Ose Aibangee said he is willing to sacrifice results and titles to achieve the ultimate prize of getting players into Brentford’s First Team.
Brentford’s Youth Team currently lead the Under-18 Professional Development League Two South at the midway point of the season, two points clear of second-placed Cardiff City.
However recent days have seen a number of the more experienced Youth Team players leave the Jersey Road Academy to go and take their first steps into adult football on loan.
While Ose admits that may weaken the Youth Team, as they look to make the end of season play-offs, he thinks the long-term aim of getting players into the Brentford First Team needs to guide everything the Academy do.
“At the start of the season we said that we were going to keep our players with us for the first-half of the season to see how we could do in terms of our league position,” said Ose.
“We are currently top in the Category Two league which is a fantastic achievement.
“I anticipate that will change as we are going to send a couple of our more influential players out on loan.
“As much as it would be great to win the league, and the chances are we could still win it, by sending one or two of our players out on loan we might not do as well in terms of results.
“The key thing, as I keep saying, is about individual player development and if we have to compromise winning the league to get one or two of our players closer to the First Team then so be it and that is what we will do.
“If we end up losing the league because of it then I am comfortable with that.
“It is in the back of your mind that it would be great to win the league but in six months’ time you won’t remember the game against Colchester United or the game against QPR or even winning the league, what you will be thinking about is how many players you have in the First Team.
“Ideally you would like to do both but our primary objective is to get players in and around the First Team.
“Playing senior football is an ideal way of us getting them closer to our First Team which is where they want to be.
“It is an individual programme for the boys.
“Some of them will continue to play for the Under-18s because we feel that is the best place for them.
“Some of the boys will play Under-21s football and two of our Under-18s will go out and play senior football because we feel that is the best place for them to get closer to our First Team.
“That is not to say that the ones who stay here aren’t good football players, all we think is that at this stage of their development they need to be here.”
Getting players out on loan to continue their development is one of the key aims of the Academy’s Development Programme.
Alfie Mawson is currently at Sky Bet League Two leaders Wycombe Wanderers while Emmanuel Oyeleke is at Aldershot Town in the Vanarama Conference with Kieran Morris and Mark Smith at Stourbridge and Hampton and Richmond Borough respectively.
Ose is pleased with the way his players have performed out on loan this season and, in particular, Alfie Mawson who has played almost every minute this season on loan at Wycombe.
For Ose the way Alfie has conducted himself on and off the pitch not only reflects well on him, and the Academy generally, but it should also act as a model for how other players conduct themselves away from Brentford.
“Alfie Mawson has done really well for Wycombe Wanderers,” said Ose.
“They are top of League Two and, as we said with the Under-18s, it would have been quite easy for us to let Alfie stay here and play with our Under-21s and do well for us because he is a good football player.
“It was best for Alfie, to get closer to our First Team, to go and play football at Wycombe.
“Not only is he doing brilliantly on the pitch but every time I speak to the first-team staff at Wycombe they say he a real credit to himself and to the Academy off the pitch.
“He has been developed on and off the pitch here and he is translating that into his time at Wycombe which is brilliant.
“The end journey for Alfie now would be for him to get into our First Team but so far as a role model for the boys going out on loan he has been brilliant.”
To try and bridge the gap between Academy and First Team football Lee Carsley was brought in October to become Development Squad manager.
Lee made more than 400 Premier League and Championship appearances for Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City and Coventry City as well as earning 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
While Ose acknowledges that being a good player does not instantly make a good coach he feels that Lee has already shown in his first couple of months that he is the right man to get the best out of The Bees’ Under-21s.
“With Lee’s profile, having played at the level he has played at for so many years, he brings that professionalism and that character,” said Ose.
“He has a profile where the players look up to him.
“He has been there and he gets a lot of players asking him questions about what it takes to become a professional football player.
“He has been there and he has played at the highest level and it is great for us to have someone with that profile working in our Academy.
“Ideally you want someone in the Under-21’s manager position to have played at a high level.
“That is not to say necessarily that if you have played at a high level you are going to be a good coach but the good thing about Lee is that he has the best of both worlds.
“He is a great coach but has also played at the highest level so he brings both of those skills to the table.
“I am really pleased we have him at this football club.”
Ose was part of the Academy party who went to Florida before Christmas to take part in the IMG Cup at the IMG Academy.
The Youth Team travelled to Bradenton, Florida, where the first-team held their pre-season training camp in July, in December.
After a defeat against Stevenage in the opening game, The Bees beat Black Rock FC and drew with the IMG Academy to qualify for the 5th place final which they drew 2-2 against the USMNT Under-17s.
Despite admitting it was a slightly disappointing week results wise Ose said it was still an excellent learning experience for both players and staff.
“The Florida trip was a really good learning experience for everyone, not just the players but the staff as well,” said Ose.
“The players got a lot out of it in terms of playing against foreign opposition in a different climate but the staff got a lot from it by being in and around an elite performance area.
“We could look at different sports and different coaches and see how they work and share best practice on how people do things.
“It was an enjoyable, worthwhile experience and a really rewarding one for everyone.
“You want to go into tournaments to win, you are not going there to lose.
“It part of the development programme and when we go to tournaments we want to win but the key thing is to ask did the players learn something.
“The answer is yes: in a week they learnt what they would have got in England in three or four months.
“It was worthwhile for their learning experience but it was disappointing that we couldn’t get into the final and even win it.
“When you look at some of the performances and the way we played in some of the games we were definitely as good as some of the top teams.
“From a personal point of view and from the players’ perspective there was some disappointment but when you strip it back there wasn’t a lot of difference in performances between us finishing fifth and us getting into the finals.
“Everything we do is about development and putting the boys into a position where they will be able to support our first team in the future.
“It is a learning experience and there isn’t any victory without loss.
“You have to lost games and you have to be disappointed to learn from that and the main thing is that the boys are learning from their experiences here at Brentford.
“In the medium term it will stand them in good stead when they get in and around the first team.”
The IMG Academy in Florida hosts not only Football training facilities but also sees top stars from the world of Tennis, Golf, American Football and Athletics train at the world-class facility.
Being surrounded by other world class athletes gave both players and staff the opportunity to watch them train and learn from how other sports stars prepare.
Ose hopes that seeing what other athletes have to put in to make it to the top of their sport will inspire the Youth Team to work hard in the coming months.
“IMG have an incredible sports facility: the gym is excellent,” said Ose.
“They had some American Football stars training and they had tennis and basketball players training.
“It was good just to watch how they training and to see their dedication and attitude.
“The players got a lot out of it because they saw kids their age getting up at six or seven in the morning and getting onto the courts to train and work hard.
“That showed them what it takes to be an elite performer.
“When we spoke to the boys out there you could tell that they were inspired by that.
“We asked them what they thought the differences would be when they got back and it was about how hard they were going to and how hard they were going to try and become professional footballers.
“They saw kids of their age working at a high intensity to become a professional athlete and that is what they want to become.”
Those lessons about hard work and dedication may resonate more with second-year scholars as they prepare for a crucial few months.
With decisions to be made on whether or not they are offered a first professional contract to come in the next few months it is an important time for the players.
Ose hopes that whatever happens to the boys in the next few months that, come May, they can look in the mirror and say that they gave it everything to earn a contract.
“Every month is an important month because they are always getting measured and getting challenged,” said Ose.
“It is going to be decision time soon but those decisions are a culmination of their development over the last two years as scholars.
“Every week and every month is important in terms of their development.
“We always say to the boys that it is an individual sport played by teams.
“The only team that matters at this club is the First Team and everything else apart from that is an individual sport.
“I want to say that a touch of selfishness does come in but maybe it is a little bit more determination because they know we are going to make a decision on their futures.
“That is the game and they aren’t all going to get pro contracts unfortunately.
“What we keep saying to the boys is to ask if they gave it their best shot.
“If they give it their best shot and don’t quite make it then they can look in the mirror and say they gave it their best.”
One of the most positive stories to come out of the end of 2014 was the news that three members of The Bees Academy had been called up to international training camps.
Joshua Bohui and Harry Francis both received call-ups to the England Under-16 Training Camp while Ross McMahon was called up to train with the Scotland youngsters.
Ose said it was a fantastic achievement to get boys recognised internationally but now wants more boys to push on and achieve international honours.
“It is really important that our younger boys are getting recognition but it is also difficult,” said Ose.
“I always say that if you are at a Championship club like Brentford it is difficult to get your players recognised at that level.
“There is a snobbery in football and if you have two players of equal ability, one at a Premier League Academy and one at a Championship Academy, the one at the Premier League Academy will get the recognition in terms of international call-ups.
“For our players to get a call-up means they thoroughly deserve it and shows, from an Academy point of view, that we are moving in the right direction.
“The feedback from the various countries’ staff is that the boys have done really well and hopefully in the near future they can get an actual cap and that would be great for everyone here at Brentford.”
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