Apparent ‘in house politics’ at Arsenal’s Academy have claimed another victim, with respected goalkeeping coach Alex Welsh leaving the club after 23 years service. Murmurs of discontent between the coaching staff at Hale End and London Colney came to a head in September with Head of Youth scouting Sean O’Connor suddenly quitting his post.
Welsh is one of the most respected goalkeeping coaches in the country, with his DVD guides helping players and coaches alike. Before joining the Gunners, he had stints at both Wimbledon and Brentford where he earned a reputation as a patron of the goalkeeping arts. Aside from that, his work in the community was notable. Work as a county coaching representative for the Football Association and his role as manager of The Douglas Eyre Sports Centre in London earned him mass praise.
However, the growing discontent between staff based in East London at Hale End and Arsenal’s main men at London Colney has claimed two victims in less than a year, and both staunch Arsenal men. O’Connor has since moved on, rejecting a potential switch to Chelsea to join Brentford’s setup, and with it taking his vast range of contacts among outfits around the country and within school sides with him.
The news Welsh has left will no doubt send shocks around London Colney, as he is a highly respected and liked figure around the club, even with players who have not benefited from his coaching enjoying his company. His reputation speaks for itself and there is no doubt Alex (left of picture) will be missed by all at Arsenal.
For more analysis of Arsenal’s coaching staff, check out Untold Arsenal.
I really really respect annd appreciate the non-speculative posts here. But are there no news as to why they are leaving. No interviews from Sean O´Connor since it’s been a while? Hate to see good people with Arsenal-spirit leaving. Brentford seems to be in the middle of this though, maybe it’s there fault!
O’connor was asked to give an interview to the national press but declined being the Arsenal man he is.
Respected he may be, but you can hardly claim he’s done a good job for Arsenal! When was the last time a keeper of first-team calibre came through the youth system?
Taylor. He did more then a good job and he could only work with the keepers that were brought in.
Not wanting to be negative but losing a goalkeeping coach after 23 years doesnt seem to be the disaster your painting.
Many good prospects have emerged from the academy over the last 5/10 years but I cant say goalkeepers is an area where they been overly sucessfull – maybe a change is good ?
Sad to see “staunch Arsenal men” leave but the results speak for themselves
If you ever meet someone like Alex Welsh you would wonder why they
would get rid of someone like him, he’s a gent. Remember there are people
working at this club that are not Arsenal people.
Academy not about results but player development. Arsenal had the best academy in london if not the country, other London clubs are laughing now and are happy to see what is going on.
I think we are expecting too much for a coach to make a good goalkeeper out of a bad one.
He improved every goalkeeper he worked with
That’s a very ignorant view of what’s going on. He can only work with what he’s given, he works with the really young ones and he has no doubt improved them. He’s improved a lot of the goalkeepers in the system. He works with them until they are 16, then they are not his problem anymore.
He is not a miracle worker, he can not make an average goalkeeper into an amazing one. It might happen in Football Manager, but not in real life. The real results are what goes on at an Under 16 level, and we’ve had a large amount of very promising ‘keepers there. Look at Yilmasz Aksoy, Welsh worked hard with him and got him into the Turkish national team, the only non-Turkey based player in the squad most of the time. That’s impressive, that’s results. Once they sign scholarships, he doesn’t work with them, he can’t get them into the first team.
Can you give any light to what the ‘differences’ are?
I have known Alex for years stemming right back to when i played as a teenager (in fact before that). Alex was the person who sorted out all the pitches for Saturday and Sunday sides back then, he went on to develop many young keepers and has done an excellent job wherever he has been.
To say he has not done a good job for Arsenal is complete nonsense, name me one premiership club where a teenager or even an u21 keeper comes into the first team and stays there, it simply does not happen like that. Even when you look at Joe Hart probably the best young keeper around at the moment, he came up the ranks at lower league clubs before signing for Man City, even last season and possibly next he is still not considered no.1 and he is now 23.
Alex coached goalkeepers at far younger ages than that before releasing them to the likes of Gerry Peyton, if they then fail to make the first team it is certainly not a slant on the likes of Alex Welsh and really you cannot even blame Gerry Peyton, for keepers it is so different to out field players, formations, style of play, even the type of ball affects a keeper much more than most outfield players.
Good Luck Alex in whatever you are doing now, you was an absolute star when we i was younger and i for one really appreciated the work you done back then.
also,releasing luke chambers was a big mistake
Seems as though o’connor is going to be a big miss as he is the one bringing the talent to arsenal as 7-8 year olds! Hope this doesn’t affect the quality of english players coming through!
If your not getting the talent in you can’t produce players ‘you then have to go out and buy. Scouts at most clubs arn’t apprieciated enough.. O’Connor knew his stuff and was snapped up by Brentford
i hope the fact that these two people have left does not have a knock on effect in the quality of youngsters in 5-10 years time coming through the ranks
It will do. Arsenal used to beat Chelsea at all levels now they struggle at all levels. Other London Clubs are loving whats going on at Hale end and its talked about by the other clubs.
It’s sad to lose someone who is so highly rated and respected, but in the last 23 years that he has been at the club, how many top goalkeepers have we produced? Not many.
It’s a little known fact that no goalkeeper has come through the youth ranks and become the regular first team goalkeeper – EVER!
The youth team as it is now was set up in 1954. Since then, every regular first-choice first-team goalkeeper has been bought.
Even before then, Arsenal had a set up to bring through youngsters going back to 1930. None of those goalkeepers ever became first choice goalkeeper.
Developing Arsenal goalkeepers is a dead end job. I can’t think of any that have come through the youth ranks and made it big anywhere.
Hopefully Szchesny can turn this sorry stat around in a couple of year and we can proudly say that Szchesny came through our youth rank and became the best
Hi Jay
Hasn’t Lukd Ayling been transferred too, to Yeovil?
Yep, subject to a medical on July 1st.
Lukd = Luke :(
yes. what someone said previously. what are the difference and disagreements that led to his departure?
Ask the academy
hate to see in-house-politics disrupt a good thing at a club like arsenal…
i don’t like all of this board-room politics/players nearly coming to blows on the pitch/players feuding/players not talking to one another/staff squabling about things in the youth setup…
arsenal doesn’t seem very unified right at the minute.
gazidis and wenger and brady need to reestablish the unity at the club.
What kind of In House politics? and are the Arsenal heirarchy trying to resolve the problem?
losing valuable people with so much experience will cost us in the future
This is a sad news hopefully we can find a capable replacement
The hieracy at academy level fail to see it and it has already started to cost us.
J
I know this Offtopic but I was hoping you can help me with this
Are Sendros and SIlvestre Free Agents this summer ?
Senderos and Silvestre are both out of contract yep. Along with Gallas.
thanks I got confused because some newspaper were saying that we might swap Sendros for Schwarzer. Not a bad transfer if their was possibllity of it taking place but newsreporter who writes these articles should atleast do some research they have no idea and are now writing anything they can sell
Is it any wonder people are going of their noodles for nothing
this could be true as skysports news reports senderos is in talks with fulham
Too bad about Welsh. Hate to see him go! I hope we stop losing core coaches at the academy because that can disrupt the cohesion and the vision of the Arsenal Way.
J., any more on what the nature of the “differences” were about?
perhaps now we can get some goalkeeping coach that will make our keepers good.
Welsh is one of the best in the business.
I hear Shaun O’Connor has also taken Steve Watson with him to Brentford who was a youth scout at Arsenal and he took my Son in for a trial at Hale End and they were both quite high up from what I remember, that is a sad day for their Academy and definately Brentfords gain, I wonder why brentford though, I would have thought they could of gone somewhere better than that….
Brentford is a League One club and so I’m only saying PROBABLY that their staff are more likely to get jobs at better clubs as the only way is up, but at bigger clubs, say, Fulham, because of how established they are it’s less likely for any jobs to be open.
I dont think its down to size of club with sean, he’s his own man, I,ve been
told that if the job is right he will take it. He was offered a very good job
at Tottenham but turned it down for the Brentford job, that might tell you
something about him.
Steve Watson has gone with Sean, but so have 6 other staff members, from
what I have heard about the academy I would,nt want to work there either.
I think O’Connor was asked by a few other London clubs but said no because he is an Arsenal man. Unlike some
we want to be careful not to allow a wenger-loyal staff to become prominent at the club…scouts and coaches especially at younger levels should be loyal to arsenal first and foremost.
when wenger leaves we want people who love arsenal to keep things ticking along.
i worry what will happen to our scouting network when he leaves.
the board must give him a seat amongst them so that his network and knowledge can be tied to the club when he finally does pack in being arsenal manager.
does not matter though as alot of new managers would bring their own backroom staff with them when they go to a new club. Then it really does not matter wheter the coaches love their team or not.
I second the question about “what kind of in-house politics?” You just say there appears to be a dispute. No doubt these guys were Arsenal since they’d been there awhile, but there are an infinite number of reasons why they might leave other than politics, and it may be the result of a strategic change from management.
Alternately are you saying there was personality conflict? More info please! Great blog, btw.
Yep thats what i’ve been told.
A few months ago when Sean left i heard it was something to do with not seeing eye to eye with Roy Massey (who runs Hale End). Apparently Roy’s bringing in some of his own people and some people there aren’t too happy about it and have looked for pastures new. I have seen Sean a couple of times over the past month but never asked him about what the actual reason was. Don’t take this as gospel as this is what i was told and may or may NOT be actual fact.
It was nothing to do with Roy massey, there are a couple of individuals
at the club who are not team players, thats why Sean left. But I was
sure in an original post Jamie said that he was going to get a interveiw with
Sean so he could put his storey over and clear up his end of the storey,
is that still in the pipeline.
Nothing to do with Roy Massey. Massey brought O’Connor in
I hear from certain people inside the club, that they are absolutely ‘Gutted’ about Alex leaving. And also, Not impressed with Liam Brady’s style either!
Guys, I know we all love the club but I humbly suggest we stick to cheering and supporting. We really don’t have enough information to form any sort of opinion on “staff matters”.
By all means lets create the lack of quality signings, trophies etc, but I think when we start sticking our noses right down into day-to-day running… we run the risk of losing the plot outselves. We will never know enough about that kinda stuff…. in any case, it is simply none of our business! I
Oh.. by the way Jay, your blog is excellent and I read it all the time. Keep up the good work!
What a lot of people dont understand is Alex Welsh could take a young lad under his wing and train him from an early age right through until it really matters (SCHOLARSHIP) then even if he really rates the lad the decision is taken out of his hands and made by people that would not know a good keeper if he walked up and punched them on the nose thus the heading IN HOUSE POLITICS the perfect example of this senario is Charlie Mann and Shaun Mcdermott was Mann a better keeper with more potential than Mcdermott YES MOST DEFINATELY take it from someone who knows and Welsh also knew but to no avail Mann was released i think the final straw that broke the camels back came when Luke Chambers was released another keeper Welsh rated highly if you dont take any of what i have written on board then take this ALEX WELSH is a top top coach with years of vast experience and very highly rated who knows this job inside out and is repected by all who have the good fortune to cross his path but how long can you keep banging your head AGAINST the BRICK WALL eventually it has got to take its toll so wishing you all the best Mr Welsh you truly are ONE IN A MILLION and will be sorly missed by all and sundrie.
Fair comment . I think Mann was offered a contract.
Ooops….
create = criticise
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sorry for coming off the point but i dont understand how people say are squad isnt big enough
we have 50 players who are professional and can play for the first team
1 Almunia · 2 Diaby · 3 Sagna · 4 Fàbregas (c) · 5 Vermaelen · 7 Rosický · 8 Nasri · 9 Eduardo · 10 Gallas · 11 Van Persie · 12 Vela · 14 Walcott · 15 Denílson · 16 Ramsey · 17 Song · 18 Silvestre · 19 Wilshere · 20 Djourou · 21 Fabiański · 22 Clichy · 23 Arshavin · 24 Mannone · 27 Eboué · 28 Gibbs · 29 Chamakh · 30 Traoré · 31 Campbell · 33 Barazite · 34 Bartley · 35 Coquelin · 36 Cruise · 37 Eastmond · 38 Emmanuel-Thomas · 39 Evina · 40 Freeman · 41 Frimpong · 42 Gilbert · 43 Henderson · 44 Hoyte · 45 Lansbury · 47 Murphy · 48 Randall · 49 Shea · 50 Simpson · 51 Sunu · 52 Bendtner · 53 Szczęsny · 54 Watt · — Nordtveit · — Pedro ·
that squad with probaly a new goalkeeper and a centre back will surely win the league if the are used right
plus benik afobe and sean mc dermott and oguzan ozakup
why don’t you count all the u14 and u15 players too? because they belongs to Arsenal too. that will make the squad 100 men and we should not buy any player in the future.
u fool thats all of the professional players we have
idiot
yeah? and your point is still that we can use them in the first team and win the league?
When people say, our squad is not big enough they mean we don’t have enough good players to compete in the top. I hate stupid people man. Really really hate stupid people. I guess you will leave a reply that will make no sense at all.
Think you will find has nothing to do with Roy Massey, who does an excellent job at Hale End, but the people Liam Brady is bringing into Hale End to work……
I think you may be correct actually mate. I just stated what i’d heard, that’s all.
Thats what i heard and Liam Brady has been told about it and all the other London clubs are loving it and belive the guy involved is bringing the academy down.
i wonder if there is any connection with liam brady working with the irish national side in the last two years.
Its nothing to do with Brady working for Ireland or people getting on with Roy Massey. Alex has basically become frustrated with the fact that “his ” goalkeepers are not getting the chance to progress, when you have had a boy from 9 through to 16 only to find that he does not get a scholarship or even if he does he is released without being offered professional terms, you have to decide what you want from life. To get offered a pro contract as a keeper you are pretty fortunate, you are even more fortunate, if you get one when you have only been at the club a year (McDermott) or in some cases even less (Martinez) As their coach you have to look them (Aksoy, Chambers of late) in the eye and say sorry son you are not good enough for Arsenal when in your heart you believe they are, that is tough.
No Mr Welsh would of stayed.
Don’t see this as a massive loss. I’m sure the guy was a gent and Arsenal through and through however an under 16 GK coach will not make or break this club.
Not a chance
Monty just try and understand it like this, if you remove the foundations of a building? what happens!!……………….and we have now just recently lost 2 major pieces of foundation in Alex Welsh and Sean O”connor and im sure there will be more to come………………
Not if their yes men. Both of them are a big loss to Arsenal and other clubs know what is going on and are laughing at it.
Losing good staff will always put you on the backfoot, and from what ive been told
there’s not many good staff left at the academy, so if this is the case what are the
management doing about it. This can’t keep going on and someone needs to look in
there and sought it out, and quickly.
Jay
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