After some months of contemplation, the verdict has finally arrived: Town will opt against Category One status, choosing the more financially viable Category Two instead.

Immediate reaction suggests the bulk of us are disappointed, taking into account the 5,000-signature petition. Perhaps it suggests a lack of ambition on Simon Clegg’s part, but this is a decision well-documented with much reasoning behind it.

While I do not confess to be an EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan) expert, over the last couple of hours I’ve tried to focus on the bigger picture, in essence, I’ve looked to uncover the defining concept of EPPP.

The most defining aspect of EPPP lies in the fact Category One clubs can buy recruit players from smaller clubs for significantly reduced compensation, and we’re not talking small compensation, we’re talking extremely small compensation in relation to huge clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal.

The monetary implications of this seem absolutely ludicrous. Feeder clubs like Crewe are relying on their best young assets to provide them with financial rewards in the form of lucrative transfer sums to keep their club running smoothly. If this financial gain is eradicated then they surely lose their heart and soul as a football club.

The purpose of EPPP resides in the sense younger players of 15 and under who are not under scholarship can move to the best clubs in the country, be provided with world class coaching to help them reach the pinnacle of their potential.

In turn, it would be hoped that these players can develop into national team players, where the optimistic prospect of a European Championship or World Cup can suddenly become more achievable.

But if you look at this more closely, the most realistic eventuality will be an 18-year-old making the regular transition between the Arsenal reserves and first team bench (If he’s making good progress).

The optimistic claim at a World Cup may seem irresistible, but should this be allowed to happen at the sacrifice of competitive mid-to-lower league football?

EPPP completely defeats the purpose of long lying English football tradition. Football clubs should be allowed to pride themselves on their strong youth intake. Let’s use another example, my local club Barnet, they’ve been confined to the depths of the League Two relegation zone for roughly eight years running.

How do clubs like Barnet grow in relative stature? With few resources they struggle to attract quality players at that level, their monetary emphasis has to be pinpointed on youth. Without substantial investment they face an upward battle to keep hold of Football League status.

It seems the modern age of football is a world consumed in the sad reality of the elite, the commercialisation of the Premier League is completely dismissing the smaller clubs, no wonder there are so many 'glory hunters' nowadays.

So, let’s say we did opt for Category One status, we would be competing with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea for well-researched and scouted youngsters. The chances of us gaining these gems would be unlikely to say the least, unless we can acquire scouts with a measured eye for a hidden piece of majesty then we’re fighting a losing battle.

There may be many aspects of EPPP I haven’t considered, perhaps I’ve unintentionally considered far too many negatives and scrutinised Category One status on an unjustifiable level. Further to a previous blog of mine, I stressed the importance of opting for Category One status, but having summed up the current predicament of football over many strenuously thoughtful hours, perhaps we should delay Category One status until we’ve at least gained Premier League status. Championship football over Premier League football simply isn’t an attractive proposition for youngsters nowadays.

If we look at the club as a whole, we would have been running up even more substantial debts without the sale of Connor Wickham. With Financial Fair Play now coming in, it begs the question as to whether this annual £2 million sum is really necessary in our current circumstances.

Like I say, this is simply my opinion, so please feel free to argue against my viewpoint.

michaeldownunder added 09:57 - Mar 31 Agree with your well thought out blog Like to add two things How many youth players,apart from Man U, have come thru to play for the first team at top clubs like Chelsea,Liverpool,Arsenal ? in the last few seasons. Cannot think of many, so young players will still look to teams like us and Crewe to get a chance of making it. Did not Connor Wickham only come to us because of his Dad moving to this area because of his job and the same with Jordan Rhodes ? What age were they when they came to ITFC? The big thing is top sides picking up players on the cheap from lower league teams. This means more clubs going bust, more players out of work In the end we will end up with a European league for all the top clubs. Then the so called big clubs can play each other with no relegation keep all the TV money and stuff the rest of us. What a crap world of football that would be

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Vic added 12:12 - Mar 31 I have a feeling that it isn't really going to make much difference! It will be down to the quality of the coaches we employ and the opportunities we can give young lads of getting into the first team. For many, many years we've used the carrot of first team football to attract lads to the club - I can't see that changing just because we're Cat 2. So we lose a couple of lads to that lot up the road - there will be others we can develop if the coaching is good enough. And lets be honest, how many youngesters really get a chance in the prem? Most are developed in the lower leagues first anmd sold on - that's if the prem teams haven't been filled with foriegners first!

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Tractorboy24 added 17:59 - Apr 1 I don't think this will affect sides like us or Crewe, many players which have moved from us or those moved at an older age to the 16 which come under the eppp. Cases like bostock to spurs, sterling to Liverpool, the 2 Luton kids to Chelsea or the Cheltenham player which moved to arsenal are the examples where sides would lose out. But the only side of those examples with a good youth reputation is palace, but this reputation has only come since bostock's move. Eppp will be good for national team level as it will put an emphasis on youth football. The biggest threat to the football league is the ffp, whilst this gives football teams an emphasis on spending within their means, there is no competition if the premier league does not abide by these rules.

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SouperJim added 09:58 - Apr 2 The proof of the pudding and all that, but I'm extremely concerned about EPPP and our decision to go Cat 2. With the academy sitting outside of FFP I find it hard not to see this as an opportunity missed. For a similar sum to that which we have wasted on mercenaries and retirement contracts (the names are obvious) we could potentially have a massive leg-up over our championship rivals. And thats without even taking geography into consideration, are we likely to be able to compete for young talent while a superior academy set-up at a premier league club is just up the road?

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Blue041273 added 21:21 - Apr 4 My initial reaction which admittedly was based on the Club's traditional values was one of disappointment. However, having read a number of viewpoints on the subject, particularly this excellent blog, I too think that Cat 1 was a stage too far for us at the moment. I don't agree though that the Cat 2 option won't affect us. The cream of all youth footballers will go to Cat 1 academies which if we're honest is how it should be from a coaching perspective. Thus our Cat 2 academy will be unable to attract the cream of the crop and any late developers on our books having slipped through the Cat 1 net could be enticed away for peanuts. On the plus side though is that only a small percentage of youngsters coming through the Cat 1 academies will ultimately graduate into their first team squads. Although investment will be high FPP rules should mean that squads will be smaller and this should mean that there will be a steady stream of excellently coached youngsters looking for clubs like ours once they have been cut from their own. This does not mean the recruits to our own academy will be in any way 2nd class. They will still receive a football education which I believe is unique and we will still develop our share of youngsters to first team level. If we're honest our current needs are for good Championship players. While academy graduates like Wickham are a bonus we don't need an academy designed to produce future world cup winners. A steady flow of Cresswells, Hyams or Carsons will do for the immediate future.

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TractorRoyNo1 added 01:13 - Apr 16 2nd rate, 2nd class, 2nd division - and that's where we will stay without 1st rate, 1st class AMBITION!!!
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