DURING the last 40 years, Mick Buxton has taken on various positions in the professional game.

But even with four decades under his well-worn belt, he is just as passionate about his latest role.

"I've been working for the Premier League for the last six years as a technical monitor, looking at all aspects of football academies," he told me.

"I think that we have got some very good young players in this country but their development is being hampered within the present system.

"The problem is, at 18 years of age, their development stops. Players at that age play midweek reserve team football.

"I would like all games to be played at weekend. I would disband the reserve fixtures and have them replaced with an under 21 league. The week could then be freed up for coaching and development of players."

Buxton first joined Burnley in 1958. He was spotted playing schoolboy football in his native Sunderland area by ace scout Jack Hixon - who brought the likes of Brian O'Neil, Dave Merrington, Dave Thomas, Ralph Coates and Arthur Bellamy to the club. Hixon also first discovered the qualities in a young Alan Shearer.

Buxton said:" I played for Sunderland boys and had just enrolled on a course at the Technical College when Jack asked me down to Burnley.

"All I wanted to do was play football, but I must admit that coming down to Burnley was a bit of a culture shock -- different dialect, different people and a new environment. But I soon realised what a lucky boy I was to be joining one of the top clubs in the country.

"I still believe to this day that Burnley were streets ahead of other clubs in finding and developing their own players. I was at the club for 10 years and for nine of them they never bought anyone!

"I wasn't as good a player as some of the other lads so I had to rely on other factors. I had to read the game better, anticipate things and take up good positions.

"So even in my early playing career, I was thinking about the coaching side of the game.

"Jimmy Adamson, who was the best coach I've ever seen, ran a preliminary coaching course which helped me get started.

"I also gained experience by coaching at Clitheroe two nights a week when I was 21, although I did have serious doubts as to whether I'd be any good, after seeing Adamson at close quarters."

At 25, Mick moved on to join Halifax and pretty soon started to compare the Yorkshire town with the Italian capital!

"They say that Rome was built on seven hills. Well, if that was the case Halifax must be built on 10 and we used to go up them every day. It wasn't a football club -- it was a running club.

"I thought at one time that it would have been better going to Durham Jail for that period because it was so difficult. They brought in an International athlete to take the sessions and that's all we did. No coaching at all. But it did make me stronger and fitter.

"At Halifax I quickly found out what life was like on the other side of the coin. There was no training gear or facilities so we had to use a local park. It was really the bottom end of the football pyramid.

"To cap it all, I broke my leg at Peterborough and I was out for eight months. I also damaged my knee which was a massive blow and one from which I never recovered.

"So at 27 years of age my playing days were over and that's when I went into coaching."

Mick modelled his style on those early Burnley days and such was his thirst for knowledge he took up a variety of coaching positions in a short space of time -- Watford, Barnsley, Mansfield, Southend, Huddersfield -- which gave him a tremendous amount of experience.

"Dave Smith, another ex-Burnley player, took me to Mansfield and Southend and that's where I learnt a lot about managing a football club. He should have been a top manager and why he didn't become one I'll never know.

"I left Southend simply because I wanted to get back up north and there was a first team coaching job going at Huddersfield. Eventually I took over as manager in 1978 where I stayed until 1986."

Mick had two spells as manager of Scunthorpe but most people felt that going to Roker Park to manage his town team, Sunderland, must have been the dream job.

"I first went there as a coach," he recalled. "Terry Butcher was manager and he phoned me out of the blue to see if I fancied looking after the reserve team.

"I was appointed manager in 1993, but I must admit I don't miss that side of the game at all.

"I've been very fortunate as I've done everything I ever wanted to do and I am still involved to this day."