2024/25 Harrison Armstrong

[blueloon]

…..generally no but there might be exceptions. Robinson, Mills, Galloway in particular went backwards.

It’s exactly why I think it’s a bad sign for them when they do go on loan. Our best ones we tend to keep here, obviously the couple of exceptions we’ve mentioned (Osman, Barkley & Gordon).

Very few of our Academy players go on loan and then play 50 first team games. That might change if we become mega-successful, of course but even when I was growing up our best youngsters came directly into the first team fold (Harvey, Royle, Hurst, Whittle, Husband etc although I’m not sure loans were a thing back then).

You bring this up at least three times a season with the same reasoning, quoting Hibbert etc so you’re never going to change. Regarding your 50:games thing , as I’ve often said, in the last 10 years only one player from our Academy to play 50 games and NOT go out on loan is Tom Davies ……someone who at times was lost and not improving, a loan may well have done him good .

Armstrong is doing fine , he may well need a loan but not something I think is desperately needed for him , but I’ll keep an open mind.