Churinga2

Good evening.
 
I lost my password/emailaccount for my previous account. So here I am with a new one.
 
I don't expect alot of people to remember me since, much to my disbelieve, it's been 7 years since my first visit and quite a few years since i was active here. I recognize quite some names though.
 
My return has alot to do with the fact that I will be visiting Goodison and the fine city of Liverpool for the first time this weekend!
 
I named both my cats after Phill Neville btw!
 

The Belgian clubs who have really invested in their youth programs are Standard and Genk. They've really invested in infrastructure. At Standard, even the young boys (like the U9's) have indoor training facilities and the likes. State of the art stuff. They and Genk have really modernised their training methods as well. They're in contact with clubs and experts in France, Holland and Germany and they've really got a new emphasis on the technical ability of their players and the transition between all of the age groups and eventually into the first team.
 
Anderlecht have invested in their youth program as well in recent years, but of course it's too early to expect immediate results. Of course they'll also simply attract the best young talent as they're the biggest club in Belgium. That Dennis Praet lad Mirallas just mentioned actually got his training at Genk, but then just screwed Genk and signed his first pro contract for Anderlecht when he turned 16 after being courted by them, Arsenal and Real Madrid. Of course, Genk and Standard do the same thing with smaller clubs. And all of the Belgian teams lose a big part of their best players to foreign clubs (mainly the Dutch big three PSV, Feyenoord and Ajax and the French clubs in the border area, like Lille and Lens; but to a lot of English clubs as well of late) which is probably the most frustrating thing about the youth program. You invest a lot of money in it, but you can't seem to keep the best ones.

I don't think he's like Bily that much. Mirallas is not that slow for starters. He had a nickname in france that probably suits him quite well: the Ronaldo of the poor.