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Writer: turfmanphil 
Date:Monday October 24 2011
Time: 11:43AM
UK time is: 16:04:09
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Dobson Casualty of EPPP Regulations?
Martin Dobson has left his role as Burnley director of youth development after three years in charge.
Burnley operational director Brendan Flood said:
'We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Martin for all his hard work, dedication and commitment to the club during the past three years.
'We want to become widely known for developing the very best young players and the club is now progressively moving towards an integrated 'One Club' philosophy, to ensure the fans enjoy entertaining football, with the aim of more of our own youth players representing the club in future years.'
The reason for his departure is not totally clear but it seems to be related to a management restructure of the club`s youth department in preparation for the new EPPP Regulations to be implemented in 2012-13. The FA Premier league, through consultation with the Football League and the Football Association, has agreed a new structure for the future of English youth development proposing that youth departments should be organised into one of four Academy categories.
According to the official club site:
'To achieve a particular category, pre-determined criteria must be met, including mandatory staffing levels, agreed financial investment and a detailed coaching philosophy, supporting the player development pathway from under-5 to full time professional. The club has undertaken a detailed benchmarking exercise with peer clubs to enable the creation of a competitive Academy environment for the long term future of Burnley FC.`
It would appear therefore that Martin Dobson following the completion of his contract is not considered appropriate for this potential new organisation. This is despite the fact that these past three years he has overseen the recruitment of many young players and has been involved in their development through the Centre of Excellence to the end of their scholarships and into potential professional deals.
Dobbo is of course a Burnley legend and a former club captain having also had two spells at the club as a player in the 70s and 80s. Many Clarets fans will therefore be very sad to see him leave and everybody at Vital Burnley wishes him well for the future.
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Your Comments
Just hope they know what they are doing. Any thoughts VR?
turfmanphil
Or is it another way of saving money from Ebenezer Flood, if Dobson has not got the qualifications to do the job why was he doing the job in the first place. Cannot wait to see the accounts this year with the fire sale of players and the lack of players coming in this season the 16 mil we got this season must still be intact.
Fedupclaret
The stupid thing is that they will bring someone in with paper Qualification no expperience can not do the job. people have been doing great jobs for years then all of a sudden some numpty says lets bring a qualification for the job, result the people with the 20 years plus experience are not qualified & people who have no experience with paper qualifications are making a balls up of it, what a load of tosh, Ron Roden Linford christies coach no qualifiations God given talent to coach prime example
Albmaleaf claret
This sounds like a stab in the back for a Burnley Legend who was my hero in the seventies. I am very unhappy with Dobbo being sacked, I thought he was doing a good job with the young lads. Who is next for the chop ? Paul Fletcher ?
Grimsby Claret
Some would want Paul F to get the chop whereas my axe is aimed higher!! ;-)
turfmanphil
Was he sacked? Minimally his contract was not renewed. Perhaps it was a parting by mutual consent? Perhaps not? I don't know. I definitely share the sense of loss, as I suspect all Clarets of a certain age will do. It reminds me, and probably others, of how we felt when Dobbo left the last time, and re-opens not only that wound but all the others like it. But, speaking as someone bearing down rapidly on 57 and looking down the barrels of a probable enforced retirement in the next few years, and who has recently given up doing voluntary work with teenagers in youth clubs, there does come a time when we have to learn to live with the passing of years. (Is it politically incorrect to say that?) and even think about making some space in the job market for the millions younger than us who are unemployed. That said, Dobbo came across to me as someone still quite young at heart, and albmaleaf's point about the progress made in Bfc's youth development over the last three years is a very good one. Thanks once again Dobbo. All good wishes.
Couch Potato
I second that CP - though not the part where you say you are 57! For one, you have quite a few years on me and secondly I think everyone, irrespective of age, has something to offer. Indeed, some would say that the passing of time simply allows us all to glean more experience and do a better job. I'm sorry to see Dobbo go. He was, and is, one of my favourite players of all time and I am lucky enough to say that I have met him a couple of times and played against him in old boys cricket matches at Clitheroe Grammar. He is an absolute gentleman who in my experience was always happy to talk about football with genuine fans. Some regard players like Robbie Blake as being heroes - despite him sticking two fingers up to us twice - but he will never, ever achieve the legendary status that Martin Dobson has at Turf Moor.
RickersTwickers
Really feel sorry for Dobbo if he has been moved out...I can't wondering if these young lads do make the grade that we will sell them off at the first chance somebody comes waving some money...have we turned into the new Crewe?....to tell the truth it is totally disheartening excuse after excuse...we onl
y need a couple of players at the end of last season to the continuing we will try to get someone on loan since the end of transfer dead-line day...it's a serious kick in the teeth for folk who have saved and saved for a season ticket...no way should we be in this situation....I am a Kilby fan but think he ain't bothered no more...don't trust Flood and John B and co what have they done? Think they are having a laugh personally....Kilby if you are going at least leave us the turf you owe us that much surely?
8clarets8
I say sorry now for the grammer on my phone and a big stupid advert keeps blocking my writing grrr
8clarets8
Sounds like the sort administrative gobblygook that has or is ruining most of the good in the Country. Sorry Dobbo, sincere thanks for what you have put into BFC and good wishes for the future.
cornwallclaret
What a great gentleman Dobbo is.
I look at the new regulations for Youth football and it only reads one way, any club foolish enough to invest heavily in Youth development will see the talented players taken by wealthy clubs for a pittance. As the PL start to dictate the rules and do away with tribunals etc Youth football will become financially unfashionable.
BFC appear a bit like England in the EU, trying to plan and prepare to play by the rules whilst almost all the others do their own thing! Viva la France
VinRogue
Centre of excellence manager, Vince Overson is on garden leave too. Could be more culling reading between the lines of the club's statement Chief executive Paul Fletcher admitted that Dobson’s departure had come as a result of the new and controversial Elite Player Performance Plan, which allows Premier League clubs to poach talented youngsters throughout the divisions for a fraction of the fee they would previously have paid.
The Clarets have now had to reassess how much money they can afford to spend on their youth system, given the reduced chances of reward in the future.
“We are in consultation with a number of centre of excellence staff with regard to changes within the youth development structure and cannot comment further until this consultation period reaches a conclusion,” the club said in a statement yesterday. Just another reason why we should have damn well tried harder to stay in the Premier League through player investment when we had chance! Lost out to FIFA Fair Play and EPPP. Football is a shambles, all about the rich getting richer now and nowt at all to do with entertainment. I fear for the future of clubs not in the Prem
turfmanphil
Strong words on EPP in Phil Bird's column on the official club site this week too. I find myself wondering whether this means that, despite talk of 'no PL relegation' being sidelined for now, what the future holds post EPP will be just that: no PL relegation and everyone else run as feeder clubs, as in American baseball, with their players perpetually on call to go up the 'the big league'. I would add that if tmp thinks a little town like Burnley were ever going to be at the pinnacle of such a set up, I fear he is dreaming. Regardless of whichever clubs are in the top flight when they get ready to pull up the drawbridge, stringent financial criteria will be set, based on population, investment in the league as well the clubs, income and TV audience. The only way Burnley could even fantasise about qualifying ahead of big urban and regional centres like Leeds, Boro, Sheffield, Hull, Southampton/Portsmouth, Charlton/Millwall and (heaven help us) even Plymouth, would be to start work now on merging with Nobenders, Noblot, Blackpool and (now heaven really help us) R*overs... because none of them would have a hope in any other way either. The death knell has sounded. It's football, but not as we know it... unless, just maybe, significant numbers of football fans start to turn their back on the elites who seem hell bent on walking away, possibly to the extent of forming a breakaway FA.
Couch Potato
Sad, sad ,sad. Football as we know it will never be the same again. It has been taken over by people only interested in money, money and money. What on earth have the FA been doing to protect our national game? Sweet FA, the acronym fits. Things can only get worse I feel, just like everything seems to be, just because the British public are being ignored by the very people who should be looking after them.
cornwallclaret
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