GRAHAM Westley made headlines over the weekend with his critique of the academy structure in British football, arguing that the current system doesn’t produce good defenders.

The Newport County AFC manager was talking after watching his new side lose 3-1 at home to League Two leaders Plymouth Argyle.

He was critical of his young defenders Jazzi Barnum-Bobb, a product of the Cardiff City youth system, and Kyle Cameron – who is on loan from Newcastle United and a graduate of the Magpies’ academy.

"The academy structure is all about playing football and not enough about winning games," Westley said.

"We've got a lot of young players who have come up through the academy.

"I'm a big critic of the academy system in the sense that it teaches attacking play, it teaches possession, it teaches technique, it does not teach players to defend.

“There's no onus or emphasis put on the defensive side of the game and too many players don't value tackles and the basics of the game."

Former Exiles boss Warren Feeney prompted howls of derision in some quarters when he said he wanted his team to clear the ball onto the M4 if necessary but his point about young defenders was strikingly similar to that of his successor at Rodney Parade.

“A lot of people want to score goals but I loved the old George Graham Arsenal teams – winning 1-0 – and that’s what we’ve got to do,” said Feeney last month – three weeks before he was sacked.

“I look at academy players these days and they can’t head balls,” he added.

“Right-backs want to be wingers, left-backs want to be wingers.

“For me defenders are defenders. You’ve got to go back to basics and if you’ve got to hit the M4 you’ve got to hit the M4.”

Westley has a reputation as an arch pragmatist and his preference for ‘winning football’ above everything else won’t go down well with the purists.

“I watch my 11-year-old playing football on a Sunday and he doesn’t really know whether he’s won or lost the game,” he added, expanding on his worries about youth development in British football.

“What he knows is that he’s done some nice things with the ball. I make it very clear to him, whether he’s won or lost the game, the things he’s done with and without the ball.”

A lot of people would argue that youngsters should be free to express themselves in age-grade football but when you’re rock bottom of the Football League you undoubtedly need results first and foremost.

Westley told fans at the recent meet the manager event that he would give youth a chance wherever possible.

And in his very first game at Yeovil Town last week he handed Newport teenager Finlay Wood his EFL debut as a late substitute.

But his comments on Saturday about needing more experience suggest he will rely much more on the old heads to get County out of trouble – just as John Sheridan did 12 months ago.

Experienced pros are not immune to making mistakes of course – Darren Jones was caught flat footed for the first penalty on Saturday and Scot Bennett was dragged out of position for the third goal.

But it’s undeniably tough for youngsters to thrive in a team that is low on confidence and struggling to put points on the board week after week.

And watching Manchester City’s John Stones, a product of the Barnsley academy, gift Southampton a goal with another howler on Sunday it’s clear that it’s equally difficult for young defenders at the top of the Premier League as it is at the bottom of League Two.

It’s hard to argue with the view expressed by Westley and Feeney that the British game is just not producing defenders who love to defend.

We’re unlikely to see centre-backs of the calibre of John Terry, Tony Adams or County legend Keith Oakes – coming through the academies today.

In the modern game the likes of Jones and Gary Warren are a dying breed.

When Regan Poole broke into the Exiles side at 16 he stood out because of his positional sense and composure on the ball in the back four.

And, as predicted by Michael Flynn – the man who spotted his talent – Manchester United have turned him into a midfielder in their under-21 side since his big money move to Old Trafford.

Kids don’t want to be defenders. It’s as simple as that.

I never made it anywhere near any academy but in my first year at high school I vividly remember making the mistake of admitting that I could use my left foot.

And with that, despite terrorising defences on the primary school fields, I was condemned to playing as a left-back for the next five years.

I didn’t enjoy defending because I wasn’t very good at it and I wasn’t prepared to work hard enough at it to improve.

So I can sympathise with youngsters who want to be Messi instead of McGrath, Ronaldo rather than Ratcliffe, Bale not Butcher.

But that doesn’t help Westley and the Exiles in their current predicament.

Hopefully he can improve the likes of Barnum-Bobb and Cameron and reinforce the squad in January.

If not it could be a long hard season for everyone concerned.