Those who have been on this site for a number of years, will know exactly where any "love-in" of mine stands - and that is with ALL of those young lads who come through our youth setup. I worked in the U's yOUth group to protect the whole youth system from Kassam, and to keep it functioning at all in the Conference years where outside grants all dried up, so that there was something there to be revived when the Lenagans came in.
My aim and desire is to ensure that these guys get the opportunity to develop their skills beyond graduation from the U18s, with OUFC if at all possible, and to support them through that difficult transition from scholar through to senior, which it seems a lot of people believe to be a lot simpler than it actually is.
It is perhaps the nature of the world today to sit at the far end of an internet link and judge the world in simplistic black and white terms, where being the first to pronounce a verdict is more important than actually reaching a sound conclusion, and where outrage has replaced opinion and vitriol has replaced debate and open discussion.
So, I just try to state their case for them in the face of the brash, brutal and at times disrespectful comments they receive on here, and just try to remind people that it is a very difficult time for them making that breakthrough, even if they don't suffer any major setbacks such as injury or family issues.
Many people are quick to state they want more of our own to come through, but some are equally quick to pronounce that they are not good enough the second they stick their head above the parapet and actually make the first team, as though there seems to be some sort of credit or kudos to be gained for being the first to do so. Do those on here who have already concluded that Napa will not make it due to his build got such short memories that they don't remember exactly the same being said of Callum O'Dowda only a couple of years ago?
And this short term, instant gratification mentality that is so prevalent nowadays almost demands that any player that has not progressed at the same pace that Wayne Rooney did is never going to make it as a professional footballer. Sadly, there was an era where finances forced the club to employ such a view with graduates offered only 12 or even 6 months to make an impression in the first team before being discarded with many great prospects doomed into the depths of non-league before even getting a chance to succeed - Rob Lovegrove, Ben Weedon, Tom Franklin, Tom Winters, Andy Gunn, just to name a very few (and the same could well have happened to COD and Napa in that era).
Now thankfully, that era has gone, but the club has edged backwards in this respect over the last couple of years, with I feel a lot of those out on loan suffering from an out of sight, out of mind attitude from some within the club, let alone supporters. Therefore talk of the revival of the dev squad has got to be good news, with youngsters working within the fold as well as without. Loans have their place in development, but are not the be all and end all, and there needs to be more going on here, so that fringe players are not just marooned without a game to play for weeks on end (eg Josh ashby).
So, I feel the need to stress the longer term view, that having put the effort into bringing these youngsters through the age groups, they should all be given a decent time to bridge the gap into the seniors, because once the leave, so many are lost forever, because so few that drop into non-league ever make it back into league football again. When a player leaves us at 19 or 20, they are rarely on the radar of clubs much outside of the county (as thsoe clubs have their own local pro teams to focus on), so most will end up playing locally, which up until the rise of City, Brackley into the Conference setup, has meant dropping three or four levels, which in turn means having to look for other work alongside football and inevitably becoming maroooned at that level. It takes a special set of circumstances, and a massive dose of luck to maintain yourself at a decent level and get that opportunity to get back into League football. For instance, Alex Fisher had financial backing from his family to chase across Europe to get pro-football, while the likes of Matt Taylor and James Clarke - both now established football league players, got their chance by being in the right place at the right time with promotions (as has Ty Marsh now at Macclesfield) and former managers picking them up. Many that we have let go, that were arguably of their standard or better, didnt get these chances and eventually had to settle for where they were.
But it is the fact that if we can back these guys, give them the time to develop alongside but not entirely in the cauldron of senior football, then we may see more of them develop into first team players for OUFC. And it is THAT thought that means that I will continue to promote the likes of Sam Long, Josh Ashby, James Roberts et al, particularly when they have all their lives and careers severely disrupted in one way or another - Ashby and Long have serious injuries, while Roberts faced his own tragedy at a crucial point in his life and career. And again, I think that some people overlook the psychological impact of such situations on younger players still trying to gain a foothold in the industry. For the likes of Long and Ashby,recovery from a broken leg or cruciate injury is not just the time it takes for the physical injury to heal, but the additonal time to get back up to speed both mentally and physically given the more sporadic nature of the games they get to play in - that is why Long getting a sustained spell at Hampton is so important. As for Roberts, then most of us can only guess at the impact of his particular situation can have on a 19 year old boy, and the disgraceful way that some dismissed this by parroting "attitude problems" as a means for writing him off was horrible to read. Personally, I would completely discount the last couple of seasons in terms of assessing his actual future in the game, and as I said earlier, what started out promisingly at Guiseley was sadly derailed by a change of approach from a new manager who made it clear that he was not interested in loanees who were not going to be there next season.
Then finally, there is the impact of individuals at the club. Kassam made it very difficult for anyone, the Lenagans opened the door to a generation who are slowly proving their worth. Wilder was not great, Appleton was better, Clotet was very supportive, though I understand Faz was a lot less so inclined. Hopefully, Robinson will make his own decisions on this front and the revival of the Dev squad will also generate a new impetus for the next generation coming through.
Whether it is too late for some of the now older ones to still make it at OUFC, and maybe it is time for the likes of Long, Roberts and Ashby to move on, but I still think it is wrong to write them off completely, as so many seem so willing to do, because I believe all three have careers ahead of them in the top 4/5 levels of English football and that for me is cause for celebration.
Didnt mean that to be quite as lengthy as it has turned out to be, but if you can't get passionate about the things you 'love' then............???
