Home grown

Quote: MOPSEY LIVES ON "dont come on here much now but managed to click on and view this thred so il throw a few things into the mix aswell.

as most of you know myself along with my good friend tony drury coached the title winning side a few years back now. that side was put together on a shoe string budget and built in a period over 18 months. lads were picked up from the under 17s who had been over looked by other clubs and mixed with lads on contracts and some youngsters. over a period of time we looked at individual players and the team aswell and decided to go off a lot what kear coached the first team and play and train our way. sessions were designed to bring skill levels up to scratch and to be game related. the title winning team was so well drilled it just flowed. we had a set of lads who trusted us with their lives and who would run through a brick wall if we asked them to do it they were tough and hard and all knew if their standards dropped they would be dropped. we got everything out of them and that year players who are now in top sl teams were demolished by our lads. were these lads ready for sl the following season, some of them maybe but they were better than the lads we signed from other clubs systems and they were our own. personally i dont think kear knew what to do with them. for me when you hit a level you need to kick again, no point playing reserves. get them to a club on loan but a club where they will get looked after behind good forwards.

just a point on identifying players, when looking at young players most develop at different rates of growth. body shape and size is important. look at lenghth of leg from ankle to knee thatl give a good indication on growth but the main thing for me in spotting players is leg speed and this applies to any position. no speed in legs and youve had it im affraid. il refer to ben gledhill great kid to talk to and coach but this was his downfall at top level leg speed.

when i moved onto the scouting team at wigan bout 3 years back. the youth system at wigan was no where near where it was, maurice lyndsay had let it go a bit. ian lenigan said he wanted to win the grand final in 5 years with lads who had come through the club. every detail was looked at and systems and scouts put in place in yorks cumbria lancs and the scouts also covered all games in differents codes at all ages. the system there now is second to none it can be done.

when bringing a youngster to wakefield they should be told that theres no guarentee that they will play sl and if they dont will leave our club a better player than when they arrived. every game and every session need to be taped and gone over. mistakes are made its learning but not over and over again. individual programs put in place for body size, weight and shape and finally lads should not be signed and just said to here you go do it work with them nurture them. talk to them, scream at them sometimes, you are after a reaction out of them saying right il show them.

to any young player or parent of a young player reading this most people in sport are in it for themselves so trust no one but yourself and go do it yourself and you wont go far wrong.'"

Great post. One of the best I have read on here in a long time.