Post by Macmoish on Sept 12, 2010 20:43:52 GMT
Also played well for England U-17..Good luck to him...But still, it hurts 
From the Liverpool Echo's Dominic King "....Raheem Sterling is the name on most lips and everything he is doing at the moment is creating the kind of buzz around clubs that only happens every so often; without putting too much pressure on him, it would be best just to say he is doing all that is asked of him and more..."
Liverpool Echo
BLOOD RED: Famine could turn to a feast at Liverpool’s Academy
Sep 11 2010 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
JAMIE CARRAGHER’S autobiography is widely recognised as one of the most honest football books published in recent years and a passage on youth team football is particularly candid. Liverpool’s longest-serving player, understandably, has forthright views on the Academy system, given that he was one of the last high profile graduates to break from the trainee ranks into the Reds’ first team.
His ascension came during a golden period when, to name a few, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, David Thompson, Dominic Matteo, Stephen Wright, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard and Stephen Warnock all became valued members of the senior set up.
Aside from Carragher, four of the above were genuinely world-class (in Gerrard’s case you can say emphatically that he still is) but, for much of the past decade, the conveyor belt had ground to a worrying halt and has shown no sign of cranking back into life.
“We’ve had 10 years without a single top young player coming through,” Carragher wrote. “I have to believe class will tell in the end, that if you are good enough you’ll make it. We must encourage our boys to believe it’s possible... to come through the ranks and develop as I did.”
Whisper it quietly but there are signs that the famine may soon be followed by something of a feast; while it would be folly to start building up the promising crop of novices currently housed at Kirkby, the reasons for genuine optimism are understandable.
In this age of over-inflated transfer fees, protracted deals, shortages in the talent pool and reluctance of clubs to sell, the onus, more than ever, is for clubs to start producing youngsters who are good enough to play at the highest level.
It is easier said than done, of course. A lot of managers in the Premier League simply don’t have the patience to put young men in their team who might need a dozen games to get adjusted to the pace and another dozen to make their mark.
The demands for results are instant and as a consequence those who, given some time, might be good enough have suffered, finding their way into the first team blocked by expensive imports who have not, in truth, been any better
You get the feeling, however, that things are changing with Liverpool. The Academy, now being run smoothly and successfully by Frank McParland, is flourishing and in the past 16 months the changes to the look and feel of the base have been total.
Facilities have improved dramatically – there are two new Astroturf pitches, one indoor, the other outdoor – the place feels fresh thanks to some decoration and the atmosphere is filled with optimism and confidence.
No wonder. Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing and Stephen Darby have proved that by hanging in opportunity will knock and, of that trio, Kelly has attracted most attention, thanks in part to a Man-of-the-Match display against Lyon in the Champions League last October.
In the age groups below them, though, there are several young men who – provided they apply themselves properly and look up to the example of Gerrard and Carragher – might yet take over their mantle in the future.
Raheem Sterling is the name on most lips and everything he is doing at the moment is creating the kind of buzz around clubs that only happens every so often; without putting too much pressure on him, it would be best just to say he is doing all that is asked of him and more.
Yet he is not a one-off. Jack Robinson and John Flanagan are two full-backs who are acquitting themselves with great credit, the Spanish striker Fernando Suso has been described as “a real player” while the Portuguese whizzkid Toni Silva has also earned rave reviews.
While it is an encouraging state of affairs, enthusiasm has to be tempered because the hardest part now awaits them; getting from Kirkby to Melwood is one thing – getting from Kirkby to the first team is another all together.
But it can be done.There is a will on the Kop, in Roy Hodgson’s office, among the first team pool and around the Academy for someone to break through and follow the lead of Gerrard and Carragher, McManaman and Fowler.
Mistakes of the past are being rectified and, with the right investment, the wait for the next bright young thing could soon be over.
Time for ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ to be restored to its rightful place
JAMIE CARRAGHER’S big day last weekend provided a chance for all Reds to wallow in nostalgia and it was great to see so many old players return ‘home’.
But another throwback was provided before kick-off when Liverpool walked out of the tunnel with ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ blasting out over the speakers.
Unfortunately these days Liverpool’s hymn does not get played until the teams are waiting for kick-off but it just doesn’t seem the same as it used to be.
Part of the reason Anfield was such a formidable venue came when teams were overwhelmed with the sight of The Kop in full cry.
Wouldn’t it be nice if that could be the case again?
Steven Gerrard shows why he should be England’s full-time captain
HE delivered the statement with a wry grin and a nod of the head that suggested he knows the ordeal is almost over.
“You won’t be seeing me up here much longer,” Steven Gerrard told the assembled media in Basel’s Hilton Hotel earlier this week.
Such a shame. Gerrard’s stint as England’s full-time captain will be over as soon as Rio Ferdinand returns to full fitness and you get the sense he won’t miss some of the circus that surrounds the role.
This has been an annus horribilus for Fabio Capello, given he has had to deal with so many sordid issues as well as the debacle of the World Cup campaign.
With Ferdinand having missed so many games with injury, Gerrard has been thrust into the firing line for much of 2010 but he has handled himself impeccably in difficult situations.
Gerrard emerged from the trip to South Africa with his reputation intact and has only gone on to enhance it in the last couple of months.
Speaking with honesty and intelligence – not to mention commanding instant respect and leading by example – he has embodied every quality with which you would wish to associate an England captain.
Fortunately, however, those endearing qualities will remain on show at Anfield
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/09/11/blood-red-famine-could-turn-to-a-feast-at-liverpool-s-academy-100252-27244633/2/
From the Liverpool Echo's Dominic King "....Raheem Sterling is the name on most lips and everything he is doing at the moment is creating the kind of buzz around clubs that only happens every so often; without putting too much pressure on him, it would be best just to say he is doing all that is asked of him and more..."
Liverpool Echo
BLOOD RED: Famine could turn to a feast at Liverpool’s Academy
Sep 11 2010 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo
JAMIE CARRAGHER’S autobiography is widely recognised as one of the most honest football books published in recent years and a passage on youth team football is particularly candid. Liverpool’s longest-serving player, understandably, has forthright views on the Academy system, given that he was one of the last high profile graduates to break from the trainee ranks into the Reds’ first team.
His ascension came during a golden period when, to name a few, Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, David Thompson, Dominic Matteo, Stephen Wright, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard and Stephen Warnock all became valued members of the senior set up.
Aside from Carragher, four of the above were genuinely world-class (in Gerrard’s case you can say emphatically that he still is) but, for much of the past decade, the conveyor belt had ground to a worrying halt and has shown no sign of cranking back into life.
“We’ve had 10 years without a single top young player coming through,” Carragher wrote. “I have to believe class will tell in the end, that if you are good enough you’ll make it. We must encourage our boys to believe it’s possible... to come through the ranks and develop as I did.”
Whisper it quietly but there are signs that the famine may soon be followed by something of a feast; while it would be folly to start building up the promising crop of novices currently housed at Kirkby, the reasons for genuine optimism are understandable.
In this age of over-inflated transfer fees, protracted deals, shortages in the talent pool and reluctance of clubs to sell, the onus, more than ever, is for clubs to start producing youngsters who are good enough to play at the highest level.
It is easier said than done, of course. A lot of managers in the Premier League simply don’t have the patience to put young men in their team who might need a dozen games to get adjusted to the pace and another dozen to make their mark.
The demands for results are instant and as a consequence those who, given some time, might be good enough have suffered, finding their way into the first team blocked by expensive imports who have not, in truth, been any better
You get the feeling, however, that things are changing with Liverpool. The Academy, now being run smoothly and successfully by Frank McParland, is flourishing and in the past 16 months the changes to the look and feel of the base have been total.
Facilities have improved dramatically – there are two new Astroturf pitches, one indoor, the other outdoor – the place feels fresh thanks to some decoration and the atmosphere is filled with optimism and confidence.
No wonder. Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing and Stephen Darby have proved that by hanging in opportunity will knock and, of that trio, Kelly has attracted most attention, thanks in part to a Man-of-the-Match display against Lyon in the Champions League last October.
In the age groups below them, though, there are several young men who – provided they apply themselves properly and look up to the example of Gerrard and Carragher – might yet take over their mantle in the future.
Raheem Sterling is the name on most lips and everything he is doing at the moment is creating the kind of buzz around clubs that only happens every so often; without putting too much pressure on him, it would be best just to say he is doing all that is asked of him and more.
Yet he is not a one-off. Jack Robinson and John Flanagan are two full-backs who are acquitting themselves with great credit, the Spanish striker Fernando Suso has been described as “a real player” while the Portuguese whizzkid Toni Silva has also earned rave reviews.
While it is an encouraging state of affairs, enthusiasm has to be tempered because the hardest part now awaits them; getting from Kirkby to Melwood is one thing – getting from Kirkby to the first team is another all together.
But it can be done.There is a will on the Kop, in Roy Hodgson’s office, among the first team pool and around the Academy for someone to break through and follow the lead of Gerrard and Carragher, McManaman and Fowler.
Mistakes of the past are being rectified and, with the right investment, the wait for the next bright young thing could soon be over.
Time for ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ to be restored to its rightful place
JAMIE CARRAGHER’S big day last weekend provided a chance for all Reds to wallow in nostalgia and it was great to see so many old players return ‘home’.
But another throwback was provided before kick-off when Liverpool walked out of the tunnel with ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ blasting out over the speakers.
Unfortunately these days Liverpool’s hymn does not get played until the teams are waiting for kick-off but it just doesn’t seem the same as it used to be.
Part of the reason Anfield was such a formidable venue came when teams were overwhelmed with the sight of The Kop in full cry.
Wouldn’t it be nice if that could be the case again?
Steven Gerrard shows why he should be England’s full-time captain
HE delivered the statement with a wry grin and a nod of the head that suggested he knows the ordeal is almost over.
“You won’t be seeing me up here much longer,” Steven Gerrard told the assembled media in Basel’s Hilton Hotel earlier this week.
Such a shame. Gerrard’s stint as England’s full-time captain will be over as soon as Rio Ferdinand returns to full fitness and you get the sense he won’t miss some of the circus that surrounds the role.
This has been an annus horribilus for Fabio Capello, given he has had to deal with so many sordid issues as well as the debacle of the World Cup campaign.
With Ferdinand having missed so many games with injury, Gerrard has been thrust into the firing line for much of 2010 but he has handled himself impeccably in difficult situations.
Gerrard emerged from the trip to South Africa with his reputation intact and has only gone on to enhance it in the last couple of months.
Speaking with honesty and intelligence – not to mention commanding instant respect and leading by example – he has embodied every quality with which you would wish to associate an England captain.
Fortunately, however, those endearing qualities will remain on show at Anfield
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/09/11/blood-red-famine-could-turn-to-a-feast-at-liverpool-s-academy-100252-27244633/2/
