Reading's Academy Manager Eamonn Dolan summed up another successful season for the youth set-up when he wrote his final day programme notes a trophy-winning and volcanic ash-extended trip to the US...
Last weekend saw our first team play their game but, as always, within the Academy it is never quite as simple as that. Unlike the senior side we don't have a beginning, a middle and an end - we are always trying to look into the crystal ball to predict and advise which young players might provide our club with a return on investment. We will keep training and playing games until the end of the month before we begin to plan for next season in June.
It has been another very successful season for our Academy. We are now producing a lot of young players that the management team deem worthy of inclusion within the first team: that is the bottom line! The Academy staff can prepare players as best they can, but picking young players for first team football comes down to the experts, who have the pressure of first team management and the need to win football matches. During my six year as Academy Manager, I have been lucky to work with three very good and very nice managers. Steve, Brendan and Brian are very different but all possess outstanding qualities and, most importantly, have given me and our Academy 100% support. When a manager with Steve Coppell's record chooses to play several young Academy players in a play-off second leg against Burnley, you know you have made a real breakthrough.
Of course as an Academy we were thrilled to see Gylfi performing and contributing so well this season along with Pearcey, Jem, Hal, James Henry, Churchy, Shane, Ben Hamer, Julian Kelly, Bigzy, Scotty Davies and others. We were equally pleased to see Alex McCarthy and Mikkel Andersen performing so admirably on loan for Yeovil and Bristol Rovers, while it was also been exciting to see Ollie Bozanic get a call up to the full Australian squad! Ollie is a great kid and has endured one setback after another but I really hope he can make the World Cup in South Africa. These players are not only fine footballers, but they are also outstanding young men who, importantly, want to play for Reading. I believe producing young players gives a football club a soul.
One of my old managers, the legendary Alan Ball, always used to say "talk is cheap, money buys houses" and doing anything in professional football these days is an expensive business. Great credit has to go to the Chairman, Nigel Howe and Nick Hammond for having the vision to back the Academy during my tenure and during the foundation years. It takes a lot of nurturing, courage and faith to back 'potential' and finance 'maybes & possibles'. Hopefully now they can see reward for their conviction.
We have produced a pack of players and the aim is to produce another pack. Can we do it? Yes we can. Southampton and Portsmouth are geographically two of our nearest Academies and each have had periods of 'going for it' in terms of investment in the football side. Clearly both adopted unrealistic attitudes which led to administration; thankfully we do it right at Reading. We believe that consistency is better than boom and bust.
Recruitment really is the key to success in football and Steve Shorey, our Head of Recruitment, deserves a lot of praise for his tireless hard work and excellent judgment. He has worked closely with a real unsung hero Dave Frith, who is our Head of Reading-based recruitment, and last season we decided to bring in another Senior Recruitment Officer, Steve Birchmore, who is top drawer and is already making a massive contribution. We also have some fabulous part-time scouts and I thank them all for a doing a wonderful job.
Earlier this season I made my first change to the Academy Management structure when David Dodds arrived to work alongside Geoff Warner - and I have to say David has been inspirational from the moment he arrived. He has brought a wealth of experience from his time with Watford and Tottenham Hotspur and new life and energy to the group. We are also very lucky with our part-time coaches; this season Lee Herron, Martin Kuhl and Martin Dean were involved with the under-16s and are some of the best coaches and people you could meet. They also serve our club with great distinction. I also have to mention the legend that is Geoff Taylor: here is a man that just loves football and we are very privileged to have him working for us. You can't help but learn from Geoff.
Nigel Gibbs has played a huge role in the development of all the young players in the first team and is second to none in giving them the tools to transfer their potential into the reality of first team football. Gibbo works very closely with the Academy lads and has continued to do so whilst coaching the first team; the Academy players owe him a debt of gratitude. Ed Franklin is a talented, committed, first class Sports Scientist and a dream to work with. Ed does about four jobs, but he is Mr Reliable. Other members of the first team set-up that deserve thanks from their help with the Academy include Sal, Karl, Luke, Lucy and Dan.
We are very sad that our current Academy Physio Becky Brown will soon be leaving us - she will be very sorely missed. And the irreplaceable Matt Hirons was promoted to the professional Sports Medicine team earlier in the season. But, to be fair, John Alty has stepped in admirably and together they have all created a really good medical support team. I must also thank Naomi Hunt, Claire Roberts and all Sue Hewett's brilliant girls in the office for their admin support. David Downs as always gives the Academy a quality assurance that nobody else could possibly imitate and special thanks must also go to Adam and his groundstaff, Pete and the kitchen team and of course Mike, Charlie, Sue and Rex for their patience and laughter at Hogwood.
An Academy is all about the young players and we have more talent coming through! I am not going to put unnecessary pressure on our schoolboys, but at Second Year Scholar level the senior management decided to award professional contracts to Abdulai Bell-Baggie and Jake Taylor - both of whom have travelled with the first team to away games this season. Abs actually made his league debut for Rotherham at just 17 years of age! Other players have been awarded with deals too which is great news for this group.
I wrote these notes from America where, for some time, we were stranded due to the volcanic ash cloud. That's the bad news. The good news is that the lads have just won the prestigious Julian Brown Memorial Cup and some players within this group have shown the technique, physiology and psychology that is required to be successful in the brutal world of professional football. The last couple of weeks have made me feel very proud to be the Academy Manager of Reading Football Club.
We loved our time in North Carolina. When we first learned of our delay, we were very unsure and worried due to the uniqueness of the situation. We felt vulnerable, but little did we know about the Charlotte community. Whatever human spirit is all about, the good people of Charlotte showed it to us during that period. Every now and then things happen for a reason. We will never forget the outpouring of kindness that the people of Charlotte showed us. We are relative strangers to you all, yet still the love in your hearts has shone through brighter than the sunshine in your state. My old manager at West Ham John Lyall, who has sadly passed away, used to say, 'it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. Charlotte you are so very nice. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
In summary, the Academy goes forward very optimistically and a lot of the optimism comes from the resurgence that the club has benefited from under Brian's leadership. I was very sad to see Brendan leave but I am thrilled for Brian at the success he has achieved as manager so far. He is top bloke, a top coach and a top manager and he deserves every success he has had and all that he will achieve in the future.
I can't wait for next season and the next chapter!
Come on Urz!
Eamonn Dolan
Academy Manager
