Academy & U21s

[bluebruce]

On 17/11/2025 at 14:10, ... said:

Sorry if this has already been mentioned

https://blackburnroversfc.co.uk/news/2025/november/17/-it-s-a-very-attractive-club-and-the-pathway-is-there-/browse

I think this is a super appointment 

Link won't work for me

[...]

2 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Link won't work for me

Rovers app mate

[KentExile]

9 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Link won't work for me

 

6 minutes ago, ... said:

Rovers app mate

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/november/17/-it-s-a-very-attractive-club-and-the-pathway-is-there-/

[KentExile]

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25630051.blackburn-rovers-transfer-battle-vs-premier-league-vultures/

 

Blackburn Rovers are continuing to face a fight to retain their hottest Academy talents with admiring glances from the Premier League.

Rovers' youth set up is famed in English football, with Adam Wharton the most recent high-profile player to emerge from the Brockhall Senior Training Centre.

Retaining talent to ensure they can graduate to the first-team has been a tough challenge. Igor Tyjon is currently stalling on his first professional deal whilst the club recently lost Rory Finneran. Tottenham eventually got Ash Phillips after years of interest.

Head of Academy, Paul Gray, has conceded that remains the club's toughest challenge.

"It's a huge challenge. You've seen recently that we've managed to keep players like Adam Wharton for a good few years," Gray told RoversTV.

"I think he signed two or three contracts before leaving to go to Crystal Palace and obviously the club got the rewards with the transfer fee that they got for Adam and the future payments that we could also get.

"But then on the flip side, we lost Rory (Finneran) at the age of 16 to Newcastle, which was a real tough one to take after he'd been with us since the age of eight. But it's hard. We've got huge Premier League clubs with huge, huge budgets.

"It's tough and it's starting to go younger down. The scout lists for our games are extremely long. We're getting offers of compensation for players as young as 11.

"We managed to keep some of them. There are others that we don't manage to keep and some that move on. But we've just got to keep doing what we're doing, selling our environment, showing people that there's a pathway at this football club.

"You're then hoping that the parents and the players can see the light at the end of the tunnel here rather than maybe going for the bright lights elsewhere."Igor Tyjon battles for possession (Image: CameraSport - Lee Parker)

The arrival of Jordan Rhodes as Loan Manager has seen a shift in approach. Rovers are now pushing to field younger Under-21 teams and allow those at the top of the age range to find move in the pyramid for experience.

"The most important thing is getting players into the first team," Gray said.

"It's about the individual development of the players. So I think we're now seeing Kristi have his breakthrough season, so that's really good for us.

"In the last few games, he's come on as a substitute. He's had a real impact in a few games now.

"In terms of the 21s and the 18s, you'll notice that we're quite young. With Jordan Rhodes coming in now, we've got a loan strategy, so we don't want 20, 21-year-olds playing in the under-21s, really.

"We'd rather be playing 16, 17, 18-year-olds in the Under-21s. That's the strategy. We want to be quite young in the under-21s."

Ex-Rovers player Josh Morris has spent some time working in the Academy recently. He is working with the Under-15 group, as Matt Derbyshire did previously having come through the ranks at Ewood Park.

"Josh has just come back in and he is working with our Under-15s now and again," he explained.

"So he's just another one who's been here as a young player. He's seen it, he's done it. He's then moved away and he's had a really good career in football.

"So, yes, he's back and he's at the start of his coaching journey. But, yes, he's done a really good job so far."

Edited Tuesday at 16:19 by KentExile

[bluebruce]

I'm not sure why they're describing Rhodes' arrival as heralding a new approach. It's the same approach they had last season (when it didn't appear to work).

[Upside Down]

We'd retain some of those players if the club had the slightest shred of ambition to do anything other than just simply exist.

Edited Thursday at 19:14 by Upside Down

[Mattyblue]

At least we got to keep Adam Wharton for a ‘good few years’, certainly wasn’t bundled out the door on the cheap after a few dozen starts (before he’d even turned 20).

 

[wilsdenrover]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

At least we got to keep Adam Wharton for a ‘good few years’, certainly wasn’t bundled out the door on the cheap after a few dozen starts (before he’d even turned 20).

 

and they get no credit for keeping him anyway, this was solely down to him being a fan.

[MarkBRFC]

13 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

and they get no credit for keeping him anyway, this was solely down to him being a fan.

No coincidence that the last two players they managed to get to sign new contracts were both huge Rovers fans.

No, Ribeiro doesn't count.

[Mattyblue]

To be fair ‘nobody knew he was good’ so maybe that’s why they kept hold of him…

[KentExile]

 

[TheKitGuy]

14 minutes ago, KentExile said:

 

Play some really nice stuff - get a few of these attackers in and amongst it. 

[KentExile]

U21s lost 2-1 away to Watford in the Premier League Cup.  Powell with Rovers goal

U18s are away to West Brom in the U18 Premier League Cup tomorrow

Edited 22 hours ago by KentExile

[joey_big_nose]

So whats the deal with Pratt? If he could come in and do a great job in a highly competitive first team derby are there others?

I couldn't really see why he would struggle at this level. Powerful, decent on the ball, not quick but okay pace wise.

PNE are a big strong direct team and he was really comfortable. How come he wasn't on the bench before?

Just strikes me as really strange you can go from Chorley to that in a few weeks. Beginners luck maybe?

[bluebruce]

5 hours ago, KentExile said:

U21s lost 2-1 away to Watford in the Premier League Cup.  Powell with Rovers goal

U18s are away to West Brom in the U18 Premier League Cup tomorrow

Who is this Wolsoncroft? Why do we have 20 million youth goalkeepers at u21 level?

[bluebruce]

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

So whats the deal with Pratt? If he could come in and do a great job in a highly competitive first team derby are there others?

I couldn't really see why he would struggle at this level. Powerful, decent on the ball, not quick but okay pace wise.

PNE are a big strong direct team and he was really comfortable. How come he wasn't on the bench before?

Just strikes me as really strange you can go from Chorley to that in a few weeks. Beginners luck maybe?

He was on the bench before wasn't he? And before all the injuries a loan would have made sense. What gets me is we couldn't find interest at higher than Chorley's level, yet he can play 90 in a local Championship derby and not let anybody down. I really think we are awful at finding the right loans.

[KentExile]

10 hours ago, bluebruce said:

Who is this Wolsoncroft? Why do we have 20 million youth goalkeepers at u21 level?

This is probably far more detail than is necessary, but I think answers your questions 😉 

Wolsoncroft is a 2nd year scholar (so 17 or 18 years old), was out on loan last week (technically still is until December) in the 7th tier to cover for someone's first choice who was suspended.  I suppose the loan is longer than that for either the sake of some rule I am unaware of, or just in case he impresses, which is what happened with Honors loan last season which was extended a few times until it became a full seasons loan

The amount of keepers is at U21 level is owing to unnecessary contract extensions to the likes of Barrett (out on loan) & Kahn (international duty) when we already have Michalski (with the first team), Goddard (injured) & Honor, rather than the amount that we are bringing through.  Unsure where Honor is, but he hasn't played since early November so assume he is also injured

They bring through 1 or 2 with each scholarship group as each age group will have their own set of goalkeepers (in 2023 it was Michalski, in 2022 was Honor & Kahn, Will Blease was 2021s offering,  Goddard was 2020), which in itself isn't a problem as long as when it comes to offering pro deals, they are a bit more selective

Wolsoncroft and Thompson (who was on the bench last night for the U21s) are 2nd year scholars (and so still qualify as U18s this season), and therefore out of contract at the end of this season unless/until they are offered pro deals

Holt is a first year scholar

imagine Krajewski and/or Garside are the ones they will look bring through as scholars next year to ensure they have 2 or 3 who qualify for U18s in 26/27 season

 

Edit - Incidentally Kahn is now a full international, made his debut this week, lost 5-0..... at home to Syria

 

Edited 9 hours ago by KentExile

[KentExile]