Given the obscene number of millions of pounds that are generated every transfer window, and Newcastle's now insatiable thirst for profit, it was always inevitable that the club would seek the pure profit model of investing in youngsters, blooding them in the first team and selling them on for massive profits that the directors could all roll around on, laughing like maniacs. Unfortunately something has gone badly wrong in translation, and the chances of a youth prospect genuinely (and deservedly) making it into the first-team and becoming a regular selection option are slimmer than the chances of Mike Williamson ever scoring a header. Newcastle have created a conveyor belt that leads to a brick wall for all but a tiny percentage of their youth players, and while we're all shouting about the astonishing ability of Rolando Aarons, or clamouring for Adam Armstrong to make it into the first-team, it's important to remember the supposed Next Big Things that have fallen into obscurity. Recently most have been thanks to the mismanagement of the club, but sometimes the Hot Prospects simply don't match up to their billing, which has got to be a big part of why Newcastle have now changed their policy to concentrate only on local youth talent. Looking back at some of these, it's not hard to see why...
