I was just reading through what has been said about the reserve and youth teams you can't criticise 16/17 year olds on the basis of they aren't playing first team football yet. How many do you see playing at this level at such an early age???
Bobby Grant had a belter of a game last year at MK Dons I agree but from both the 1st and 2nd scholars there's a goods few others who look handy too, Peter Murphy, Robert Grant, Chris Turner, Jay Bell, Lee Riley and Bee Ami just to name a few!!!
Martin Fearon is the greatest example of that as a player coming through it is a complete wait and see game and if you get your chance you take it!! Simnple as!!
Also, with regards to funding for thge academy. we haven't tried it before so we can't criticise what we don't yet know it'll take a good few years probably to see the fruits of their labours!!
Burnley for example have only brought 2 through recently in the form of Lafferty and McCann and now Rodriguez (who has not played competively in the first team yet) so it seems an overall thing not just a Stanley thing!!
I'm from the school of thinking having a youth set-up is a great thing to have at any club to be honest!!