grown youngsters. To bring in a player he hasnt bought himself would hurt his ego. It will never happen as long as he is the manager at Wolves. Its sad but its true, and its nice to see more and more people around the club has start to talk about the problem.
He brought in Hennessey didn’t he? And he fell out with Davies.
Not sure who else you think he should’ve played but hasn’t.
Gorman is good enough to impress vs top class teams with Northern Ireland – surely he is as good as Mujangi Bia..
Or maybe Mendez-Laing, Batth, Winnall, Davis etc. I dont talk about playing all of them on a regular basis. I am talking about give one local player maybe one or two minutes in one of the 76 games we have played in the Premier League. Why not bring Davis on when 0-4 down at Chelsea and five minutes to go and game totally dead, instead of sub Jarvis and bring on Ward? – as an example..
I certainly found it interesting how McCarthy said it wouldn’t be fair to bring the kids on when they were losing heavily. Like you, it struck me that if you can’t bring them on when the game is dead then when can you?
http://soccershock.net/2011/03/22/the-young-gunners-has-the-experiment-failed/
I think the message from this article is that it takes time, money, stability and patience and even then you may not win trophies and end up losing to a team like Birmingham.
The truth of the matter is that playing kids in the first team just isn’t McCarthys thing, but as we establish ourselves in the Premier League it is something we will have to consider. In his five years at the club he has generally steared clear of turning to youth and until the more promising kids get a chance we will never know how good they are. So a slow drip feed into the first team is the likely answer rather than farming them out to lower league clubs. It is nice that they can do the business at Burton Albion etc but at the end of the day we are not building a team to compete in the lower leagues, so the end result of all of these loan deals must be either to pick them or sell them
For the scinical amongst us Wolves fans we would say these young lads are farmed out so MM can keep playing Ward somewhere. I suppose though in these times its far better for our prospects to be playing first team football in the lower divisions, than playing reserve or development team games.
When exactly though are they supposed to be ready for our first team and the premiership. Clearly we are in transition and it reveals our status when other more established premier sides are offering us their youngsters on loan, wheras our youngsters have to go to the lower divisions.
Lets hope its inevitable that some of these kids will make our first team, my Sheff Wed mate has already emailed me to say thanks for the Danny Batthe loan, I would have thought both he and David Davis were as close as anyone to first team level.
We`ve given high numbers of academy graduates contracts over the last 2 years, and there must be some talent in there. Lets hope MM and the coaching team get these lads ready for our first team as soon as possible.
Danny Batth’s gone back to Sheff Wed…
Nice one mate. Danny Batth is perhaps the name that excites me most. Can’t claim to have seen the lad actually play, but not heard a bad word about him. He sounds like just the sort of player we need, so hopefully after another spell up at Sheff Wed he’ll come back and be able to slot into our matchday squad and then maybe step up in the not to distant future to take his place in the starting XI.
More chance of me scoring a hundred at Chelmarsh in a 200 run stand with Stuart Farquhar…Ahh, the memories!
Stranger things have happened!
I saw the development side play at Newport last year and the stand out class pl ayer for me was Malone.No chance of getting in our team at left back though.
Just seen on BBC sport that Leroy Lita may go to Swansea from Borough. Can`t wait to see us play Swansea when Lita, and Dyer will be told by their manager to play right wing and screw our left back who will be Ward. Given Dyer did this when we were playing Sheff Utd in the championship some three years ago, its absolute madness not to have signed a pacy left back.
Even Norwich have signed some new wingers – including one of our own academy graduates. We have to take points of the promoted sides next season, and I just hope big George, the best of a poor bunch gets the nod over the love child at left back.