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Just wanted to pick up on a few comments re my piece on Warren Farm and #QPR’s academy last week. There were some great points made in response, not least by @Senders83, whose thread disagreeing with me is worth looking at.
First, there were the usual comments from a few that I’m bitter or had my nose put out of joint in some way. I’ve been continually getting this for many years and there’s not really a lot I can say to that, other than it’s a bit daft. Change the record guys!
To clarify on W Farm, I didn’t wake up one morning with the view it should be scrapped. And it wasn’t in response to the project being ended. In 2014, QPR were reconsidering it & by that time I’d come to view that they should do so. Rangers carried on, but with more modest plans.
As I said, my opinion was based on the view that an A-class training ground was based on a model of QPR being a brash, rich club challenging at the top level and a culture of overly indulging players - something that had backfired. So a rethink was needed.
But that’s not to say that Rangers don’t need a new training ground and a much better one. I certainly don’t dispute that. It’s just right that they look in a different direction - especially if freehold is an option.
Harlington being improved buys some time and will suffice. But it’s not a long-term solution. I get that. But a training ground needs to reflect a club ethos and I think Rangers have moved on from the one which led to the initial Warren Farm ambition.
As for the academy, I should have made clearer that I meant QPR should ditch their *academy* not *youth system* as a whole. The main problem being EPPP, which led to Rangers reverting back to an academy and is a system I don’t think has served the club well.
I think having a B/reserve team along the lines of Brentford’s would be a good move for QPR IMO. But there are fundamental, historic differences between the two clubs which IMO mean there should be more of an onus on QPR to scout and develop local youngsters. It shouldn’t end.
I’ve also long argued that it’s not just about producing players who have successful careers at QPR. Producing players who are worth a couple of hundred grand and can go on to have careers in the game, having had their education at QPR, is still a good thing and success of sorts
I think @Senders83 makes a very valid point about having a system where local youngsters like Kakay can come through. Local players were being overlooked and that has improved.
But the improvement in Rangers’ youth system in that sense goes back to the School of Excellence days when it was run on a shoestring. I don’t think the likes of Kakay are hugely different to players who started coming through before EPPP and the current academy set-up.
Academy system has not served QPR well. Mid to late 90s, largely because it coincided with Bosman, it led to youngsters being given long contracts they weren’t worth and proved costly. In current guise, I don’t think EPPP has helped QPR produce - or keep - much better players.
It’s possible to have youngsters in the system without all this. For starters, the Trust continues to do great work and expand its reach - and that alone can lead to young players being found and having links to QPR.
Sure, their parents would probably prefer it was a club with an academy. But currently Rangers are in any case a long way short of other nearby clubs with academies who are more attractive.
I also think in the future we may well see the growth of affiliate academies, for want of a better term - independent ventures with links to clubs. We are already seeing signs of this.
It could in a way be similar to the QPR Trust, which was born out of the club’s community scheme and for the past decade has had charitable status and is officially a separate entity and separately funded. I think we may start to see youth football take a similar route.
This would all bring problems, such as who you play - involvement in the FA Youth Cup wouldn’t currently be possible, for example. But as many clubs have to grapple with these issues, more will be in the same boat. I don’t think the current set-up is viable for many.
But I have been made aware of a great counter to my argument, which I didn’t consider and really should have: the possible effect of Brexit and limits on foreign players.
This does punch a hole in the comparison with Brentford, who have been recruiting players from abroad for their B team. That might not be sustainable. It’s a good point and one I must admit I overlooked. Possible game changer. Cheers all.
