1997/98 Fa Youth Cup Winning team

[Eggs]

Good players who'd all get in our side now. Same with Dunne in his younger days.

He's the opposite of pacey, though, not sure if @Eggs has gone mental or what.

.....here's a quote from his current manager;

For me there wasn’t a better player at the football club last year than Richard, he was fantastic and it would be very hard not to pick him in any team I have. I am such a fan of his. I tried to sign him at Portsmouth and when he was available last year year I was desperate to get him to the club.”
Redknapp added: “He’s been a top player for so many years. I use to laugh when people said to me ‘he’s got no pace, Dunne, you can get up the side, he can’t run’.
I said ‘he can’t run?’, I said ‘he’s like lightning’ . . . I’ve got no doubts about him in the Premier League, none whatsoever.”
Redknapp added: “He’s a quiet lad, he hasn’t got a big mouth. He just gets on with the job and heads the ball out of the box when the crosses come in. He’s top class in my opinion.”

....he's obviously getting on a bit now but I remember in TV commentary's folk saying how surprisingly quick he was against the likes of Henry. He was swift as a kid at Everton believe me.

 

[Eggs]

This is Richard Dunne we're talking about right?

...see my post above and quote from Redknapp. He's getting on a bit now but he could shift.

 

[Deggo]

Good players who'd all get in our side now. Same with Dunn in his younger days.

He's the opposite of pacey, though, not sure if @Eggs has gone mental or what.

.....here's a quote from his current manager;

For me there wasn’t a better player at the football club last year than Richard, he was fantastic and it would be very hard not to pick him in any team I have. I am such a fan of his. I tried to sign him at Portsmouth and when he was available last year year I was desperate to get him to the club.”
Redknapp added: “He’s been a top player for so many years. I use to laugh when people said to me ‘he’s got no pace, Dunne, you can get up the side, he can’t run’.
I said ‘he can’t run?’, I said ‘he’s like lightning’ . . . I’ve got no doubts about him in the Premier League, none whatsoever.”
Redknapp added: “He’s a quiet lad, he hasn’t got a big mouth. He just gets on with the job and heads the ball out of the box when the crosses come in. He’s top class in my opinion.”

....he's obviously getting on a bit now but I remember in TV commentary's folk saying how surprisingly quick he was against the likes of Henry. He was swift as a kid at Everton believe me.

you forgot....

"and his agent passed me and joe Jordan a suitcase full of used notes to donate to the charity of our choice"

 

[AJC5]

Well I'm not a footballer but I won player of the year 1987-88 for my team aged 15 in an open aged league

However I bet fletcher can't weld 36 inch shed 150 pipework 100% x rayed

What have you achieved in football??

Not much. Player of the Year for my Uni 1st team. Not enought to diminish the achievements of premier league players.

 

[Deggo]

Not much. Player of the Year for my Uni 1st team. Not enought to diminish the achievements of premier league players.

Two words mate.......Ali Dia

Now that is an achievement in its self

 

[jackyboy]

.....think you are underrating Dunne, he had to be a top CB to play at that level for so long. 18 years since his Everton debut and still in Premier, that's not the record of a yard dog. I thought he was a really top quality player at one stage. Funny how opinions differ.

I completely agree, don't think Dunne has ever got proper recognition. My City supporting mate maintains he's one of the best centre halves he has seen.

 

[Eggs]

I completely agree, don't think Dunne has ever got proper recognition. My City supporting mate maintains he's one of the best centre halves he has seen.

...cheers, Jackie. Only player to have won City's player of the year on 4 occasions. Micah Richards says he's the best he played with.

 

[catcherintherye]

I remember Smith spending about 20 million the following summer. We bought Collins, Materazzi, Bakayoko and Dacourt. I just wonder had Kendall have been able to spend that sort of money, alongside some of the young talent we had, could we have progressed further?

While I accept that most of the youth team didn't live up to their potential I think it's too easy to say they were never good enough. I agree there were no "Rooneys" in the side but there were a lot of very talented teenagers. Cadamateri at age 17/18 put in some early displays that were very similar to a modern day Stirling. Jeffers when he first broke through was a joy to behold. But the development of players between 16-22 is very important and I think we didn't manage that properly.

What is interesting is Kendall managed a lot of younger players in the early 80's very successfully. He was obviously looking to emulate that in 1997/98. I wonder had he been given some financial backing to get some experienced players in the following season would he have been able to achieve this. A lot was said about how Dunne and Ball fell out with Smith, Jeffers left too and Cadamateri just flatlined. Oster also petered out. A great shame really when you consider they were all teenagers and what they could have achieved at Everton.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

If you look at the various England age group teams, very few players make it through to have top flight careers. That even applies to teams that achieve a degree of success in international tournaments.

It's a strange one, and I can't quite figure out if that's a natural filtering process or we as a country tend to suck at converting talented young players into talented senior ones.

 

[mightymoyes]

I completely agree, don't think Dunne has ever got proper recognition. My City supporting mate maintains he's one of the best centre halves he has seen.

he has also been a superb player for ireland

 

[Scouse]

Yes that's what I get from the match reports. I remember watching the game live on TV and O'Brien was the captain but got a bad injury. Also a defender called Eaton (I think) played very well.

Having read Kendalls book it became clear to me he thrived on having young players and developing them. I wonder if he could have developed the group who won the Youth Cup in 98 better than Walter did? While we look back on most of them now and think they were [Poor language removed], players like Cadamateri and Jeffers had enormous promise. I think Jevons could have been a decent striker too.

I went to school with Mick O'Brien, he was a talented lad with lots of ability and an ego to match. The last I heard of him he was coaching at Finch Farm.
Had to laugh when I heard he'd been brawling with the Everton Ladies reserve keeper at the Christmas party last year...the last I heard they were both suspended without pay.

 

[AJC5]

If you look at the various England age group teams, very few players make it through to have top flight careers. That even applies to teams that achieve a degree of success in international tournaments.

It's a strange one, and I can't quite figure out if that's a natural filtering process or we as a country tend to suck at converting talented young players into talented senior ones.

The difference is that to make it into the England U18s you just need to be one of the best 15 in your age group. To make it into the full England team you need to be in the best 15 for about a 15 year period so 95% of U18 players won't be good enough even if they do progress to be top flight players. There's also a big difference between mens football and kids football. Some players can never cope with the increased physicality despite being top young players.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The difference is that to make it into the England U18s you just need to be one of the best 15 in your age group. To make it into the full England team you need to be in the best 15 for about a 15 year period so 95% of U18 players won't be good enough even if they do progress to be top flight players. There's also a big difference between mens football and kids football. Some players can never cope with the increased physicality despite being top young players.

That's just it though, if you look through the players from age group teams, very few manage to crack the Premier League, let along the national team. The conversion rate isn't great at all. I get your point regarding the numbers, but if we (as a nation) could improve that it would surely stand us in good stead.

 

[AJC5]

That's just it though, if you look through the players from age group teams, very few manage to crack the Premier League, let along the national team. The conversion rate isn't great at all. I get your point regarding the numbers, but if we (as a nation) could improve that it would surely stand us in good stead.

It's down to the number of foreigners. There's a finite number of squad places at premier league squads and no cap on the number of foreign players allowed. The Premier league is one of the best 4 leagues in the world and probably the richest. It therefore will attract at least 25% of the top players from each country. Local players are always going to be squeezed out unless they are exceptional because the 10th best player for his age in England is competing with the top 3 or best players for their age I'm every other country.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

It's down to the number of foreigners. There's a finite number of squad places at premier league squads and no cap on the number of foreign players allowed. The Premier league is one of the best 4 leagues in the world and probably the richest. It therefore will attract at least 25% of the top players from each country. Local players are always going to be squeezed out unless they are exceptional because the 10th best player for his age in England is competing with the top 3 or best players for their age I'm every other country.

Fair point.