A new education approach for Brentford’s Development Squad players will accelerate their learning and development, according to Head Coach Flemming Pedersen. Flemming took over the leadership of Brentford’s Under-21 group at the start of 2016. With the assistance of Kevin O’Connor and a group of back-up staff, a new programme was put in place in order to help the young players in Brentford’s ranks get close to the First Team.
Since January Youth Team midfield player Reece Cole and first-year professional James Ferry have been named as substitutes for The Bees in the Sky Bet Championship while 18-year-old defender Chris Mepham has travelled with the squad. On Saturday, left back Tom Field made his Brentford debut in the West London derby win over Fulham while other Development Squad players have trained with the First Team and many youngsters have played above their age groups. Flemming told brentfordfc.co.uk what had been done in the past few months to try and get more players coming through to the First Team.
Flemming said: “In January we changed the educational approach in the Development Squad. We wanted to accelerate learning and education with the purpose of developing world class players. In the near future we hope the best will play at Premier League level with the rest having good careers in the Football League. We have made a few changes in order to try and make this happen.
“We now have players playing above their age level. Many of our Under-21 games have seen us play with an Under-19 team and have up to ten players in the squad from the Youth Team. We have also implemented a clear style of play based on objectives that run through the Club, our philosophy. The training philosophy is also linked to this with deliberate practice, tactical repetition and clear feedback.
“We have a large focus on education and analysis. We dedicate up to an hour every day to it and outline to the players why we train in the way we do and what they will get from it. We analyse different phases and areas of the game and share the knowledge we have of the game. We also get the players to analyse themselves and the best players around the world, looking at ways they can improve.
“The players are also with us more. Since January we have tried to have only one day off a week. This means the players are living football rather than just playing football. We have also tried to play and train with more intensity, we want our sessions and games to be closer to what the players experience at that level. I believe we have closed that gap already and our analysis shows our players are replicating what First Team players do in terms of sprinting, high-speed running and total distance as well as other measures.
“I think our players can see a path to the First Team, as Tom showed on Saturday. James, Reece and Chris have been in match day or travelling squads and we have players training with the First Team group. We are also treating them as First Team players with daily measurements and encouraging them to have the lifestyle they need to reach that level.
“Overall, we have tried to create an environment to help development. We believe in respect, self-motivation and learning about the game. We set high standards and place demands on them, we also want them to place high demands on each other. There is an energy about the group and a belief they will progress. Some players have left us but those that are here are making progress and I am sure that will continue.”