Last time we had a midfield player from our Academy...?

[Ole 0]

Hi,not often I start a tread here. Korey Smith has had a good season, and I am trying to figure out when was last time we had a central midfield player from our own Academy playing regular in the first team... Any suggestions?

[Ole 0]

Have we had anyone between Korey Smith and Darel Russell?

[Gingerpele 0]

Well who have we really had at all in last few years? Safri, Etuhu, Francis, Holt (Gary), Russel, Smith....not many more that really cemented a place in the team

[Jacko 0]

Well I guess Ian Henderson played about 70 times for us predominantly as a midfielder so he could count. Chris Llewellyn played about 150 times for us as a left winger. Adrian Forbes and Darren Eadie were also still at the club when Russell was playing regular football. However I think its fair to say only Eadie went on to be a genuine success in the upper reaches of the game. But for injury there certainly would have been some England caps for him.

[Gingerpele 0]

Forbes has done fairly well, but only in lower leagues....

[Ole 0]

[quote user="Good Touch For A Big Man"]Well I guess Ian Henderson played about 70 times for us predominantly as a midfielder so he could count. Chris Llewellyn played about 150 times for us as a left winger. Adrian Forbes and Darren Eadie were also still at the club when Russell was playing regular football. However I think its fair to say only Eadie went on to be a genuine success in the upper reaches of the game. But for injury there certainly would have been some England caps for him.[/quote]But none of those (other than Russell) played central midfield. Henderson was never a regular in the first team, as he only started 26 league games (not a single one in central midfield?).

[can u sit down please 0]

Rossi Jarvis and Robert Eagle played a "few" games in there.

[Captain Fantastic 0]

Spillane played in there alongside Etuhu for a time.. when he had that arm cast on..

[Jacko 0]

[quote user="Ole"][quote user="Good Touch For A Big Man"]Well I guess Ian Henderson played about 70 times for us predominantly as a midfielder so he could count. Chris Llewellyn played about 150 times for us as a left winger. Adrian Forbes and Darren Eadie were also still at the club when Russell was playing regular football. However I think its fair to say only Eadie went on to be a genuine success in the upper reaches of the game. But for injury there certainly would have been some England caps for him.[/quote]

But none of those (other than Russell) played central midfield. Henderson was never a regular in the first team, as he only started 26 league games (not a single one in central midfield?).
[/quote]

I didnt see the central bit but I am afraid that''s the reality of the situation. The academy didn''t produce players who are good enough for quite a while. In the last decade decade I can only think of Shackell and Green as being youngsters who have cemented a place in the side. I think the travelling time thing has hit us because if you look at the best players we''ve produced in recent times they have not been from Norwich. Bellamy was from Cardiff and Eadie grew up in Chippenham (near Bath).

It is nice that we have four players in Martin, Smith, Adeyemi and Spillane who could with a bit of luck be permanent fixtures in this side. I don''t rate Luke Daley as highly as the others but you can''t coach pace so you never know. But after all this investment in the academy it''s great to finally see us producing some players again. I genuinely believe the first four have what it takes to be good championship players.

[Ole 0]

I doubt Korey Smith would have got the chance if we had still played in the Championship League, so in this view League One was good for some players. Who was the last player in central midfield to play regular before Russell?Daryl Sutch may be, but he played in many posistions... And before Sutch....?I remember David Smith had a couple of games, but he was far from being regular in the team.

[can u sit down please 0]

Shaun Carey had a few games.......Andy Johnson. What a player he was!

[Ole 0]

Thanks CUSPD! Andy Johnson was regular in the team (and from our Academy) in central midfield!Though, he was often injured, and only started 56 league games for us.I remember he scored two goals vs. Ipswich, link: http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=240387

[Nexus_Canary 651]

Bellamy LlewlleynKeith O''NeillEadieJason Shakell

[Joanna Grey 0]

[quote user="Nexus_Canary"]Bellamy
Llewlleyn
Keith O''Neill
Eadie
Jason Shakell
[/quote]

None of them central midfielders though...

[Nexus_Canary 651]

Serves me right for not reading ><Sorry on my lunchbreak laptopping it

[Canary_on_the Trent 0]

Dean Sinclair came through a few years ago but he only made a couple of appearances before moving on to Barnet. Earnt himself a move to Charlton 3 seasons ago but has incredibly not played a single league game for them yet remains on their books.

[I am a Banana 0]

rusty...!

[Ole 0]

To summarize... Central midfielders from our Academy - playing regular for first team.Before Korey Smith, we had Darel Russell, and before Russell we had Andy Johnson.But who was the last one before Andy Johnson?

[norfolkbroadslim 223]

[quote user="can u sit down please"]Shaun Carey had a few games.......Andy Johnson. What a player he was![/quote]

 

Good suggestion, however I think you missed the keyword in the OP''s question[;)]

[Canary_on_the Trent 0]

[quote user="Ole"]To summarize... Central midfielders from our Academy - playing regular for first team.Before Korey Smith, we had Darel Russell, and before Russell we had Andy Johnson.But who was the last one before Andy Johnson? [/quote]Jerry Goss

[Tangible Fixed Assets anyone? 0]

[quote user="Ole"]Hi,

not often I start a tread here. Korey Smith has had a good season, and I am trying to figure out when was last time we had a central midfield player from our own Academy playing regular in the first team...

Any suggestions?
[/quote]

Don''t worry.......Adeyemi will be coming along in due course.

[Tangible Fixed Assets anyone? 0]

Bellamy started off as a midfield player

[Ole 0]

True about Bellamy, but he played mostly as striker.

[chicken 0]

Can''t believe no-one has mentioned Chris Sutton . . . . played in centre midfield for us more than a couple of times. Was so good he could play anywhere.

To add to that Chris Martin has played at the forward tip of the diamond midfield a few times this season and proved himself able of that too, he has got a good tackle on him for a striker.

The problem with Kory Smith is that he isn''t exactly home grown as such - didn''t he get rejected by another youth accadamy and we saw something in him that they didn''t? Adeyemi has been with us since he was a kid.

We had a couple of years of turmoil in terms of the new accademy getting going and I think its the last couple of seasons we have started to see results.

Ok so Jarvis and Jarvis didn''t quite cut the grade - both should have been loaned out in my opinion and had they have been as Spillane and Martin were belatedly, they may have been pushed that bit further in development. However the fact they have gone into the football league rather than just to local teams indicates the level that our accademy has risen to in a reletively short amount of time.

Crewe arguably has one of the best accadamies, but they can''t match what the accademy produces with results and position in the league tables. What you really want is the best of both worlds.

Ideally you want to offer the best scholars contracts - those who have enough about them to keep on to see if they develop. You send them out on loan for most of their first season as a pro, to say a league 2 club until Christmas. If they do well and get games loan them out to a league 1 team and see if they can adapt to that too. Keep an eye over them in this period and if they impress you can put down a contract extension at Christmas and keep them on.

Too many of our managers in recent times have misstreated our youth accademy and not really used it as well as we could have done. I hope that we get some more players through in any position because its nice to see that we have something that works.

[Ole 0]

Good post, chicken, agree with most of your post.But I can''t remember Sutton playing in centre midfield. He was playing in central defense and as striker, that''s how I remember him. However, as I''m from Norway and have only watched the televised games, I can''t be 100% sure. Anyone who can confirm Sutton was often used in central midfield?