Talent identification

[Carlito]

I wonder if Small will see any minutes at Southampton this season, and if he was told that Nkounkou doesn't have a future here before he decided to leave. Then again, there are no guarantees that he wouldn't have been behind any of the centre-backs or Delph in the left-back pecking order.

Looks like they got themselves a bargain in Livramento, too. Maybe they'll sell us Walker-Peters for an inflated price now.

 

[riddick]

….we have been subject to a ban at Academy level.

Pretty sure that's over now. Was 3 years and think it was in 2017.

 

[Earwigjoe]

….Brands is on record as saying he can’t sign any player without green light from Benitez, meanwhile the Manager and Moshiri can bring their own players in.

Blaming Brands would be fine if he had control of transfers but he doesn’t, getting rid of Brands and bringing in somebody else won’t make any difference if the process remains the same.

Blaming Unsworth for lack of talent coming through at U23 level also disguises the bigger problem. Academy teams are not exactly successful at U18.

We used to be good at it but like you say process is different now. Was supposed to be DOF identitys a style of play from youth up to replicate and then players and managers to suit. Now Moshiri just lets everyone of his new annual manager picks 3 or 4 of their own wants. No cohesion anymore. Brands just a well paid duck same as any DOF that would come in until Moshiri butts out of footballing decisions and concentrates on money matters alone.

 

[messymascot]

None of the 3 teams play the same formation. It makes progressing through difficult. The problem I see with a lot of our young players is the aren't physically developed enough. The game has now gone in the direction of athleticism and strength being key attributes even ahead of skill. We need to players that are playing u18 at 15/16/17 u23 at 18/19 if they don't look like making it then they probably won't. It's slightly better now but we still have too many older players playing. However what you've got to accept is if you play younger players there will be more defeats it's about getting the experience.

 

[Nymzee]

None of the 3 teams play the same formation. It makes progressing through difficult. The problem I see with a lot of our young players is the aren't physically developed enough. The game has now gone in the direction of athleticism and strength being key attributes even ahead of skill. We need to players that are playing u18 at 15/16/17 u23 at 18/19 if they don't look like making it then they probably won't. It's slightly better now but we still have too many older players playing. However what you've got to accept is if you play younger players there will be more defeats it's about getting the experience.

I believe we only have 3 (4 if Simms goes back there) aged 20 and everyone below that so not sure I agree there anymore.

 

[messymascot]

I believe we only have 3 (4 if Simms goes back there) aged 20 and everyone below that so not sure I agree there anymore.

In an ideal world we would have none in the u23s they would either be training with the first team or moved on. Anderson is the anomaly as the 2 LBS that followed him were released at the end of their scholarship as not good enough (Jon Anderson and Lowey) and Small did a runner. John should have been released in the summer or sent out on loan. He was going to gain nothing with another season in the u23s and he blocks a route. Iversen is injured and unless when he comes back he forces his way back in I expect he will get released. We probably gave him a year too long when we offered last contract. There is 5 as we have Gordon and Simms who are in the first team squad but I don't think either of them are ultimately good enough but at least they will get opportunities to find out. Of the players that we need to look at next year I would keep Tyrer as GKs are slightly different but I would be looking to sell Astley as he has a year left and release Barrett, Hughes, Quirk, Hunt. Anderson would be released as hopefully Campbell will take over his role sell John after he hopefully impresses out on loan in 2nd half of season. Gibson will be gone as his contract ends we will then only have Tyrer that is a 3rd year pro. Unless one of them players shows an amazing shift in form and then they would be put with first team squad.

 

[Yarrgh]

I feel like that should be Moshiri, Brands and the manager but which one is which?

 

[Timak]

It will never happen as long as Brands is around. We should simply sack our DOF and his entourage and hire the entire scouting/recruiting team from Leipzig.

And yes unsworth must go too. Piss poor at developing players with adequate technical ability to be successful.

Leipzig's head of scouting got poached by Monaco. His job before that? Working with Steve Walsh and Ronald Koeman at Everton.

I doubt the problem with Everton scouts is talent identification, it is that managers are given almost total control and are told the aim is Europe this season. So they sign "ready" 27 year olds and not 21 year olds. And we end up 3 years on with 30-year-olds on huge wages rather than sellable assets in their prime.

 

[Shibbywiggles]

It wasn't that long ago, where we'd pluck signings from lower sides, who had a huge upside.

Lescott, Jagielka, Cahill, Arteta...

Depends how far back you want to go but Doucoure was a great buy last summer and then before that we took Gana Gueye as well who was excellent and sold at huge profit.
It’s my opinion that brands picks the Doucoure, Demarai Gray type players where there’s potential but they’re not smashing it somewhere and then the manager identifies a few too.

Our biggest problem is letting idiot managers sign the likes of Sigurdsson for huge fees on enormous wages and long contracts. There’s no way he was a Brands player, that was Koeman all day long.

I think what was interesting about Benitez’ first window is Townsend and Rondon were clearly his boys and we didn’t break the bank for them… will be very interesting to see what we do in January if we do have bigger money available… I’m hoping Benitez doesn’t become another idiot blowing enormous amounts of money on losers.

 

[Joey66]

What does our scouting operation look like these days?

Once upon a time it felt like half of the world's wonderkids had been linked with us or on trial at some point prior to breaking through.

Granted, we rarely (if ever) actually signed any of them but at least there were some signs we were looking in the right places for transformational talent.

This is the corner stone of any well run, ambitious club these days, so we are all over this right?

For a kick-off EFC should be looking at the brother of that Newcastle player from QPR the other night.....

 

[NathDogg]

We've got some decent kids in the academy - we can identify the talent.

Then Unsworth and the rest of the crab, hanger on coaches of the old boys network get hold of them and kill the talent dead in its tracks.

Jaffa should have cleared all the old boys out when he signed.

 

[Nymzee]

Jaffa

Where/what even is this

 

[tommye]

99% of youngsters are a punt.

99% of people are punts

 

[NathDogg]

Where/what even is this

Jaffa "the giant" Benitez

 

[Zatara]

I wonder if Small will see any minutes at Southampton this season, and if he was told that Nkounkou doesn't have a future here before he decided to leave. Then again, there are no guarantees that he wouldn't have been behind any of the centre-backs or Delph in the left-back pecking order.

Looks like they got themselves a bargain in Livramento, too. Maybe they'll sell us Walker-Peters for an inflated price now.

Livramento is certainly someone that I hope were monitoring.

He looks a good player already at 18.