TOTTI-THE-GOD Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Arghhhh i hate the fact our work has banned all sports related articles . I actually wanted to read that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Arghhhh i hate the fact our work has banned all sports related articles . I actually wanted to read that Forget Manchester United, Liverpool and West Ham, England's real Academy of Football is... Aston Villa By Neil Moxley Last updated at 3:15 PM on 18th November 2010 Comments (0) Add to My Stories In terms of youth development, Aston Villa are miles behind. They really are playing catch-up at Bodymoor Heath. Now before you start thinking to yourself (again) that the Midlander has lost the plot, let me explain. There's a wall in the Academy area at Villa's state-of-the-art training facility, upon which are photographs of the boys who made it. The last time I looked, there were only five up there. Villa need to start gearing up the printing presses again. So, they are light years behind where they should have been in saluting those who passed through their youth system and played in the Barclays Premier League. The kids are alright: Marc Albrighton (centre) is the latest youth player to make the grade at Aston Villa It's about the only criticism I can level at a youth set-up that has been more successful than any other in developing players for first-team level over the last 15 years. And I know anyone south of Watford will be pointing to Tony Carr at West Ham. Good for them. I'm still backing myself on this one. Those on Merseyside might suggest that Villa haven't developed the likes of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Robbie Fowler or Michael Owen. Top-class talent, all of them. Perhaps Liverpool, to my mind, have served English football as well as Villa. Of course, Manchester United did too, but it's almost two decades now since the golden generation and they are only now beginning to bring another batch through. And how many are English? It's about time Villa started receiving recognition for the work they have done. And remember where you read it first. More from Neil Moxley... The Midlander: Billy's done a good job at Forest but he's playing a risky game 11/11/10 THE MIDLANDER: The new, exciting Houllier looks a lot like the old dull one 03/11/10 The Midlander: Eriksson is sharpening the knife for change at Leicester 27/10/10 The Midlander: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... a Coventry fan 21/10/10 The Midlander: Murphy jibe could be a break for under-fire McCarthy 13/10/10 Hop aboard, Sven. Welcome to the Leicester City rollercoaster... 07/10/10 The Midlander: West Brom have an extra steel about them this season 15/09/10 Neil Moxley: Villa fans must back club even if they can't get behind Houllier 09/09/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Academy director Bryan Jones, along with Kevin MacDonald, Sid Cowans, Tony McAndrew and Steve Burns have proved that stability can pay. Jones has been in situ for the past 13 years and to my mind, not only have Villa developed players for the first-team, and England too, but they have also nurtured other talents who have gone on to have successful careers in the game. For example, Gareth Barry,* Lee Hendrie, Darius Vassell and Gabby Agbonlahor have all gone on to represent their country. Cash brought in - around £16.5m - from the sales of Liam Ridgewell, Steven Davis, Luke Moore, Gary Cahill and Craig Gardner has paid for the staff's salaries ten times' over. The likes of Keith Fahey and Boaz Myhill - both contracted now to other clubs in the Barclays Premier League - have also passed through Bodymoor Heath. Of the remainder, Marc Albrighton and Nathan Delfouneso have represented England at Under 21 level. Certainly the former will go on. If Delfouneso listens and more importantly, matures, Villa's Academy staff think he is a very, very bright prospect. Barry Bannan is now a Scotland international. Ciaran Clark has been called up to the senior Ireland squad - although I believe he should have waited and chosen England as he was their Under 19s skipper. Personally, I really like Eric Lichaj. Not as eye-catching as some of them but he has knuckled down and waited for his chance. If he doesn't get it, expect suitors to come calling next summer. In addition to this, we also have Gary Gardner - who (sorry Craig) they tell me could turn out to be a better player than his brother. Certainly, when I spoke about Gary to Noel Blake during the summer, England's Under 19 coach was raving about him. On top of that, a small, powerful Austrian forward. Andreas Weimann. I've only seen him a couple of times, but when I viewed him during a pre-season friendly at Peterborough, I could see he's got an eye for goal. Similar in stature to a mini Gerd Muller. Capping it all: Gabby Agbonlahor (right) is one of many Villa youth players to go on and represent England So who knows what this next crop might achieve? It was MacDonald - it shouldn't be forgotten - who was convinced this lot were good enough for the first-team when he handed over his team-sheet in Vienna, containing the names of Jonathan Hogg, Lichaj, Bannan and Albrighton. And, just like John Gregory who introduced Barry before his 18th birthday, Gerard Houllier deserves credit for taking what was a huge gamble against Manchester United. But let's not forget where those lads were nurtured. Last Saturday's paying customers saw the benefit of that education. It's about time it was recognised. * I know Gareth Barry was signed from Brighton in what was Brian Little's last act as Villa manager, but there was no written guarantee at that stage of his development as to what he would turn into. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1330903/THE-MIDLANDER-Forget-Manchester-United-Liverpool-West-Ham-Englands-real-Academy-Football--Aston-Villa.html#ixzz15ePxHxqb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOTTI-THE-GOD Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 cheers old bean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maradona10 Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Great Article and right on the money for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Very good article. Interesting comment that Weimann is simialr to a young Gerd Muller. If he was a quarter as successful as him we be flying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beasley14 Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Good read that, glad he dropped Gary in this time, he is defintaly one to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 how's young gary doing on the injury front actually? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxy1 Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Bannan's an immortal. Must be. That's the only reason he's short, he must've encountered another Highlander in his youth (the point when a Highlander stops aging). We've got a player for eternity who can only be stopped by decapitation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxy1 Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 I can't decide which I love more out of Alby and Bannan Hell I love both the little **** (in a non-pedophilic sense) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrackpotForeigner Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Bannan's an immortal. Must be. That's the only reason he's short, he must've encountered another Highlander in his youth (the point when a Highlander stops aging). We've got a player for eternity who can only be stopped by decapitation. Hopefully Nigel de Jong is dropped when we play Man City then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brommy Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 I can't decide which I love more out of Alby and Bannan Hell I love both the little **** (in a non-pedophilic sense) Bannan might be shorter than average but he is an adult; you know?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theunderstudy Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 I can see the resemblance of Gerd Muller in Andreas Weimann actually. Obviously if he's half as good as him we've got a Villa legend on the books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickel Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Aston Villa: Barry Bannan reveals Martin O'Neill's obsession with his height BARRY Bannan has revealed former Villa boss Martin O'Neill wasn't convinced the young midfielder would make it at the top. Gerard Houllier took an instant shine to him and elevated the Scot to his first team. Now 20-year-old Bannan is walking tall because an SFA Hall of Famer, Gary McAllister, is working on his game to see if he can help him follow in his footsteps. Bannan said: "Everything has come down on me at once. The game against the Faroes went so much better than I could have hoped. "It was brilliant to be out there and I felt confident I could do well but I'm getting no time to think about what it all means. "I can go out with my pals whenever I get the chance to come back home to Scotland but I don't know if that will be the case for much longer. "I'm trying very hard not to take in all the talk about me at the moment. "If I do that I'll get carried away and I'll forget to do what's necessary, which is to get my head down and keep working." There's no chance of Bannan's head being turned so long as he can turn to McAllister for advice. And the day O'Neill resigned and Houllier brought in the former Scotland star to help him behind the scenes was the moment that changed the 20-year-old's life for the better. He said: "Martin had size issues with me and he kept bringing them up in conversation over the many meetings we had when he was at Villa. "I'd been at the club since I was 14. My parents had left Lanarkshire and moved to the Midlands to look after me while I tried to become a success. But Martin left me disheartened when what I really needed was his trust. "The only thing that kept me going during that period of rejection was when I said to myself, 'Some day somebody will show confidence in you'. "I knew I couldn't afford to be totally disheartened because then my confidence levels would have dropped and my game would have gone to pieces along with them. "Gerard likes a passing game for Villa so now I've gone from the stage where I was on loan to Blackpool and playing every now and then to the point where I've been first pick for Villa for the last three matches in the Premier League. "And all of that's been based on what the manager saw of me in training each day. "I'm grateful to say he's taken to me and I've experienced a total change of fortune since Gerard arrived at the club." The addition of McAllister to the coaching staff also introduced one-cap Barry to the man who won more than 50. Bannan refuses to make rash predictions about one day being the ex-Liverpool star's equal. He said: "Gary's been brilliant for me. He's been working on the defensive side of my game and I know that's important because anything that keeps me in the first team is vital where Scotland's concerned. "The next competitive international isn't until the start of next season. That means I have to stay in Villa's team and keep my mind focused on winning Scotland's attention. Otherwise there's no place in the Euro 2012 qualification squad for me. "I've got one cap and now I'm hungry for more. I know I wouldn't have got a chance at Aston Villa if Martin O'Neill had stayed there as manager. Now I'm enjoying every minute of life under his successor. "I'll work my socks off under Gerard and I'll try to stay in Craig Levein's thoughts as well. He switched my position against the Faroes because he wanted me to get wider and have more freedom on the ball. I almost scored but the post denied me. "It looked as if it was going in but at least that moment proved I wasn't nervous about playing for Scotland for the first time." Link Shame Martin didn't see his quality. Hopefully he works as well as he has been doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Scary when you think about it. We could've lost an excellent player because he was too short for MON's hoofball. Kind of glad he left now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stato Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Bannan has signed a new 3-and-a-half year deal, according to SSN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Bannan signs 3.5 year deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracker1234 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Great news for him and the club, it's been a good week for Bannan, lets hope he can end the week with a goal on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadoftrinity Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Great to see. Barry Bannan penned a contract extension with Villa until 2014 after a whirlwind few weeks and admitted: "I am over the moon." Bannan has been in sensational form for the claret and blue troops this season, with the midfield maestro excelling in the central ground. Boss Gerard Houllier has said on several occasions that Bannan has what it takes to be a top-flight star with his "skill, vision, tenacity and desire." And the manager has shown his faith by handing the classy central star a new deal. Bannan said: "Everything this season has been unbelievable. I could never have imagined it going so well for me. "To get the deal is icing on the cake really. "I knew I was capable of playing the way I have been playing and it was just about getting the chance. "When Kev came in and took over I was in and around things, playing in Europe, and that was a big boost for me. From there, I have really kicked on. "The new gaffer has come in and really taken to me. I've had chances and I've taken them. "It's all come around so quickly, I haven't really had chance to think about it. It's just been an unbelievable start. "I am over the moon to be at the club - it's one of the biggest in the country. "To be here and handed a new contract is unbelievable. It's a pleasure to be in and around a club like this. "For me to get a new contract is brilliant. I'd sign my life away probably here the way it's going at the moment. It's fantastic." Bannan is the latest young lion to sign a new contract, following Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton. The Scottish international, in brilliant form for the Tartan Army on his senior debut in midweek, admits it's amazing playing in the top-flight alongside friends he has grown up with. He added: "We've all grown up together and we're best of mates on and off the pitch. "To be given the chance to play in the biggest league in the world alongside each other and contribute to the team is just unbelievable. "A few years ago we were training together in the under-14s and the under-15s. Then it was about going out and enjoying yourself. Now we're performing on the big stage. "A big thanks has to go to all the coaches that have led us on the way - Sean Verity, Gordon Cowans, Tony McAndrew and Kevin MacDonald. They all have contributed and bought us on as players. "The gaffer has given us a chance too so a big thanks has to go to him too." link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted November 19, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted November 19, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micflair Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Maybe they are just putting some pressure on Ash here, Lihaj, Gabby, Marc and now Barry sign new contracts.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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