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Everton Youth Teams Thread

West Ham u23s get a deserved win by sounds of it by scoring 2 goals in a few mins to move 3 points above Relegation, while Everton u23s stay in 7th place
Everton have only won two u23s games consecutively twice this season [the 2nd/3rd games and 2 away games at the end of Jan/start of Feb]
The next u23s game is home this saturday with a midday kick off to Brighton
 
David Unsworth insists his youthful Everton Under-23 team will profit from the experience of tackling a West Ham side filled with seasoned professionals on Monday.

Josh Bowler scored from the spot to put Everton in front after 10 minutes at Rush Green. Manager Unsworth's team created further openings, too, but ultimately creaked under the weight of pressure applied by the savvy hosts.

The former Fulham full-back, Ryan Fredericks, injected thrust and quality on West Ham's right side, the home team turning the screw before Ademipo Odubeko struck twice in four second-half minutes to turn the Premier League 2 contest on its head,

Harry Tyrer continued his latest outstanding display in Everton's goal, producing a string of smart stops and the excellent Bowler was an enduring threat.

West Ham's team included Darren Randolph, the Republic of Ireland international keeper, first-team defender Fabian Balbuena, the Argentine playmaker Manuel Lanzini and 28-year-old Fredericks.

"Five senior players stepped down from their first team today and it was like an old reserve-team game," Unsworth told evertonfc.com.

"And I have to say, the five were a credit to their club and their manager and they were the difference.

"If we played their normal Under-23 team today, we'd have beaten them comfortably, but we’ve played half a first team.

"We used to have that at this level all the time.

"I’ve said to the players that when I was their age, and [Assistants] John [Ebbrell] and Franny [Jeffers], we’d compete against first-team players and we’d have first-team players helping us as well.

"I was delighted to see that we were playing against five senior players because it doesn’t happen anymore."

The Toffees led for a large part of the game but two quick goals in the second half swung the contest the way of the east Londoners.

It was a case of maker and taker when Josh Bowler opened the scoring in the 10th minute.

The Blues wideman nipped inside of Freddie Potts and was sent somersaulting through the air by a mistimed challenge. He dusted himself down to convert the spot-kick very coolly past Republic of Ireland keeper Darren Randolph.

Bowler was a threat every time his colleagues fed the ball to him on the left and he should have doubled his tally, and the advantage, on the half hour when he again bamboozled the Hammers defence but undid his fine work with a tepid finish.

The Hammers, in front of a watching David Moyes, had their moments, too, in the first half.

Kai Corbett fired just over from distance, Paraguayan Fabian Balbuena headed straight at Harry Tyrer from a corner and a clever flick from skipper Conor Coventry hit the foot of the Everton post.

The opening 45 minutes were very lively and the referee issued three yellow cards. Coventry and Amadou Diallo were cautioned for the hosts for fouls on Rhys Hughes and Kyle John, respectively, and Niels Nkounkou joined them in the notebook for hauling back Potts.

The Hammers were quick out of the traps after the break and Corbett squandered a gilt-edged opportunity to equalise in the opening seconds when he blazed his shot over with the entire goal to aim for.

Tyrer was then pressed into action and responded magnificently with three great saves in quick succession to keep out efforts from Diallo, Corbett and Balbuena.

The best was yet to come from the Blues keeper though.

On 63 minutes, Hammers centre-forward Ademipo Odubeko had time inside the box to pick his spot and didn’t do much wrong – only to see Tyrer fling himself to his left and palm the effort away.

"Harry played well in goal and I thought Josh and Nathan [Broadhead] were outstanding," said Unsworth.

"Our two centre-halves were great too, until the last 15 minutes when we had wave after wave of attacks. Fredericks at right-back ran the game.

"We went 4-4-2 to try to help the lads and we went to five in midfield to try to block off wide areas but we couldn’t stop him.

"We were in the game right until the end but realistically it was a tough afternoon for us."

Midfielder Hughes did very well to carry the ball forward and slide a lovely pass into the feet of Charlie Whitaker, who couldn’t get a clean enough strike on the ball to trouble Randolph.

And the game changed in the space of three minutes.

On 74, Odubeko climbed highest inside the Everton box to head home a Ryan Fredericks cross and shortly after he was tripped by Con Ouzounidis and got up to score the penalty.

The decision looked harsh on Everton and it meant an unfortunate outcome for Unsworth’s team, who had worked so hard to protect the advantage

Playmaker Lanzini played the 90 minutes for West Ham but was generally well shackled by Unsworth's game players.

"We’ve been like an under-17 team at times this season, so it’s a great learning curve for the boys and I would take that every game," said Unsworth.

"It’s the best way to learn. I’ve been in the game all my life and I know what develops players quickly and it's playing against and with senior players."
 
"Five senior players stepped down from their first team today and it was like an old reserve-team game," Unsworth told evertonfc.com.

"And I have to say, the five were a credit to their club and their manager and they were the difference.

"If we played their normal Under-23 team today, we'd have beaten them comfortably, but we’ve played half a first team.

"We used to have that at this level all the time.

"I’ve said to the players that when I was their age, and [Assistants] John [Ebbrell] and Franny [Jeffers], we’d compete against first-team players and we’d have first-team players helping us as well.

"I was delighted to see that we were playing against five senior players because it doesn’t happen anymore."
 

Small will be perfect attacking left back its the way football has gone. Hopefully he will be allowed time to develop and equally he needs to be patient. Next season needs to be slowly introduced to the first team.
 
5'8" can't see him as an effective defender of corners and free kicks.
Rapid, great as an out ball receiver when we clear said corners and free kicks?
5"8-10 is pretty much the universal average for full backs. His height isn't an issue for that. Tariq Lamptey might have a problem at 5"3 with those things. 5"8 at 16 isn't an issue at all.
 
5"8-10 is pretty much the universal average for full backs. His height isn't an issue for that. Tariq Lamptey might have a problem at 5"3 with those things. 5"8 at 16 isn't an issue at all.
My post was really in reference to him being played further forward to make the best use of his pace as a wing back. The ideal defensive full back should have more of a physical presence. The best we've looked this season was with Godfrey there. As you stated 5'10" at least would be the ideal. Hopefully he'll grow a few inches...if he stays.
 
I was thinking about now or at the least next season,pace from midfield is what we are desperately short of.and I still have a clear recollection of Baines being easily beaten at the back post away to Hull.

My post was really in reference to him being played further forward to make the best use of his pace as a wing back. The ideal defensive full back should have more of a physical presence. The best we've looked this season was with Godfrey there.

you're talking like hes a 21 year old midget
 
you're talking like hes a 21 year old midget
I'm 6'3" so everyone is lol. But seriously the taller and more athletic the back four the better. Baines obviously isn't a midget,but if teams isolated him at the back post he invariably was beaten in the air. Same with Hibbert.
 

My post was really in reference to him being played further forward to make the best use of his pace as a wing back. The ideal defensive full back should have more of a physical presence. The best we've looked this season was with Godfrey there. As you stated 5'10" at least would be the ideal. Hopefully he'll grow a few inches...if he stays.
Your post didn't really explain any of that though, you just said his height or lack thereof was an issue. Which it isn't. He may or may not be a full back or winger depending on how good he is going forwards and improvements to his defensive side of his game but you don't write off a full back at 16 for being average height which is what was originally said. Lahm is 5"7, Roberto Carlos 5"6, Ashley Cole 5"9, Jordi Alba, Baines etc. The list goes on. We were most defensively solid with Godfrey because we played 4 centre halves and Godfrey is our best defender not because he gave us height
 
7min highlights of the u23s game there from yesterday

 
Small has definitely grown in height in the past year, when he first appeared he was small , stockily built, like a young Kenny Sansom. People Google his height and get 5ft 7 / 5 ft 8 , I suspect that’s an earlier figure . It’s impossible to gauge accurately from his u18/23 appearances but against Eli Campbell who’s also 16 and reckoned to be 6 ft he certainly didn’t look 5 ins shorter, that is a noticeable difference.
He’ll be fine height and build wise. In the Chelsea game he looked better than against City, a couple of good crosses but still some development needed in his defensive work to come.
 
Small has definitely grown in height in the past year, when he first appeared he was small , stockily built, like a young Kenny Sansom. People Google his height and get 5ft 7 / 5 ft 8 , I suspect that’s an earlier figure . It’s impossible to gauge accurately from his u18/23 appearances but against Eli Campbell who’s also 16 and reckoned to be 6 ft he certainly didn’t look 5 ins shorter, that is a noticeable difference.
He’ll be fine height and build wise. In the Chelsea game he looked better than against City, a couple of good crosses but still some development needed in his defensive work to come.

....apologies if this is why there’s a discussion about his height, but I thought it was him who got out jumped for the Chelsea goal. If so, he didn’t have much spring in that moment.

Height is an advantage but it’s not everything in a full back. Digne isn’t the biggest but I think he‘s decent aerially & I notice some goal kicks aimed towards him.
 

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