Don't understand all the fuss about this myself.
Any parent would want the best for his child.
If they had a real talent at football you would think they would go to the place best to nurture it - for them.
Manchester City's academy as been the best around since I was a lad. United's is just down the road too.
The last Bolton lad who made anything of himself in football (as far as I know) was Gary Flitcroft and he went to City's academy - long before all the categorisation of them came out.
I'm sure the parents of the likes of Clough and Vela, etc, knew about City, United and other easy to get to academy's, yet their sons ended up at Bolton's for whatever reasons.
Perhaps the scouts at other clubs didn't rate them, maybe they did but the parents thought being local was best for them but I do doubt that anyone's son is at Bolton instead of City, United, Everton, Liverpool, etc, academys simply because of what class it is/was!
Nothings going to change then imo apart from its running costs.
To be honest in any other business for what good its done over the last twenty odd years or so for the money that's been ploughed into it, it would have been closed down years ago.
Only in footballs Cinderella world of fabulous (unaccountable) wealth do these things even exist.
Any parent would want the best for his child.
If they had a real talent at football you would think they would go to the place best to nurture it - for them.
Manchester City's academy as been the best around since I was a lad. United's is just down the road too.
The last Bolton lad who made anything of himself in football (as far as I know) was Gary Flitcroft and he went to City's academy - long before all the categorisation of them came out.
I'm sure the parents of the likes of Clough and Vela, etc, knew about City, United and other easy to get to academy's, yet their sons ended up at Bolton's for whatever reasons.
Perhaps the scouts at other clubs didn't rate them, maybe they did but the parents thought being local was best for them but I do doubt that anyone's son is at Bolton instead of City, United, Everton, Liverpool, etc, academys simply because of what class it is/was!
Nothings going to change then imo apart from its running costs.
To be honest in any other business for what good its done over the last twenty odd years or so for the money that's been ploughed into it, it would have been closed down years ago.
Only in footballs Cinderella world of fabulous (unaccountable) wealth do these things even exist.