Quote: Judder Man "
For that reason, its just my opinion the grass roots via the academy pathway is the primary importance above anything else.'"
You are entitled to it but I wholeheartedly disagree (sometimes aggressively so, when feeling provoked
![Very Happy icon_biggrin.gif](images/smilies//icon_biggrin.gif)
). That said, a good academy can somewhat mitigate the challenges faced by the whipping boy clubs, and a poor one can exacerbate them. Rovers’ has not offered a good return on investment over getting on for 15 years and I do hope that changes. Obviously we’ll struggle to hold onto good players when it is only ever the same handful of clubs that win trophies and stretch the limits of the cap, but even so. If it doesn’t improve, there’s always the example of Cas who got much better when they focused less on academy products… as a consolation hope.