Source: Liverpool_Echo
GREG O'KEEFFE: David Moyes’ plan to improve quality of Everton's football
DAVID Moyes has a proven track record of encouraging young British talent at Everton. The Blues boss has rightly won praise for blooding his youngsters in the Premier League and Europe, giving them opportunities they would get at few other clubs and unearthing gems in the process.[LNB]Yet while the emergence of Shane Duffy, Kieran Agard and Jack Rodwell bodes well, Moyes insists that injuries have forced his hand even further in that respect this season.[LNB]Nevertheless, the Scot cares passionately about the development of young players throughout the football league, and has an interesting slant on how it could be boosted.[LNB]He believes the answer for creating a drip effect of quality footballers from the top flight to the lower leagues, lies in restrictions on how many players Premier League academies can take in.[LNB]Moyes suggests that the intake of apprentice players who have finished school, should be reduced to six for all top flight clubs.[LNB]He said: 'The other six or so which a club like Everton or Manchester United would have taken beforehand may suddenly go to the Championship and might sign for Preston or maybe go to Tranmere.[LNB]'Then the 12 Tranmere might take would include an introduction of four or so of a better quality to their club.[LNB]'I think that in three or four years time, that means we will start going fishing again in the lower leagues.'[LNB]Moyes believes the big clubs are stock-piling more than their fair share of young talents, and some are stagnating.[LNB]'At the moment we can't because there is nothing to go for,' he said. 'Why? Because Everton, Arsenal, Man United or Chelsea have got that many in here, and there is no room for them all to get games and be seen.[LNB]'If one of those boys got a game for Tranmere at 16, we would probably be sending our scouts round to have a look at him and we'd be interested.[LNB]'I think what has happened is the top flight clubs have taken all the stock, they've fished it all.[LNB]'Of course there are other implications to this idea. The academies would start asking how they field teams. Then there are all the people who are employed by the academies.[LNB]'You've got to see both sides of the debate, but I think only taking six players a year for say the next four years and let's see if it helps the balance of the lower league teams getting a better quality of player.'[LNB]Moyes' vision is built on common sense, and a holistic approach to football as a whole.[LNB]He said: 'Some might say there will be better facilities and better coaching at the top clubs. But think of some of the players who've come through in the past. They didn't always have great facilities there. It still worked out.'
