Liverpool FC Forum

[Reg]

Liverpool have announced they have signed Spanish defender Mikel San Jose and Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

Gulacsi joins fellow countrymen Krisztian Nemeth and Andras Simon in linking up with Liverpool this summer.

Centre-back San Jose joins Liverpool from Athletic Bilbao on a three-year deal.

The young stopper is understood to have cost The Reds 400,000 euros (£270,000), and has signed a three-year contract.

Both Gulasci and San Jose will be a part of Liverpool's reserve team squad this season according to Sky Sports.
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If there´s anyone left in europe that Rafa hasnt signed can they please get in touch....

Y´know if a local Liverpool lad changed his name to Juan Totti-Torres he´d have a 50,000 a week contract within 24 hours.

Draw a line in the sand Rafa and start looking for home-grown talent. 

[LFC2007]

I'm sure he has signed these players with good reason, he has supplemented the academy with home grown talent also.

[bigmick]

You might have a point Reg but it's maybe a touch harsh. I guess once one of these seemingly endless young players which Rafa picks up makes any kind of impression on the first team people will have a bit more faith, but until then many will wonder.

It is fair to ask though if we were lucky enough to find a Gerrard, an Owen or a Carragher whether or not they would get a chance to make an impression at the academy as it is today. Not being from Liverpool I wouldn't know but an area with a rich history of producing talented players is now seemingly devoid of any young talent. Maybe the kids don't play football on the streets anymore?

It would be a real shame if in subsequent years we were to look back on a period where in our frantic search for the next exotic sounding big thing we missed out on a couple of gems living within a stones throw of our home ground.

[AB's Red Army]

Reg, you do realize that our youth team has won the FA Youth Cup back to back with a vast amount of home grown players?

[LFC2007]

It would be a real shame if in subsequent years we were to look back on a period where in our frantic search for the next exotic sounding big thing we missed out on a couple of gems living within a stones throw of our home ground.

Similarly, it would be a real shame if we missed out on the next pele whilst searching through the endless conveyor belt of mediocre local lads .

It requires a balance, we should not be solely looking for young foreign talent and nor should we be focussing solely on young local talent.

[AB's Red Army]

Our Reserves and Youth Team:

The Brittish Lads:
-Jay Spearing
-Ray Putterill
-Ryan Flynn
-Craig Lindfield
-Paul Anderson
-Adam Hammil
-Robbie Threrfall
-Jack Hobbs
-Danny Guthrie
-Lee Peltier
-James Smith
-Michael Collins
-Gary MacKay-Steven
-Shane O'Connor
-Ben Personage
-Michael Scott
-Nathan Eccleston
-Sean Highdale
-Steven Irvin
-Joe Kennedy
-Chris Oldfield
-Marvin Pourie
-David Amoo
-Dean Bouzanis
-David Martin


The Foreign Lads:
-Astrit Ajdarevic
-Mattone Awang
-Alex Kacaniklic
-Besian Idrizaj
-Nabil El Zhar
-Ronald Huth
-Martin Hansen
-Krisztian Nemeth
-Andras Simon
-Nikolay Mihaylov
-Francisco Duran
-Godwin Antwi
-Miki Roque
-Mikel San Jose
-Peter Gulacsi.
-Jordy Brouwer

Only 16 or so foreign lads by origin, the rest are British.

[Leonmc0708]

Our Reserves and Youth Team:

The Brittish Lads:
-Jay Spearing
-Ray Putterill
-Ryan Flynn
-Craig Lindfield
-Paul Anderson
-Adam Hammil
-Robbie Threrfall
-Jack Hobbs
-Danny Guthrie
-Lee Peltier
-James Smith
-Michael Collins
-Gary MacKay-Steven
-Shane O'Connor
-Ben Personage
-Michael Scott
-Nathan Eccleston
-Sean Highdale
-Steven Irvin
-Joe Kennedy
-Chris Oldfield
-Marvin Pourie
-David Amoo
-Dean Bouzanis
-David Martin

The only ones with any chance of first team action for me here.

[Reg]

Reg, you do realize that our youth team has won the FA Youth Cup back to back with a vast amount of home grown players?

I do matey and I also note how few of our homegrown younger players have made it through to the first team and establish themselves, most are sold off - Ritchie Partridge and others for example.

Question, who was the last homegrown player to establish himself in the first team? Not Carra shirley? Even with a massive first team squad based on rotation these lads are not breaking through. We cant even produce a goalie for godsake!

[AB's Red Army]

Reg, you do realize that our youth team has won the FA Youth Cup back to back with a vast amount of home grown players?

I do matey and I also note how few of our homegrown younger players have made it through to the first team and establish themselves, most are sold off - Ritchie Partridge and others for example.

Question, who was the last homegrown player to establish himself in the first team? Not Carra shirley? Even with a massive first team squad based on rotation these lads are breaking through. We cant even produce a goalie for godsake!

Academies all across the British isles are having problems producing top top quality players.

In my opinion, it's down to how football is viewed by coaches in the academies. In South American countries, enjoying football is the key. Kids there aren't drilled with formations when they're 12 or 13, they enjoy their football. That's why they produce more flair than England.

In Brazil, you have kids playing on the streets,on the beaches, on the pitch and indoors. Robinho for instance, only started to play on grass when he turned 14 years of age.

Look at the academies in Holland for example. Ajax are renowned for developing their players, and now Feyenoord [their local rivals ] are producing good talent as well.

Over the last 17 years we've produced very good to world class players:
- McManaman
- Fowler
- Owen
- Gerrard
- Carragher

We're lucky enough to have had these players. All of them world class [Carragher can be debated by some] talents.

You can't expect to see produce that talent so soon again.

Even United are having difficulties after their golden generation of talent in the early 90's.

You talk about players like Partridge being sold, well they're sold because they aren't good enough for this club. They may be decent or good players, but not good enough to get playing time week in and week out.

That's not just the case with us, but with many top clubs in England.

Undoubtedly a club like West Ham have are producing talented players, but they can afford to play them consistently because they aren't facing the same expectations as the top four in this country. Thus it helps those players to grow and develop but as soon as they show their glimpses of ability, they off to bigger clubs. [Lampard,Carrick,Defoe,Joe Cole,etc..]

[EddieC]

Our Reserves and Youth Team:

The Brittish Lads:
-Jay Spearing
-Ray Putterill
-Ryan Flynn
-Craig Lindfield
-Paul Anderson
-Adam Hammil
-Robbie Threrfall
-Jack Hobbs
-Danny Guthrie
-Lee Peltier
-James Smith
-Michael Collins
-Gary MacKay-Steven
-Shane O'Connor
-Ben Personage
-Michael Scott
-Nathan Eccleston
-Sean Highdale
-Steven Irvin
-Joe Kennedy
-Chris Oldfield
-Marvin Pourie
-David Amoo
-Dean Bouzanis
-David Martin


The Foreign Lads:
-Astrit Ajdarevic
-Mattone Awang
-Alex Kacaniklic
-Besian Idrizaj
-Nabil El Zhar
-Ronald Huth
-Martin Hansen
-Krisztian Nemeth
-Andras Simon
-Nikolay Mihaylov
-Francisco Duran
-Godwin Antwi
-Miki Roque
-Mikel San Jose
-Peter Gulacsi.
-Jordy Brouwer

Only 16 or so foreign lads by origin, the rest are British.

I hate to nitpick, but Bouzanis is Australian.

[Reg]

Remember ManUres team of local lads? West Ham as you say plus our own crop, they are all in the recent past so it can be repeated if the will is there to find and develop them. Going abroad seems to be an easy option these days.

My twin boys aged 5 both attend Rivelino´s football academy here in São Paulo so dont quite take your point about Brazil being less structured than europe - they´re as much on the gravy boat and probably have a greater incentive.

Cheers
Reg

[LFC2007]

Remember ManUres team of local lads? West Ham as you say plus our own crop, they are all in the recent past so it can be repeated if the will is there to find and develop them. Going abroad seems to be an easy option these days.

My twin boys aged 5 both attend Rivelino´s football academy here in São Paulo so dont quite take your point about Brazil being less structured than europe - they´re as much on the gravy boat and probably have a greater incentive.

Cheers
Reg

Going abroad is the only option you have if the talent is not apparent in your local area, the problems with academies are widespread, they are not exclusive to ours. It is a myth that we have neglected local talent anyway, we have a mix of nationalities.

Your point about Brazil being just as sructured as Europe isn't really correct either, there are football academies in every football playing country, but certainly in Brazil there is a more maverick attitude to doing things and it is less structured from an early age. It is also true that they don't tend to play on grass until they are a lot older.

[AB's Red Army]

Remember ManUres team of local lads? West Ham as you say plus our own crop, they are all in the recent past so it can be repeated if the will is there to find and develop them. Going abroad seems to be an easy option these days.

My twin boys aged 5 both attend Rivelino´s football academy here in São Paulo so dont quite take your point about Brazil being less structured than europe - they´re as much on the gravy boat and probably have a greater incentive.

Cheers
Reg

Not all kids in Brazil can afford to go to academies. I doubt that your lads for instance will be ignored because they have flair, but don't have the pace,strength and endurance.


That's what coaches often look for in England in the young lads, because the domestic leagues require those characteristics in players. Flair players tend to be ignored because they aren't as physical or as big as the other lads.

That's not to say that academies in Brazil have less structure than in England. But I doubt that your sons will be drilled with 4-4-2,4-5-1 tactics at this age or in a couple of years. Enjoying football is more important at 5 years old don't you think?

It's no surprise that England consistently seem to produce good centerbacks.

-Ferdinand
-Terry
-Campbell
-Woodgate
-Carragher
-King

And now there's Richards. Also there's Dawson at Tottenham, and quite a few others at mid-table clubs.

How many flair players have England produced recently? Not many really.

Do you get my point? The English game needs to change their goals for the young lads. Let them have more fun, let them express themselves more on the pitch.

[Reg]

This forum is truely blessed to have so many experts !