Superb, ha.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

'How on earth do some of these parents do it? 3 practice session and a match. One of the single mums had another boy at Chelsea.'

Pretty sure you could have deuced that 6 training sessions and 2 matches a week at different clubs would be difficult for a single parent, but if not you know now the intention

The bit I liked was Wilf emphasising the importance of discipline!

Like other posters, I thought Phil H came across very well. He had terrific rapport both with the lads and with their parents.

However, I was left wondering if the intensity was good for growing bodies - one boy had already sustained a long term injury.

And at such a young age, should they really be in such a competitive hothouse? in effect, they are sacrificing their childhood - a bit like the gymnasts in China and Russia.

Probably better to be released early than when they reach their 20s to give them the chance to be normal.

In days gone by, academies didn’t exist. The stars of the future seemed to spend all their spare time kicking a tennis ball against a brick wall to hone their skills.

Did Ian Wright go through an academy? Or Vardy?

They continue at school as normal all the way through their secondary education. It's only post 16 when they commit to daily training.

Life is the same as it always will be,
Easy as picking foxes from a tree.
M Bolan

I agree. Felt for the young lad who was short, being short myself, I can relate. In the 60s I played for district schools team, the coach said he thought I was County standard but could not recommend me as I too short. I was devastated. Hope he has a growth spurt.
As I said in previous post, many worlds will come crashing down

Yep, found that a little sad, inside their minds they were already spending their first months salary. Still I guess it just shows football these days is all about money.