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Firstly, what a lovely bloke he is....he has been a great appointment by City ever since he stopped playing and now seems to be making great strides with the EDS.

What I wanted to ask those who watch the youth set up quite a lot is: why do you think our EDS performances/results seem to look so much better this year. Is it due to Vieira and the coaching set up? The players clearly think it is a MASSIVE deal to be playing for a side managed by Patrick who was a proper legend in their lifetimes but is it also maybe partly a "perfect storm" in that he has inherited a group of players with some real talent in it??

Either way it's great to see and a very exciting prospect but would be v interested in the views of those who know more

i'd be interested to hear as well but I just want to say that in the end we've pulled a masterstroke with the signing of Vieira. he proved to be decent addition to the squad at the time and without that signing he would have never came to City as a coach. He is very well respected man, former player all the younger lads look up to and seems to do good job as a coach too.

Not many better for young players to be learning off. The guy has done it all.
Glad to see they are progressing well under his guidence.

There must be more than half an eye in getting into the senior set up in due course.

I don't see the younger teams very often, but I do watch every little bit or full game I can get to see on the net/tv etc & have been doing so every season. I think we are doing well because we have shitloads of talented players, encouraged to play the correct way, not because we are the best organised etc. It's now all about learning to play football, the results are a happy symptom of that.

Imo, our coaching setup is miles miles better now than it was. Vieira is the head of it & he imo has an advantage over everyone else in the fact that he is Patrick Vieira; if he speaks, people will listen. But it goes right through the club.

Here is a line from our under 11's chief after City's U12's third place playoff in Ypres:

“I’m immensely proud of the team,” Burton declared, “Most of all, because they stuck to the Academy philosophy against the best teams in Europe and didn’t change.

“In some cases, teams change their philosophy to try and win a tournament but we didn’t do that. I feel that we were the best technical team out there, which is really nice to be able to say.”

We have a philosophy, & you could see that in action when our U15s played in Singapore 2012 under Scott Sellars. If a defender gave the ball away in a dangerous position by trying to play football, nobody shouted at him, they just carried on playing exactly the same way, over & over.

I won't mention the name of the bloke who has led & now heads this operation.

Ted Hughes wrote:I don't see the younger teams very often, but I do watch every little bit or full game I can get to see on the net/tv etc & have been doing so every season. I think we are doing well because we have shitloads of talented players, encouraged to play the correct way, not because we are the best organised etc. It's now all about learning to play football, the results are a happy symptom of that.

Imo, our coaching setup is miles miles better now than it was. Vieira is the head of it & he imo has an advantage over everyone else in the fact that he is Patrick Vieira; if he speaks, people will listen. But it goes right through the club.

Here is a line from our under 11's chief after City's U12's third place playoff in Ypres:

“I’m immensely proud of the team,” Burton declared, “Most of all, because they stuck to the Academy philosophy against the best teams in Europe and didn’t change.

“In some cases, teams change their philosophy to try and win a tournament but we didn’t do that. I feel that we were the best technical team out there, which is really nice to be able to say.”

We have a philosophy, & you could see that in action when our U15s played in Singapore 2012 under Scott Sellars. If a defender gave the ball away in a dangerous position by trying to play football, nobody shouted at him, they just carried on playing exactly the same way, over & over.

I won't mention the name of the bloke who has led & now heads this operation.

I loved reading that. I'm going to read it again.

Ted Hughes wrote:I don't see the younger teams very often, but I do watch every little bit or full game I can get to see on the net/tv etc & have been doing so every season. I think we are doing well because we have shitloads of talented players, encouraged to play the correct way, not because we are the best organised etc. It's now all about learning to play football, the results are a happy symptom of that.

Imo, our coaching setup is miles miles better now than it was. Vieira is the head of it & he imo has an advantage over everyone else in the fact that he is Patrick Vieira; if he speaks, people will listen. But it goes right through the club.

Here is a line from our under 11's chief after City's U12's third place playoff in Ypres:

“I’m immensely proud of the team,” Burton declared, “Most of all, because they stuck to the Academy philosophy against the best teams in Europe and didn’t change.

“In some cases, teams change their philosophy to try and win a tournament but we didn’t do that. I feel that we were the best technical team out there, which is really nice to be able to say.”

We have a philosophy, & you could see that in action when our U15s played in Singapore 2012 under Scott Sellars. If a defender gave the ball away in a dangerous position by trying to play football, nobody shouted at him, they just carried on playing exactly the same way, over & over.

I won't mention the name of the bloke who has led & now heads this operation.

Hmm "holisitc".... well said..

Vieira is truly one of the modern day greats, and it's fantastic to have him in our set-up. The young players coming through will be dying to play for him and learn from him.

I always remember the footage of the City changing room after we beat Stoke 1-0 in the FA Cup Final. All the players were posing for photos with the trophy, and all of them wanted their photo taken with Vieira. They were literally queuing up to do so. That's how much respect he commanded.

Ted Hughes wrote:
I won't mention the name of the bloke who has led & now heads this operation.

Yes i'm sure that old leatherface has made sweeping and radical changes in the 4+ months he's been the "Academy Director."

Fuck that...

also, if these kids don't know how to "play football" by the time they get to us then they are fucked and wouldn't even be showing up. What they're learning from us is the application of their ability in a system. If they don't know how to play the game then they wouldn't end up at City. I promise you that.

Cheers

DoomMerchant wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:
I won't mention the name of the bloke who has led & now heads this operation.

Yes i'm sure that old leatherface has made sweeping and radical changes in the 4+ months he's been the "Academy Director."

Fuck that...

also, if these kids don't know how to "play football" by the time they get to us then they are fucked and wouldn't even be showing up. What they're learning from us is the application of their ability in a system. If they don't know how to play the game then they wouldn't end up at City. I promise you that. I


Cheers

Bollocks on both counts.

aaron bond wrote:Vieira is truly one of the modern day greats, and it's fantastic to have him in our set-up. The young players coming through will be dying to play for him and learn from him.

I always remember the footage of the City changing room after we beat Stoke 1-0 in the FA Cup Final. All the players were posing for photos with the trophy, and all of them wanted their photo taken with Vieira. They were literally queuing up to do so. That's how much respect he commanded.

I recall us beating Sunderland maybe 4-0 near that final and Vieira came on and scored. By the reaction of his team mates you would have thought he had just scored the winner.

I also recall being nervous as hell at the final as the game came to a close with Stoke pushing us. The minute he came on it was like holding onto a safety blanket. You knew when he was on that there were going to be no mistakes in the midfield. No loose marking at corners and a level head was on the playing field.

Much like Pearces last days as a player at City, you just know he will be our manager one day.

I am not sure there is a simple answer to this but I wouldn't be surprised if Patrick is one of the key reasons why we seem to have moved forwards.There is no doubt he commands massive personal respect from the young men he coaches.Some of that will simply be down to the fact that he has been there and done it,with great success at all levels.But That potentially can only last so long.

When it comes to the crunch the fact that you have been a great player does not mean you will become a great coach.It gives you a start yes and he maybe a good motivator but coaching is something else.The fact that his team(s) did not start that well in terms of performances or winning matches was maybe a little bit of a worry but it is true that it takes time for his coaching methods and ideas to be understood and start to work.

I think we have heard (Marwood recently) how all the teams are being coached to play in the same way.There was reference to the under 15's playing out from the back and nobody "losing it" when it went wrong.I have seen Vieira's teams doing the same and cocking up and many a time it has seemed crazy how the defenders have tried so hard to play from the back when under pressure or seemingly passing square and back for no reason but it's all because that's the way the coaches want them to play. And of course it's not all about the defender's finding a pass but perhaps even more about the midfield and attackers finding spaces/angles for the passes to be made .Even further than that it's for the player's receiving the ball to be able to do it under pressure and still retain possession or again find a player giving him a passing option.I have spoken with 2 of City's young keepers who confirmed that's what they are expected to do.

I recall watching some of that 15's tournament and we played some superb football.Now it's good to be hearing how the under 12's are performing well in tournaments as well.What I have seen is the 18's through to 21's following this philosophy and starting to look pretty good.The 18's game against Everton recently was a case in point.Everton are a big strong outfit and I think were top of the league and we battered them 4.1.It wasn't just based on a special player or two scoring great goals nor was there any luck involved.

We dominated Everton with really good football and fully deserved to win.The other ingredient which is always said about top teams is it's about hard work.You can have all the skill in the world but the effort has to be there as well.I do think the effort,from the team all round , is better now than I have seen it.The 18's of course is Jason Wilcox who earned a great reputation with the under 14's or 16's (not sure which but I am sure someone can confirm) that he got pushed up to do the 18's and we have some massively encouraging results coming through now.

The older teams I do watch a little more and it isn't always 100% fair to make judgements on one off games when you have to take into account we are loaning players out who could be playing.Rekik is an obvious one but also Evans,Huws,Drury,Kennedy,Plummer and others at different times last year and this.But what I see is an improvement both from some individuals and the team.I don't think our 19's or 21's is anything special at all but the signs are good and some players are starting to make a name for themselves.How many will go on to make it at the top level is the million dollar question but the important thing is both team and individuals are getting better and the coaches must take some plaudits for that.

Still we hear of Pozo,Lopes,Rekik as names to look out for but others are making their names known like Denayer,Jose Tasende (Angelino),Bossaerts,Fofana,Byrne,Leigh,Huws plus some newer ones like Barker,Ambrose,Intima,Smith-Brown,Boadu and more.I shouldn't forget either Devante Cole,Jordy Hiwula ,Albert Rusnak who may yet still come through with the benefit of better coaching.

The future is really bright and I haven't even gone down to lower age groups where City have brought in some amazing international talents which hopefully we will see coming through in years to come and not too far away either. This is just my opinion from what I have seen but there are many out there who see a hell of a lot more of the younger age groups playing and will know much more than I do.

On for me to watch especially is the under 16's keeper who I first met, and met a few times, at Carrington trying to watch the first teamers train.And there he is playing at under 16's level.He was the keeper I think in that under 15's tourney we saw on telly.

Not sure where this was written:
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/pre ... phy-takes-

Manchester City look to the future as Barcelona philosophy takes shape

The Premier League giants are scouring the world to acquire the very best talents for their elite development squad while investing £100m on a new state-of-the-art training complex

SPECIAL REPORT
By Liam Twomey

When Manchester City take on Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday, those of a mind may be tempted to view the match as a clash between opposing visions of how to build a football club.

While City’s stunning transformation over the past five years from Premier League afterthought to domestic and European powerhouse stands as a powerful monument to unparalleled financial muscle, Southampton’s similarly remarkable rise from League One has significant roots in a shrewd recruitment policy and exceptional youth development. Boasting the likes of Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers, Nathaniel Clyne and James Ward-Prowse, it is tempting to hold the Saints up as beacons of hope as England desperately searches for reasons to be optimistic about the future.

Yet the most lavish members of the Premier League’s nouveau riche know it would be folly to try and build lasting domination on a house of cards. Over the past two years City have been scouring the world to acquire the very best teenagers for their elite development squad, managed with distinction by former France and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.

Jose Pozo, rated as the best striker to come through Real Madrid’s academy in years, was poached in January 2012 for a fee which could eventually rise to £3.5m. Zacharias Faour, a 15-year-old Swedish striker compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a result of his talent, physique and emergence at Malmo, will join in January in a £1m deal.

City have also won the race to sign Nigerian wonderkid Kelechi Iheanacho, star of last summer’s Under-17 World Cup and linked with a host of European giants. Finally there is Brahim Abdelkader, the Malaga 14-year-old dubbed the ‘New Messi’, and whom Barcelona were so sure of signing that they introduced him to the old Messi, as well as Andres Iniesta and Xavi, before City pounced.

Yet City’s youth ranks are not simply to be populated with exotic prodigies. Among the domestic youngsters tipped for big things are Emyr Huws, a talented Wales Under-21 midfielder and goalkeeper Angus Gunn, son of Norwich City legend Bryan, while Manuel Pellegrini is also a fan of midfielder George Evans, currently on loan at Crewe Alexandra.

City’s vision is to combine the best UK-based talent with the cream of the rest of the world, in the belief that each will succeed in driving the other on. It is hoped that even those who do not make the first-team cut will realise transfer fees and careers at other professional clubs – a key part of City’s long-term strategy to fulfil the requirements of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules.

“The development of young and home grown players is central to our strategy of creating both a winning team and a sustainable football club,” Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano proclaimed in September 2012 when it was announced that construction was set to begin on the £100 million, 80-acre Etihad Campus which is situated adjacent to the club’s stadium.

The ambition and scale of the project – the first phase of which will be completed in time for the 2014-15 season – is stunning. The campus will contain 16 football pitches to house every team from the under-8s to the first-team squad, state-of-the-art training facilities, apartments for youth and senior players with a separate wing to cater for their visiting families, and a 7000-seater stadium in which the Elite Development Squad will play their home matches. This ground will be linked to the Etihad Stadium by a 60-metre bridge, the function of which will be symbolic as well as practical.

Yet amid the largesse, City aim to teach humility as well as excellence. Connell Sixth Form College, also on site, will encourage the club’s talented starlets to mix with youngsters of their own age, while they are already expected to watch home matches at the Etihad Stadium in club tracksuits from the family stand and mingle with the fans prior to kick-off.

In many aspects, the similarity in philosophy to Barcelona of the project headed by two of the Catalan club’s most distinguished administrators is hard to ignore.

Director of football Txiki Begiristain’s remit is wide-ranging. It is hoped his vast array of contacts in South America – scouts, agents and club officials – will give City a crucial advantage for securing talented youngsters in a key market going forward, but he is also charged with creating a viable pathway through the youth ranks to the first team.

All of City’s youth teams have now adopted training methods practised by Barcelona, while Pellegrini is required to take a keen interest in the progress of the club’s prospects. He will often make the trip to Hyde FC’s Ewen Fields with Begiristain and assistant Brian Kidd to watch reserve matches, as well as following the club’s inaugural Uefa Youth League campaign.

The results will not be immediate but, given their current quality, City do not need them to be. And if everything goes to plan, there may soon come a time when Manchester United’s era-defining ‘Class of 92’ will no longer have to be viewed with grudging envy by their noisy neighbours.

Great post Doug. Many thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Top notch Doug. Cracking and insightfull read

A little off topic this and not sure if its already been covered but does anyone know if City have any intentions when bringing in youngsters from abroad as regards to which national team they may be encouraged to play for given the option?
As in the case of this 14yo Brahim Abdelkader (Who we've supposedly signed). He may be eligible to play for Spain or England once hes been here a few years. I think his Dad has been quoted as saying its the boys choice.

I mean it should always be the players choice but it could be great for England too.

Sort of on topic but heading off at a tangent; my thought is that Vieira is developing our youth while City develop him for a future role as manager. . which is, as I'm sure we'll all agree, the natural linear progression from his current role to the next equivalent level.
Imaging that, in say 5 years time when Patrick has all the badges and experience he could step up as assistant manager and be in the hot seat 1 year later - presiding over a team consisting in part of players that he'd presided over throughout their development through our youth ranks. Wistful thinking or real possibility?

Herb wrote:Sort of on topic but heading off at a tangent; my thought is that Vieira is developing our youth while City develop him for a future role as manager. . which is, as I'm sure we'll all agree, the natural linear progression from his current role to the next equivalent level.
Imaging that, in say 5 years time when Patrick has all the badges and experience he could step up as assistant manager and be in the hot seat 1 year later - presiding over a team consisting in part of players that he'd presided over throughout their development through our youth ranks. Wistful thinking or real possibility?

Absolutely.. assistant to Pep then take over ;)

Lee_R wrote:

Herb wrote:Sort of on topic but heading off at a tangent; my thought is that Vieira is developing our youth while City develop him for a future role as manager. . which is, as I'm sure we'll all agree, the natural linear progression from his current role to the next equivalent level.
Imaging that, in say 5 years time when Patrick has all the badges and experience he could step up as assistant manager and be in the hot seat 1 year later - presiding over a team consisting in part of players that he'd presided over throughout their development through our youth ranks. Wistful thinking or real possibility?

Absolutely.. assistant to Pep then take over ;)

You may be saying this 'tongue in cheek', but I actually agree.
Watched Pep with MP the other night and there was a huge mutual respect between the pair that said 'you're setting it up nicely for me!'
Vieira would definitely be part of that team, just like Villanova was. Even if Pep doesn't come I see Vieira replacing Kidd in the near future.

Herb wrote:Sort of on topic but heading off at a tangent; my thought is that Vieira is developing our youth while City develop him for a future role as manager. . which is, as I'm sure we'll all agree, the natural linear progression from his current role to the next equivalent level.
Imaging that, in say 5 years time when Patrick has all the badges and experience he could step up as assistant manager and be in the hot seat 1 year later - presiding over a team consisting in part of players that he'd presided over throughout their development through our youth ranks. Wistful thinking or real possibility?

It would be great if Patrick did sometime become the manager of a successful City but first he has to prove that he is a good enough coach to achieve that.