Article on Ivory Coast academy that produced Wilfried Bony

[Gamma]

Kudos to those who can complicate it.

[Karl]

We do?!!! Where is it and how many players are enrolled?

[Karl]

People hear the word "academy"... then instantly think it's unaffordable. They think of manicured fields, state of the art gyms & hotel style accommodation ... That's what they see on TV at the European or American places they worship.

Jamaica doesn't need and can't afford that foreign excess... but we can take this great example and do SOMETHING within our means

Fortunately I've already outlined how a very affordable academy can be established & operated.

It would be maybe just slightly above the infrastructure in this one...and a HUGE step forward in Jamaican football.

Shout it from the rafters!!!

[Zeppo]

The mighty USA have struggled as well and they have many academies

Youth academies are still in their infancy in the USA.

[Karl]

Let me state this lowd and clear, forget this academy chat that we keep bleating on about. The only difference between us Jamaicans and the Africans is hunger and the love for football. It has nothing to do with Academy, we have players just as talented if given the chance, however the football clubs in Jamaica do not have the players best interest at heart and only want to manipulate players. The clubs in Africa will gladly send their players to play in Europe on free loans. Did you all know that Bony's first foray in Europe was on a free loan to Sparta Prague? It is all about opportunities.

I would not say forget the establishment of a 'proper academy'...but as you rightly stated there is the problem of inept administrators at the club level.

I also would not limit the pointing of the fingers to the clubs only.

Again - Agree with you that the club administrators often stand in the way of their players. The quality leadership at the clubs needs improvement!!!

[Karl]

Karl...what are the chances you will have 22 football prodigies enrolled at one school at the same time? yuh have sense?

"football prodigies"?
Messi like or Cesc like or Hazard like or Bale like...etc., quality? - as a snowball in hell!

...or run of the mill EPL type players? - E.g. Henderson, Allen of Liverpool, Crystal Palace striker Frazier Malcolm or Dwight Gayle, or Morgan or Paul Hall, or Frank Sinclair or "Bibi Gardner or Luton Shelton, or Willy Boo" Fuller, ...hell the run of mill types...and there are many players in the top European Leagues worse than those I named...

Just about every school! All they need is teaching! ...good teaching!

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Bricktop:
- Do not confuse run of the mills quality players with top world players...please?

- Do not confuse landing a professional contract by a run of the mill player with that player necessarily being a better player than tens of thousands others who shall never gain a contract?

- There are tens of thousands of players who land a professional contract who are poor players than hundreds of thousands who shall never land any professional contract.

Talent abounds - On exposure of same abundance of talents shall never see the light of day for a variety of reasons.

Cut out the trite "yuh 'ave sense'?

[Mosiah]

Do we not have the JFF's Academy?

snicker

[Karl]

Yuh dun kno - I agree the talent is there - hey????? Talent abounds! ...but hunger is not the alpha and omega of why our players do not realize their potential! Yuh dun kno mi tell areadi yuh 'ow dat guh!

[Mosiah]

Dunny these players can't play for club until after DCup season. Most are not playing for the club's first teams either. If the school have an important game some of the schools hide the players from national duties much less. Find out how many of these kids even start a game in the NPL.

Exactly!

[Karl]

ahmm...where were the players developed prior to being signed to these semi-pro clubs?

The where is not important as a place or entity is as good as the education it delivers.

Sooooo...if the football being taught at Bricktop's Football Academy is garbage...then players on graduation will be GARBAGE OUT!

Clearly both the work at the institutions those our players...or at the very least the majority of our players were taught was garbage and our results confirmed same as they were GARBAGE OUT!

If the football being taught is great at school or club or both then the results shall be COMPETENT FOOTBALLERS OUT!

NB: Bricktop and his students Gamma and Sass at best are deliberately misleading or at worse are following the path of the ignorant!!!

Need I say it again?
Our football teachers are marring our kids...destroying our talents...and it matters not why, fact is our results show that is what they are doing/achieving!!!

Only the blind would not see an upgrade on quality teaching/coaching is needed.

[Gamma]

Yuh good! That is all I have to say. Not necessarily a compliment but one of awe!!