Chief executive Simon Clegg insists that the Blues' Academy is amongst manager Paul Jewell’s priorities. The Town boss has been criticised for allowing a number of youngsters to leave the club over the last year and for not giving younger players such as Luke Hyam regular first team opportunities.

Clegg dismisses suggestions that Jewell is less interested in the club’s youth policy than has traditionally been the case with Town bosses: “I don’t accept that [the Academy isn’t amongst Paul’s priorities].

“Certainly, in my limited experience of managers at this club, Paul is out with the youth teams much more regularly than perhaps some other managers.”

Fans have been critical of the release of young keeper Cody Cropper amongst others, while players such as Tom Eastman, Caolan Lavery and more recently Callum Bennett have turned down professional contracts — in some cases on wages understood to be in the region of £250 a week - in favour of deals elsewhere.

Eastman joined Colchester last summer, Lavery came close to signing for Bradford towards the end of last year and has had trials elsewhere but is still a free agent, and Bennett has been offered terms by newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday.

Clegg says youngsters, like more senior players, are offered the deals the club believes they are worth at that time: “We will offer appropriate contracts to individuals who we believe are worthy of contracts at a level which we think is appropriate for them.

“I’ve made it very clear that I’m not going to pay over the odds to bring players into this club and I’m not going to pay over the odds to young players who are yet to prove their worth.

“They’re only as good to this club as we believe they are worth,” he added. “The way that I judge how successful the Academy is is by its outputs — delivering players into the first team or driving money to help compensate the running of the Academy [if they move] elsewhere.

“The manager is heavily involved in those discussions in terms how much potential he believes each individual has got and how much they are worth.

“I think that we have amply shown that for the right players there will be first team opportunities at this football club — Byron Lawrence, Joe Whight, Connor Wickham — but Financial Fair Play is having an impact.”

Photo: Action Images

Photo: Action Images

RegencyBlue added 21:30 - May 8 Clegg is using FFP to justify every decision he's taking. Convenient, much too convenient!
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itfchorry added 21:39 - May 8 Well said ITFC1981 Clegg Out
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buryblue77 added 22:02 - May 8 Well, if it's true no wonder we can't even sign up our own youth. £250 a week, who would play for that? A part timer at Bury Town I would imagine. I don't have any faith in Evans or Clegg to run this club, however I am grateful to Marcus Evans for coming in and investing or things could be a lot worse, we could have entered administration again, or even worse. I just wish he had an understanding of football and the market forces driving it, or at least employed a CEO who had experience of it.

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WickedBlue added 22:07 - May 8 Well said Superfranz that is what I got from his comments and agree with PJ. During Bobby Robson's era we had a superb Combination League where the team was a good mix of youth and experienced pros. Youth team players could develop and kick on to challenge for a first team place. Their development wasn't hampered like it will be playing the same players in the U21 league as they played in the youth team. You've got to offer the youth players new challenges something we have not been able to do for many years. And I fear this U21 league will fail to challenge the players.

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Lightningboy added 22:23 - May 8 If Jewell wanted to give some of the youngsters a chance against more experienced players then he had the perfect opportunity to do it over the last 5 or 6 games of the season..he could've given the likes of Lawrence,Cropper,Whight & Hyam some serious match time ahead of the likes of Leadbitter,Bowyer & Murphy who I think just about everyone knew would be leaving in the summer...no point dissing the u21 league then totally contradicting yourself PJ...if you don't play them then we'll never find out.

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alfromcol added 22:34 - May 8 """Fans have been critical of the release of young keeper Cody Cropper amongst others, while players such as Tom Eastman, Caolan Lavery and more recently Callum Bennett have turned down professional contracts — in some cases on wages understood to be in the region of £250 a week - in favour of deals elsewhere.""" Read the words folks:: 'In some cases' - 'understood to be in the region of'. Not a lot of facts here. Seems to be only hearsay and not facts. They have left the club good luck to them, only time will tell if they make the grade, move on folks.

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newboy added 09:55 - May 9 The point is the fact that clegg has come out publicly to say the academy is a priority with PJ shows just the opposite. He has never watched them train /or invited youth players to train with him he is not a youth manager. RK would regularly ask for the youth players to join in with him and the 1st team for training jewell has a separate camp policy the youth players have to sit in a dressing room for over an hour while the pros and PJ eat breakfast as they are not allowed it - they cannot eat lunch until the pros and PJ have had theres and they certainly are not allowed to train together it is not an inclusive cohesive environment and never will be under these people. AND IT IS DEFINATELY NOT A PJ PRIORITY

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newboy added 10:36 - May 9 While I would concede that as some of you are saying you can earn more than £250 in the local leagues playing football the biggest point here is that the boys are not turning down these deals because of the money it is because of the man clegg has come out to defend (and he knows this or he would not be bothering to defend him)
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ChurchmanBlue added 13:26 - May 9 I think a few more people should make the effort to go and watch the youth teams (and I don't just mean the U18's), and then we can have a serious debate about how good these players are before we start slating the club for releasing them. I know for a fact that PJ will spend time on a Saturday morning before a home game watching both the U16's and U18's. In addition to this, PJ will be at the training ground most Sunday mornings to have a look at various age groups from U9 to U15. Not only is PJ there, but also Chris Hutchings & Sean McCarthy, so I think it is safe to assume that they take the academy seriously. I don't agree with some of the contracts that have been offered, but this is more in terms of the length of contract offered - 3 contracts with players loaned out for first 2? I would love to see a team of home grown talent, but academies will only produce 1-2 players per season, so overall we're not too bad. The bigger issue is that the club has allowed the strength of the first team squad to fall to such a low level, and the inability to fund adequate replacements. Perhaps this is the long term result of going into administration, and will take even longer to get out of.

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up_the_town4 added 21:33 - May 9 ChurchmanBlue I have friends who have boys at the club and I have just asked them about your comment about Jewell at the training ground watching which they have laughed there head off at and asked where the hell you have got that from as they have never seen him watching once apparently he turned up to watch the 18s once but lasted 2 mins before leaving so where did you get that from?

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ChurchmanBlue added 09:45 - May 10 up_the_town4, I have seen him there with my own eyes, and indeed I have spoken to him myself. I can guarantee that he has been at the training ground on Sunday mornings, even if the first team are not in for training. Might not be every Sunday, but at least he makes more effort that RK. As for watching the U18's, it will obviously depend on whether 1st team are home or away, but I have seen him at Playford Road on at least half a dozen occaisions on Saturday mornings.

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up_the_town4 added 17:58 - May 10 The photo on the wall does not count as Jewell being there haha. Well my mates have boys in various ages and they have never seen him anyway being at the club means nothing taking time out to watch the youth and speak to them is what counts yes your right Roy keane never done it Jim Magiltion did he was excellent the last two wallys have been awful it's well known jewell has no time for youth look at he's signing all old expeienced players who lets be honest are past it I think the club will be a better and happier place when he's gone

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ChurchmanBlue added 09:05 - May 11 I think you missed the piont that PJ takes time to watch the matches that are bing played. Will also talk to the boys during the breaks in play. I can only speak as I find, and I can say that PJ does take the time to see for himself what is happening. Doesn't make him a great manger though, just someone who is putting in more effort than he is given credit for. Let's not get started about who he has bought and how old they are.

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