2020/21 Marcel Brands

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Eggs said:
....invariably our Academy loanees go on loan because they’re not wanted in the first team set-up. I’m a believer that the very good ones will come through regardless, problem is there’s not many of them.

If there’s issues about the lack of numbers coming through, fans point the finger at the coaches but I suggest it’s probably more to do with recruitment. It’s so different these days with youngster recruited into Academies from as young as 7 or 8. There is little or no street football and organised school footy isn’t the breeding ground it once was.

Times have changed and the most productive source has definitely been the strategy of buying promising youngsters.
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The players don’t get into the first team because they’re not ready, hence the right path needing to be identified. And that comes down to, like you said, kids being in academies from being 7 or 8

the step up from U23 to first team is absolutely huge nowadays, not like in the 80’s or even 90’s. It’s a gulf

This is something brands has mentioned in the past, it’s finding the right club that will give the right opportunities to develop the player in a competitive environment
 

nsno-chris said:
The players don’t get into the first team because they’re not ready, hence the right path needing to be identified. And that comes down to, like you said, kids being in academies from being 7 or 8

the step up from U23 to first team is absolutely huge nowadays, not like in the 80’s or even 90’s. It’s a gulf

This is something brands has mentioned in the past, it’s finding the right club that will give the right opportunities to develop the player in a competitive environment
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....the players don’t get into the first team because they’re not good enough. We can have all the pathways we want but at the end of the day, youngsters have to be good enough to make the huge transition from youth football.

I’ve said it before, I think the FA Youth Cup is a great benchmark of U18 talent. Hurst, Husband, Dunne, Osman, Hibbert, Jeffers, Cadamarteri et al were all FA Youth Cup winners. We even got the final in the Rooney year. In recent years we’ve not even got to the latter stages which suggests to me the issues do not relate to a blockage at U23 level.

I’m not defending Unsworth, I just think he’s an easy target to have a pop at.
 
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Eggs said:
....the players don’t get into the first team because they’re not good enough. We can have all the pathways we want but at the end of the day, youngsters have to be good enough to make the huge transition from youth football.

I’ve said it before, I think the FA Youth Cup is a great benchmark of U18 talent. Hurst, Husband, Dunne, Osman, Hibbert, Jeffers, Cadamarteri et al were all FA Youth Cup winners. We even got the final in the Rooney year. In recent years we’ve not even got to the latter stages which suggests to me the issues do not relate to a blockage at U23 level.

I’m not defending Unsworth, I just think he’s an easy target to have a pop at.
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He's a very easy target to have a pop at eggs because he's massive!

Yep we haven't had a good run in the FA youth Cup for far too long now.
 
Are people really blaming Unsworth for our youth not being able to make the step up. He can only do so much, he has got the likes of Gordon and Davies ready for the 1st team, its up to them to then make the step up which they haven't been able to do. That is more down to the players attitude, rather than Unsworth
 
Toff33Blues99 said:
Are people really blaming Unsworth for our youth not being able to make the step up. He can only do so much, he has got the likes of Gordon and Davies ready for the 1st team, its up to them to then make the step up which they haven't been able to do. That is more down to the players attitude, rather than Unsworth
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I`d say it`s more to do with the majority of the youngsters reaching a natural plateau, where they simply stop getting any better, hence why the majority of them at every Premier League club end up plying their trade in the lower leagues.

You mention Davies, from what I`ve seen over the past two seasons he`s reached that " plateau " and has stopped progressing.

All clubs are looking for young players, who keep getting better and develop as players, the biggest example for us, being DCL this season.

Every now and again you get a " freak " set of super young players who come through at the same time, Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Butt, the Nevilles spring to mind, but generally you get the odd one, who goes onto become that player - Rooney, Grealish etc.
 

Does he determine who the U-23 coach is? Or is that through consensus of the board? In my opinion, for the youth setup to thrive , Unsworth needs to be jettisoned.
 
COYBL25 said:
Every now and again you get a " freak " set of super young players who come through at the same time, Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Butt, the Nevilles spring to mind, but generally you get the odd one, who goes onto become that player - Rooney, Grealish etc.
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I'm curious - does anyone know what the broad stats across the league are on:

- odds of a new entrant to the academy getting a debut
- odds of a debutant becoming a squad player/regular starter at the club

and where we stand relative to the league numbers?

Grousing about the lack of academy production is something of a cottage industry around here. As compared to, say, United it's pretty clear we're subpar in that area. Does anyone know how poor we are as compared to the league?

I'm open to entertaining the possibility that we give Unsworth too much guff given the resources we give him.
 


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