Comment: Slaven Bilic's refreshing youth policy hints at bright future – he should stick with it
When Slaven Bilic was in talks with the board this summer, one of the main topics that cropped up in conversation was his youth policy.
"We've said to him we want progress," said technical director Luke Dowling. "Does that mean we finish third or above?
"Not necessarily, we want a certain style of football, organisation, and if we can blood one or two of the younger ones, we feel that would be progress.”
So far, Bilic has more than delivered on that last point.
Last season there was a feeling at board level that Rekeem Harper, 19, and Sam Field, 21, were not given as many chances as they perhaps deserved.
Those two academy products are not currently be in the first team squad, with Field out on loan at Charlton, but others are.
Nathan Ferguson, 18, has started four out of five league games at right-back despite the £1.5million summer signing of Darnell Furlong – who has also impressed.
Kyle Edwards has started the same number of games on the wing, despite competing with Grady Diangana, Matheus Pereira, and Matt Phillips.
Dara O’Shea, 20, convinced Bilic he didn’t need to sign another centre-back in summer, even though Ahmed Hegazi is currently injured.
Three academy products have been regular first team squad players so far, but how long will this trend continue?
O’Shea will naturally drop down the pecking order when Hegazi returns and even though Bilic is a huge fan of Edwards, there’s no escaping he’s been subbed off at half-time twice so far.
His game-time could become more limited once Pereira and Diangana are up to speed.
This week, Albion signed 37-year-old goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi until the end of the season and 38-year-old Gareth Barry is still training with the club in order to earn a similar deal.
In both these cases, a wise old head to help pass knowledge on to younger team-mates may be no bad thing.
But when push comes to shove, successive managers at The Hawthorns – and elsewhere – have turned to experience to get them out of a hole. Will Bilic be the same if draws turn to defeats?
Ferguson’s case, however, offers hope that he is different, and will pursue his current policy of promoting from within.
Furlong was man of the match against Reading, and yet four days later, Ferguson was reinstated against Derby. And the teenager has spoken in glowing terms about the Croatian.
“I’ve been speaking to the manager a lot about my positioning, my delivery and my overall game,” said Ferguson.
“I am learning a lot from him, He’s a very good manager. He knows when it’s time to step in and step out.”
The reason why Albion’s youth policy is so important in the Championship is because Chinese owner Guochuan Lai is unwilling to invest any money, meaning – as parachute payments dwindle – the club will need to rely on their academy more and more.
That successful academy has undergone a huge change this summer, with manager Mark Harrison, head of coaching Ryan Maye and goalkeeping coach Mark Naylor all leaving for Villa.
Under-18s boss Mike Scott has joined Derby, under-23s boss Jamie Smith has gone to Doncaster Rovers as Darren Moore’s assistant, and Jimmy Shan has also left.
There are huge gaps to fill, and more appointments are imminent following Michael Appleton’s Return to the club as under-23s boss.
Only time will tell how big, good or bad, the long-term impact this summer will have on the academy, but one thing’s for sure, there are talented players coming through right now that need to be developed.
On the one hand, managers have such a short shelf-life these days that Bilic would be forgiven for thinking short-term.
On the other hand, the Bilic project is a two-year one and the Championship season is long.
Developing Ferguson, O’Shea, Edwards and others will be beneficial to him, and fans will be more patient with players when they have come through their own system.
When coupled with the summer transfer strategy that saw Albion target players in the early to mid-20s, Bilic and the Baggies could be building something special for the future.
"We also know that realistically a promotion chance is there,” added Dowling. “If it doesn't happen this year, it will happen next year."
There is confidence in that statement, and if Bilic sticks to his guns with his refreshing youth policy, he'll be giving himself the best possible chance of delivering it.
