With the removal of Steve O'Connor and the appointment of the rather inexperienced Steve Corica as Head Coach of the Sydney FC NYL team, some Sky Blue supporters questioned whether this was a wise move. O'Connor's track record at youth development within the country suggests he was, and arguably still is one of the best youth coaches this country has to offer.

Before his stint at Sydney started in 2007, O'Connor was head coach of the AIS Football program since 1996 and has overseen the development of some of Australia's finest footballers, many of them becoming fully fledged Socceroos. During his stint with Sydney FC, he took out the inaugural National Youth League title with the Sydney FC Youth Team consisting of current Sky Blue first team players Kofi Danning, Rhyan Grant and Matt Jurman.

So why did the Sydney management decide to remove O'Connor and replace him with the rather inexperienced coach in Steve Corica? (To be fair, he has had some experience in the Manly United youth set up). Sure, Corica has an impressive playing resume, but that doesn't always translate to being a great coach.

The main reason for Steve Corica becoming the NYL coach was so that the NYL team is brought closer to the Sydney FC senior squad, effectively making the NYL team a reserve team. The NYL team will share the same culture, football philosophy and playing style the senior team currently possess, the same culture and philosophy that brought success to the senior team in the 09/10 season.

Steve Corica was an integral component of the senior Sky Blue's success in the 09/10 season, so he would know what it exactly means to play the Lavicka way, the Sydney way. This just doesn't include the way team operates on the field, but off the field too.

Lavicka is big on discipline and hard work, two virtues that Corica is well acquainted with and will instill in his NYL team. This is where the concept of the NYL team becoming a reserve team gets some legs. Lavicka and the Sydney FC Board believe the NYL team and later, the Sydney FC Academy to be integral parts of what Sydney FC is.

The ambition is that when the Sydney FC Academy is established, it will nurture the future generations of Sydney FC players, playing and training in the culture that Lavicka has brought in. When players graduate from the Academy around age 16, the best players will then join the NYL team, where they will train in a squad-like scenario, involving not only the NYL squad, but alongside the senior squad.

This all begins with the instalment of Corica as NYL coach. He will have the team playing in Lavicka's diamond 442 formation, with each player mimicking their senior counterparts. You will see a mini Nick Carle in Terry Antonis and a mini Killer B in Blake Powell. Having these players playing in the senior team's system will ensure an easier ascension into the first team whenever they were needed.

This was one thing missing from O'Connor's NYL team. Sure, they played great football and became the eventual Premiers, but it didn't have that greater vision of helping out the senior squad when needed. It will also help fringe first team players with regular football in the NYL team as they will be playing the same system as the first team do. The one important factor in getting all this to work is that the first team coaching staff of Lavicka, Zach, Popovic, Filan and Duncan will all work closely with Corica and the NYL team, strengthening the link between the first team and the NYL team.

I'm not exactly sure what other A-League clubs and their NYL teams are doing, but I believe Sydney FC are on the right path when it comes to their youth development. It ensures that youth players at Sydney FC are exposed to a professional environment all the time, so even if they aren't on professional contracts, the step up to one won't be such a big deal. I for one will be glad to exchange and future NYL title for a Sydney FC squad filled with greater depth in quality due to a higher standard of youth players.