Can anyone tell me how Lamps is doing? Great to hear about Drogs, hope he returns to Chelsea when his playing days are over.

AVB has apparently declined a contract extension at Zenit and so will be leaving at the end of the season.

 

Presumably he's got his eye on a better job, I wonder where. Supposedly Guardiola is leaving Bayern at the end of the season (although you'd think they'd know better), I can't really think of any other top-level vacancies off the top of my head.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34208767

AVB has apparently declined a contract extension at Zenit and so will be leaving at the end of the season.

 

Presumably he's got his eye on a better job, I wonder where. Supposedly Guardiola is leaving Bayern at the end of the season (although you'd think they'd know better), I can't really think of any other top-level vacancies off the top of my head.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34208767

 

Back to Porto? 

 

AC Milan? 

 

Schalke? 

 

West Ham? 

 

Welling United? 

AVB has apparently declined a contract extension at Zenit and so will be leaving at the end of the season.

 

Presumably he's got his eye on a better job, I wonder where. Supposedly Guardiola is leaving Bayern at the end of the season (although you'd think they'd know better), I can't really think of any other top-level vacancies off the top of my head.

 

Damn! Van Gaal's contract runs until the end of next season...

Can anyone tell me how Lamps is doing? Great to hear about Drogs, hope he returns to Chelsea when his playing days are over.

I think that's a cert mate. This is what he said last time he left...

"I would come back and cut the grass here if they asked me to". So I take that as if we are willing he is willing. I can't see us excluding the greatest African player of all time from a post playing career position.

Great read by the way - http://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/may/22/didier-drogba-right-time-to-leave

Welling United?

We don't want him.

We don't want him.

 

Come on you Wings! 

 

Did you know, Welling United's Sahr Kabba is the first player charged by the Football Association with feigning injury? 

They also have a player who was named after a dog from Eastenders.

Super Frank opened his account for NYC FC last night. 

 

http://talksport.com/football/video-former-chelsea-star-frank-lampard-scores-first-mls-goal-new-york-city-fc-150917166790

Come on you Wings!

Did you know, Welling United's Sahr Kabba is the first player charged by the Football Association with feigning injury?

We're famous!

And probably going down if this form continues.

#CechMate

As it turns out our former defensive mid and occasional right back Lassana Diarra is still alive, hasn't defected to Syria, playing well, and back in the France squad:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/oct/07/lassana-diarra-exile-france-squad-euro-2016

As it turns out our former defensive mid and occasional right back Lassana Diarra is still alive, hasn't defected to Syria, playing well, and back in the France squad:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/oct/07/lassana-diarra-exile-france-squad-euro-2016

 

 

Occasional right back? never a right back he's only five foot eight

Who the hell are Welling United?

And I thought Greenock Morton were low scale.

Don't diss the mighty Wings. 

 

The Wings are by far the greatest team. Aside from Chelsea... but only just.

Jimmy Floyd's Burton Albion are top of the league (again) - three points clear at the top of League One after being promoted last season as League Two champions.

 

Seems like he's doing some fantastic work there. Obviously it's still early days but two consecutive promotions for a club which has only been in the Football League since 2009 is truly outstanding.

 

In addition, amid the large number of complaints about the paucity of BAME managers from various advocacy and anti-racism groups, it is excellent to see someone like Hasselbaink working his way up from the bottom and proving his merit, in contrast with someone like John Barnes who was keen to claim that his race overshadowed his total incompetence as a reason for not finding more work in management.

 

Hats off Jimmy, hope to see you in the Premier League in two years!

Carlton Cole has signed for Celtic:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34603027

Ancelotti to star in the next Star Trek Film?

 

http://metro.co.uk/2015/10/23/carlo-ancelotti-has-a-cameo-role-in-the-next-star-trek-movie-say-reports-in-italy-5459026/

Bobby Campbell passed away at the age of 78 yesterday.

 

I wasn't around when he was our manager, but my uncle said he played a big part in securing our promotion to the old First Division back in the late 80s.

 

In any case, it's always sad to hear the news of someone's passing, especially someone who was part of our history.

 

Rest in peace, Mr. Campbell.

Meanwhile Salomon Kalou is top scorer for 5th-placed Hertha Berlin, who are level on points with 4th (CL qualifiers) and only two points behind 3rd (CL group stage). He has seven goals, making him the equal 5th top scorer in the Bundesliga (level with Reus and Bas Dost, ahead of the likes of Hernandez and Huntelaar).

 

He's already beaten last season's tally of 6 goals, I hope he has an excellent season and continues to bang them in like he did at Lille.

Our youth system has come under a lot of fire and stick from the press and fans a like especially now with our ever increasing loan army.
This got me interested to actually see for my self where our youngsters and the youngsters we bought have ended up and how successful they have or haven't become.

I have looked at player outgoings for the last 5 seasons and have removed those I haven't regarded youngsters so one or 2 may have missed out.
The information is a long read so here's the conclusion.

These out goings have netted over £50m in transfer fees and with only minimal losses for all of those released on frees and only one player making a loss that was sold on. It's shows a very positive business model and is a large source of revenue for the club around £10m a season which should only grow with the increasing of resources ploughed into this ever profitable system.

So clearly this system works and works well on a financial front. But I was more interested in a lot more than just the financial side of things and wanted to see how fruitful these players careers have been, to see whether coming here as a youngster provides a good footballing career and on the whole it seems quite fruitful and with 8 out of the 15 transferred players plying their trade in the Premier League and our proven BPL quality highlights the likelihood of playing at the top level and 4 others in top leagues with 3 of these proven at that level.
So that's 12 players out of 31 going on to play at a very good standard of football and there is still time on a lot of these players side to get to this level. 

League breakdown, 8 BPL, 2 Bundes, 1 La Liga, 1 Eredivise, 2 Champ, 1 League 1

Free transfers/Unnattached league breakdown; 2 Champ, 4 L1, 2 L2 the rest in non professional leagues.
 

2015/16

Thorgan Hazard; A player who was bought at the age of 19 for £350k from Lens, and was sold 3 seasons later for £5.6m (a whopping 16 times greater), having also received loan fees of over £1m over his tenure, Hazard is currently playing for Borussia Mochengladbach and has 16 appearances this season with 3 in the champions league and is well established in the side. (profit £6.25m)

Oriol Romeu; bought at 20 for £3.22m from Barcelona B and was riddled with injuries during his time here yet we still managed to sell Romeu at 24 for £4.9m again to Southampton and has racked up 14 appearances. Most would consider this move unsuccessful and wasted but when you also consider the £1m of loan fees, it is still over £1.4m profit.

Gael Kakuka; another perceived wasted purchase, more so because of the ban incurred and the longevity of his stay with out any real incursion into the first team squad and was actively loan farmed, nether the less he was bought on a compensation deal for £81k at the age of 16 from Lens U19s which is a bargain price. now after 6 different loans he has been sold at the age of 24 to Seville for £4.2m, he has only featured once this season due to injury but considering he had 35 la liga appearances last season I'm sure he is able to play at this level. (£4.1m profit)

Josh McEachran; a player people have used to show our ineptitude at bringing through youth. The first Chelsea youth product on this list who has now been sold to the Championship outfit Brentford for £725k. Having showed promise to be a great player as a youngster however he didn't seem to be able to live up to those expectations on loan and has thus faded away, at 22 he still has time to prove he can play at the top level, and hopefully with this move he will knuckle down and develop into the player he showed promise to be. (£725k profit)

2014/15

Lukaku; Bought at 18 for a £15m big money move from Anderlecht the highest on this list, he showed the ability whilst here and on his loans that he was premier league quality, but he didn't have the consistency or determination to want to fight for his place and was sold for £25m at the still relatively young age of 21, we all know where he is at now and has developed into a very good BPL striker. (£12.5m profit) 

Bertrand; Signed for £126k at 16 (compensation) from Gillingham U18s and worked his way up through the ranks here even getting ann appearance in the CL final but not content with his back up role he was sold at the age of 24 for £9.3m and is the starting left back for Southampton. (£9.2m profit)

Patrick van Aanholt; signed at 17 for £210k from the PSV U19s and never really got a look in here to be later sold for £1.4m to Sunderland where he is now a regular. (£1.2m profit.)

George Saville another youth academy product sold at 21 for £875k to wolves where he struggled to impress and is currently on loan in league 1 where he is getting game time. (£875k profit)

2013/14

KDB; arrived at 21 so will probably be considered too old for this list and was bought for £5.6m, looked potentially world class but was 3rd fiddle and wasn't getting enough game time and was sold for £15.4m at the age of 23.  (£10m profit)

Jeffrey Bruma; brought from the Feyenoord youth system for around £81k at the age of 16 and was later sold to PSV for £2.45m and is a first team regular. (£2.6m profit) 

2012/13

Daniel Sturridge; bought from a then relatively small Man city for £5.08m at 19 and couldn't get regular game time in his prefer position despite looking dangerous liverpool showed the interest in the the peeved 23 year old and he was sold for £10.5m and he has looked very dangerous when fit but has been very injury stricken.  (£5.4m profit)

2011/12

Michael Manciene; A Chelsea youth product who showed some inconsitant quality on various loans was sold for £1.75m to hamburg at the age of 23 and is now presides at Nottingham Forrest were he plays regularly. (£1.75m profit)

Rajkovic; brought from Beograd for £3.64m as a 17 year old this is one of the poorer pieces of business and our first loss on this list, he was later sold for £1.4m to Hamburg when he was 22 and is now struggling to get game time for bundesliga outfit Darnstadt. (£2.2m loss)

Cork; Another of the more well known names, Jack Cork the Chelsea youngster is currently playing for Swansea after plenty of previous BPL experience he was sold by us after a smattering of loans to Southampton when he was 22 for £588k and was sold on by them at 26 for £2.8m. (£558k profit)

Borini; Another Journeyman plying his trade in the BPL with 5 transfers to his name totalling £24.75m, was bought from Bologna at 15 as was sold 4 years later for pretty much the same fee to Parma (no profit). 

(15 players)

Free transfers/ unattached  (leaving Unattached noted Un) ( r notes regular)

2014/15

Danny Pappoe; youth product has only had a couple of league 1 games to show for his career

Billy Clifford; youth product currently playing in the national league for Boreham wood.

Jhon Pirez; brought in from the Uruguayan outfit defensor to which he has returned for free. (undisclosed/minimal loss) 

Sam Hutchinson; is a name some people might remember the Chelsea youth product suffered a horrendous almost career ending injury when he was 21 to return a year later but not quite the same prospect went to Sheffield Wednesday for free and is now playing regularly

Milan Lalkovic; arriving Kosice U19 this from has moved a few times since leaving on a free and is currently playing at Walsaw in league 1 as a first team regular. (minimal loss)

2013/14

Amin Affane; signed from Lilrje-Angereds to later leave on a free to Energie and is now playing for Arm. Bielefeld in the bundesliga 2 (minmal loss)

Lamisha Musonda; came from Anderlecht at 19 with his brothers left for Kv Mechelen and is now unattached (minimal loss)   

2012/13 

Ben Gordon; Un Chester NL (leeds)

James Ashton; Un Chelsea youngster now at the Met Police.

Connor Clifford; Un Boreham wood NL r   

Rhys Taylor; Un Wrexham NL 

Roahn Ince; Brighton 14 apps this season

2011/12

Micheal Woods; Un Hartlepool L2 r  

Jacob Mellis; Un Bury L1 r (Sheff U) (minimal loss)

Carl Magnay; Hartlepol L2 r

Danny Philliskirk; Oldhan L1 r (Oldham) (minimal loss)

 

(16 players) 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35005002

Jimmy what have you done...

Mixed feelings about that Zola. Want him to do well but I want QPR to fail.

A truly sickening sight:

 

 

 

Hopefully he'll get snapped up by someone better within a few months...