Stuckey im not advocating for the bilbao or even barca model for home grown players at AUFC.Yeah obviously losing someone of value is always going to be a tough thing to take for some people. But we often only really read extreme emotions from people on here or elsewhere. If you're fully against a player leaving then there is a natural impulse to make noise about it. If you're happy they are leaving I doubt we'd read much from that person.I think my point was missed somewhere along the line , or i didnt quite articulate my point well. Its more a critique if the yearly outrage over a player exodus.
Every year outrage ensues that we are letting out most promising players leave , players who have played well above their minimal salaries.
Totally agree there will always be outside interest and l it is of course a factor some may leave. We can agree or disagree this is good for football.
All aleague clubs are forced to watch their youth products walk away despite wanting to keep them. More often than not the salary cap is the limiting factor.
This is just a reality of a league where we have a salary cap in the form of the one in the aleague, the yearly outrage about a x players leaving is totally irrational and doea not take into account the salary cap limitations .
Im sure the athletic bilbao model is the stuff of fantasies for aufc fans. All im saying is for better or worse its just not possible under our cap.
Take a look at this 6 minute clip for reference
I think McGree leaving and the circumstances round that and the circumstances round Euge leaving are the main two exits I've found tough to take for different reasons. The McGree exit hit me hardest and I really took a step back from the club for a bit around that.
On to your other point. Personally I don't see the attraction to such a regimented recruitment system like Bilbao's so much debate on whether players a eligible and so many technicalities allowing players to sign.
Plus I'm not confident that even with a huge focus on development will we see an AU side comprised of purely SA players win anything. That's not to say there isn't a good amount of SA players around. But I feel it would be far more straightforward to aim for a SA only side but then fill the gaps with smart recruitment.
A good example is the Barca model of a few years ago. Lots of La Masia players making up the bulk of the squad with the holes filled with great players from elsewhere.
Now obviously AU aren't in a position to sign the best players but you get the idea I'm sure.
But since AU is still struggling to get a decent development structure in place. We can't really point to the great developmental clubs of Spain and say that's what we need to be doing. AU needs to walk before it can run, and their development systems are barely crawling along!
Im simply saying such expectations are unrealistic. Losing Kamau, odoherty, tongyik etc really does suck but with the salary caps current form we can ( or any other club ) only reasonably expect to retain a sprinkling of players who will represent us as seniors.
Dont get me wrong , i personally would love something similar but not identical to the bilbao set up as IMO being able able to have a shared experience or heritage with with aufc players would help invoke alot of passion for the club.
However we all need to realise Aleague clubs are franchises in a very unique league set up that see’s almost total squad turn over every 2-3 years.
To put it simply ..... dont hate the player ( the club) hate the game lol
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