Neither Burgess is anywhere near close to being good enough for SL.

Change their surname and few would raise an eyebrow.

I'm glad someone's finally said that.

It was never binned and it has always produced quality player, it didnt need reviving, because it was still alive, where do you think Sam Burgess, Dave Halley, Craig Kopzcak, Matt Cook, Ryan Atkins, and various others were playing? For local amateur teams?

Im afraid to say it's you who is wrong and it seems as if you are one of those that believe the garbage about having to rebuild the academy, it was just fine and was doing what it always has done and to this day continues to.

Very happy to help.

I believe in the last game of the 2006 season we had five players who were recent "graduates" of the academy set-up playing - Burgess, Langley, K Pryce, Cook and Ferres, if I recall correctly Kopczak had also debuted earlier that season.

While there is little doubt the youth system wasn't top of the previous board's priorities (after all Chris Caisley stated that success was not cyclical and could simply be maintained, there wasn't enough money around to invest in anything but the first team in this situation) I don't think it had seized up completely, though obviously it hadn't produced a crop of players of the standard of Fielden,Peacock and Leon Pryce, which was very much the exception that proves the rule in terms of what you can expect an academy to produce.

I don't doubt that McNamara had more of a focus on youth in comparison to the past, but the changes in rules and the quota system demanded that the club would have to start making changes whoever was in charge (and quite rightly so).

Early days, but so far from the poll we have the general feeling that the most supporters are "relieved" and that "the board should have done this two years ago".

Is that what everyones feeling?

I'm not sure who came in which particular year to be honest but that sounds about right. Bulls4 is right to say that the academy never stopped, but just having an academy team isn't really the point. As the finances dried up they moved all the academy lads onto part time contracts and, as they were no longer full time, the amount of coaching dropped. Whilst there were players coming through in this period they were actually from the earlier time when it was serviced properly. During an approx. 18 month two year period they struggled to get quality juniors because other clubs were offering a better quality environment and full time coaching, it was a no brainer really.

I'm sure you're right about quota system changes having a big effect on policy, though it was necessary it still had to be done and it's been done very well. What I find hard to understand is how the blind hatred of one man causes people to deny the good that he did.

Olbison on current form would do a much better job than Worrincy, he's playing excellently.

+1

TBF, I have said similar for a while now. Mind the OTT carry on when it was suggested we buy Luke Burgess? My point was basically if his surname was not Burgess he would not be considered anything special at all.

Which he isn't.

For the record I dont hate Steve Mac, I dont know the man.

Should have gone two years ago imo but so glad he's gone he's England's problem now.

I am relieved he`s gone, hopefully we can kick on and finish the season and then start afresh next season with a new coach.

Whilst I have great respect for SM he was not the man for Bradford, the Board should take a fair amount of the blame for the position we still find ourselves in at the moment.

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

I'm not sure if there is that much blind hatred towards McNamara, with maybe a notable exception or two.

I do think people on this forum are less inclined to give McNamara credit for what he has done because of how often excuses were wheeled out for him when it came to discussing the things he hadn't.

Personally I felt the stage had been reached a long time ago where no-one was going to budge on their feelings toward him so I stopped getting involved in going round in circles.

The Academy going part time was in fact Gareth Davies doing at the end of 2003 a decision Noble was totally against.