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Everton Youth Teams Thread

Brisan123 said:
I think Astley ,Gibson and maybe Virginia may have a chance of making the first team squad.
The rest I'm not sure about.
That Carroll lad and and Kyle John are another 2 young lads who have impressed me in the bits I've seen.
I'd like to see Simms do it at U 23 before singing his praises.
I coached under age football for years and physicality can more that compensate for a lack of natural ability at under age football.
Not saying Simms has a lack of ability ,he can finish but open age football is a whole different animal
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I like Carroll, love his attitude, hope he continues to improve as he moves up the age groups.
 
Eggs said:
....it’s a fine achievement to win PL2 title and should rightly be applauded. Saying that, if one comes through to PL1 level it’ll be good but many of these lads will have a future in the game.
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Oh yeah but the comments about the 1st team should be watching to see what winners look like when most have won equivalent types of trophies (if not higher honours) is a bit daft.
 

A great achievement.

Surprisingly ( or perhaps unsurprisingly), not a mention on the BBC website.

Imagine if it was a certain other club?

Although in fairness they are running a story about Luton Town Under 8s winning a cup!

www.bbc.co.uk

Luton Town: Under-8s win the International Cup after beating Juventus 6-1

Luton Town Under-8s win the International Cup after beating Juventus.
www.bbc.co.uk
 
Brisan123 said:
I remember a young lad who played for me went to united on trial at 14.
He played as a No 10 for us and had great ball control could glide past a player ,could pick a pass but lacked an engine
They played him at Right full (if you are under 40 google it ) for 2 games.
They reckoned in that position he had the full pitch in front of him and they could judge his ability to read a game better if he played there.
Never made it unfortunately ,his lack of an engine and his inability to put it in in training went against him.
As an aside I also coached Brian O Driscoll for a short period.
A hell of a football player but obviously a world class rugby player
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As a slight aside (and feel free to DM if needs) whats the deal with Rugby in ireland mate? Is it as big as football? Do the same sort of people play it? There's a big class divide over here (well with union anyway) and always wondered what the reasoning with the Irish being so good at Rugby was?
 

Eggs said:
....clubs would often try young forward looking players in more defensive positions. Some of the greatest full backs we’ve had (Ray Wilson, Tommy Wright etc) started as wingers and I think John Hurst was a youth team striker at Everton. Tony Hibbert played midfield in an FA Youth Cup winning team.

Doesn’t surprise me about O’Driscoll, world class Rugby player without the absolute physicality of others suggest he was a natural. Also, lots of examples of Gaelic Football (hope that’s an acceptable term) producing soccer players.
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Duncan Ferguson started as a left back too, and moved to left side midfield before they played him through the middle.

At youth level the big focus is on skills. You have a certain skill set and while this may be used in a certain position, as you get older it can used in other ways. Even Fraser Hornby was brought in and played a fair bit as a deep lying midfield player (and looked ok). The lad Arnold at Liverpool was a fairly bog standard central midfield player, but he had the physicality to play fullback so went with that.

It's a useful point to note, that certainly at younger ages they are less interested in positions players play but the skills they show and the development involved.
 
zzr45 said:
Oh yeah but the comments about the 1st team should be watching to see what winners look like when most have won equivalent types of trophies (if not higher honours) is a bit daft.
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There does have to be a caution as well as a justified pride with the team. I remember when we won the 98 youth cup and much of the talk was about how many of that team would make it straight into the first team. That was very much the discourse around it and it proved that way (I remember derby away the following season and Jeffers being dropped in because he'd done alright for the under 18's). A big part of that was that the club was in a real mess off the pitch, and in truth the PL quality was not as high as it is now so the gap was smaller but there has also been a cultural shift too.

It's not realistic to anticipate a host of these lads make the first team squad. Firstly we have the youngest squad in the Premier league, we also have an array of young players (often the same age as those playing last night) who are getting experience at championship, champions league & Europa league level (and shining in the process). It is also likely we will be adding further young players. It's hard to see people jumping the cue ahead of them.

The glib reality is, that for most they will have put themselves in the window for a decent championship loan next season. If they get a contract off the back of that, then in all honesty happy days for them. A 3-4 year deal for a championship team will likely leave them millionaires at 23/4 and set up for life. Maybe one or two get a chance for Everton, with a convincing loan spell. That's it though.

And in truth I'm sure it won't matter an awful lot to most of them when the dust settles. Particularly at that age it's a dog eat dog world, where you are on the cusp of getting a contract that has you set for life, but a bit of luck the wrong way and you are scratching around the conference looking at needing to develop another career. They will always have that moment with Everton as will their family, friends etc and I hope (and imagine it will) keep them blinded to the club. For many it will be the happiest moment of their career. However the gap to first team remains just as large.
 
Eggs said:
......nice reaction considering he’s a North-East lad bought in.

Particularly interested in his performance, he just looks right to me. One outstanding tackle epitomised his desire to defend, one rash tackle almost cost his team via the penalty spot. His reaction when the penalty was missed demonstrated the attitude i’ve seen regularly, although I think it was a little unprofessional and with experience it wouldn’t be so showy. He’s grown to be a big old unit and he’s still one of the youngsters in that team.

He continues to be the one that stands out to me.

The policy of buying promising youngsters (Gibson, Hornby, Bowler, Virginia, Adeniran etc) is a strategy that definitely works (Stones, Holgate, DCL, Lookman et al). Low risk, high reward so no complaints when some don’t work out.
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I was quite impressed with him yesterday. Strangely I felt Feeney had the better game of the 2, though you have to factor in he's a couple of years older which does make a difference. It's strange as he has a lot of the attributes I saw in Galloway when he first came though I think his positioning is better and he looks a bit stronger.

I think it was @blueloon who said a while back (when describing Connolly) that he fits the mould of what we are good at producing. It's similar with Gibson and in truth quite similar across the team. They resemble to a great degree how Everton played in the mid 90's under Ebbrell, Unsworth (and of course Royle). Quite a strict 4-4-2 with a big lad to hit and another who works hard off him. Combative midfielders in the centre with wide players who have quality but also put a shift in. 4 powerful defenders who are no nonsense at the back.

It's a big summer for Feeney/Gibson. Both have trained with the first team squad though it looks as if Gibson is now doing so on a prolonged basis. I can't see Zouma being signed quickly (if at all), Keane will likely be back late due to internationals as will Mina. Maybe Holgate is earmarked for a right back spot. There will be a window of opportunity to force their way into the managers thinking in pre-season.

I remember as an under 18 (first year) with a semi-pro side and we trained with the reserves and you got the chance to be part of the first 11 in particular training games. I ultimately wasn't good enough to keep the spot (though one or 2 did) and thats the challenge really. In early July you want to be in that first 11 Silva sticks out in training and go from there.

At present, Gibson just looks bigger and stronger than Feeney and may grow still. So there's a real opportunity for him, in a similar way to how Holgate did 3 seasons ago to put himself into the plans.
 
catcherintherye said:
I was quite impressed with him yesterday. Strangely I felt Feeney had the better game of the 2, though you have to factor in he's a couple of years older which does make a difference. It's strange as he has a lot of the attributes I saw in Galloway when he first came though I think his positioning is better and he looks a bit stronger.

I think it was @blueloon who said a while back (when describing Connolly) that he fits the mould of what we are good at producing. It's similar with Gibson and in truth quite similar across the team. They resemble to a great degree how Everton played in the mid 90's under Ebbrell, Unsworth (and of course Royle). Quite a strict 4-4-2 with a big lad to hit and another who works hard off him. Combative midfielders in the centre with wide players who have quality but also put a shift in. 4 powerful defenders who are no nonsense at the back.

It's a big summer for Feeney/Gibson. Both have trained with the first team squad though it looks as if Gibson is now doing so on a prolonged basis. I can't see Zouma being signed quickly (if at all), Keane will likely be back late due to internationals as will Mina. Maybe Holgate is earmarked for a right back spot. There will be a window of opportunity to force their way into the managers thinking in pre-season.

I remember as an under 18 (first year) with a semi-pro side and we trained with the reserves and you got the chance to be part of the first 11 in particular training games. I ultimately wasn't good enough to keep the spot (though one or 2 did) and thats the challenge really. In early July you want to be in that first 11 Silva sticks out in training and go from there.

At present, Gibson just looks bigger and stronger than Feeney and may grow still. So there's a real opportunity for him, in a similar way to how Holgate did 3 seasons ago to put himself into the plans.
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i think feeney will be sent out on loan next season and gibson will continue to be in and around the 1st team
 
catcherintherye said:
I was quite impressed with him yesterday. Strangely I felt Feeney had the better game of the 2, though you have to factor in he's a couple of years older which does make a difference. It's strange as he has a lot of the attributes I saw in Galloway when he first came though I think his positioning is better and he looks a bit stronger.

I think it was @blueloon who said a while back (when describing Connolly) that he fits the mould of what we are good at producing. It's similar with Gibson and in truth quite similar across the team. They resemble to a great degree how Everton played in the mid 90's under Ebbrell, Unsworth (and of course Royle). Quite a strict 4-4-2 with a big lad to hit and another who works hard off him. Combative midfielders in the centre with wide players who have quality but also put a shift in. 4 powerful defenders who are no nonsense at the back.

It's a big summer for Feeney/Gibson. Both have trained with the first team squad though it looks as if Gibson is now doing so on a prolonged basis. I can't see Zouma being signed quickly (if at all), Keane will likely be back late due to internationals as will Mina. Maybe Holgate is earmarked for a right back spot. There will be a window of opportunity to force their way into the managers thinking in pre-season.

I remember as an under 18 (first year) with a semi-pro side and we trained with the reserves and you got the chance to be part of the first 11 in particular training games. I ultimately wasn't good enough to keep the spot (though one or 2 did) and thats the challenge really. In early July you want to be in that first 11 Silva sticks out in training and go from there.

At present, Gibson just looks bigger and stronger than Feeney and may grow still. So there's a real opportunity for him, in a similar way to how Holgate did 3 seasons ago to put himself into the plans.
Click to expand...

....I think Galloway’s game was always based on rapid pace, more attack minded than liking to defend. I think Gibson is a bloke who likes to defend but is composed on the ball and looks to break into space ahead of him. Both left sided, of course.

I agree about last night’s performance from Feeney, but Gibson just looks a player to me. I see Gibson leapfrogging Feeney in the pecking order, not so much a first teamer next season but part of the squad. It’s a big advantage he can also play LB but he’s definitely not got the flair of Digne or Baines.

Also worth mentioning that Gibson cost money, it shouldn’t be the main factor but it could still be a factor!!

Personally don’t see a future for Holgate at the club. I assume a choice was made this season that Kenny would be back up and there has to be a chance that a new RB is on the shopping list. Regardless, it would be folly to have Coleman, Kenny and Holgate in the squad (Kyle John clearly well thought of as well).
 

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