Manchester United, that didn't last long. Seven up

[Pokerpops]

Amusing to see UTD doing well after The Special One has gone, but the first thing I would have done(after the congrats) was fine the feckers at least a months salary, especially Pogba.

In principle I would agree with the sentiment, but when the players are removing the poisonous Portugese an exception can be made.

I would fine Ed Woodward though.

[Pokerpops]

There has been some discussion over at the Noisy Neighbours’ thread about the Academy programmes.

Surely the first and foremost aim for any academy is to produce players for the first team, and potentially save millions in transfer fees by doing so?

Not sure they are farm systems for spending years in developing players only to sell them on for someone else to get the benefit, whilst of course accepting that the hit rate at the top clubs will be low because the PL squads contain world class players that are difficult to dislodge

This I think will be even more the case post Brexit with possible restrictions on overseas players coming in, and already 11(I think) of match day squads have to be homegrown (developed in this country)

The academy is there to produce footballers. In an ideal world for us, but the nature of the beast is that it's highly unlikely they will make the grade with City, hence our academy primarily being there to make £££. If we unearth a gem along the way then happy days, but that would be a bonus rather than an expectation.

There isn't really one youngster we've sold in recent years that looks a bad decision. Sancho might come back to bite us on the arse, but there was a lot more going on behind the scenes with that. There is another young lad who moved to Spain, name escapes me, who is doing pretty well but again hardly a regret.

I know a lot of fans pine for local lads to rise through the ranks to the first team, and at many clubs that is still a possibility, but at the very top end for clubs like City, expected to challenge on 4 fronts every season, any youngster hoping to get some game time has to be incredibly good and patient.

It's not one size fits all so the academy at Crystal Palace for example serves a slightly different purpose to ours.

I view our academy like its a university; anyone lucky enough to go there will get a great football education, and the end goal will hopefully be a career in the game. Just probably not for City.

Across town, the United Academy has produced Rashford, Lingard, MacTominay, Pogba (ok,ok, I know!), Angel Gomes, and a couple more who may make their debuts in the next few games.

Over the past few decades the Youth Programme/Academy has given us a lot of joy.
Who can forget ‘the kids’, the Nevilles G and P, Butt, Scholes, Beckham to the fore. I’d include Giggs here too, although he was on City’s books first.

Some have gone on to decent careers elsewhere
20 United Academy graduates played in the EPL last season
https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/the-20-man-utd-academy-graduates-to-appear-in-the-premier-league-last-season/

[hhyftrftdr]

Between the 'class of 92' and the ones kicking about at the moment (Rashford etc), who broke through at united to play regularly in the first team in that 20/25 year window?

Genuine question btw, cos I'm struggling to think of any.

[DropTheHammer]

Wes Brown

[Pokerpops]

Between the 'class of 92' and the ones kicking about at the moment (Rashford etc), who broke through at united to play regularly in the first team in that 20/25 year window?

Genuine question btw, cos I'm struggling to think of any.

Fletcher, O’Shea, Brown, Welbeck, Cleverley... sure there are a few more with multiple EPL medals

[hhyftrftdr]

Between the 'class of 92' and the ones kicking about at the moment (Rashford etc), who broke through at united to play regularly in the first team in that 20/25 year window?

Genuine question btw, cos I'm struggling to think of any.

Fletcher, O’Shea, Brown, Welbeck, Cleverley... sure there are a few more with multiple EPL medals

A melting pot of talent indeed.

Averaging about 1 every 4 years or so in that period in between? Kinda proves the point I made on the City thread then.

[Pokerpops]

Between the 'class of 92' and the ones kicking about at the moment (Rashford etc), who broke through at united to play regularly in the first team in that 20/25 year window?

Genuine question btw, cos I'm struggling to think of any.

Fletcher, O’Shea, Brown, Welbeck, Cleverley... sure there are a few more with multiple EPL medals

A melting pot of talent indeed.

Averaging about 1 every 4 years or so in that period in between? Kinda proves the point I made on the City thread then.

Maybe.

[Pokerpops]

80 years of home grown talent. This article is a year old now, but the record continues to grow.

http://www.espn.co.uk/soccer/club/manchester-united/360/blog/post/3243336/marcus-rashford-continues-80-year-streak-for-manchester-united-academy

[hhyftrftdr]

80 years of home grown talent. This article is a year old now, but the record continues to grow.

http://www.espn.co.uk/soccer/club/manchester-united/360/blog/post/3243336/marcus-rashford-continues-80-year-streak-for-manchester-united-academy

Would you like to sound a little bit more desperate?
😂😂😂

[Pokerpops]

80 years of home grown talent. This article is a year old now, but the record continues to grow.

http://www.espn.co.uk/soccer/club/manchester-united/360/blog/post/3243336/marcus-rashford-continues-80-year-streak-for-manchester-united-academy

Would you like to sound a little bit more desperate?
😂😂😂

Hardly desperate. Just a reflection of the way this club goes about things. 
I am back to enjoying my football at the moment after the exit of the not so special one.

[BigAdz]

Amusing to see UTD doing well after The Special One has gone, but the first thing I would have done(after the congrats) was fine the feckers at least a months salary, especially Pogba.

Make that a year.

[Pokerpops]

Amusing to see UTD doing well after The Special One has gone, but the first thing I would have done(after the congrats) was fine the feckers at least a months salary, especially Pogba.

Make that a year.

I think he’d pay it with a smile.

But the difference between his performances under Mourinho and now aren’t all his fault.
The manager’s role is to get the best from his players. That means playing them where their strengths come to the fore. Devising tactics that get the benefits of the players talents.
The freedom that Pogba now enjoys was denied him by Mourinho.

Let’s judge him at the end of the season.

[Karabiner]

It looked like the good old days at Old Trafford today, some lovely attacking football and even a ref doing a decent Howard Webb impression until he dished out that red card.

[youthnkzR]

Absolutely no way we would have won that match under Mourinho.

We would have been playing defensive possession type football, slow build ups and gotten nowhere.... 0-0 if we were lucky.

I know we didn't score the first from open play (game then opened up), but we got some free kicks in decent areas thanks to playing higher up the field and the constant probing.

I absolutely love what OGS and team are doing.... Matic is a completely different player and play is going THROUGH him rather than bouncing it off him back to the defence.

[Pokerpops]

Absolutely no way we would have won that match under Mourinho.

We would have been playing defensive possession type football, slow build ups and gotten nowhere.... 0-0 if we were lucky.

I know we didn't score the first from open play (game then opened up), but we got some free kicks in decent areas thanks to playing higher up the field and the constant probing.

I absolutely love what OGS and team are doing.... Matic is a completely different player and play is going THROUGH him rather than bouncing it off him back to the defence.

Absolutely this.

If they can just teach Luke Shaw how to make a pass that creates something rather than him getting into some great attacking positions and then shuffling the ball back and inside...