The 21 Who Broke Through � Number 8


Number eight in our look at The 21 Who Broke Through was indeed City�s number eight until this summer.
Out of the 21, Joey Barton has played the second-most number of games for the Blues and during his time with City, the Huyton-born midfielder could never be accused of giving anything other than 100%.
Barton made the first of his 153 City appearances against Sam Allardyce�s Bolton Wanderers in April 2003 and it was Allardyce who took Joey to Newcastle for �5.8 million in June 2007.
Despite being the focus of many matters off the field, indeed his City career ended in the shadow of one such issue, nobody could deny Joey�s on-field abilities which earnt him an England cap against Spain in February 2007.
When speaking to people about Joey one thing comes across, his desire to succeed and not to give up, something Academy Manager Jim Cassell told us.
�I take my hat off to Joey Barton. I know the problems that he�s had, but I will always concentrate on the half full rather than half empty philosophy with Joe.
�I love him and despite him not staying at the Club for whatever reason, he typifies the attitude that young boys need to show � don�t give up, never give in and keep the dream going.

�Joe always believed that he would play for England and he did play for England.�

Someone else who worked with Joey from way back when is Barry Poynton and the Academy�s Recruitment Officer added: �Joey and I go way back longer than I can remember.
�I�ve probably known Joe since he was nine and played in the same Everton youth team as Phil Jagielka. Within two weeks of me coming here in 1999 from Everton we got a call to say they�d released Joey Barton and I was astonished.
�Even then I thought Joey would play for England and what he�s done, he�s done for himself because he�s always had one hell of a work ethic.
�I didn�t realise how bright he was. His school thought he could have easily gone to University and the upper echelons of University maybe even Oxford or Cambridge.�
Instead Joey battled his way into the Manchester City first team and during his five seasons he scored 17 goals becoming a mainstay in the Blues� midfield.
Former City player, Terry Dunfield, saw Joey coming through the ranks at the start of it all and fittingly concluded: �You always knew that Joey was going to do well, he was clearly a very good player.
�Even back then he could see things that other players could not see, and it�s great for me to say that I played alongside him for four or five years.�

The 21 Who Broke Through
Number 8: Joey Barton
Date of birth: September 02, 1982
City first team debut: v Bolton Wanderers, Reebok Stadium, April 05, 2003
Games played for City: 153
Goals scored for City: 17
Left City for: Newcastle United in June 2007 for �5.8 million

The 21 (+2) Who Broke Through - Number 9


The next player in our now expanded series due to Kasper Schmeichel and Shaleum Logan�s first team starts this season is Stephen Jordan.
Warrington-born Jordan made his City debut on the same day as Joey Barton, against Bolton Wanderers in April 2003, and went on to make 64 appearances for his boyhood favourites.
This summer Stephen left City after his contract expired and he became Burnley's fourth summer signing after agreeing a three-year deal with the Clarets.
Jordan has played in every game so far this season for the Lancashire outfit and with plenty of Premier League experience under his belt the 25-year-old had a few offers when he left City.
The Burnley boss Steve Cotterill said at the time: "It has taken a long time to land him due to interest from the Premiership."
Former Academy team mate Terry Dunfield gave us his Platt Lane memories of a young Stephen Jordan.

�He had a sweet left foot, he was quick and you could tell that he was going to do well. He was a big City fan and I was really pleased for him that he broke into the first team and played more than 50 times for them.
�Steve�s still a very good mate of mine, and I think he�ll still be a success at Burnley, he�s certainly good enough to play in the top flight.�
Academy Manager, Jim Cassell has a special affection for Stephen as he revealed: �Stephen was the only player that was here when I came to City and I remember watching the first game, which was away at Everton, we lost the game three or four one.
�I spoke to Colin Harvey, a friend of mine from Oldham and the Everton coach on the day, he said �what do you think?� I said �Col, I think we�ve got one player� and that was Stephen Jordan.
�We built around Stephen and he too should be complimented because he overcame a lot of personal problems as a young boy. He�s gone on to play in the Premier League and it will be interesting to see him establish himself at Turf Moor.
�Stephen wanted first team football and if that happens there then good luck to him. He�s been great value for this Club and he�s never been to me personally, or anybody else that I understand, an ounce of trouble around the place.
�He�s just a typical, quiet, effective and hard working pro and I hope he gets a really good club. A terrific lad.�

The 21 Who Broke Through
Number 9: Stephen Jordan
Date of birth: March 06, 1982
City first team debut: v Bolton Wanderers, Reebok Stadium, April 05, 2003
Games played for City: 64
Goals scored for City: 0
Left City for: Burnley in July 2007 after being released by City

The 23 Who Broke Through � Number 10


This series has changed from The 21 Who Broke Through to The 23�our number 10 was a popular player with everyone during his time with Manchester City.
Willo Flood also represented an important moment in the history of the City Academy as Jim Cassell told us: �Willo was one of our early signings when we got into the market in Dublin.
�Barry Poynton and myself are very close to Willo because he was part of a group of players that took us to a little bit more prominence as an Academy.�
And it was Poynton, the Academy�s Recruitment Officer, who first spotted the young Flood, as he stated: �I actually saw Willo playing for Everton and we got the scouts involved to get him here.
�If there�s ever a boy that deserves to play in anyone�s first team, then it�s Willo Flood, because the kid is just a diamond and I speak to him almost every single day now.�
Of Willo, the player, Jim added: �He�s a very agile and energetic player who probably just lacked a consistency of quality to play at the top level when he was here, but I would never write him off because he has got a top class attitude.
�Willo will never let you down. If you went to war, you�d want Willo Flood by your side because you know what you are going to get from him, he�s a terrific lad.
�Even though he�s not at the Club anymore he will always be remembered, to me anyway, as a player that started to put us on the map.�
Willo swapped the Blues for the Bluebirds early in August 2006 and made 28 appearances for Cardiff City last season scoring once.
And this term, Cardiff boss Dave Jones appears to have made a shrewd decision in allowing the 22-year-old Flood to go and get some top level football in Scotland.
In June, Willo made a year-long loan move to Dundee United and at the time, the Arabs� manager Craig Levein said: �I�m confident he will do well for Dundee United.
�His style of play suits the SPL and will make him a firm favourite with our supporters.
�I was aware that a number of other clubs were interested in taking him and am pleased that Cardiff City see this move as an opportunity for the player to improve his game.
�Most of all however, I�m delighted because I see him as an important player for us this season.�
As United sit third in the SPL table, just three points behind table-topping Celtic, and with an in-form Willo Flood putting in back-to-back Man of the Match performances both Levein and Jones appear to have been quite right in their decisions.
After Willo�s impressive start to his season with the Terrors, Jim Cassell concludes: �It wouldn�t surprise me if at some stage he made it back into the Premier League because he�s always working at his game. Nobody would be more pleased and proud than Barry Poynton and myself.�

The 23 Who Broke Through
Number 10: Willo Flood
Date of birth: April 10, 1985
City first team debut: v TNS, Millennium Stadium, August 28, 2003
Games played for City: 18
Goals scored for City: 2
Left City for: Cardiff City in August 2006 for �200,000

The 25 Who Broke Through � Number 11


The second in our run of three Irish players in a row sees Glenn Whelan as the next player to feature in our ever-growing �25 Who Broke Through series� now.
And as City�s Recruitment Officer, Barry Poynton reveals, the Blues� Irish connections were beginning to reap rewards: �Glenn is a Clondakin boy and played for a very, very small club called Maryland and is the only player they ever produced.
�He�s a great kid and was recommended by Des, my scout at the time and Glenn was a moody so-and-so, you can quote me on that! He�s still the same now at Sheffield Wednesday, but it was a shame he was released from here and I think he would have got into our first team last season.�
Moody or not, 23-year-old Whelan was a Republic of Ireland Under 21 international, winning 19 caps for his country and providing two goals from midfield.
Glenn has been an ever-present this season and has clocked up over 140 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday since joining them from the Blues in July 2004 for �125,000.
His one and only senior outing in a City shirt came on a grand setting and one he would grace later in his career, Cardiff�s Millennium Stadium, as the Blues wrapped up a 7-0 aggregate UEFA Cup win over TNS.

Whelan replaced Paul Bosvelt in the 73rd minute and the game ended with fellow Academy graduates Willo Flood, Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips all on the pitch as Kevin Keegan's men won 2-0.
Prior to his permanent move away from City, Glenn had two brief loan spells at Bury during the 2003/04 season, where he gained league experience from 15 games with the Shakers.
The Blues Academy Manager, Jim Cassell, worked closely with Glenn during his time at Platt Lane and said: �Glenn is a terrific competitor and has done well at Sheffield Wednesday � I know there�s been clubs looking at him and it�ll be interesting to see where he ends up.
�He is a leader and always will be. He captained our Milk Cup winning side in 1999, he led from the front and has never looked back, eventually captaining Sheffield Wednesday at such a young age.
�Glenn had a little sniff of our first team and as with many of the lads he will get better as they get older because they will take some of the rashness out of their game.�

Back at Cardiff�s Millennium Stadium, Whelan was voted Man of the Match in the League One Play-Off Final against Hartlepool in May 2005. He scored the vital third goal in extra time that eventually saw the Owls return to the Championship as 4-2 winners in front of nearly 60,000 fans.
Last season though was a strange one for Glenn, previous Owls boss Paul Sturrock had placed the midfielder on the transfer list and once Sturrock had been relived of his duties, Brian Laws took him off the list. It proved to be a clever piece of management from the former Scunthorpe boss as Whelan went on to become the Sheffield Wednesday�s Player of the Season.
Glenn eventually came full circle by playing at the City of Manchester Stadium against the Blues in last season's FA Cup Third Round replay with City edging it 2-1.

The 25 Who Broke Through
Number 11: Glenn Whelan
Date of birth: January 13, 1984
City first team debut: v TNS, Millennium Stadium, August 28, 2003
Games played for City: 1
Goals scored for City: 0
Left City for: Sheffield Wednesday in July 2004 for �125,000.

The 25 Who Broke Through


Stephen Elliott

The Republic of Ireland international played just twice for Manchester City before Mick McCarthy took him to Sunderland for a tribunal-set fee of �125,000.
Elliott scored 16 goals in his first season with the Black Cats and was the club�s Young Player of the Season.

Looking back to the initial signing of Stephen from his club at home in Ireland, the Academy�s Recruitment Officer, Barry Poynton tells us about what he saw to secure the youngster�s signature.
�We saw Stephen Elliott in Ireland at a trial game arranged for us by a club called Stella Maris,� he said. �Stephen was only a little feller, but I liked him and he reminded me of a Robbie Fowler, but with a right foot.
�He scored five goals in the space of half an hour and the way he scored them with movement, technique, cleverness and brightness was fantastic. You wished he was three inches bigger and a touch quicker but he�s gone on to represent his country.�
And with eight senior caps and a goal to his name, Poynton�s chase proved worth it, but the actual signing of the deal is a great tale in itself.
Barry continued: �We used to use a hotel on Wilmslow Road and it had a really nice Italian restaurant there. So Stephen�s come over with the whole family, six kids and his parents to sign.
�There was a first team game on so we�d take them to the game and back to the restaurant afterwards to sign him. I dropped them off at the hotel, gone and got changed to meet them at 7.30pm, but the restaurant was fully booked.
�Now these forms have got to get signed that day because they were flying out first thing in the morning. I couldn�t take the whole family anywhere because I�ve only got my car � so we�ve had to go to McDonalds two doors away!
�Stephen Elliott signed for Manchester City in McDonalds on Wilmslow Road � that�s true!�
After two substitute appearances for City, the Dublin-born striker, made the move to the northeast in June 2004.
A return of 23 goals in 88 appearances for the Wearsiders over a three-year period was enough to interest Wolverhampton Wanderers in the striker.
And this summer the 23-year-old signed a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee with the Molineux men, where Elliott was reunited with the man who took him to Sunderland in the first place, Mick McCarthy.

The final word on Stephen goes to Academy Manager, Jim Cassell, who told us: �Stephen was one of the boys who left the Club a fraction early in my opinion � I can�t make those decisions and wouldn�t criticise.

�Once we send the boys over to the first team squad the Manager of the day has the difficult job of managing the side and getting results.
�Stephen had a little bit of an injury problem and was almost out for a season with a back injury, which I think restricted his development, but he�s got the opportunity now with Wolves to hopefully play regular football and prove that he is a top striker.�

The 25 Who Broke Through
Number 12: Stephen Elliott
Date of birth: January 6, 1984
City first team debut: v Bolton Wanderers, February 21, 2004
Games played for City: 2
Goals scored for City: 0
Left City for: Sunderland in June 2006 for �125,000 (tribunal set)

The 25 Who Broke Through � Number 13



The next player Who Broke Through starts off a group of boys that made their City debuts during the 2004/05 season, Kevin Keegan�s last in charge of the Club.
With Shaun Wright-Phillips already in at number one on our list of Academy Graduates, Bradley Wright-Phillips� debut made history at the Platt Lane Academy as they became the first brothers to have come through the ranks under Jim Cassell and his staff.
Indeed the brothers were on the same pitch for Bradley's City debut against Barnsley in the 7-1 League Cup thrashing at CoMS in September 2004 as he came on as a half time replacement for Jon Macken with the Blues 5-1 up.
A hugely likeable and popular member of the squad during his time with the Blues, BWP left City almost exactly a year after Shaun and joined Championship side Southampton for an undisclosed fee with what was described as a �substantial sell-on clause� at the time.
Bradley was prolific at reserve level for City, but in 40 appearances for the senior side he scored just twice, an away strike at Middlesbrough as City lost there (again) 3-2 where he made his Premier League debut as a 76th minute substitute. Brad�s second goal came in a resounding 4-1 win in December 2005 against Steve Bruce�s Birmingham.
A man who knows the striker better than most is Academy Manager, Jim Cassell, and he told us: �Bradley will no doubt develop later. He�s got terrific talent, strikes the ball beautifully, has an eye for goal and can score them as well.
�I tell him every time I see him �keep believing in yourself� because sometimes he doesn�t believe how good he can be. If he ever does that he will be a top, top striker.�
Something echoed in his own way by Platt Lane�s Recruitment Officer, Barry Poynton, who said: �I still hope that he twigs because if he does he will be great. He�s still young and can mature into a very good footballer.

�He shows how much my judgement is way off the mark because I thought Bradley would be absolutely sensational for this football club. His dad didn�t break through properly until he was in his 20s, so hopefully Brad can have a good season at Southampton.�
And after 11 goals in his debut season at the St Mary�s Stadium, Saints fans will have had the chance to witness Bradley�s enthusiasm on the pitch, as he literally plays the game with a smile on his face.

Having seen Bradley develop, Jim further outlined some of the 22-year-old�s strength�s, he added: �He�s got pace, the ability to score a goal, a lovely attitude and it will be very interesting to see if he really takes that on board.
�As Barry said, we all know of course that his dad, Ian Wright, was a very, very late developer and I don�t see any reason why Brad shouldn�t continue to improve as he gets more mentally mature.
�It will surprise me if he never plays in the Premier League again during his career.
�He�s a fantastic individual and you�d love him as a son � that�s the best compliment I can give him.�
Well you can't really add much more to that...ladies and gentlemen...Bradley Wright-Phillips.

The 25 Who Broke Through
Number 13: Bradley Wright-Phillips
Date of birth: March 12, 1985
City first team debut: v Barnsley, City of Manchester Stadium, September 21, 2004
Games played for City: 40
Goals scored for City: 2
Left City for: Southampton in July 2006 for undisclosed fee (+ substantial sell-on clause)





The 25 Who Broke Through � Number 14



At this point in the series of the 25 Academy Graduates who made it through to feature in the Blues' first team, we have reached the penultimate player to have left the Blues for permanent pastures new.
Jonathan D�Laryea, 'JD' or 'Twiny' as he was known during his City days is a holding midfielder who joined Mansfield Town in January 2006 following a successful loan period at Field Mill.
He soon became a popular player with the Stags supporters after some hard working performances and no nonsense tackling. During the January transfer window, D'Laryea made the move permanent, signing a two and a half year deal with the Coca-Cola League Two side.
Jon made 42 league and cup appearances in his first full season for the Stags before he sustained a bad ankle injury in March against Notts County. That injury kept him out until the start of this month where two substitute performances paved the way for his first start of the season in the 3-0 FA Cup First Round victory over Lewes at Field Mill.
Academy Manager, Jim Cassell, said of the 22-year-old: �Jonathan was playing well at Mansfield last season and I know other clubs were looking at him.
�He�s a good energetic midfield player and will certainly play higher than the level he�s at now. I�ll just watch him with interest and I�m amazed that nobody has already moved in for him because he is a better player than the level that he�s at.�
Jonathan made his one and only Blues appearance in the 2-1 Third Round League Cup defeat to a young Arsenal side back in October 2004, which included unknown players like van Persie, Fabregas and Flamini.

The D�Laryea�s very nearly became the second set of brothers and first set of twins to break through from the Platt Lane Academy, as Nathan, a centre half made the travelling squad for last season�s trip to Wigan Athletic.

Unfortunately that wasn't to be and in light of that we leave Jim Cassell with the last word on the D�Laryea twins. He said: �The best thing I can say about Jonathan D�Laryea and his twin Nathan, who left for Rochdale, is that they are two of the best human beings you are ever going to meet.

�They are fantastic individuals and a great credit to their family.�

The 25 Who Broke Through
Number 14: Jonathan D'Laryea
Date of birth: September 3, 1985
City first team debut: v Arsenal, City of Manchester Stadium, October 27, 2004
Games played for City: 1
Goals scored for City: 0
Left City for: Mansfield Town in January 2006 for a nominal fee

The 25 Who Broke Through - Number 15



As we reach the fifteenth player of the 25 Who Broke Through, we arrive at the first of those still playing for the Club.

Nedum Onuoha made his City debut in the 2-1 home League Cup defeat to a young Arsenal side back in October 2004, a night when five other Academy Graduates featured for the Blues.

Since then Nedum has represented England at Under 20 and Under 21 levels and continues to be courted by the Nigerian national team.

This season the 21-year-old has gone through the 50-game barrier for the Blues and if it wasn�t for various minor injury problems along the way Onuoha could have been approaching closer to 100 outings for the Club.

Pace and power are just two of Nedum�s strengths and something Academy Recruitment Officer Barry Poynton noticed all those years ago.

Of scouting Nedum he said: �We noticed this giant of an Under 11 boy and every time he got the ball everybody just got out of the way.

�He�d just run with it and I�ve never seen anybody so quick, he covered the pitch in five strides.

�We signed him immediately and then had the battle of persuading him and his mother that he wasn�t necessarily going to be a striker and so it turned out.�

But it was that immediate signing of Nedum that sticks in the memory of Academy Manager Jim Cassell, who picks up the story.

Jim recalled: �Well Nedum is special. All the boys are special, but Nedum is the first boy that I personally registered.

�That was back when it was just Barry Poynton, Paul Power and myself here. Barry and I noticed him in training and decided that we needed to get him signed as soon as possible.

�So because of where he lived, which was on my way home, I did it and immediately became friends with his mother.

�Nedum has gone from strength to strength and if he can stay free from injury he could go all the way and play at top international level.�

As with so many of the boys to progress through the Platt Lane ranks, they are credits to themselves, their families and the staff, and certainly Nedum is no different.

Over the last couple of season�s Onuoha has used his love (and now study) of music to help promote the Kickz Project and did so again as part of the Creating Chances charity work.

It�s not just about getting the talent and quality out on the pitch, but also off the pitch as respectable people, as Cassell concludes: �He is a magnificent ambassador for this Club and conducts himself superbly well both on and off the pitch.

�I just think that if we could continue to produce boys of the stature of Nedum Onuoha then this Club is going to find itself in very good shape for a long time.�

The 25 Who Broke Through
Number 15: Nedum Onuoha
Date of birth: November 12, 1986
City first team debut: v Arsenal, City of Manchester Stadium, October 27, 2004
Games played for City: 64 (to date)
Goals scored for City: 0

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Nedum Onuoha scores his first goal for Manchester City in the 2-1 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur 16/03/2008

The 25 Who Broke Through - Number 16




Number 16 on our list of Players Who Broke Through was a popular player amongst fans and players alike during his time at Manchester City.

Lee Croft will best be remembered by Blues fans for a fine right wing run and cross for Kiki Musampa to blast home an injury time winner against Liverpool in April 2005 � Stuart Pearce�s first home game as full-time Manager.
During his long association with the Club, the Wigan-born winger made 32 appearances for the Blues and scoring one goal before making the move to Championship side, Norwich City at the end of July 2006.

As Academy Manager, Jim Cassell, stated: �Lee has played at every international level other than first team senior level and was with us for 12 years before he moved to Norwich.�

Platt Lane�s Recruitment Officer, Barry Poynton added: �I�ve known Crofty since he was seven years of age and he�s probably played more games for England at different age levels than I�ve had hot dinners. It was unfortunate for him that he didn�t really establish himself here, but he�s doing well at Norwich.�

With almost 80 games under his belt for the Canaries, Croft has joined the growing list of former Platt Lane Graduates cutting a career for themselves in the Championship.

Jim continued: �Yes, he�s another of our boys playing in the Championship and is a creative player who works hard. Crofty is a top class individual and you just enjoy seeing people of his type that have never been a problem getting the benefits of success.

�He, more than anyone, really deserves it and he keeps working and working. You knock him down and he keeps getting up and that�s the mental strength you have to have as a winger, to keep getting the ball and taking people on, and Crofty�s shown he can do that.

�It�s going to be a very interesting future because some of these boys are only 22 and 23, so you put two or three years experience on there and it wouldn�t surprise me to see some of these players coming back into the Premier League because they are mature and we know they�ve got ability.�

And Lee had the chance to show a CoMS crowd what he could do again this season as Norwich put up a good fight in the Third Round Carling Cup tie between the sides in September.

Despite going down to a late Georgios Samaras goal, Croft impressed on his return and said afterwards: �It was a great occasion for me, despite the result. Bradley Wright-Phillips got to return last season with Southampton and I�m glad I got my chance, it was nice also to see a lot of friends still at the Club.�

With Norwich now on the outskirts of a battle for the play-offs, Croft is happy that he made the move east, saying: "Dropping down a division has done my game good; I don't think that there is any doubt about that.

�I play much more regularly than I could have hoped for at Manchester City especially after they spent all that money in the summer.

"I would say that I am physically and mentally stronger now than when I left for Carrow Road and I am fitter too because of having more playing time.

�The Championship is a tough old league with some battle-hardened and highly skilled players in it.

�The games come thick and fast and there are now a lot of sides in the division that have had a taste of the Premiership and want more of it.

"I loved my time at City - it spanned a decade - and I have to say that what I was taught at the Academy has stood me in good stead since I left.

"Of course I still look for the Blues' results first because I still have a lot of friends there."

The 25 Who Broke Through
Number 16: Lee Croft
Date of birth: June 21, 1985
City first team debut: v Bolton, City of Manchester Stadium, March 7, 2005
Games played for City: 32
Goals scored for City: 1
Left City for: Norwich City in July 2006 for an undisclosed fee

Manchester City win the FA Youth Cup



Academy Manager Jim Cassell has spoken at his pride of the staff and players who worked together to help lift the FA Youth Cup last night at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Speaking after the 4-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea, a jubilant Cassell said: �I can�t tell you how pleased I am � it must be obvious to everybody.

�We have had a personal campaign if you like over the years to try and win the Youth Cup because I feel what we�ve done within the Academy system, at some stage, we deserved to get a national trophy for it.

�Everybody knows that it�s about producing players, we have done that and I hope we continue to do that, but it�s so emotional and rewarding to win the Youth Cup.

�It�s a national trophy and we are the champions and I�m so proud of all the boys and for the staff.

�I think that the real people that need the credit, of course, are the players because they have to go out and do it.

�Obviously there�s a lot of attention on Alex and myself but at the end of the day everybody within the Club on the Academy side has done their job. It should be just reward for them as well as the players.�

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Wednesday night hero Vladimir Weiss has revealed how he had to argue his case before his stunning free kick against Chelsea.



The 18-year-old Slovakian winger caught the eye in both legs of the Youth Cup final triumph, and his superb goal put the young Blues back into the lead after they had unluckily fallen behind early on.

It was Vladimir�s surging run that lead to the free kick, but he says it was not certain who would take it at first.

�I had a bit of confidence, I�ve done it so many times in training but Kieran Trippier said he wanted to take it as well. We had a little argument beforehand, but I took it and I�m so glad that it went in.�

Vladimir was also in the thick of it late on when another great run saw him hauled down for a penalty that David Ball converted, but the winger was more than happy for the striker to take it.

�I missed three from four in training the morning of the match,� he laughs, �so we were told that Bally would take the penalties, and he took it brilliantly.�

Ball�s goal saw the whole team run to the technical area to engulf coach Alex Gibson, as Vladimir explains:

�I�d said if I scored I�d run to him, but it was too far from the other side! When Bally scored I went over to him to thank him, he�s done so much for me and all the payers this season.

�Alex is a great coach, and Jim helps us out as well, but we knew before the game how much they wanted to win the Youth Cup. The skipper told us before that if we were going to win it, we were going to win it for them as well.�

Many of the last City team to lift the Youth Cup in 1986 went on to grace the first team, but Vladimir modestly says that any of his teammates could follow in their footsteps.

�We�ll just have to see who will be remembered, it might be me or someone else because we have so many good players.�

The 26 Who Broke Through - Number 17

After another fine season for the Academy in so many ways, it�s testament to the continuing hard work at Platt Lane that as we reach number 17 in our sequence of successful Graduates, the series that started off last summer as �The 21 Who Broke Through� has expanded to include five more debutants.

Following his best and most productive season in a City shirt, Stephen Ireland now sits close to the 100 appearance mark for the Blues, impressive stuff from the young Irishman in less than three years since making his debut.



It was only a 10 minute cameo that September day against Bolton Wanderers but it was impressive nonetheless. Ireland replaced another Academy Graduate, Joey Barton, and the crowd quickly warmed to him as he showed a few nice touches and played some clever passes.

Now a household name, Ireland has won six full international caps to date, scoring four goals along the way and during the 2007/08 season he made 39 league and cup appearances for City where he scored four times.

Stephen has himself said that he�s liable to pop up with a late goal, but there were none later than his fantastic volleyed winner against Reading in November, indeed three of Ireland�s four strikes were worthy contenders for any �Goal of the Month� competition.


The Reading hit came on the back of another volleyed winner in the previous home game against Sunderland and his edge-of-the-box-curler put the Blues 1-0 up in the final home game of the season against Fulham.

So how did we come to land the talented midfielder? Academy Recruitment Officer, Barry Poynton, picks up the story of Stephen Ireand�

�I saw Stephen playing for Cork Schoolboys as a 12-year-old and he was one of the most elegant players I�ve ever seen. Stephen came from Cobh Ramblers, the same club as Roy Keane, who I know thinks a great deal of him.�

And Barry admitted to having seen the potential in Stephen while in his previous job with Everton, before managing to sign him for City, adding: �He reminded me an awful lot of Joe Cole at that age, who I saw at Everton for many months.

�We tried to get him to play for us in a game, but he was already committed to playing for an unofficial Leeds team, but they played in a Leeds kit.

�Anyway, there were only two other people watching the game, Mr and Mrs Ireland. So we managed to get him to sign before he�d even seen the place!�

And now after 96 games for the Blues one of his early teachers at City, Jim Cassell, knows there�s even more to come from the 21-year-old.

He told mcfc.co.uk: �Stephen, at the moment, is one of the most creative footballers in the Club and because of that - like all creative players - it doesn�t work every game and there�s an inconsistency in there.

�What he needs to learn now is to balance the creativity with the continuity of his game to get that consistency. With another season under his belt, he�ll be stronger and Stephen is very much a confidence player, as all creative players are.

�He knows now that he can play at the highest level against the best and there�s no reason why we shouldn�t look forward to a fantastic season from Stephen.�

The 26 Who Broke Through
Number 17: Stephen Ireland
Date of birth: August 22, 1986
City first team debut: v Bolton, City of Manchester Stadium, September 18, 2005
Games played for City: 96
Goals scored for City: 7