2020/21 Niels Nkounkou

[Goat]

Well we've been desperate for a left back, he's impressed in cup games, Carlo publicly said he'll be given chances in the next weeks (2 weeks ago) yet he's apparently not injured (we'd have heard about it). I don't think he's been told he can go on a nice Christmas holiday.

Have any of you considered that maybe hes just not ready yet?

 

[Goat]

They've done the same thing with Gordon for a solid year now.

We're just bad at this.

 

[PhilRegan]

Hopefully this guy doesn't do a high promise vanishing act like Galloway and foulds etc

 

[TheBigIguana]

But the lesson from Dom is to keep getting young players on the field

 

[zzr45]

Why would you assume disciplinary issues?

Because he’s young, black and foreign.

We all know that means right away that disciplinary issues are never more than 2ft away, albeit In our fans heads.

 

[SteStocksDJ]

Can see him playing vs Arsenal.

 

[Eggs]

Because he’s young, black and foreign.

We all know that means right away that disciplinary issues are never more than 2ft away, albeit In our fans heads.

....oh dear.

 

[micknick]

Hes in the squad tomorrow I hear.

 

[Lanolin]

Not involved with the u23s tonight, not in the main squad against Chelsea. So is he injured or has there been disciplinary issues?

They've done the same thing with Gordon for a solid year now.

We're just bad at this.

All teams do it. The first team and under 23s train separately, if you're in the first team squad you don't often play in the under 23s because you're not training with them and are probably 1/2 injuries/illnesses away from being in the first team. Nkounkou will probably be down to travel to Leicester with the squad whether he makes the matchday squad or not, so it's really not very surprising that he didn't play last night. I would imagine they'll play as and when it's deemed that they need a game for sharpness but nothing other than that.

 

[TheBigIguana]

All teams do it. The first team and under 23s train separately, if you're in the first team squad you don't often play in the under 23s because you're not training with them and are probably 1/2 injuries/illnesses away from being in the first team. Nkounkou will probably be down to travel to Leicester with the squad whether he makes the matchday squad or not, so it's really not very surprising that he didn't play last night. I would imagine they'll play as and when it's deemed that they need a game for sharpness but nothing other than that.

The problem is u23 games don't matter results wise so it isn't a big deal to toss someone in who isn't training with them.

 

[zzr45]

....oh dear.

It does seem to be the insinuation from some on here as soon as people aren’t in match day squads.

 

[Lanolin]

The problem is u23 games don't matter results wise so it isn't a big deal to toss someone in who isn't training with them.

Well it is if you're the lad who's trained hard with the team all week and then doesn't get picked because someone gets parachuted down instead. And it is if you have any interest in developing your centre half and winger who want some sort of chemistry with the player next to/behind them. And it is if you get a knock playing in an under 23 game that 'doesn't matter' and so aren't available when your big chance comes in the PL a week later. Gordon is slightly different because it's longer term and is getting to the point where I agree he could do with playing some games, but Nkounkou has made 5 starts (including u23s) this season, he's hardly going to have forgotten how to play the game. Dropping him down would just be a pointless risk when we've got so many games coming up in the next couple of weeks.

 

[TheBigIguana]

Well it is if you're the lad who's trained hard with the team all week and then doesn't get picked because someone gets parachuted down instead. And it is if you have any interest in developing your centre half and winger who want some sort of chemistry with the player next to/behind them. And it is if you get a knock playing in an under 23 game that 'doesn't matter' and so aren't available when your big chance comes in the PL a week later. Gordon is slightly different because it's longer term and is getting to the point where I agree he could do with playing some games, but Nkounkou has made 5 starts (including u23s) this season, he's hardly going to have forgotten how to play the game. Dropping him down would just be a pointless risk when we've got so many games coming up in the next couple of weeks.

Carlo has started Delph and Godfrey, both not even a little bit LBs, at LB instead. We'd need a massive COVID outbreak to get Nkounkou anywhere near an appearance. And yes he has 5 starts but it'll stay at that number if he isn't dropped down.

As for the other stuff, that's football. We're trying to be the best club we can be and the u23s is a tool for that, not a separate club trying to win things as we sometimes treat it.

 

[Lanolin]

Carlo has started Delph and Godfrey, both not even a little bit LBs, at LB instead. We'd need a massive COVID outbreak to get Nkounkou anywhere near an appearance. And yes he has 5 starts but it'll stay at that number if he isn't dropped down.

As for the other stuff, that's football. We're trying to be the best club we can be and the u23s is a tool for that, not a separate club trying to win things as we sometimes treat it.

Delph's injured, I would guess we are one injury to either Godfrey or one of the centre halves away from him starting on wednesday. Quite possibly one injury to any of the matchday squad from saturday away from him being on the bench. And 'the rest of it' is how youth development actually works. I'm not talking about winning games, I'm talking about developing players and the repuatation of the academy. Small playing left back for the under 23s last night is quite clearly more beneficial to the long term future of the club than Nkounkou doing it, and you know full well it is. People shift the goalposts on this stuff all the time to make out like the club is doing stuff poorly. Normally everyone's raging because older players keep younger lads out of the under 23s, then when we pick a younger player it's somehow flipped the other way. The under 23s is a wasteland where you don't learn anything and just rot away, until it suits to say the opposite and demand someone be demoted there.

 

[TheBigIguana]

Delph's injured, I would guess we are one injury to either Godfrey or one of the centre halves away from him starting on wednesday. Quite possibly one injury to any of the matchday squad from saturday away from him being on the bench. And 'the rest of it' is how youth development actually works. I'm not talking about winning games, I'm talking about developing players and the repuatation of the academy. Small playing left back for the under 23s last night is quite clearly more beneficial to the long term future of the club than Nkounkou doing it, and you know full well it is. People shift the goalposts on this stuff all the time to make out like the club is doing stuff poorly. Normally everyone's raging because older players keep younger lads out of the under 23s, then when we pick a younger player it's somehow flipped the other way. The under 23s is a wasteland where you don't learn anything and just rot away, until it suits to say the opposite and demand someone be demoted there.

I'm glad they used Small but developing Nkounkou or developing Small is the same level of beneficial. Nkounkou isn't an older player, he's 20.