Coventry City academy manager Bruce Rioch has defended the academy amid claims that finishing second from bottom of the league is not good enough. He has also praised the current crop of youngsters and tipped them for success.
Rioch compared his academy side to that of near rivals Leicester who top the league this season, but Rioch pointed out that the Leicester academy team was stable and that as far as he was aware, only one of their young players played for the first team during the season, which is in stark contrast to the situation at Coventry.
Rioch said, “I was asked by a member of staff whether I felt we had under achieved this year with the Under 18s, mainly because they probably looked at the results and the league table, and I think if anyone who doesn’t know the club and what goes on and the progression for the boys, they might think it looks OK but not brilliant, but getting lads into the first team is our only success."
"Leicester have won the regional Under 18 league this year and I know that maybe one of their lads, to my knowledge, has gone on as a sub in the first team. They haven’t had as many appearances as we have had in the first team over the last 12 months, so sometimes you can win leagues and not produce a player."
“The other way is to produce players and push them on and not worry about winning leagues so much. We all want to win and we all feel better on a Saturday after that, but we win in other ways as well.”
The reasons behind academy players being drafted into the senior squad are a different matter altogether and just exist to emphasise the different philosophies surrounding the development of young talent. It also highlights the fragility of having a small squad and when injuries and suspensions occur, the only recourse is to use the youngsters.
There can be little doubt that throwing a young player into the first team gives them priceless experience which can only benefit them and the club so long as mistakes and poor performances do not dent their confidence.
Defender Jordan Clarke proved to be the academy’s biggest success last season. He started six games and came on as substitute in a further six gamers. Striker Shaun Jeffers and central defender Jermaine Grandison also made regular appearances in the first team, even if they didn't get many minutes on the pitch..
Another name to look out for is that of Nathan Cameron who is another central defender. He has been on loan to Nuneaton Town where he helped them gain promotion and win the Birmingham Senior Cup. He is being tipped to earn a professional contract next season and is expected to make an make it into the first team by the 2011/12 season.
Rioch went on to say, “We finished above bottom club MK Dons and just below a little pack of teams in second bottom of the league, and with another couple of wins it would have put us midway, but when you get the opportunity to gain a couple of results in the Under-18s or put Nathan Cameron on loan at Nuneaton Town there is only one option, and that’s to send him out to play men’s football and play for results and a purpose in a competitive side."
“We obviously play for points but it really meant something there where they were pushing for the play-offs and went and won them, and also played in a cup final as well, which was great for Nathan who now has a promotion medal and Birmingham Senior Cup medal, and played against some old pros."
“They played Chippenham in the final and he was up against a good old pro centre-forward who knows the game and at 18, Nathan dealt with that. So we might have lost a couple of results in the Under-18s but it gave some of the younger boys the opportunity to step up, and we are now pushing them a little bit sooner."
“So you have to look beyond the league table and with six full debuts in the first team in the last 18 months coming from the academy, I would say we have been massively successful. I am sure the new manager will be briefed about the academy."
" We are very open here. We have a good relationship with the first team staff at Ryton, and good relations with the board. I have had a fantastic relationship with the two managers I have worked with. Now we have a new challenge ahead and a relationship to be built with the new manager coming in and we are excited about that.”