summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
60 mins 0-0
1-0 Sunderland
FT 1-0 defeat. Think that's the 4th or 5th on the spin, lads have really struggled since that Dallas cup as we took a strong squad there and it's taken its toll I reckon.
Coffee and TV
Player Valuation: £25m
Yeah we were up there pushing for 1st and 2nd place until recently. Bit worrying that we might actually get relegated.
Agree, we also tend to loan out the older players so guess our squad is younger than the average.
Aye mate we were definitely in the running before the tournament. Not too sure how it will effect us getting relegated but I'm sure it will be even less competitive and a poorer standard than it already is.
Yep we've had a lot on loan haven't we LL and we just seem to be lacking an attacking threat lately, not helped with Henens injury
Coffee and TV
Player Valuation: £25m
Exactly, not arsed about U21 results but it's going to mean poorer opposition which actually is important.
Iirc a few pop back to play if it works out OK with their loan club (like Green today) but don't think it happens each time.
Probably better for their long term development and means they might have suitors if they aren't going to make it with us, but @Coffee and TV says, hope we haven"t weakend ourselves so much that we get relegated.
Unsworth out Maccavennie in if it happens LL
rochdaleblue
Player Valuation: £50m
It's all about the development of the players. Yes we'd love a successful team at all levels of the academy, but ultimately an academy is judged on the players it produces as opposed to winning teams. If one player from last years under 18 title winning side makes the first team that's great. Likewise if one of those lads playing for a struggling under 21 team gets through to the first team that is equally great. It's all about the development of the players and looking at how many of our academy players are representing their countries, I'd suggest we are doing well.
Yep that statement is very true, as well as other nationalities we have 3 in England u17, 3 in England u18 but we've somehow lost our way at U21 level this season. There seems to be a lack of coordinated strategy between Royal and Unsworth, and some of the loans have been a bit bizarre with players sitting on the bench/ not playing at the likes of Hibernian, Motherwell, Telford etc . Meanwhile the U21s suffer.
catcherintherye
Player Valuation: £80m
This is true 100%. I have seen and heard a lot of grumbling at the poor results we have had. We have certainly lost a number of games by the odd goal we could have won.
But more broadly it really is about player development. The reserve side looks like an under 18's with a couple of senior heads. Williams, Ledson, Kenny, Walsh, Dowell are all regulars. Increasingly Dyson, Donuhue, Connolly and Davies are all involved. A lot of these are just 16 years of age, but it is reminiscent of an under 18's squad, not an under 21's squad.
There is a big deal of difference in terms of physical and mental development between at 16-17 year old to a 21 year old. While they are all lumped together at 16-17 they are really only beginning their journey into pro football.
This season we have sent a number of players out on loan, more than I can remember for many a year. Pennington, Jones, Long, Green, McCaleny, have all had prolonged spells on loan while the likes of Kennedy and Hallam Hope have departed the club. Garbutt and Browning haven't played that much and are now in the first team. If we wanted to be successful as an under 21's (or at least stand a chance of winning it) we needed to probably keep all of the above.
However what this would have led too would have been a dual problem. Most importantly it would have prevented a number of the first group of players being given an opportunity to get exposure to men's football. Secondly it would, in the end it would have stunted the above players development.
If you take Pennington for example. He was a fairly bog standard Under 18. he was in a moderately strong year group (nowhere near our current set) and was not a stand out name by any stretch (a long way second fiddle to Dier). Yet his loan to Coventry (and Tranmere before that) have really brought him on. I had discounted any possibility of him making the grade with us, but his loan spell at Convetry has certainly opened the door to the possibility for him. Playing regular football has done this for him even if it's at the expense of our league positions.
People are used to Liverpool telling us how great their youth system is. The truth is they buy in lots of players who are 19-20 years of age and pay them the sort of wages that wouldn't be far off 5 or 6 of our reserves are on combined. Benitez in his time there had 50-60 players on the books. So it is not really a fair match up. Up to under 18's we are consistently better than them but they fill their squad to the point of saturation with under 21 players.
We haven't done this and wouldn't want us too. Our method will work. And the adversity they have of losing a bit will stand them in good stead for years to come.
mightymoyes
Player Valuation: £70m
where have dowell, walsh and donuhue been recently? they injured? dont seem to have played much.
in other news gary brabin has left the academy set up to take the tranmere managers job.
in other news gary brabin has left the academy set up to take the tranmere managers job.
mightymoyes
Player Valuation: £70m
agree with that, in particular whoever thought sending lundstram on loan to basketcase club blackpool was a good idea needs to have a word with themselves! not good enough to make it with us but that move was a major set back for him.