Canada Goose sale Jensen Weir and Joe Gelhardt highlight the quality of Wigan Athletic’s academy Canada Goose sale
canada goose factory sale England U17 stars Jensen Weir and Joe Gelhardt both play for Wigan Athletic so what is going on their academy? Adam Bate caught up with the club’s academy manager Gregor Rioch to find out. canada goose factory sale
The England U17 team that won their mini tournament in October was canada goose drawn from familiar talent pools. The win over Russia included three starters from Manchester City. The victory over Brazil featured a trio of Arsenal players. But the only Canada Goose sale other club to have more than one player involved in those two matches was a curious one. It was Wigan Athletic.
Jensen Weir and Joe Gelhardt weren’t just involved, they impressed. Gelhardt scored two of canada goose coats on sale the goals against Russia, beating two opponents before slotting the ball into the corner for the first of them. First and foremost, their achievements reflect well on the two players. But they also hint at the work being done at what remains a category three academy.
Canada Goose online Gregor Rioch has been the academy manager at Wigan since 2013 and attended both games. „We are all really proud of them,“ he tells Sky Sports. „It is testament to the way that we teach the kids and it is a reward for the buy canada goose jacket hard work that is going on. We are starting to get that recognition and the national team scouts are coming to see what we are doing.“ Canada Goose online
cheap Canada Goose Gregor Rioch with Weir and Gelhardt [Credit: Simon Whitehead, Wigan Athletic] cheap Canada Goose
Canada Goose Jackets The main reason why Wigan’s academy is rated as category three is because they do not have the indoor facilities that is mandatory for higher category academies. But in terms of staffing levels and coaching hours, Rioch is keen to stress that young players are getting the attention that they need to develop and canada goose coats that this is the real key to their success. Canada Goose Jackets
canada goose uk black friday „There are a lot of fantastic academies out there with nice facilities and a lot of good work being done, but our success is not based on our facilities,“ he explains. „It is built around the people that are here. The support from the chairman and the chief executive has been incredible too. The time, money and belief in us to produce players has been fantastic.“ canada goose uk black friday
Canada Goose Outlet Perhaps most significantly, Wigan are providing cheap Canada Goose a pathway for these players. Latics boss Paul Cook is described by Rioch as „a big advocate“ and he even selected 17 academy players in his Checkatrade Trophy squad against Accrington last season. At the age of 15, Weir became the youngest player in Wigan’s history when appearing off the bench in that game. Canada Goose Canada Goose Outlet Outlet
buy canada goose jacket cheap Gelhardt in action for England [Credit: Simon Whitehead, Wigan Athletic]Jensen Weir is the son of David Weir, the former Everton and Rangers defender. buy canada goose jacket cheap
canada goose clearance Both Weir and Canada Goose online Gelhardt were also involved in the Carabao Cup game at Rotherham in August and no doubt their England team mates will have noted their relative progress. There is a growing feeling that opportunity is everything and that suits Wigan. „It is a huge help when recruiting players but also it’s a help for the players already here,“ says Rioch. canada goose clearance
canadian goose jacket „I think there is a big shift happening in academy football now. You look at Jadon Sancho going abroad and other players at the top academies, they feel like they are not getting through. So they are canada goose black friday sale looking for the clubs canada goose clearance that are in that echelon http://www.canadagoosecanadaoutlet.com just below who will give them the opportunity to play. We are happy with that situation. canadian goose jacket
canada goose black friday sale „If we are challenging for a player from the big clubs we have to be slightly different. Some of our players are ones who have been let go by other clubs but have come to us and flourished. Kenny canada goose outlet Williams is our head of academy recruitment and he is outstanding at what he does. If you have that plus good coaching then it gives you a chance.“Highlights of Wigan recent 4 2 defeat to Sheffield United in the Championship canada goose black friday sale
Highlights of Wigan’s recent 4 2 defeat to Sheffield United in the Championship
Rioch is the son of Bruce, the former Arsenal boss, and was a player himself with Hull, although he canada goose clearance sale insists that anyone who saw him in action would know why coaching is his passion. He also managed in Denmark but it is his time at Manchester City’s academy with „wise foxes“ like Jim Cassell and Alex Gibson that has shaped his forthright coaching views.
„They are the best and I brought Alex in part time to help with our coaching. The one thing we always say here is that while the coaching is important and the technical programme is important, it is also important not to over coach them. I think kids today are being over coached. I think you have to just keep putting them in game situations and let them grow.
„I am a massive believer in letting kids solve problems for themselves. Some coaches now are all too keen to give them the answers to show everyone that they are a good coach when actually these are good players and they will find a way if you just guide them and put them in an environment where they can develop and enjoy it.“
These are good players and they will find a way if you just guide them and put them in an environment where they can develop and enjoy it. Gregor Rioch
cheap canada goose uk There has been some trial and error when it comes to finding that right environment for the players. When the club was relegated to League One, the decision was made to send their youngsters out on canada goose store loan rather than run a development squad programme. „We piloted it and it didn’t work,“ admits Rioch. In the summer, they returned to the Central League. cheap canada goose uk
canada goose „We sat down with the manager, the chairman and the chief executive and decided to come back into the Central League this year and have a good working group of development players. I think that has been important for our young players because they see somewhere for them to go and take their next step in the game as well as going out on loan.“ canada goose
In a sense, Wigan are a victim of their Canada Goose Jackets own success. Their U18 side has won eight from eight against supposedly similar academies. The return to the Central League is a chance to test them against men instead. „It’s great to win but we have to make it competitive too,“ says Rioch. „What buy canada goose jacket cheap was happening was that our defenders were only playing on canada goose deals the halfway line.
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„So canadian goose jacket we went into the Central League to put a lot of our U18s into that programme because it is open age and that means our defenders have to defend. Now they are getting bombarded with balls into the box, they are learning how to defend, they are getting the physical challenges. It has really worked well for us and they are developing nicely.“.