Such is the goldfish bowl-like existence of professional football, it often needs an outsider to do things differently.
The well-spoken, public school-educated former Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe is not – to use common parlance – a football man.
In fact he is as far from being a product of the game as you can get, to the extent fans often joked his favourite sport was field hockey.
But in 1997 it was Lowe’s plan to rebuild Saints’ academy to ensure their long-term future could be secured by the production of homegrown players.
In 2009, it saved the club from liquidation as players were sold to meet rising debts while it’s impressive alumni grows with every passing season: Wayne Bridge, Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana (acquired as a 14-year-old from Bournemouth), Luke Shaw and now Calum Chambers, who is on the verge of joining Arsenal.
Those players alone have earned Southampton more than £100m in transfer fees, while there are many others who have gone on to enjoy fine careers throughout the leagues in England.
However, while financially, the investment in the establishment in Marchwood – a leafy village just outside the city – has been a triumph, from a football sense it has been a victim of its own success.
Clubs located within fertile footballing cities such as Liverpool, Manchester and London used to produce players with the same sort of consistency as Southampton, however since the turn of the century the production has dried up.
Liverpool’s squad will boast the biggest British contingent of the Premier League’s elite this season but of the 10 expected to feature regularly only Steven Gerrard, Jon Flanagan and Martin Kelly have been brought through the club from their early teenage years, the rest have cost around £90m.
Manchester City are investing heavily in a new academy but the last graduate to feature regularly for the first team was Micah Richards.
Arsenal have Jack Wilshere and Keiran Gibbs, United Tom Cleverley, Johnny Evans and Danny Welbeck and Chelsea – who – John Terry.
The remainder of the British first-team players currently at these clubs cost a collective £190m.
But, so what?
Why do these clubs need to bring players through with regularity when money generated through the Champions League and substantial commercial activities allows them to cherry-pick from the likes of Southampton?
The betterment of British football is not even a consideration where the bottom line is concerned.
The need to qualify and compete in the Champions League – to generate transfer expenditure – means blooding youngsters is too great a risk, while the knock-on effect is smaller clubs that do try and grow a team from scratch can’t.
As Southampton have shown the players are out there – Shaw was even released by Chelsea as a child – but through a lack of need or care, they are not being adequately developed.
As their best-laid plans are ripped to shreds, the situation at Saints is a sad parable of our time.
