Location

Trouble is Hurst doesnt like skilful players, he likes grafters.  
We could do with a skill full player even in a team of 10 gratfers, we just never seem to get that, oh for the day when a new John Oster comes through the ranks but unfotunalty it will not happen under Hurst.

Quoted from BenBB

I wouldn't call London to NE Lincs a 'commute' at almost 4 hours of driving or train riding each way.

Caterham to Grimsby by Ford KA = 4Hrs 30 mins to 5Hrs not a commute a bloody donkey ride and half !!

Quoted from monkeyboy

Trouble is Hurst doesn't like skilful players, he likes grafters.  
We could do with a skill full player even in a team of 10 grafters, we just never seem to get that, oh for the day when a new John Oster comes through the ranks but unfortunately it will not happen under Hurst.

So how is it his fault that the youngsters coming through are not up to scratch?

Quoted from monkeyboy

Trouble is Hurst doesnt like skilful players, he likes grafters.  
We could do with a skill full player even in a team of 10 gratfers, we just never seem to get that, oh for the day when a new John Oster comes through the ranks but unfotunalty it will not happen under Hurst.

The way the youth system in this country works now is different. Anyone with great talent is hoovered up at a young age and anyone who develops as a teenager is also hoovered up like Ben Grist.

The point Hurst is making is that previously 3 players were given deals to make up numbers in the squad very cheaply and then it the same the following year with the next 3. Now they have the opportunity to give some an opportunity to develop. Look at Clifton, if Jolley didn't come in when he did, he was probably getting released and disappearing into non-league forever.

It takes time, if we can generate a few fees for players like Grist, that's great and have the occasional local lad break through and establish themselves, even better but it is so much harder due to how the system works now.

Where we can be successful is by taking the next Ryan Bennett and Mattie Pollock who have been released from higher academies and show them the pathways we have provided. Evan Khouri is the current example of this.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

The way the youth system in this country works now is different. Anyone with great talent is hoovered up at a young age and anyone who develops as a teenager is also hoovered up like Ben Grist.

The point Hurst is making is that previously 3 players were given deals to make up numbers in the squad very cheaply and then it the same the following year with the next 3. Now they have the opportunity to give some an opportunity to develop. Look at Clifton, if Jolley didn't come in when he did, he was probably getting released and disappearing into non-league forever.

It takes time, if we can generate a few fees for players like Grist, that's great and have the occasional local lad break through and establish themselves, even better but it is so much harder due to how the system works now.

Where we can be successful is by taking the next Ryan Bennett and Ben Pollock who have been released from higher academies and show them the pathways we have provided. Evan Khouri is the current example of this.

I absolutely agree with your final paragraph.

Bringing through young players is fraught with disappointment, and for various reasons including some you gave, getting homegrown talent into the first team is increasingly difficult.

The youth system makes sense in giving local players something to strive for, and gives a sense of community but in reality if so few are ever going to make the first team we need to look at 17 and 18-year-olds from bigger clubs who have been allowed to leave. The law of averages says these should be the better players of that age group some having been hoovered up as you say.

Even in our neck of the woods, there are plenty of bigger clubs releasing teenagers - the Yorkshire clubs, Hull City etc.

There are a couple of solutions.  

1.  We move Grimsby Town , Lock Stock and Barrel to a location closer to one of the major cities. It's been done before.  A whole town in Spain.  You can still see the numbers on the bricks. or,  MK Dons.

2.  You want an owner that lived in the surrounding area.  Invite Fenty back.

I'm happy with the way we are.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Khouri is showing a hell of a lot of potential

Not really playing though is he? Either he's good enough to play or he needs to be loaned out IMO.

Funny how location wasn't an issue for Mcmenemy,Kerr,Laws ,Newman,Buckley,Slade first time .Never heard them saying they couldn't get players here because of the location

You are quoting managers from 52 years ago, onwards. Times change, motorways are built and players' perspectives change. It's called moving the times, good and bad.

Quoted from Norseman

Funny how location wasn't an issue for Mcmenemy,Kerr,Laws ,Newman,Buckley,Slade first time .Never heard them saying they couldn't get players here because of the location

How do you know it wasn't .  Maybe they wanted players that didn't come.  In those days, we weren't so involved in the club.  We read the back of the GET and went to the games. We didn't have FB feeds, twitter and the like.