City Youth Players ‘making’ it at Bradford City

I vividly remember Mark Bridge Wilkinson having to point to the space where Colbeck should be running in to.

 

Again Polite Advice, If Parents can get them both into a Futsal team, It would be both exciting to watch and develop ball control so much. Just think of Bobby.

 

Ah what a player!

 

If they do make it it will be a proud grandad! Their chances are likely zero , nothing but encouragement though.

 

When Kevin Francis came to us from Notts Forest I didn't realise he came as a trainee, as you say he went on to have a very good career at Bournemouth captaining them.

 

It’s Simon not Kevin. Kevin was the lanky streak who played for Stockport

 

And scored for fun against us.

 

Graeme Tomlinson (or was it Graham) went to United for £100k. Not long after Dean Richards to Wolves I think - 90s.

we have a good youth set up and still produce talent - it is just the club cashes in on them as 15/16 year olds and tries to make cash from add ons.

You can’t blame the lads for wanting to move up from L2. Nature of being a League 2 club I guess.

Wisdom, Cleverley, Green just a few examples.

 

He wasn't a youth graduate though. He came from a Nottingham college side.

 

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/sheffield-united-fulfil-boss-wish-131542644.html

Notice we've just lost an 18 year old to Sheffield United.

Jay Tinsdale.

Has this been reported on our end at all?

 

Another interesting angle, would be to look at how the youth players who’ve left us and signed for teams higher up in the league, have progressed in their careers. The last couple of years we’ve seen sixteen year old players I’ve never heard of, leave the club with hopefully very good sell on fees, to be never heard of again. There was a couple of goalkeepers if I remember correctly. Has anyone (apart from McB) ever actually made it (and the club some money)?

 

He was still part of our youth / trainee setup.
Do we have to sign these kids at 8 years old for it to count?

 

Mark Bower and Lewis Emmanuel anyone?

I believe the latter left us for Luton, and then retired due to a shattered toe that hampered him. Last I heard he was doing bird for being a getaway driver in a post office robbery (or something along those lines)

 

You are pushing the envelope a bit saying Niall Canavan "made it" there @Bigrod

 

You weren't alone in that thought. Add Des Hamilton to the list of gobsmacking fees (with McBurney). I seem to recall we got £1.5 million.

Has any one mentioned Andy O'Brien yet ?

 

There's a tale in his book about being sent to homebase by Big Bob, to buy some tartan paint.

 

That's the advantage of training at a school then.

 

Hughes actually mentions Tomlinson in his book as a potential future partner for him at OT. Didn't he have a very bad leg break that effectively ended his career ?

 

Yes a certain Kenny Dalglish's first signing for his new club, fighting off completion from Middlesbrough apparently, 1997 when £2,000,000 was a lot of brass, he was sat a couple of rows in front of us at last Saturdays game against Grimsby, still looks a fit lad.

 

Reading this thread I didn't realise Big Geoff was the owner when we sold Graeme Tomlinson to Manchester United as you say for £100,000 and then received £1.8 m after add ons from Wolves for Dean Richards, we know Richmond was a wily Old Fox but to swop clubs with Dave Simpson knowing he had these two players to possibly sell on was a great bit of business.