THE EVERTON WAY
Caleb CousensRooney, Jeffers, Rodwell.....Lundstram, Hope, Dier?
In this age of billionaire owners and €50m transfers teams outside of Europe’s elite few must find a way to compete that does not break the bank. Everton FC has managed to stay consistently in the Premier League’s top eight because of an emphasis placed on their youth development programs. In other words, they have found significant success in a league dominated by big spending by doing things the ‘right’ way.
Everton’s board and the club in general have not been able to provide first team manager David Moyes the funds he needs to take the club the next step. Conceivably the only reason there has been any consistency to Everton’s league placements is because of the Everton FC Academy. A telling statistic is that in the last four years Everton has never spent more than they earned, a commendable stat especially with their impressive league finishes in that time.
It is called by those in the club “The Everton Way”, a philosophy and culture that is committed to creating a successful club the sustainable way, building up from grassroots football that translates to good things for the first team. The club’s motto is “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum” which translates to “nothing but the best is good enough” and this relates directly to the philosophy of excellence within their academy. The Everton Academy develops players from all over the world but there is a special focus on local talent which has seen many Everton graduates get capped for the English national team. Unfortunately for English football the Toffees are the exception to the rule and most of the Premier League’s top clubs look for talent abroad instead of developing local ability. This has a direct effect on the national team however with more clubs prioritizing youth development in England the future looks brighter for the Three Lions.
Academy prospects train at Finch Farm, Everton’s state of the art training complex that hosts all of the club’s teams. The £14m complex opened in 2007 and replaced the legendary Bellefield as Everton FC’s training ground. The world class facility is a suitable home for Everton’s world class development system that will help entice young player to join the Blues and stay. Of course that is a difficult task with your best young players as we saw when Rooney was tempted away from Goodison Park to Old Trafford. Maybe the most notable graduate from Everton FC’s academy, Wayne Rooney was a local talent (from Liverpool) that joined the club at 9 years of age and came through the academy to become England’s youngest ever goal scorer. He has since gone on to make Everton FC’s academy proud with his countless successes with the Red Devils and the rest is history.
Other notable academy graduates include Francis Jeffers, Michael Ball, and Richard Dunne who have all been capped internationally and have had success after leaving Goodison Park. It is not the past that has me interested and thousands of their supporters excited, it is their current crop of first teamers and academy prospects that could be making a splash in the Premiership for many years. Current Toffees include notables such as James Vaughan who became the youngest goal scorer in Everton’s history in the 2004/05 season and has represented England throughout his youth career. Academy graduate Leon Osman is a starter for the Blues and a key part of their midfield, adding thirty-eight goals in his seven years at the club. Defensive midfielder Jack Rodwell may be the first team’s brightest young player. He joined Everton at 7 years of age and at 20 years old he has captained the U16 England squad, become the youngest ever player to represent Everton in Europe, and scored his first Premier League goal against Manchester United and will only improve in the coming years.
It is likely that Everton will have to sell a few of the names above in the next year or so, that is just the reality of being a team outside of the big five in the Premier League. Consolation for fans of Everton comes in the form of their U18 side. In the U18 Premier Academy League, Everton finished the 2010/11 season top of Group C. Ahead of the academies of Manchester City, Manchester United, and a highly acclaimed Liverpool U18 side that were favourites. Everton went on to defeat Aston Villa and Fulham’s academies to land them their first academy title and national recognition. They achieved this with nine English youngsters in their squad, a promising side for the future of the English game. The competition turned out a few notable performances and a number of names to watch who could be making a big splash in England in the coming years.
Eric Dier is only on loan to Everton from Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon, but the 17 year old central defender was a top performer for Everton’s academy team this season and a multi-million pound transfer could see him a permanent member of Finch Farm. He captained every junior Sporting Lisbon side up until he played with the U19s (at the age of 16). He is not a typical English center-back; he is good with the ball at his feed and has developed in a country where they value technique and he provides and aerial threat at 6ft 2in tall. He is definitely one to watch and do not be surprised if Portugal tries to convince him to play for their national side as he is yet to be recognized by the English FA.
John Lundstram is a talented, left footed player that plays in the center of midfield for the Blues. He combines a strong work ethic with great passing ability. He can read the game well and distributes the ball accurately. He has been with Everton from early on and won Everton’s U16 Player of the Year for the 2009/10 season.
Last but not least, Hallam Hope follows Wayne Rooney as another young forward coming out of Everton’s academy. He moved from Manchester City to Everton in 2005 where he has been a regular goal scorer for the Toffees. His record with the English national team is very impressive averaging just under a goal a game throughout his international career.
Everton will continue to do things the right way and will remain contenders for the Europa League spots. The UEFA Financial Fair Play rules might just help clubs like Everton to climb the standings but we will have to see. In a league and sport where money often speaks loudest, Everton might just be bucking the trend.
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Reader Comments (6)
So you're saying it's great that our board don't support the manager?
That's ludicrous.
It's a funny way of looking at things. Everton do things the right way by treading water in a football mad city, and a football mad environment where they could easily be capitalizing on interest to put together a squad capable of challenging, if not for the title, at least for cups and yet they sit there, not bad but still not good, never trying to improve, just bringing through occasional youths to be picked up by a more successful club and for Everton to reinvest in further development. It's been demonstrated that Merseyside rivals Liverpool have a more promising and potent youth development system, full of young Scouse lads getting chances. How Everton's stick rather than ever twist policy is good for Everton, or for England, is beyond me. It's another case of praising the lesser lights to appear less mainstream, when your analysis is primarily based on fallacy that anyone else in the game would refute.
Todd, could you point out how Liverpool's youth policy is more successful? Until last season they hadn't brought anyone through since Gerrard and Carragher, over ten years ago.
As opposed to Rooney, Vaughan, Anichebe, Osman and Rodwell. Not all top-class, but all played relatively regularly.
I disagree with praising the club for treading water, but disagree with you for you, well, for you being wrong.
@Jon Gard
I appreciate that you do not think that Everton's "treading water" policy is praiseworthy, I was merely praising the fact that they continue to challenge for Europa League positions without the funds of the teams ahead of them. I think it is worth praise that a team can be as successful as Everton while consistently fielding multiple academy players. Whether you have the funds or the board supports your manager or not they have been remarkably successful and much of the is down to your youth system. That is my only point.
@HowlingFanTodd
Come back when you can make an unbiased and reasonable argument. If Everton had half the funds Liverpool do they would be competing for a Champions League place as well.
Thanks for the reply Caleb, can't argue with that.
First thing's first I have no allegiance with Liverpool nor Everton, in fact I admire the latter more for their grounded fans on the whole however I don't think there is anything between the two clubs in terms of developing youth, even with the pressures at Liverpool they have produced as much as Everton have albeit in slightly differing eras. For Everton's Rooney read Liverpool's Gerrard, two top level success stories. The likes of Leon Osman, Jack Rodwell, Tony Hibbert, Victor Anichebe, Kieran Agard, Jose Baxter, James Vaughen etc. have been lauded coming through the Everton academy, although Osman is a good player if unspectacular and Rodwell looks to have a lot of talent he still needs to assert himself on games a lot more, the rest have hardly left a lot to be desired.
FYI - James Vaughen has joined Norwich this season and isn't likely to be playing a lot with Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson as well as Premier League survival. His record at Crystal Palace hardly screams future poster boy for Everton's academy as well.
With the return of Kenny Dalglish it seems there could be a change as young Liverpool talent has been given a chance, although with their poor standing last season it's arguable it was a case of a no lose situation because a player like Jay Spearing belongs nowhere near a Liverpool first team usually. That's the major difference between the likes of Everton and the other clubs in the top 8, they have room to breathe. Same for Aston Villa. You said it yourself they have been forced to opt for younger talent although spending £15million on one midfielder from Belgium is hardly screaming fiscal responsibility. That being said they've had one potentially two major success stories. You could count the same if not more for major clubs consistently challenging for trophies like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and if you want to look at improving academies the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester CIty, Chelsea, Arsenal etc. have all had success at youth team level with players like McEachran, Tunnicliffe, Flannagan etc on the cusp of first team football or the likes of Jack Wilshere who have gone over and beyond that edge.
As you've said Everton are doing the right thing, that's unquestionable but to hold them up as some sort of shining light when almost everyone is doing the same thing while a select few have the financial power to press on further to challenging for honours doesn't seem appropriate for me.