We are certainly rebuilding and now is exactly the time to put in place good foundations for the future.
Without a mega rich backer putting in millions, this means we need to build slowly within our financial means ensuring the first team is successful as a priority and hopefully get back into the championship, but at the same time improving facilities for all levels and coaching for our academy.
James Brent has saved the club and although initially I was sceptical - he has done a first class job and getting off the bottom of the fourth division and having three successful seasons is brilliant for us fans.
However, it is not rumour or innuendo that other similar and smaller sized clubs have better training facilities for their U8's - U16's than we have for our first team.
I would hope that the club are seriously considering installing an all weather astro pitch at Harpers Park. I do not know how many first team training sessions are lost to bad weather but the first team training would be significantly better in the winter months on a decent artificial surface.
It would also benefit the academy because many games at Tavistock are cancelled because the pitches are on an old flood plain - clue is in the name!!!!!!! - so our youngsters are frequently missing out on valuable game time during wet winter periods.
Also the academy hires astro pitches at Ivybridge - 3 hrs Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays and Saltmill 2hrs on Wednesday - total 11 hrs per week. They also hire for games during the season for U8's - U16s and almost certainly also for the U18's and development squad. Therefore at £60 per hour we could be spending £700 - £1000 plus hiring astro pitches per week and having our own astro would represent a massive saving - especially as grants maybe available for the installation of new astro pitches.
It is also fact that Exeter are producing as one poster said "a conveyor belt of talent." £1.75 million for Grimes, similar or bigger sum for Ollie Watkins if they sell and no doubt a multi million pound deal for Ampidou at some point in the future is a massive return for the club.
Without a rich backer prepared to inject millions into the club, we need to develop our own talent to come into the first team and also to be sold to generate funds.
We can say its all cyclical and sit back and believe we will come good in time - but I don't think burying our heads in the sand will help and the simple fact is that players we have all had high hopes for have not been able to take the step from U18 to become first team regulars. These players such as Tyler have gone to other league clubs and also not made the grade so its not just our managers views of them.
I believe its vital that the players are developed from early as possible to give them sound basics, knowledge, attitude etc etc and I think it is a just and reasonable question to ask why these players of ours are not able to take the step up to the professional ranks. Others posters have also stated that we have not moved with the times with regards to modern training methods and techniques, use of video analysis and classroom sessions and it was the case a couple of years ago that our apprentices were doing cleaning jobs etc round home park when apprentices at other clubs they are having extra gym sessions, classroom sessions, video analysis etc which is a much better use of their time and will undoubtedly result in better players being produced.
We are not trogs or making mischief, I have been a fan for over 40 years and my dream is to see Argyle in the premiership, but there are reasons why and it is not just down to cyclical factors.
It is fact that our training facilities are not as good as other clubs and it is a fact that our academy is not producing at the moment. This is no doubt down to a previous severe lack of funding but now we are moving up the leagues it is time someone senior at the club asked the question why, and looked at these other academies to see what the differences are, and if we can learn anything form these academies and improve our own.
The player, no relation of mine, who was released this year and was then signed by Cardiff City was Jordan the U16's goalkeeper - there was an article in the Sunday Independent last year??? which reported on when he went for England trials.
I have also heard a rumour, and only rumour, that Aaron Cussack did his last training session for the academy last week. If this is true, it is a massive massive MASSIVE loss to the academy and club. He was brilliant coach and superb at identifying players strengths and weaknesses and giving them targets to work on.
And also a really decent honest nice man - just hope this isn't true as he is exactly the type of academy coach we need.
