It takes a lot to make it at Wolves
Tuesday 27th September 2011, 12:20PM BST.
Wolves columnist John Lalley has viewed the first-team emergence of Matt Doherty with scepticism, after the club’s mixed fortunes bringing talent through the ranks.
One of the consolations of the defeat at Liverpool was the assured assimilation of full-back Matt Doherty into Premier League football.
For 45 minutes, the young Irishman looked completely at ease, at a venue that still ranks as a massively intimidating arena for any inexperienced professional.
Doherty was cool under pressure, confident enough to choose the right options and looked to have all the attributes to make a positive impact at this level.
But whether he will be the recipient of a proper opportunity to stake a case sooner rather than later remains to be seen.
Apart from Wayne Hennessey, no Wolves player on duty at Anfield has graduated from our academy system and, of course, neither has Doherty.
Wolves paid money to secure his services but, at present, he appears to be the closest to the first team of any youngster trying to work his way through the ranks at Molineux. It is proving to be a difficult task.
James Spray dipped his toes against Millwall in the Carling Cup and made an impression, leading him afterwards to speak about pushing his claims for future recognition. The likelihood is that he faces a hell of a long wait.
It’s illuminating to look at the end of season awards given to our young players over the last six campaigns. In 2004-05, there was a young professional award won by Leon Clarke.
The following year, an academy Player of the Season prize was introduced and a look at the list of winners gives an indication of the calibre of player being produced within our system.
The five academy players of the season between 2005 and 2010 were Daniel Jones, Lee Collins, Ashley Hemmings, Scott Malone and Nathan Rooney.
During the same period, the young professional award gongs went to Mark Davies, Mark Little, Elliott Bennett, Sam Vokes – another player we paid money for – and Danny Batth.
Over this time, three other products of our academy had already proved themselves as notable successes.
Hennessey was player of the season in 2007-08, Matt Murray won a similar award in 2006-07 whilst Joleon Lescott was voted player’s player of the season in 2005-06.
Murray and Lescott had been joined in the 2003 promotion winning team by Lee Naylor, another product of the Wolves youth system.
Before then, of course, Robbie Keane stood as testimony that the old adage of ‘good enough is old enough’ still rang true after his sensational introduction as a 17-year-old back in 1997.
But even the most cursory glance at the awards of the last six years at Molineux emphasises that the transition from academy to first team is monumental.
The likes of Jones and Little briefly paraded their talents in our first team and by no means disgraced themselves, but ultimately they discovered they had no genuine futures at Molineux.
Like his two colleagues, Elliott Bennett left for the lower rungs of the game but back him to embarrass us by taking a second chance up top with Norwich.
Malone and Batth are both learning away on loan, whilst Nathan Rooney in a staggering change of fortune has had to face up to being released 12 months on from being the top scholar at Compton.
Mark Davies, for reasons obscure, is clearly one academy talent that Wolves did not realise.
Undoubtedly, injuries hampered his development here but he has proved at Bolton that he is an exceptional talent, described by our former academy director Chris Evans as ‘ the best young player I have worked with.’
Others pass through the system and enjoy satisfying careers lower down the scale.
Over the years, players like Jones and Little have been joined by names such as Sammy Clingan, JJ Melligan, Keith Andrews and Stephen Gleeson, an Irish quartet who flickered briefly under the Molineux spotlight before moving on.
The competition facing aspiring players these days is daunting and it probably always has been.
Back in the 1950s, when Wolves enjoyed such dominance, it was accepted that alongside the system employed by Manchester United, our production line of young talent just about surpassed any other operation in English football.
But, even as Wolves basked in the glory of unprecedented success, the majority of the players who formed the team that beat Chelsea in a remarkable FA Youth Cup final in 1958 failed to make the grade at Molineux.
Only Ted Farmer, Des Horne and to a lesser degree, John Kirkham and briefly Cliff Durandt made any minimal impression in our first team.
For a club used to taking the pick of available young talent, who harboured a genuine sense of annoyance and bewilderment that the Dudley-born genius Duncan Edwards chose to join rivals United instead of staying at home and signing for Wolves, this was a meagre return.
Conversely, Chelsea, who in those days were a flaky and inconsistent club, fielded three youngsters who would go on to win full England caps.
Not that we had much cause for worry, we waltzed to the league title that year sustained by brilliant players such as Harris, Clamp, Flowers, Deeley, Murray, Mason, Mullen and the incomparable Billy Wright, who all came through our junior ranks.
In those days, young players learning their trade were part of the ground staff, spending much of their working week sweeping terraces, scouring grime from the dressing room bath and shining the boots of their first team counterparts.
The contrast these days could hardly be starker. When we first made it to Premier League status in 2003, the match programme for our initial home game casually informed us that the Wolves under-12 academy team was away on tour in Japan.
Quite what Stanley Cullis, visionary though he was, would have made of this the mind can only boggle at!
With the charter for quality guidelines required, the organisation and manpower and the colossal expense of such operations, I wonder how many football academies are truly cost effective for what they actually achieve in their delivery.
There is nothing that pleases a supporter more than a talented youngster breaking into the first team, maybe Doherty is the latest recruit for Wolves.
Doherty might not be a Compton academy scholar himself but he might just inspire those who are.
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Specticism??? That’s a new one. Wonder what that means.
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I find it very frustrating that some of the names mentioned and others have had so few games for Wolves. In Mad Mick’s first season, I though that Mark Little looked a great prospect and also there are the likes of Mendes-Laing, Batth, Malone, Bennett, Reckford, Davis and even Zele Ismail that have had little or no first team experience. Yes it is a gamble in the Premiership but there are Cup games and some of them could not do any worse than preferred picks, I would suggest?
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Always been a beef of mine as well John. Back in the day (my days were the 70′s), when your right-back got injured, your reserve right-back came in and either impressed or didn’t. Im most cases they ended up taking over – Geoff Palmer replaced Bernard Shaw, John Humphrey replaced Geoff Palmer etc etc. These days, MM prefers to swap all the players around making more changes than necessary. Note when Fletch was injured, he wouldn’t put Vokes or Spray in the team, preferring instead to move a left-back who had started the season as one of our best players and was part of a defence who up ’til then had been solid. So – two changes when one would have done and we all know what happened next…..Let’s hope the emergence of Doherty will remind MM of the old saying – ‘If you’re good enough, you’re old enough”.
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Well said RAZOR, totally agree with your comments.
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Back in the 1950s, we had, of course, a nursery side in Yorkshire – Wath Wanderers. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Ron Flowers, and in later years, Steve Daley and Peter Knowles were signed from there. I’d be interested to know what became of Wath Wanderers. (Sorry – this is not relevant to John’s article, but his comments suddenly reminded me of this fact.)
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Back in the good old days, you watched the first team one week, and the reserves the following week….why can’t that be the same now…if you got free admission for reserve/yoth games and the kids played in front of bigger crowds this can be the stimulus for striving for better things. If I was playing in front of 6 men and 3 dogs , I can;t say as I would think I was being touted for future stardom.Zele Ismael anyone?
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Did anyone watch Norwich last night? Elliot Bennett played very well and created the first goal so Wolves are not the be all and end all, if Batth, Mendez-Laing or Ismail don’t get chance another club will take them on. It’s great to see Doherty get some football on the premier league stage and same for Spray in the Carling Cup, we do have talent but when they do well out loan like promotion or playing every game as Batth is doing for Sheffield Wednesday then surely they have earned a chance right?
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I feel that the quality held in our youth system is too often over looked and whilst i am pleased to see Doherty get his chance I would like to see more of the youth set up blooded into the first team even through the cup games.
Given that Doherty was given man of the match should we expect to see him keep his place for the next game? And more importantly will he!
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We used to be a club that gave our young players opportunities, but in recent years this has not happened.
Unless you give them an opportunity you will never find out and neither will they.
We need a goal scorer, may be we have a jem in a younger player, guess we will never find out unless someone shakes the manager and his assistant out of their complacency.
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It is very very frustrating that we are not attracting decent youngsters to the club. Many many years ago I remember watching from the north bank a youth cup final(I think it was anyway) and the team included Peter Eastoe,Steve Daley,,Geoff Palmer,Alan Sunderland,the list goes on.If we cant afford to buy expensive players surely we should be developing our own players.
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Also I think Gleeson and Little could well help a team win promotion to the Premier League and Mark Davies wasn’t liked by McCarthy, although fans opinions are split about the nature of his departure and don’t forget Mark Connolly who walked out on the Academy for Bolton though we got a million quid as compensation some players might be viewed as not good enough for this club or they don’t want to be here like Davies and Connolly but it does seem to me there are other clubs who will rate them good enough. Either way it’s great to see someone like Bennett playing well after not getting a sniff sometimes been released becomes the making of them, think of Crouch who was released by spurs when he was young lad. Cahill wasn’t good enough Villa but it looks like every club wants to buy him now, it’s how football goes sometimes.
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Marston Green Wolves – The majority of those names are now playing in lower leagues, so they obviously wernt good enough, so you cant really fault Mick there. there are only a few players that we have released who are now in the premier league, and to be honest, I think only Davis would stand any chance of getting into our first team. Considering when Davis left, it was revealed that the club actually wanted to keep davis as they thought he was a quality prospect, I dont think Mick has done anything wrong. If the players arent good enough, then he shouldnt play them.
Whether this new crop of players get a chance remains to be seen. But I think, from what the other crops of youth players have managed to acheive since Mick has been here, He has been justified in not playing them.
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The simply fact is, as the article infer’s, very few youngsters ever make it to the top level of football. That applies not only to Wolves but to all the clubs in the Premiership.
Man Utd may have the best success rate in recent years but that’s because they usually pick up the best talented youngsters in the first place.
I was at Anfield on Saturday and saw Doherty’s 45 minute performance. He did’nt look out of place and generally performed well as all the reports have stated. However, before all the supporters get too excited I think he needs to be used sparingly over the course of the season as he is still learning his trade.
There is no reason why he can’t be on the bench on Saturday as understudy to one of the senior players (Stearman, Foley or Zubar) assuming at least one of them is match fit. If he plays from the start and has a bad game, it will probably knock his confidence and the mood amongst the supporters on website like this one will soon change. Bring him on gently.
My opinion of the current crop of youngsters has not changed. I believe the two that are most likely to make it will be Gorman and Ishmail.
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A well written column,highlighting a few facts that the Happy Clappers can digest and realise that all is not so rosey with Mad Mick at the helm.
Doherty played with composure and assurance yet this was an accident.Stearmen developed a sore Toe at half time so was not able to resume his role.
Due to Foley having developed arse bisters by sitting on the bench he was injured.
Foley should be automatic choice between Stears,Doherty looks as if he is ready to play in the first team.
Mad Mick will take a leaf out of Sir Alex’s book,by letting him develop in the reserves or on loan for a few years then move him out to another club on a free.NB:Sir Alex lets players develop for a year then gives them the oppurtunity not a few years.
How can any player get into the team? We are solid in defence we are stupendous in midfield,are creativity and nous are second to none,our wingers are wings off a concorde,as for doyle are lone striker he as a desease were he cant stop shooting and scoring with torpedoes.
So stop moaning and asking for players to come in when we are so solid as a unit,has individuals all our players are of a messi standard,our manager refers to them as irreplacable and dares not to play the stand in’s in case it disrupts our running away with the league.
So come on be fair to Mick,he is one manager who is as close to perfection than any other manager,he has given us 13-14 players that are irreplacable,even the likes of hamill and milijias cant get into the side so how do you expect the non tried players at premiership level get in!!!!!!!
This is only a column John because you are greedy!!Mick has given us so much success and your being petty by suggessting we are not getting talent come through our ranks!
How much talent do you want?? Thank your lucky stars that Mick as given us a first 11 to match any team in the world.!
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i wonder are these the same people who were shouting for us to throw millions away on new players .
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On the Zele Ismael subject.The lad has undoubted speed,acceleration,and skill.The things he is lacking in are positional sense and he is rather greedy,rather run it round a player opposed to looking for a better option.No doubt he has improved from kicking a ball round with me and friends over good old Heath Town.But he needs to get to grips with one man does not make a team.If he can add this to his game,a world beater he could be.Good luck Zela
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12) Little and Bennett aside, they are all our players and are being loaned out but the club – which have never said that they would not be considered for the first team? A silly argument, if you are suggesting that because they are not playing for a Championship side, they are not good enough. Where did Man Utd loan Beckham to, for example? Furthermore, Bennett was sold to Division 1 Brighton and look what he is doing now!
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Its worth £20 just to look at the Mol from the outside it looks much nicer than any foreign mausoleum
WOLVES FOR EVER
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Try to be patient fellow wanderers.
The club has already identified this shortcoming. The academy facilities are lagging behind other premier league clubs, which hampersour ability to bring in top talent, so they announced plans earlier this year to build a new improved one.
The clubs revenues are not big enough to pay top salaries and fees whilst balancing the books, so they’re developing the stadium to give us more financial clout and improve supporters matchday experience at the same time.
We’ve been on the up for five years and it will continue.
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Its a bit patronising to say of these youngsters, “look at their calibre”
in my view.
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It’s difficult to reconcile Glen Hoddle’s assessment of Wolves’ Academy during his period at the club, with the subsequent lack of progress of graduates under Mick McCarthy.
Glen Hoddle repeatedly enthused that Wolves’ young players were “years ahead” of their peers at Premiership’ Spurs.
Chris Evans’ resignation during McCarthy’s time seemed an exasperated protest at the repeated inclusion of Manchester United loanee Gibson in preference to a fit and available Mark Davies.
Unfortunately time waits for no youngster and Mick’s judgements and Steve Morgan’s cash have produced a degree of success ahead of schedule. For young players it’s very much a case of your career in the first team manager’s hands.
Elliott Bennett did look the part at Premiership Norwich last night though.
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I do think this has been a failing of the club in recent years. Graham Taylor was the manager that could build a club from the bottom up. We got Lescott and Keane amongst others and a proper youth structure. Of course coming into a Prem side is much harder than Champ and loaning players out is definitely right. I have high hopes for Scott Malone and Danny Baath. Mark Davies needed to move on and Elliot Bennett maybe was a missed opportunity. Do believe we are going the right way though.
PS JIWAL – was expecting you to finish off with 2 tickets to the pictures a bag of pork scratchings a pint of mild and still have change from threepence
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No matter how good they are, they won’t play unless a favourite…
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Batth and Malone are the latest two, with a fair bit of experience playing for first teams, who might, I think have been blooded by now. Mick is clearly cautious though on the other hand has been quick to resort to proven players coming back from injury when they are really not yet up to speed, latest examples Kites and Edwards.
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Ive said it many times before MM, would sooner move players out of their natural positions,like Ward/Stearman/Foley etc, than use a young player coming through ranks in their own ‘natural position’. And thats why so many of our youngsters fall by the wayside, and end up going on loan, only to eventually move on altogether, to further their footballing careers. Ive often questioned whether our excellent academy is worth all the expense it costs the club to set up and run, if Mick is never going to throw a few lads in here and there, and see if they can hack it in the BPL, i know some wont, but some just may suprise him, like young Doherty has done? UTW:
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The posts referring to Wath are accurate – I often worked in that part of the country at one time, and Ron Flowers was a legend even then.
It’s difficult to know how to assess the progress or otherwise of how successful the club can be at using local talent. To compete in possibly the toughest league in the world a club has to put players of proven ability on the field each week and lads can’t get to that level unless they are given the chance – chicken and egg?
However, the fascination with Irish born players suggests Wolves may be guilty of believing the grass in the next country is greener than the grass in their own – just a thought.
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MM does not have the nouse to identify young talented players, all he cares about are runners and shift workers. If Hamill and Milijas cant get a game what chance have they got. Put the kids in and ship Mcarthy out would be a great start.
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Sam Winnall looks like another impressive youngster, scoring regularly for Hereford. i know its not the EPL but his confidence must be high at the moment he could be the natural goalscorer we crave.
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it doesn;t matter wot promise the young players show the idiot in charge wont pick them because of his favorites
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We are obviously not going to spend huge sums of money to buy or pay the wages of ready made super stars, because we are a well run club! Yet we have some amazingly talented youngsters in the academy and out on loan. As a Dorset resident I have seen Scott Malone play at Bournemouth and he is really talented at left back. You know the position, that we cannot fill except with a makeshift winger and a sluggish Elokobi. When will we take a hint from United who have produced a rash of great young players from their Academy.
Bring on the youngsters and blood them early is my cry.
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