Football Dynasty

Chapter 126: Revamping the Academy and Reserve

Richard sat in his office, a gleeful expression on his face, while O’Neill and McStay looked on with grim faces. None of them had expected John Terry’s performance to turn around so dramatically in the second half.

"So, what do you think?" Richard asked with a hint of amusement.

He continued, "Dominating in the air during set-pieces, making clean, well-timed tackles, staying tight on his man and tracking the runs. Can you guess why Terry struggled in the first half?"

"Was it because you instructed him not to push forward and stay back?" McStay asked.

"Exactly!" Richard clapped his hands together. "And we’ve found the perfect position for him."

McStay thought for a moment before replying, "Defensive midfielder?"

"Wrong! Centre-back!" Richard grinned. "It doesn’t matter if he can’t shoot or pass. What we need him to do is stop the attacks. He’ll be the best stopper we’ve got."

But just as Richard was about to continue, his face suddenly darkened. He gestured for them to sit down, then began the conversation.

"Tell me about the current City academy — the Reserve, A Team, and B Team. All of them."

To think... they allowed a thirteen-year-old to play alongside sixteen-year-olds. How could anyone expect him to perform?

From physical maturity alone, 13-year-olds are still in the early stages of development. This means there’s a significant size and power discrepancy, which can create an imbalance — potentially leading to injuries or unfair competition.

Currently, Manchester City competes in a total of four leagues across various levels.

First, the main squad plays in the Second Division, the main squad.

Second, the City Reserve team competes in the Central League (Northern Section).

Third, the City A squad participates in regional divisions within the Youth Alliance, including the FA Premier Youth League.

And finally, the fourth team — City B — focuses primarily on internal development and local friendlies.

From there, Richard was finally able to understand how City’s youth teams were run — a legacy left behind by Peter Swales and Francis Lee that had remained largely untouched and rarely re-evaluated.

In the past, he had briefly taken on the role of a youth coach at City under Tony Book. But at that time, he was mostly in the background, and his role was so minimal that he never truly understood how things were running.

Only after hearing McStay’s explanation and reviewing the current regulation handbook did he begin to understand, little by little.

He felt thankful that he had attended the youth match today, as it finally gave him insight into areas that needed improvement or change.

Richard shook his head. "This isn’t going to work," he said, glancing over at O’Neill and McStay. "Starting next season, there will be no City A or City B anymore."

What do you expect when a group of experienced 16-year-olds — who’ve trained and played together for years — suddenly see a much younger kid joining them on the pitch?

Thankfully, John Terry came from a tough environment, which built his mental resilience and ability to handle pressure. Even when the others refused to pass him the ball and isolated him in the previous match, he stayed focused and kept pushing through.

"Wait, what do you mean there will be no City A and B next season?" McStay sprang from his chair.

Youth teams are crucial for every football club. They provide a platform for clubs to identify potential talent early, which can later be nurtured into professional-level players. It’s essential to ensure that clubs have a sustainable pipeline of talent, reducing their dependency on expensive transfers from other clubs.

Even O’Neill also couldn’t help but frown at this.

Every club should have at least a youth academy, and no, they basically need it as it’s a way to reduce the need for expensive signings. Fans love to see "local" talent in the first team, which strengthens their emotional connection to the club.

"I know what you mean, but we will not do it based on how the current league operates," Richard said before pulling out a blackboard and starting to write on it.

"Let me explain it to you. The current City have Reserve, City A, and City B, right?" he said, then continued, "The reason I said there will be no City A and City B is because I want to change them next season to strictly define the academy based on age group categories."

O’Neill and McStay watched as Richard crossed out "Reserve Team" on the blackboard, only to write above it: "U-18," and "U-16."

From a league perspective, there was no strict age-based league structure like the modern U-23, U-18, or U-26 setups. Most academies and youth development systems operated with broader age ranges for their teams, lacking clearly defined age group divisions.

Richard originally wanted to emulate La Masia, which operates a comprehensive youth development system encompassing multiple age groups. But thinking about the costs, his mouth twitched.

How much per year?

Probably around £5 million — primarily due to the expenses associated with housing and training facilities for 60 kids alone.

’Yeah, step by step. Step by step, alright,’ Richard thought to himself.

Moreover, there weren’t many equivalent multi-tiered league systems for youth teams in England, unlike the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which has long placed a high value on developing homegrown talent. They even encouraged the creation of age-specific leagues such as the Cadete (U16), Infantil (U14), Alevín (U12), and Benjamín (U10) leagues.

In England, many clubs still operated traditionally with just a "Youth" and "Reserve" team, which meant they could include a mix of players from a broad range of ages, depending on their ability and development level.

Heck, sometimes, if the coaching staff believed it would benefit a player’s growth, they would be forcefully promoted—just like in the recent case with John Terry.

Most clubs here prioritized their senior team, following a structured training regimen but with limited resources. Especially for clubs with tight budgets, the facilities for the reserve and youth squads were functional but modest—good enough to maintain standards, though not as polished as those of top-flight clubs.

Richard didn’t know exactly when the FA introduced specialized teams for each age group, such as Premier League 2 for Under-23 players, the Under-18 Premier League Cup, or the Under-16 Premier League.

However, he didn’t want to wait for it to happen.

Even someone with little knowledge would understand that, as health and psychological awareness continues to grow, many youth sports competitions are structured by age categories to ensure fairness and safety. These rules are in place to protect younger players from competing in environments that may be physically or mentally inappropriate for their stage of development.

"From now on, the current City setup, the academy will make a strong push to establish specialized teams for every age group," Richard said. "We want to provide better pathways for young players to develop at an appropriate level before stepping into senior football."

Richard continued. "The new philosophy at the City academy will be that players move up not just based on ability and readiness, but also when their age is appropriate. Just like with Terry, I want their development to happen at the right pace—not rushed into situations where they might struggle. We’ll gradually ease players into more competitive environments as they mature,"

"Wait, wait, Mr. Richard!" McStay quickly stopped him before he could continue, pointing to the crossed-out words "Reserve Team" on the blackboard.

"But why did you cross out the reserve team?"

Unlike youth teams, reserve teams were more fluid since they weren’t age-restricted. This allowed older players—often nearing the end of their careers—or those returning from injury to get valuable game time. The reserve team also served as a bridge for youth players who weren’t quite ready for senior football, as it featured a mix of older and younger players.

"Oh, that’s simple—we won’t need it next season," Richard replied casually, leaving both O’Neill and McStay momentarily speechless.

"It doesn’t matter, does it?" Richard said, glancing at the list of players in the reserve team. He then looked back at the two people in front of him. "The current City squad is lacking players, right? What’s the point of having so many squads?"

"Wait, but the current reserve team is still competing in the Central League," O’Neill said.

"But I said, this plan is for next year, isn’t it?" Richard countered swiftly. "Even then, look—the current reserve team, competing in the Central League, only has two players aged 19 and 20. The rest are all still under 18. So what’s the point of having the reserve team compete in the Central League?"

"Then what about players who are coming back from injury? How will they get minutes to regain their fitness?" O’Neill asked.

"Then they will train with the U-18s to regain their fitness or do personal training sessions," Richard replied confidently.

O’Neill wanted to say something, but his words got stuck in his throat. He wasn’t wrong, though.

CLAP

Richard clapped his hands before handing O’Neill two names. "Prioritize their promotion for the rest of the season."

"Wait, what about the midfielder I requested?" O’Neill asked, glancing at the two names. "And why are you giving me two names? Didn’t we only discuss Gallas before?"

"Gallas as the replacement and Ferdinand as the backup."

O’Neill’s brow furrowed in response, but there was nothing he could do. Now, he had to join McStay to discuss matters with Richard.

Richard looked at him with a knowing expression. "Because your player stepped out of line. I have to make a strong statement." He paused, glancing out the window at the silent Marine Road pitch. "We have to set a clear example for anyone who disrupts team harmony and negatively impacts performance."

Ian Cox was transfer-listed by Richard!

Of course, O’Neill, known for his strong protection of his players, vehemently rejected Richard’s decision. However, Richard had a valid reason for placing Ian Cox on the transfer list.

"When a player refuses to play without a valid reason, it sets a poor example for the rest of the team, especially those who might later make similar demands," Richard stated firmly. "I can’t allow that. I don’t want to make the current City squad appear weak or disorganized. We’ve already had the double relegation issue, and the last thing we need is more problems down the line."

After a lengthy back-and-forth, O’Neill reluctantly agreed to the decision. However, he continued pressing for another midfielder.

Richard, however, knew he had to respond differently this time.

"I’ll think about it," he said, a response that was notably different from the promise he had actually made to O’Neill — one to bring in another midfielder.

You’re kidding me, right?

Even without a world-class midfielder, with the Brazilian trio, Shay Given, Sol Campbell, Solskjaer, and Emile Heskey — and now adding Gallas and Ferdinand — if O’Neill’s performance is still poor, then Richard will probably have to start looking for another manager to replace him.

Finally, both of them left his office. With O’Neill and McStay gone, Richard returned to his work, quickly becoming fully immersed in it.

Barely twenty minutes had passed when a sudden knock interrupted his focus. Before he could respond, Miss Heysen burst through the door.

"Richard!"

Startled, he looked up to see Miss Heysen standing there, visibly out of breath and clearly alarmed. "What is it, Miss Heysen?"

"You’re in the newspaper!" she exclaimed, holding it up.

Richard frowned and snatched the paper from her hands, his eyes scanning the front page.

John Maddock, in an interview with the Manchester Evening Herald: "It left me feeling sick... I can honestly say it left me wondering why I bother."