Young Players

[downendcity]

It seems that we have a very promising clutch of young players coming through at the moment and some have already had first team exposure, although admittedly this was during last season and primarily due to a massive injury list and everyone else being generally pretty rubbish.

However, I keep reading posts suggesting that we shouldn’t be banking on young players, in the absence of bringing in better players, or that we shouldn't be heaping pressure on players like Scott.

I’m old enough to have seen us gain promotion to the top flight, when a nucleus of that team was players who came through the club’s youth ranks together and with many like Gerry Gow making debuts at 17/18 and quickly becoming established players and crucial to the promotion winning team. I know that times are different, but if today’s cautious posters were around in the early 70s I suspect they wold have been suggesting that Gow, Collier, Merrick, Ritchie and the like be held back in favour of more experienced players. Had that been the case then by the time Dicks was building a team for a promotion challenge those young players would probably not have had enough experience to play as they did.

It would be stupid to make a comparison with, and expect something similar to, Fergie’s class of 92/3 but the foundation of Man U’s success through the Premier League era was a group of youth team players coming through the ranks together. I'm not suggesting the likes of Scott, Bell, Conway, Banarous , Vyner etc are at the same level as Beckham, Scholes, Giggs and Neville but perhaps there is too much focus on the need for “experience ethos level”  rather than recognising that we have the talent under our noses and exposing them to senior football will improve their development, not hinder it.

 

[City oz]

4 minutes ago, downendcity said:

It seems that we have a very promising clutch of young players coming through at the moment and some have already had first team exposure, although admittedly this was during last season and primarily due to a massive injury list and everyone else being generally pretty rubbish.

However, I keep reading posts suggesting that we shouldn’t be banking on young players, in the absence of bringing in better players, or that we shouldn't be heaping pressure on players like Scott.

I’m old enough to have seen us gain promotion to the top flight, when a nucleus of that team was players who came through the club’s youth ranks together and with many like Gerry Gow making debuts at 17/18 and quickly becoming established players and crucial to the promotion winning team. I know that times are different, but if today’s cautious posters were around in the early 70s I suspect they wold have been suggesting that Gow, Collier, Merrick, Ritchie and the like be held back in favour of more experienced players. Had that been the case then by the time Dicks was building a team for a promotion challenge those young players would probably not have had enough experience to play as they did.

It would be stupid to make a comparison with, and expect something similar to, Fergie’s class of 92/3 but the foundation of Man U’s success through the Premier League era was a group of youth team players coming through the ranks together. I'm not suggesting the likes of Scott, Bell, Conway, Banarous , Vyner etc are at the same level as Beckham, Scholes, Giggs and Neville but perhaps there is too much focus on the need for “experience ethos level”  rather than recognising that we have the talent under our noses and exposing them to senior football will improve their development, not hinder it.

 

I was young enough as well to experience those days. Football maybe a bit different in these times where managers will play experienced players week in and week out especially if the pressure is on regardless of young talent sitting on the bench.

There is no comparison I think can be made with any other club as at the end of the day it comes down to financies, how good is the culture in a club, how good is youth development, what programmess are in place, how do young players get awareness of playing their opponents mentally and phyiscally. From me please be rest assured how the club is set up now will always ensure that the youngsters get the best possible development and will get the opportunity to play in the first team. We now have NP. And if NP can not get this correct over next season and the next few seasons then there is no manager that can.

[RedRoss]

I wasn't around in that Gow era but we have some serious talent and if they are good enough they should be playing. We still have to have patience as they are very much learning league football on the job very early on but this new crop has really got me excited.

[Numero Uno]

I think we have a group of young players that, if used correctly, will make a very positive contribution this season. You have to accept with youngsters that consistency and know-how will be missing (but made up for with energy, enthusiasm and fearlessness). It is knowing when to give these lads a run and when they need a rest.

What worries me more, and what I think lots of posters miss, is not how NP will utilise these lads but how some of our more demanding and less educated fans (in a football sense) will treat them when they misplace a pass, miss a gilt edged chance or just generally have a bad game. I know people who literally will say "they're out there so they've got to take the flak same as everyone else".

You only have to look on here and see posters now saying we are missing Semenyo and yet 18 months ago were saying he would be league 2 "at best" not taking into account that youngsters WHO ARE GOOD ENOUGH tend to make big strides in the early part of their careers and go from very raw to established over a couple of seasons.

[Davefevs]

@Numero Unospot on….and you’ve also got to acknowledge that once they’ve played a few games, other teams will be wise to them.

Its pretty common for a young player to burst onto the scene, then stutter….it’s what happens after the stutter that’s important.  Some never reach the heights of those early games, some “go again”.

The examples of Massengo, Semenyo and Bakinson prove exactly what you posted.

[MATT BCFC]

This lot look the best group we have produced in my lifetime to be honest (I'm 32). 

I am really excited by them and NP is an excellent manager to help them progress. 

[And Its Smith]

I’ve just looked at the squad properly and if everyone is fit it is very hard to see many youngsters getting game time.  I was thinking that the likes of Conway and Bell may well start 10 games each this season but when you write out the squad, subs and reserves, a lot of the youngsters will be on the reserves list. 

Not what i would do but trying to predict what Pearson will do.  Only Scott and Semenyo make a fully fit 18 man squad I reckon. There will be injuries and suspensions of course but I was hoping more would be in the first choice squad than that 

[Davefevs]

1 minute ago, JonDolman said:

I think it's possible we could have all these academy (or former) players involved in our first team this season:

O'Leary, Vyner, Pring, Bakinson, Scott, Bell, Semenyo, Conway. I think that is very realistic, and really shows there is a pathway there. 

Conway maybe not if we bring in another striker. If he's 4th choice when we will often play one up top then it doesn't look like he will play much and maybe a loan would be best. But it might be that we don't even bring any more players in. If so then he will almost certainly be getting more game time for the first team.

I would also like to have Janneh around as an option on the wing as he is so quick and powerful. Not the most technically gifted, but he brings something a bit different, but also works very hard tracking back for the team.

I don't know what has happened to Owura Edwards, he might be injured, not sure. I would look to loan out quite a few of those that won't be involved.

It can be a slow process with most. Cameron Pring had 8 loans before finally looking like he will get his chance this season.

That would be a very good testimony to the Academy.

I keep saying any of the true youngsters who play 1,000 league minutes will have had a breakthrough season.  It doesn’t sound a lot but very few 19 and unders play that much in the Champ.  Sitting here this morning, you can you see it happening for a couple of them.

For me, yesterday was the first time I’ve really seen what Bell was about….not had chance to see much in his previous 33 mins in a City shirt (1st team level).

I am very happy to have this group of youngsters around the first team.  Ideally Nige will want to drip feed them in, take them out, put them back in, etc….and he won’t want 4 or 5 of them playing together.  I think he knows he has a huge responsibility for them.  They are saving the club a huge amount of money on “squad players”, hence why several left in the summer.

[grifty]

11 minutes ago, MATT BCFC said:

This lot look the best group we have produced in my lifetime to be honest (I'm 32). 

I am really excited by them and NP is an excellent manager to help them progress. 

You're only round the corner from me too! (Tring)