Ruth: Our pathway sets us apart

Head coach Shannon Ruth on pre-season preparations and his pride in seeing under-21s in America for the Premier League Summer Series.

Bruce Talbot

2023-07-24T06:00:00Z

Shannon Ruth's under-21s have won all four games in the Premier League International Cup this season.

Our men’s under-21s have been back at work since the start of July ahead of a new season in Premier League 2. We caught up with head coach Shannon Ruth as their training camp in Spain comes to a close this weekend.

Shannon, you’ve been back in pre-season training since the start of July and played a couple of friendlies. How have preparations gone?

Preparations have been going well, we are currently nearing the end of week four and the players are really getting back up to speed and the team is coming together well. Our playing style is very unique so it’s been good to re-familiarise the players with the philosophy and see them re-connect with their team mates after a positive summer back with their families.

Some players represented their countries, which we are extremely proud of, and they have returned following some time off. Our two friendlies so far have seen us compete with senior opposition which helps young players bridge the gap between academy and men’s football. It is important to be mindful that everyone is at a different stages in their physical condition.

Quite a few players have moved up to the 21s from the under-18s this season. How have they settled in and what are the biggest challenges when making that step?

The players are settling well, and pre-season is always a wonderful opportunity for our young players to train and impress with the age group above. As an under18/21 group we have trained together for the first few weeks of pre-season, and it’s been great to see who has come back ready to attack the season.

Ed Turns is one of our under-21s with the senior squad for the Premier League Summer Series.

The biggest challenges are probably the increase in demands to perform and to get more right than they do wrong. The under-21 group finished strongly last season and it’s up to the 18s who have stepped up to try and be in the starting XI come the first game of the Premier League 2 season. As always, we have had 21s train with the first team and that is another big step up in the level of challenge but also a great opportunity for them to try and meet the demands of our first team and impress Roberto De Zerbi and his staff.

You’ve been in Spain on a camp last week. How has it been going and have you had to adapt training because of the intense heat?

It’s been a really good week. We have been able to get a lot of work into the players regarding playing style and our environment and culture as a squad and then drew 0-0 with Real Betis B in a friendly which was a very good exercise for us against an experienced team. We’ve come to a wonderful facility, and we are certainly making the most of it despite the intense heat. Being together has allowed the players to bond, get to know each other and also understand the demands of being a young professional at Brighton and Hove Albion.

As new players come into the group, others move into first-team contention with several in the squad for the Summer Series in the USA. That must be a source of pride for you and the rest of the staff

We are extremely proud of the progress that the squad made towards the end of last season. There was a significant amount of transition which saw under-21 players spending more time with the first team or enjoying valuable loan experiences. This in turn saw many under-18 scholars step up into the under-21s. This young team’s performances exceeded expectations and achieved some outstanding results during a difficult run in, but most importantly playing in the style and philosophy of a Brighton & Hove Albion team.

We are also extremely proud of the individuals that achieved first-team debuts in both the Premier League and Cup competitions. These are special moments and rewards for their families and the staff, past and present, who have worked with them on their journeys.

Cam Peupion challenges Wycombe defender Chris Forino.

The pathway for our Academy players is something that we feel really sets us apart from other clubs and the opportunity for young players is very clear. This is something that we are passionate about and committed to continuing. We want to be renowned for developing top talent year in, year out and the fact that we have several academy graduates in America highlights that.

Premier League 2 is changing this season with six fewer games and no relegation as the two-division system is replaced. What are the positives of these changes?

We are keen to see what it’s going to look like but what we do know is that it will challenge our players in a positive way. The games are a vital part of a player’s development, and we always do our best to enter as many competitions as we can to give them varied experiences in match situations. This approach mirrors the number of fixtures they will have to compete in on the next step of their journey either on loan or in our first team. It also gives us the flexibility to be very deliberate with the development of our under-18 & under-21 players.