Everton Youth Teams Thread

[Eggs]

Davies was the captain of the age group that Walsh, Holland, Connolly, Brewster etc were in and was regarded as our strongest age group we've had for a long time (certainly in over a decade).

He is said to be a bit of a clone of Ledson. I have seen him play at right back though. He is not as highly regarded as Walsh but tends to get more intentional recognition. He has a good engine and ran the game for the England under 17's recently.

Holland looks to be a good winger. And Yates is a solid right back.

When you consider we beat Chelsea without those 3, as well as no Kenny, Ledson or Williams who are all eligible it shows the confidence we have.

It's hard to make direct comparisons but all of the above I have mentioned were more highly rated than Browning or say Long was at a similar age. Or alternatively the majority of them are at least as well thought of as Garbutt.

We have scouted brilliantly over the last 15 years or so. Liverpool as city is a Goldmine for talent, and the surrounding areas/Manchester is not far behind. The under 18's/17's we currently have are very strong. What will be interesting to see going forward is if this is a result of a long term shift to move to FF (they are the first age groups through) or whether they are just a standout generation (like we had in say 98).

....it's a good point about the switch to FF. It wasn't that long ago they trained in Netherton because Bellfield wasn't big enough. It must be a huge advantage to have the staff at one location for a number of reasons.

 

[catcherintherye]

....it's a good point about the switch to FF. It wasn't that long ago they trained in Netherton because Bellfield wasn't big enough. It must be a huge advantage to have the staff at one location for a number of reasons.

Well yes I think it is. The under 18's are the first age group to move there and start as under 7's (I think). Obviously the proof will be in the pudding as we go forward over the next 5 to 10 years. It may just be a coincidence that we happen to have strong age groups at the same time and it will tail off (I obviously hope not).

I know Liverpool are desperate to bring their academy under the same roof. The problem is of course this takes time and it will take probably up to a decade to begin to bear results so it's a long process.

Nobody matches the number of players we are having represented in the current under 17's and under 18's England teams. Only Chelsea come close. What is quite exciting is we are not talking about it being filled with Wayne Rooneys. Rooney would have thrived in any environment. But much like the late 90's we have a glutch of players coming through who have the potential to be steady first team players. While we should just about be able to make space for the current crop if that repeats itself year on year we will be in the enviable situation that we will have too many young players to know what to do with!

After the late 90's we had a real dip in comparison. It seems very bizarre to talk about a dearth when you produce talent that was sold on for around 60 million pounds (probably a great deal more in todays money given the way fees have gone). But really, very few of our players had international recognition and we didn't really threaten in the youth leagues. Compared to our current crop what has gone before will seem like a dearth of talent.

The last 5-6 years we have seen that reverse a bit (we've won the youth league twice). Finch Farm has to be part of that process.

 

[Eggs]

Well yes I think it is. The under 18's are the first age group to move there and start as under 7's (I think). Obviously the proof will be in the pudding as we go forward over the next 5 to 10 years. It may just be a coincidence that we happen to have strong age groups at the same time and it will tail off (I obviously hope not).

I know Liverpool are desperate to bring their academy under the same roof. The problem is of course this takes time and it will take probably up to a decade to begin to bear results so it's a long process.

Nobody matches the number of players we are having represented in the current under 17's and under 18's England teams. Only Chelsea come close. What is quite exciting is we are not talking about it being filled with Wayne Rooneys. Rooney would have thrived in any environment. But much like the late 90's we have a glutch of players coming through who have the potential to be steady first team players. While we should just about be able to make space for the current crop if that repeats itself year on year we will be in the enviable situation that we will have too many young players to know what to do with!

After the late 90's we had a real dip in comparison. It seems very bizarre to talk about a dearth when you produce talent that was sold on for around 60 million pounds (probably a great deal more in todays money given the way fees have gone). But really, very few of our players had international recognition and we didn't really threaten in the youth leagues. Compared to our current crop what has gone before will seem like a dearth of talent.

The last 5-6 years we have seen that reverse a bit (we've won the youth league twice). Finch Farm has to be part of that process.

........the era in which the Osman, Hibbert side won the Youth Cup also produced a number of players who had successful careers in lower leagues (Carl Reagan, Sean O'Hanlon, Cadamarteri, Jevons et al)I suspect the same might happen here, a couple might come through at top level but the quality is such that others will have careers outside the Premiership.

 

[catcherintherye]

........the era in which the Osman, Hibbert side won the Youth Cup also produced a number of players who had successful careers in lower leagues (Carl Reagan, Sean O'Hanlon, Cadamarteri, Jevons et al)I suspect the same might happen here, a couple might come through at top level but the quality is such that others will have careers outside the Premiership.

I think you are probably right mate. I could see as many as a dozen playing in league football at some level. In all honesty we didn't maximise the 98 side to it's full potential. I put a lot of this down to Smith and his inability to manage young players but also the perilous situation the club was in.

To me Jeffers, Cadamateri, Ball, Dunne (who admittedly did), Osman and Hibbert should have all played for top flight football regularly. I just hope Martinez can make better use of the talent he has at his disposal.

 

[Eggs]

I think you are probably right mate. I could see as many as a dozen playing in league football at some level. In all honesty we didn't maximise the 98 side to it's full potential. I put a lot of this down to Smith and his inability to manage young players but also the perilous situation the club was in.

To me Jeffers, Cadamateri, Ball, Dunne (who admittedly did), Osman and Hibbert should have all played for top flight football regularly. I just hope Martinez can make better use of the talent he has at his disposal.

...4 of those 6 achieved full international status. Not a bad conversion rate. Most will now be very wealthy men.

 

[dave abrahams]

Martinez visited Finch Farm while at Wigan and was immediately impressed with the quality and potential of the place,
it was one of the reasons why he wanted to come to Everton, looking back it might have been better if he had never
made the visit!!!

 

[Zatara]

Interesting.

Whats the score at right back, jones, pennington, kenny and more all played well there so who can we expect to compete with coleman in the coming seasons?

Davies was the captain of the age group that Walsh, Holland, Connolly, Brewster etc were in and was regarded as our strongest age group we've had for a long time (certainly in over a decade).

He is said to be a bit of a clone of Ledson. I have seen him play at right back though. He is not as highly regarded as Walsh but tends to get more intentional recognition. He has a good engine and ran the game for the England under 17's recently.

Holland looks to be a good winger. And Yates is a solid right back.

When you consider we beat Chelsea without those 3, as well as no Kenny, Ledson or Williams who are all eligible it shows the confidence we have.

It's hard to make direct comparisons but all of the above I have mentioned were more highly rated than Browning or say Long was at a similar age. Or alternatively the majority of them are at least as well thought of as Garbutt.

We have scouted brilliantly over the last 15 years or so. Liverpool as city is a Goldmine for talent, and the surrounding areas/Manchester is not far behind. The under 18's/17's we currently have are very strong. What will be interesting to see going forward is if this is a result of a long term shift to move to FF (they are the first age groups through) or whether they are just a standout generation (like we had in say 98).

 

[Zatara]

We definitely need a bunch to come through over the next 2-3 seasons.

The problem we have is that alot of players in the first team have 1 or 2 seasons left in them and it seems we need 3-4 seasons for these younger players to come through even as backup. So for 1-2 years we may havea situation where our older players are on their say out / finished and the youngsters not quite ready to step up....

Well yes I think it is. The under 18's are the first age group to move there and start as under 7's (I think). Obviously the proof will be in the pudding as we go forward over the next 5 to 10 years. It may just be a coincidence that we happen to have strong age groups at the same time and it will tail off (I obviously hope not).

I know Liverpool are desperate to bring their academy under the same roof. The problem is of course this takes time and it will take probably up to a decade to begin to bear results so it's a long process.

Nobody matches the number of players we are having represented in the current under 17's and under 18's England teams. Only Chelsea come close. What is quite exciting is we are not talking about it being filled with Wayne Rooneys. Rooney would have thrived in any environment. But much like the late 90's we have a glutch of players coming through who have the potential to be steady first team players. While we should just about be able to make space for the current crop if that repeats itself year on year we will be in the enviable situation that we will have too many young players to know what to do with!

After the late 90's we had a real dip in comparison. It seems very bizarre to talk about a dearth when you produce talent that was sold on for around 60 million pounds (probably a great deal more in todays money given the way fees have gone). But really, very few of our players had international recognition and we didn't really threaten in the youth leagues. Compared to our current crop what has gone before will seem like a dearth of talent.

The last 5-6 years we have seen that reverse a bit (we've won the youth league twice). Finch Farm has to be part of that process.

 

[catcherintherye]

...4 of those 6 achieved full international status. Not a bad conversion rate. Most will now be very wealthy men.

Well no certainly not awful. However with Ball and Jeffers it is a story of what could have been. To a lesser degree Cadamateri who didn't develop at all from a 17 year old into a 21 year old.

 

[catcherintherye]

Interesting.

Whats the score at right back, jones, pennington, kenny and more all played well there so who can we expect to compete with coleman in the coming seasons?

Thanks mate. I haven't seen an awful lot of Pennington, but he was quite small and a bit Jagielka like, a bit of a stopper. My own gut feeling is I'd be surprised to see him make it at Everton. Having said that the experience of going on loan obviously does different things for different players and he has had good reviews at Coventry.

Jones was a central midfield player as an under 16 and our teams captain at that age. He played central midfield as a 16 year old in the under 18's but was moved (in part) to accommodate Ledson, Charsley, Williams and then latterly Walsh and Dowell. I think it says a lot about the quality of central mids we have coming through, as Jones was seen as a good prospect (the best in that year group) and was older than the others. As a right back he seems to have good attributes offensively and lots of pace. Probably the closest to Coleman in terms of style. I think he's a big off and will need to continue to develop on loan.

As for Kenny as a younger player coming through he was certainly the most advanced out of all of them at their given age. Playing for the reserves as a 16 year old, captaining the reserves as a 17 year old. He is more of a centre back but he was a little small (although had an excellent spring). he has just turned 18 and had filled out a lot last reserve game I saw him and grown a bit, but probably needs another couple of inches.
When I've seen him I don't see him being a right back. I think he is a bit stocky and plays a bit like how Carsley did but a bit more comfortable on the ball. I'd say his ideal would be centre back in a back 3.
Others have seen him and say he resembles Lahm for England and is good at marking. I could see that in him but I am not sure he would be as strong offensively as Coleman. I think Kenny will make an appearance for Everton, but I suspect it will be at Centre back or central midfield.

I think Browning may be close to replacing Coleman. I know others think differently but I've been very impressed with him at right back. If we lost Coleman I'd give Browning a run. Oddly Browning struggled at Wigan and wasn't as inspiring as how Kenny has been on international duty but Martinez seems to like him.

I hope that helps, what do you think?

 

[catcherintherye]

We definitely need a bunch to come through over the next 2-3 seasons.

The problem we have is that alot of players in the first team have 1 or 2 seasons left in them and it seems we need 3-4 seasons for these younger players to come through even as backup. So for 1-2 years we may havea situation where our older players are on their say out / finished and the youngsters not quite ready to step up....

Well it would be a great help hey! I imagine we will cover any difficulties with loans. I'm not overly worried about losing players as we do have quality below who could fill in. I think over the next season to see Ledson, Browning and Garbutt to be involved more. Possibly Long. In two years I think Kenny, Walsh and Dowell all stand a decent chance of being in the squad.

 

[Zatara]

You think browning may be good enough to actually replace coleman or at least compete with him next season?

Garbutt I would hope gets games now as we need him to sign and baines is no spring chicken.

Ledson would be great as barry has faded.

Long kenny walsh and dowell you think next wave? For them do you think they can all make the grade or see them as backup squad fillers?

Any real outstanding prospects coming through, green was meant to be the new gazza but seems to have done nothing?

Well it would be a great help hey! I imagine we will cover any difficulties with loans. I'm not overly worried about losing players as we do have quality below who could fill in. I think over the next season to see Ledson, Browning and Garbutt to be involved more. Possibly Long. In two years I think Kenny, Walsh and Dowell all stand a decent chance of being in the squad.

 

[FugginGerryn]

Thanks mate. I haven't seen an awful lot of Pennington, but he was quite small and a bit Jagielka like, a bit of a stopper. My own gut feeling is I'd be surprised to see him make it at Everton. Having said that the experience of going on loan obviously does different things for different players and he has had good reviews at Coventry.

Jones was a central midfield player as an under 16 and our teams captain at that age. He played central midfield as a 16 year old in the under 18's but was moved (in part) to accommodate Ledson, Charsley, Williams and then latterly Walsh and Dowell. I think it says a lot about the quality of central mids we have coming through, as Jones was seen as a good prospect (the best in that year group) and was older than the others. As a right back he seems to have good attributes offensively and lots of pace. Probably the closest to Coleman in terms of style. I think he's a big off and will need to continue to develop on loan.

As for Kenny as a younger player coming through he was certainly the most advanced out of all of them at their given age. Playing for the reserves as a 16 year old, captaining the reserves as a 17 year old. He is more of a centre back but he was a little small (although had an excellent spring). he has just turned 18 and had filled out a lot last reserve game I saw him and grown a bit, but probably needs another couple of inches.
When I've seen him I don't see him being a right back. I think he is a bit stocky and plays a bit like how Carsley did but a bit more comfortable on the ball. I'd say his ideal would be centre back in a back 3.
Others have seen him and say he resembles Lahm for England and is good at marking. I could see that in him but I am not sure he would be as strong offensively as Coleman. I think Kenny will make an appearance for Everton, but I suspect it will be at Centre back or central midfield.

I think Browning may be close to replacing Coleman. I know others think differently but I've been very impressed with him at right back. If we lost Coleman I'd give Browning a run. Oddly Browning struggled at Wigan and wasn't as inspiring as how Kenny has been on international duty but Martinez seems to like him.

I hope that helps, what do you think?

Browning has all the physical attributes to be a player - but is fooking dreadful on the ball. Terrible technique.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Well it would be a great help hey! I imagine we will cover any difficulties with loans. I'm not overly worried about losing players as we do have quality below who could fill in. I think over the next season to see Ledson, Browning and Garbutt to be involved more. Possibly Long. In two years I think Kenny, Walsh and Dowell all stand a decent chance of being in the squad.

Have you seen much of Galloway and Henen?

 

[Eggs]

Browning has all the physical attributes to be a player - but is fooking dreadful on the ball. Terrible technique.

...it's so hard to predict. I saw Browning quite a few years ago at FF and wasn't impressed but the coaches really rate him (best one-on-one defender in the club). A lad I know at Wigan was really impressed but something happened during that spell that has never been clarified ('browning had an unfortunate experience at Wigan and was brought back'). Physically he could step up buthe still looks like he has a lot of learning to do, tremendous athlete though so he can make the transition.

Kenny was outstanding at right back for England in that summer tournament, diminutive but a brilliant attitude. Ledson and Galloway look a bit special to me, Walsh and Dowell could be proper players.

Interesting few years.