No scousers in the team

[Dreambeliever]

I had a 6 week trial for Liverpool at Melwood when I was 16. They called me in at the end and said sorry they wouldn't be taking me any further. I found out 2 months ago from my mum that they actually did want to sign me on a YTS but she told them to do one so I could finish my education.

*Sad face*

Fark!!

 

[peterhague]

In terms of local lads coming through, I think we're slowly getting back to how things should be. Houllier alienated more and more local families with his battle against Heighway. Even diehard Reds were taking their kids to Everton rather than stick them into the oblivion that was our academy. Much the same happened under Rafa. Parents just didn't see any real way forward with us. When Kenny came back, that was one of the first things he sought to change. He gave McFarland all the support he needed to rebuild ties with local schools, local clubs etc, charming the families, loads of one-on-one meetings with parents and their lads, etc, and generally a huge effort was made to change our reputation. Inglethorpe is keeping that up. So - very slowly - we're turning that around. But we've pretty much lost a generation (or even two).

I know Rafa is hardly perfect but surely he deserves more of the credit for the turnaround than you give him there? I'm sure there was squabbling and petulance under him, but the appointments of McParland, Segura, and Borrel were all driven by him I thought?


Anyway, at least things *have* been turned around. I remember just from little things like checking academy profiles on the site how dismal things were for a while. Pretty much the entire youth system was made up of the chaff, players like Craig Roddan. Even the website couldn't muster any enthusiasm for them. It'd say stuff like

'James is a forward who likes to drop deep. He needs to add goals to his game, but what he lacks in natural ability and speed, he tries to make up for in hard running.

James was once capped at under 16 level by his native Northern Ireland'

It was a major strain on the club IMO, especially at a time when we struggled to compete with the richer clubs.

 

[gkmacca]

Yes, as you say, Rafa did start the shift to a positive policy late on in his time here. It was a bit odd seeing as he'd become so locked into a battle with the academy, as Ged had been before him, that by the time he decided to take control the damage had been done, but thank goodness he did eventually realise that something had to be done.

 

[peterhague]

Why was there such hostility to the academy anyway?

Surely by any standards Heighway had done a good job in the 90s?

 

[gkmacca]

Yes. While I think Heighway was right in his irritation at the way the managers had more or less stopped encouraging young talent (Peter Robinson had basically sold Houllier to Heighway as the great champion of academies who'd help forge a brave new era at Kirkby, so when he cracked under the pressure to get immediate results and started bringing in loads of French players rather than trust Heighway, it all got very, very bitter), he was also getting a bit fatigued, so his attitude became increasingly tactless and counter-productive. Instead of getting together and calling for clear the air talks, he got as dogmatic as the managers did, so in a way both sides ended up distracting themselves away from the kids themselves.

 

[peterhague]

Thanks.

 

[Oncy]

Johnston and Barnes didn't really play togethor though. Not for any decent period of time, and not in "one of our best ever teams" either.

Fair enough.
Point still stands right? The only scouser near the squad over those few years was Mcmahon.
I was pretty sure in 1986/87/88 that was the basis of the squad.
Could be wrong. My memory is hopeless.

 

[Judge Jules]

When we did have scourers in the side recently we only flattered to deceive

Yeah but our dishes were spotless.