WPM R26 @ Macarthur FC | Fri 24th Apr | 9:35pm | Sky Sport 3

YoungHeartHM wrote:

 Bradman99 wrote:

 YoungHeartHM wrote:

 JasperNix wrote:
LKH is not good enough for the A League- let alone be in a conversation about being a capatin. 

He, like Sheridan, sort of feels like a robotic academy product with no X factor (pace, mongrel, whatever). 

The Nix need to wipe the slate of that cohort of academy products  (aside from
Hughes who really came good this year) and blood rhew next ones. 

Keeping LKH, FRC, MS is consigning the Nix to mediocrity and also, frankly, just  bad busness if their model is to develop and export. Nobody is buying those players so they need to be moved on. 

Whilst an interesting take on it, who exactly are you bringing through to blood and give experience at A-League level?

The ones that were perhaps on the periphery - Candy, Watson, Flowerdew, Makowem, Gillion and a few others have all gone on to other endeavours, and the next exciting one in Jack Perniskie is apparently off to the UK when he turns 18. 

The next emerging crop coming through have been 'refreshed' in the off season and are only 17-19 with a majority of them having barely even played Central League football, or at the very least are in their infancy at that level. Ben Trenberth - who I think looks a talent based on NZ U17 stuff and his couple of CL appearances is only 15/16...

This is not a dig either. I'm just genuinely interested to see who people think are coming through who would make a difference in the first team setting. Keeping in mind of course guys like Loke, Walker, Cassidy, McCarron, GSR and Smith have been in and around the first team recently and are on scholarships or full deals as it is.

The question needs to be asked if the Scholarship program for A League is really working.  Sure, it's great for young players to earn $ while they develop their game.  However, the NZ kids who signed scholarships barely get to play...this is true for both Phoenix & AFC.  So these kids spend 2 years or more with barely any game time.  

Apparently, most of the AFC scholarship lads are moving on after this season.  Of the Nix boys, none that came through the academy (LBS came in direct & bypassed the academy) have really been given enough opportunity to see if they are up to it.  Suggests the coaches are not seeing enough at training to justify the minutes.

If we are taking the supposedly best young talents and stunting their growth by not playing them for two years perhaps, then perhaps we need to reconsider this model.

I have seen the same sentiment around the scholarship system to be honest. A general consensus seems to be that it's a way to fill out and fatten a squad on the cheap (given scholarships are excluded from the cap), but ultimately, across most clubs, it's failing to fulfilling the role of developing the player longer term with appearances/meaningful minutes. 

Personally I'd like to see something similar to what happens in the MLS, whereby players who hold MLS Next Pro (reserve team) contracts can be elevated to the first team only so many times (From memory 4-6 matchday squads - They don't even have to play, just be in the squad!) before they are then automatically upgraded to a full first team deal. 

Now it's not the perfect system, and could also be open to maneuvering and tomfoolery in that "Oh we've called up x so many times already, we'll select y to get around it" but I think if it something similar could be tweaked/tuned up and put in place, then that could actually funnel the best players towards meaningful contract deals. 

If the same principles were in place in the A-League and you translated that to our current squad we would have seen LBS, Loke & McCarron upgraded to full deal already for the 25/26 season, and Walker upgraded for the 24/25 season.

Just my thoughts on it. I'd love to hear feedback and thoughts on this too, as I think there is some merit in how it could be applied.