I think the problem was we'd have to repay the funding we had had for Kingsmeadow. If safe standing comes in at other places then that may well have changed by "phase 2" and safe standing could be included then.

Safe standing will cost a lot more as it won't be eligible for funding like seating is. Or something like that. So it's a no no with NPL as far as I can remember

Hussey played in the U19s. That's the youth team in my book

Hussey was in the youth teams at Woking before joining us. He also had a younger brother (Billy Joe or similar?) who played for us a couple of times I think.

Good for Shrewsbury. Safe standing is the future

Just think, if we scrap the Academy we could use the million quid we save in just the first year to fund a safe standing terrace. No brainer.

Good morning all, it looks like Shrewsbury are applying for safe standing - could be significant for NPL.

Wu - agree..Thursday or Friday..?

Cheers, RP - So; thick as pig-shit and with the attention-span of a goldfish, then :-)

I must have missed the game where Oakley showed promise. He looked a reasonable Conference or good Conference South player every time I saw him (not that that in itself isn't an achievement)

Suspect the club will want to announce a new signing on the same day we lose Reeves. By the end of the week I expect the Reeves, Barnett and GK situation to be resolved.

TGG - posted by Guestbook Gimp on 23rd May - 'OK, so the new OS has broken the newsfeed link. It'll probably be the weekend before I can look into it'. Doesn't say /which/ weekend :)

Morning all. I believe Kelle Roos could prove a lot of doubters wrong. But he hasn't signed yet..so until he does..it's all irrelevant isn't it.

Morning all. Chris Hussey [Link]

By the way, a quick question for the gimps (or anyone else who is more tech-savvy than me - which is probably about 97% of the population of the world): why haven't I got any links to OS, above? All I've got are some [N]s & [P]s, which I can't click on.

Neil Sullivan?

Ardley? 😬

beere, oakley and harrison all must have shown some promise, Oakley too injury prone, Harrison not quite good enough, while tom showed a lt of promise, but again fell a bit short. when you think about some of the prospects, we are improving, and the fact that burnley, hull and stoke (x2) have taken prospects says we are doing something right. I always feel a sense of pride when a youngster graduates to the first team hodges, gage, downes, perry, Blackwell, euell etc

So we are likely to lose our two best players and replace them with players from struggling Gillingham, a player recovering from a career threatening injury and calamity Roos. And you lot are worrying about the Academy ;)

If the Roos signing is true, Bristol Rovers fans will be laughing. I thought we were right to ditch Shea but really not sure Roos is better.

Brentford have had a relatively stable league position for years. We haven't, let's see what our Academy can do in the next few years. The general trend has been upwards - look at the FA Cup runs. Brentford also have a different business model. Brentford also have different ideals, and like it or not, we are a community club.

Not delighted with roos.

The argument was is it worth spending scarce resources on a full-scope academy when the good players leave while still in nappies and the best of the rest don't play? Brentford decided it wasn't.

Indeed, Windy, but that wasn't the argument...

Furthermore, despite still playing catch up with the rest of the club, Dan Agyei, Ryan Sweeney, Will Mannion, Will Nightingale and Alfie Egan would have been (or are currently) first team squad players. The problem isn't that the Academy is failing to produce sufficient players of quality IMO...