Thanks LOL So you jumped up when Drogba scored????? Be honest now!!!!

Thats fine. I'll go with that LOL

The three highlighted bits:
1. I've supported Palace my whole life, and despite our complete lack of success (except the ZDS) in all those years, I'd honestly rather 'stagnate' than swap it to become a global brand. Wherever I go in the world I bump into Palace fans, only one or two, and they're pretty much always from Croydon - we have a bond, shared experiences, not just claiming to support the same football team when they're on telly

2. Don't get me started on EPPP. EPPP is just another example of the premier league trying to cut themselves an even bigger piece of the pie, with scant regard for what it does further down the tree or even for the national game (will the likes of Crewe, famed for some excellent young talent coming through their academy in the past, have any chance of keeping decent young players? Probably not, and the majority will disappear to 'big' clubs and be swallowed up never to be seen again)

3. Born in Battersea - moved to Croydon when I was one year old (and with my old man being from Kings Cross and a Spurs fan, the only way I was going to be able to watch live football at the age of 11 was to go to my local club on my own or with a mate - hence Palace is/was my local team - first time I've been accused of glory hunting by spurning Chelsea for Palace )

1. I understand this BUT I can honestly say my greatest moments at a football ground have not been scunthorpe away. I love football and love my club. I love the passion, the commaraderie, the ups and downs. The champions league was like a soap opera for us but I can assure nothing will ever beat our night in Munich. It wasn't just about winning it was compensation for all the hurt.
Whether you are a local club or world wide brand the excitement and devotion to your team isnt really any different and I love seeing Chelsea shirts all over the world. Those people may have a slight affinity but if football touches there hearts in that way great!
2. There's a danger this becomes EPPP conversation but the EPPP is a very good thing. Crewe?? what world class players they developed?? David Platt?? The issue of youth development in this country is that basically for decades we have been pretty awful. The law of averages says every club will produce players for the professional game and YES some clubs have been more successful then others. However, how many WORLD CLASS players are we producing considering the amount who enter our system?? Very few.
The EPPP actually forces clubs to invest heavily in player development. I think its a great thing. The most talented mathematician should be schooled at the best maths school. The most talented musicians similarly at the best music schools. The best footballers should get the best schooling at the best academies which are assessed against a variety of criteria, including player advancement.
3. BORN IN BATTERSEA!! LOL

Edited by chelski (14 Nov 2013 1.50pm)

Edited by chelski (14 Nov 2013 1.51pm)

Re: Crewe - I never said World class, but from memory: David Platt, Geoff Thomas, Danny Murphy, Robbie Savage, Neil Lennon (I think), Dean Ashton - undoubtedly there will be more, and apologies if any of those are mis-remembered. They're also the only pro club I know to have done this:
[Link]

Born in Battersea, dragged up in Croydon. I couldn't even walk when I left Battersea - I have no affinity with the area aside from much of my family hailing from there - I see my choice to follow my local club in preference to a much larger one my mothers' family followed as a badge of honour, and certainly not something to be ashamed of. If my kids choose to follow Crowborough Athletic rather than Palace because they are their local team, I'll actually be proud of them for that (although I've been to watch them play and they are truly dreadful)

Only joking about Battersea thing!!

Sorry I dont have his 'look how good crewe are'. Not one of those players are world class. The point about youth development in this country is that we dont, and have not with any form of consistency, developed technically and tactically gifted world class players. Hence the England team lacks in those areas outside of maybe 4 or 5. Great English players come through despite our system and not because of it.
Youth development in this country is playing catch-up with the rest of the world, partly due to our football culture here and the FA being backward. Nearly every top team BUYS its creative players from abroad because we dont tend to produce them. We focus far too much on passing and team work at a young age and less on creativity. What the 'passers' in this county forget is that Barcelona pass the ball quickly until they can get it to Iniesta, Messi or Neymar.
Its about time we invested time and energy in to our youth system but let the top clubs and premier league do it because the FA have been found wanting for 150 years!!! Forget Greg Dykes useless commission.Roll on the EPPP!!

Edited by chelski (14 Nov 2013 2.29pm)

In other words greed is good according to Chelsea fc money is everything and a sugar daddy is the way forward.
Whoopee f***ing do.

The world was a mess but his hair was perfect!

But surely that's the point.
A club the size of Crewe has consistently produced international footballers (again, I never said or implied world class), and brought through sufficient numbers of kids to be able to field a side of completely home-produced talent.

The fact that 'top teams' bring these players in from abroad is surely part of the problem. Take Wilf Zaha - he comes through the Palace ranks and, partially at least because we don't have the resources to simply buy in foreign talent, he gets a run in the first team early and develops as a player because of it. Then a 'top team' pick him up, where he warms the bench. He won't end up a better player from being at a 'top team', he'll end up a worse one, with shot confidence. Or John Bostock - in the Palace first team at the age of 15, scouted by Barcelona (allegedly), one of the most exciting prospects in the country (arguably), poached by Spurs because he was too young to sign a pro contract at Palace, and that was the end of his career. If you think those, and examples like them, are a good thing for the game, then I respectfully suggest you're blinkered into seeing the benefit to the 'top teams' of being able to cherrypick talent produced by others for a derisory sum on a whim (and then discard them if/when they don't fit) over and above any benefit to the game at a national or international level.

Certainly if I were running a club and we had a massively talented young prospect, I'd be doing my utmost to keep him out of the public eye for fear of him being pinched - certainly nobody under 16 would ever be promoted to the first team squad - you'd be mad to! In fact, arguably, the whole point of teams outside the top having an academy at all is diminished (now that they know they have to make their talent available to 'top teams' for peanuts). What this basically means is:
1. take a kid on
2. teach him, coach him, turn him into a decent player
3. if you turn him into a player who's good, he's gone in return for a Mars bar and a hearty handshake
4. if he turns out to not be as good as you thought he might be, you can keep him (but probably don't want him)
5. find new kid and repeat from point 1

Brilliant for the 'top teams' but a death knell for academies in the lower leagues in this country.

I can't actually remember what status our academy has currently, but I know it's high (either top tier or second tier) so EPPP may well be good for Palace, but it's certainly not good for the game. They got it through by blackmail - threatening to withdraw part of the money the premier league gives to the rest of the league if it wasn't passed. Of course for all those clubs who have let their academies go already or have such dire ones they don't produce any decent players, it was an absolute no brainer to take the cash over the massively unlikely prospect of ever being able to sell a Zaha, Ashton, Walcott, etc. but for the clubs who have consistently produced talent, it's a kick in the teeth

The point is the top teams tend to bring in foreign talent because we dont produce world class talent anywhere near enough in this country. I appreciate you never said Crewe players were world class but again thats my point. We congratulate academies who produce mediocre players. The top teams want the top players. They want to be world class and compete with Barcelona, Madrid, Bayern etc. The English/British talent has just not been produced due to poor coaching and a even worse a poor philosophy/culture.
In terms of players leaving one club and going to a 'bigger' club there are also plenty of examples of where players have progressed and done well. Walcott at Arsenal you could say? Also Jack Wilshere was a luton as a kid before Arsenal took him.
Also the whole point about youth development in ANY sphere is that they should train at the best training centres. The EPPP is an objective assessment of how good each academy is, thus Cat 1 clubs have the Best training centres for youth development.
In terms of being 'blinkered', the truth is that very few players will make it into our first team but they will make it in to other peoples first team. When a player is released by Chelsea, Man Utd or the likes they are 'snapped up' by so-called smaller clubs who will then benefit from these players. Smaller clubs will be getting VERY good players from us. In fact, you are far more likely to have a youth player from Chelsea in your team then we are likely to have from you (yes I know about Victor Moses), but the point is still relevant.