I am supporting Everton since 1970 and I don’t remember young lads from the academy being thrown into the first team and there were plenty of times when our squad was a lot worse than it is now.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
- Status
overkill
Player Valuation: £20m
Agree, only players who get thrown in are the ones who are good enough, we have never just thrown youngsters into games
Be interested in that.
tsubaki
Player Valuation: £90m
TBF I’d have thought there were probably dozens of players who made an appearance as a 18/19 year old for Everton in that time; players like Tiyas Browning or Bidwell for example.
Canuck Darryl
Player Valuation: £2.5m
How many of our current u18 and u23 players will ever play in the top level. I bet you’d be able to count them on one hand, with maybe even a finger or two to spare.
Unsworth’s job is to identify the superior players, and prepare them, mentally and physically, to move up. If this means that the majority of players are just filler… so be it.
Unsworth’s job is to identify the superior players, and prepare them, mentally and physically, to move up. If this means that the majority of players are just filler… so be it.
Raino85
Player Valuation: £35m
There are points were it has happened. I remember losing 2-3 to blackburn in the first game of 2008/09 with a 17 year old Rodwell starting, Baxter coming off the bench and likes of agard, wallace, juctkiewitz, gosling & kissock on the bench! Throw in Anichebe & Vaughan who got thrown in a few years earlier than thats a fair amount.
I also remember around the end of the 96/97 season the likes of richard dunne, michael ball, john hills, gavin mccann, danny cadamateri all being thrown into the team.
It has happened before, wether its succesful is another debate
Heck I think Osman first made the match day squad in something like 2000 against Arsenal of all sides
Duffy notably came in for 2-3 games in 2010 as well when he was still very young and gave a good account of himself
The Hibbert Agenda
Player Valuation: £20m
It's not just an Everton thing either.
Remember that Southampton youngster Josh Sims that bloodied Koeman's nose in a man of the match performance on debut (all the pre-match talk was about Koeman not using Southampton's academy while manager)
They just released him at the start of the season. 24 years old.
The Hibbert Agenda
Player Valuation: £20m
I guess what I'm saying is I hope Simms is better than Sims.
Simms has never fitted into the “ teenage prodigy who should be in the first team “ category. Even when he was banging in all those goals in the u18s he was nowhere near first team ready. I’ve written a few times before that he’s a slow burner who’s improved every season so far, and it may be a couple more seasons before he reaches his true level whether PL or Championship.
messymascot
Player Valuation: £35m
He's a different type of Striker to what we have here already. I genuinely don't think he'll ever he good enough to lead the line at a top 6 club but he offers us something different from the bench. If 9 subs becomes a thing he could be the man to throw on with 20-25 minutes to go as he is a natural scorer. If we are going to persevere he needs a decent contract and kept here. To keep him match fit use him in some of the u23s games.
LeeCarsley
Player Valuation: £8m
he's got very good instinct for a youngster in my opinion, albeit I have not seen very much of him. I hope he is at the very least on the bench on sunday and if Rondon is off the pace once again he can be the man to start banging them in up top!
atypicalusername
Player Valuation: £35m
Not good enough yet. Otherwise he would be used.
Kiwi
Say NO to Ginger Managers
Has been coming back from an injury sustained at the end of last season like.
- Status