Lrrr

The thing about trying to enter an academy later is that the club will only bring in a player if they’re significantly better than what they already have in that position or they’re short in that position. Being in the system earlier gives that player that advantage 

3 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

The “plan” clearly involves “young, hungry” players.

He says the same thing about six times..

Certainly makes the point that we won’t be signing “31 year olds looking for a last big payday”.

This is a very simplistic answer, the likes of Wilbraham & Wade Elliott show that you can get real value from older players.

Dismisses the question about the value of King & James very swiftly, too..

Is that real?

Christ.

As much as young & hungry is said I don't think an older 'hungry' player would be dismissed if they have the quality & still pull the physical levels we require, more then just a case of are they the right fit. 

2 hours ago, HengroveReds said:

Several in that era at 14/15 years old left to go to bigger clubs:

Jacob Maddox - left for Chelsea, now at Forest Green

Kyle Scott - left for Chelsea now at FC Cincinnati

Herbie Kane - left for Liverpool now at Barnsley and doing very well. 

Any more? 

Maddox and Kane at least weren’t released though, they were pinched through EPPP

11 hours ago, phantom said:

Answered my question during the match comms

Kookaburra is machine made, the Duke ball is man made

Completely different seam because of this

Kookaburra seam is 1/4 depth in comparison to the Duke making the ball feel smaller to a bowler 

Kookaburra doesn't shine as well, and doesn't swing as well

Kookaburra reverse swings better

Duke is a waxier material

Only England and West Indies use the Duke ball

Still unsure why they are using both though

Think it’s supposedly to get players used to playing against/bowling with a kookaburra before they reach the test team

On 16/04/2024 at 16:34, Northern Red said:

Battle of the England spinners as Dom Bess and Jack Leach play in the 2nd XI match between Yorkshire and Somerset.

Michael Vaughan's son Archie is playing for Somerset. Meanwhile Flintoff's sons Rocky and Corey are playing for Lancs 2nds today.

Saw some clips online Rocky’s pull shot looks just like his dad’s. Think the other rew brother was playing and reverse swept Bess very nicely 

1 hour ago, TammyAB said:

Would Korey Smith have burst into the box in injury time against Man United if the League Cup had replays?

Yes because it was the carabao 

Question now needs to be have those representatives from the EFL gone through with it because without consulting the rest of the EFL because they’re the representatives and thought only their voices mattered because of it

Can’t wait for the managers of the teams in the final to complain about having to play another midweek game to make up for when the final is 

And not a bad goal to boot

27 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Pre- season matches are obviously very crucial for the preparations for the new campaign but the results are secondary to the real benefits of player fitness and the opportunity to use any new tactics and systems to evaluate their efficacy.

Subconsciously or indeed consciously players  really don’t want to get injured before the real business starts and are never 100% committed and precisely why I’ve never ever watched a preseason game.

Coaching staff will pick up on players who are coasting through pre-season and it won’t end well for them if they think it won’t effect their chances of starting the first game of the season 

John Akinde with Colchester's second

14 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

I don’t think it was neither team wanted to lose.  It was neither team thought they could win from where the game was.  

I’m a little surprised we said no to be honest, if we didn’t think Surrey would win from the position we’d just taken 5 wickets in 5 overs, Lawrence was left but if you could have a go at the tail who knows what would have happened, we look like we were happy to just scarper with the draw points 

2 hours ago, And Its Smith said:

Personally I’ve got no issue with it.  It’s not football so don’t think the comparison is there really.  I’m a traditionalist though!

I think the annoyance partly comes from it being a round where every game was a draw, we had a game that could have seen a win but because both teams don't want to lose we miss out on what could have been an exciting finish.

37 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

If both teams are happy with the draw then there’s no issue is there ?  The start of Surrey’s innings, Surrey wouldn’t have shook 

Should they be allowed to though? Teams can’t shake hands in football after 89 minutes because they’re happy with a point, there was game time left, should the whole time be played and whatever result come what may, would be annoyed as a spectator in the ground at that point 

Genuine question, should teams be allowed to shake hands for the draw when Somerset and Surrey did? Chance of a result was much higher then the start of Surrey’s innings, should the umpire have the power to say it’s still light and we can see the game out? 

Again shows what the ball is like if on a day 4 pitch the openers can go at 10 an over 

13 hours ago, Talk Of The Town said:

Can’t be good for a young players development surely???

The loans like this are more for experiencing the physicality/speed/competitiveness of senior league football over academy football more then anything, needing to take chances when they come because you may not see much of the ball etc, in academy football ‘oh well score it next time’ in league football ‘oh no I may not get another chance and that could cost us dearly’ 

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

According to Brian, LM picks the team, decides the tactics….as it should be imho.

It probably makes a bit of a mockery of manager v head coach role titles too, both pick the team, decide the tactics.  This is not a discussion about Nige’s role v Liam’s role.

I’ve usually found manager v head coach usually refers to things like transfers, head coach gets given a selection to choose from whereas manager would work with head of recruitment do a lot more work themselves in saying what the pool is to start with. Then responsibility for the rest of the coaching staff etc, head coaches may more often have staff hired for them or only get a say at the very end whereas managers more involved with the process of whose being brought in to work under them. 

20 minutes ago, redkev said:

Whilst on the subject of academy players coming through has anyone watched enough of palmer Holden to think he would be for a first team squad place next season 

Seb's problem will be the intensity of the Championship vs League Two and bringing himself up to the level physically, his physical data vs Wells & Conway is still some way short in most areas except the distance they all cover when sprinting per 90 minutes played, things like total distance & running at say 70% to 80% he's still some way short of the level. Could open him up as an option off the bench if deemed good enough but then its a balance of is his development best served doing that or on loan in say League One or the SPL as a bridge loan for him to get closer. 

Just now, Davefevs said:

Ah, you mentioned RB and RCB so assumed you were referring to separate players.  Be clearer next time please!

No 

21 minutes ago, redkev said:

I understand him not being played yesterday with no Vyner or Dickie alongside him but if manning isn’t going to play him get him either out on loan or back in the unders to get him game time and rotate the unders to spend time on the bench 

He's experienced enough at the levels below to know his ins and outs, he also would have had 2 senior enough players alongside him as well as part of a back three, factor with little riding on the result it was the pefect time to try him again

18 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Character building

As for the back-3 yesterday, McCrorie has played loads at CB north of the border, inc left side in a 2.  I accept Tanner was really out of position, but the other two weren’t.

That would be why I only mentioned Tanner  the 'and make shift RCB' was still referring to him 

Knight-Lebel is the curious one for yesterday that Manning would rather put a RB and make shift RCB in a back three in the middle of the back three over playing an actual centre back there, I'd be getting pretty annoyed by now if I were Knight-Lebel, he's played just 1100 minutes (including U21's) in what's one of the most important years for his development where he's had to sit on the bench for the first team where either Atkinson gets fit in the summer or we probably buy another CB over him. 

3 hours ago, fgrsimon said:

Top 6 at least L2 budget this season. I think increasing that by 50% for National League would be insane but this is Dale Vince. A fool and his money are easily parted.

Their biggest problem will be getting rid of the vast majority of overpaid and disinterested players.

A lot of budgets in the national league are bigger than those in league two, bigger attendances and no form of financial fair play in the national league has seen Wrexham have a bigger budget then half of league one when in national league and Stockport were paying players 6k a week when they were there. 

They'll struggle to get out of the national league Cotts or not, they'd likely have to at least increase their budget by 50% to compete for promotion

1 hour ago, Lrrr said:

Kookaburra experiment needs to end, teams shouldn’t be this bat dominant in early April (bar whatever is happening at Gloucester) you can tell players don’t like how bad the ball is 

 we’re back!