Source: Daily_Mail
Baggies full of goodies in the race to unearth the next gem
On the walls at Aston Villa's magnificently-appointed Bodymoor Heath training complex are pictures of the boys who made it.[LNB]Lads who made the first-team, having progressed through the academy at Villa Park. Steven Davis, Liam Ridgewell, Luke Moore, Craig Gardner, Gary Cahill. The list goes on.[LNB]For years, Villa have been out on their own as far as youth development in this area is concerned. Under the Bryan Jones's stewardship, they keep rattling them out. Gabriel Agbonlahor is, of course, the latest off the production line.[LNB] [LNB]Hot talent: Gabriel Agbonlahor has progressed at Aston Villa[LNB]It was great to see Villa earning yet more recognition for their work in the academy this week after picking up the Premier Reserve South title. People who work in rival academies might point out that they have the financial muscle to cherry-pick the best talent.[LNB]There's certainly some merit in that argument. Although you have to point to past performance and say that if the talent is there, it will be used at Villa Park. But there are encouraging signs elsewhere in the Midlands that one club, who has a record little short of dreadful at bringing through players, is starting to make waves.[LNB] More from Neil Moxley... THE MIDLANDER: McLeish must take a bow if Birmingham book their ticket back to the Premier League23/04/09 THE MIDLANDER: Reffing hell! How the Football League is making a mockery of this season's climax16/04/09 Molineux holds the key as Wolves wobble on the brink of glory09/04/09 THE MIDLANDER: The five biggest flops of the season01/04/09 As the season reaches boiling point, here's my top five Midlands stars of the year26/03/09 West Brom 1 Bolton 1: Industry of Davies delights his boss22/03/09 Man of his word: Barry can leave Villa if he likes, says O'Neill20/03/09 Aston Villa 1 Spurs 2: Harry's revenge as O'Neill's top four dream is derailed 15/03/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE I'm not talking about Birmingham City, where the woefully-undervalued Terry Westley has worked wonders in taking his crop of Under-18s through to the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup before they were defeated by Liverpool. By the way, Terry also had a good record at Derby, picking up the likes of Tom Huddlestone after he was discarded by Nottingham Forest.[LNB]So, I'm not talking about Birmingham's youngsters. No, my attention was drawn to the achievements of West Brom's academy, who managed to carry off the Nike Cup following a penalty shoot-out triumph over Everton.[LNB]It is the most prestigious competition for that age group in the country and is all the more remarkable as the club has only been granted academy status for the past four years. The work started by Aidy Boothroyd and continued by Dan Ashworth and Mark Harrison is now bearing fruit.[LNB]The Under-15s competition attracts some of the biggest clubs - including Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Villa to name but a few - and now the Baggies will represent the Premier League at the world finals in August.[LNB]The competition is important because several of the previous winnershave produced players that have gone on to significant careers. Thelikes of Manchester City, West Ham, Middlesbrough and Arsenal, inparticular, can all boast a decent record in that department (if youwant names, Micah Richards, Jack Collison and Stuart Downing have allgone on to represent their country).[LNB]Now, Baggies' chairman Jeremy Peace is nobody's fool when it comesto the filthy lucre. And he's obviously spotted something in Villa'smodel that he likes. He supports youth development and word reaches methat he is doing so with cold, hard cash.[LNB] Rare gem: Danny Gabbidon started at The Hawthorns[LNB]This is no philanthropic gesture, obviously. If you tot up the transfer values of the Villa players I mentioned above you would reach a total of £14million. Not to mention the amount of money it would cost to unearth an England international striker of Agbonlahor's value.[LNB]What's more, it is obviously sufficient to keep the academy going for a while. Try and think for a moment of all the home-grown players West Brom have produced. There aren't many.[LNB]Now, that may be down to the resources that have been pumped into theBaggies' youth development over the years. But there is only DannyGabbidon who really springs to mind.[LNB]Harrison, West Brom's current academy director, said: 'In the past, wedid have problems attracting players. We used a school in the areaand, with respect, the fence and astroturf were falling apart. We nowhave an indoor arena that's the largest in the country, I believe, andthat's enabled us to take it to a different level.[LNB]Interest: Jeremy Peace[LNB]'The aspect that marks us down as taking the matter seriously and there is also a genuine belief in the value of the system. That it can, in time, produce players capable of stepping up to the first-team.[LNB]'We've already had one this season - Chris Wood - a big striker who, although he's from New Zealand, is in the mould of the old-fashioned, classic, centre-forward. The manager also involves them in first-team training, if he feels they are good enough.[LNB]'I don't really want to start naming names but we have two lads - George Thorne and Saido Berahino - who are part of the England Under-16 set-up. Even if they don't make the first-team, there is a chance we can produce them so that they do enjoy a career in the game. Look at Jack Hobbs, for instance, who has just left Liverpool for Leicester City for £400,000.[LNB]'We have heard about 16-year-olds who are being transferred for fees, including add-ons, of around £1m. That makes it all the more important for us to develop our own players. We believe, strongly, that there are young footballers in the area that we can develop.[LNB]'And the chairman obviously thinks so, too. I see him on a Sunday morning, taking a look at the age group matches, at least three or four times a season.'[LNB]The Baggies may be relegated from the Barclays Premier League this weekend, but their infrastructure continues to improve. And, in a season when there hasn't been much to shout about, that is certainly reason for good cheer.[LNB] [LNB]
