Pre Season bored thread 01 - Current Ex-Academy XI

[Andy McGurk]

Is it possible to create an entire 11 based around ex academy players who are A) still playing professionally and B) Don't play for the club anymore? By academy, I mean they must have played a game for under 23s and below whilst under the age of 21, so Dier could count.

There you go, I've started you off, maybe throw Duffy in there too.

Once we have an 11, then the discussion of where it would be in the football pyramid can begin.

Something to pass the time innit.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnddd...........GO

 

[Rita_Poon]

JJK

 

[Azza]

GK - does one exist?
RB - JJK
CB - Mustafi
CB - Duffy (yeah that's right I'm taking Duffy over Matty 'bus pass' Pennington')
LB - Garbutt
DM - Rodwell
CM - Barkley
CM - Lundstrum
LW - Small
RW - Dowell
ST - Agard




Bottom half of League Two.

 

[Nymzee]

We sign a new keeper every 5 minutes bound to be one out there.

 

[Andy McGurk]

GK - does one exist?
RB - JJK
CB - Mustafi
CB - Duffy (yeah that's right I'm taking Duffy [insert Chinese name here] over Matty 'bus pass' Pennington')
LB - Garbutt
DM - Rodwell
CM - Barkley
CM - Lundstrum
LW - Small
RW - Dowell
ST - Agard




Bottom half of League Two.

May have to throw the subs bench option, speed of that.

Have we only produced one competent league striker in 15 years? (Rooney was 20 years ago)

 

[Azza]

May have to throw the subs bench option, speed of that.

Have we only produced one competent league striker in 15 years? (Rooney was 20 years ago)

There's McAleney as well.

 

[Bluestar]

Baningime at Hearts.

 

[Andy McGurk]

We sign a new keeper every 5 minutes bound to be one out there.

Is Ruddy still around?

 

[Rita_Poon]

Is Ruddy still around?

Norwich wasn't he, with Dowell?

 

[UseTheForsh]

Gk: Hewlett (Tranmere)
Rb: Kenny (hertha berlin)
Cb: Stones (man city)
Cb: Duffy (brighton)
Lb: Robinson (Fulham)
Cm: Forshaw (leeds)
Cm: Barkley (chelsea)
Cm: L.Walsh (swansea)
Rw: Dowell (Norwich)
St: Vellios (lamia)
Lw: Lookman (Leicester)

Honourable mentions:
Ryan ledson (preston)
Hallum Hope (oldham)
Matty Kennedy (aberdeen)

I know stones, lookman and vellios didn't come through the academy but close enough!

 

[Toffee in Jandals]

40 year old Peter Clarke, who played a few first team games for Everton (and was in the Everton youth setup) in the Walter Smith days, just signed a one-year deal with Walsall for the 2022/23 season.

 

[Nymzee]

Is Ruddy still around?

Wasn’t an academy player

 

[sw blue]

Adam Davies - Goalkeeper - coming back into the Premiership with Sheffield Utd.

 

[BirkenheadBlue]

40 year old Peter Clarke, who played a few first team games for Everton (and was in the Everton youth setup) in the Walter Smith days, just signed a one-year deal with Walsall for the 2022/23 season.

He was in the League Two team of the season this year. Impressive at that age tbf

 

[Raino85]

1) Jindrich Stanek (Viktoria Pitzen)
2) Callum Connelly (Blackpool)
3) Anthonee Robinson (Fulham)
4) Benni Baningime (Hearts)
5) Shane Duffy (Brighton)
6) Shkodran Mustafi (Levante)
7) John Lundstrum (Rangers)
8) Ross Barkley (Chelsea)
9) Shane LAvery (Blackpool)
10) Kieran Dowell (Norwich)
11) Mohamed Ali- Cho (Angers)

Subs
Adam Davies (Sheff Utd)
Tyias Browning (Guangzau Evengrade)
Jake Bidwell (Coventry)
Luke Garbutt (Blackpool)
Ryan Ledson (Preston)
Josh Bowler (Blackpool)
Joe Williams (Bristol City)
Adam Forshaw (Leeds)
Anthony Evans (Bristol Rovers)



I'd go as a 4-3-3 with the back four of Connelly, Robinson, Duffy & Mustafi with Baningime holding & Barkley & Lundstrum in the middle, Cho & Dowell as the wide options & i cant for the life of me find a decent centre forward, closest i could find would be Shane Lavery, but hes not really a centre forward.

Does Bowler & Lavery count as they were bought to play for the under 23s? If not i'd take them out for Walsh & Hornby

Just goes to show, the furthar up the pitch you go, we very rarely produce good footballers (Barkley & Gordon exception), if ever a generation were the picture of there coaches (Unsworth & Stubbs), id presume alot of the coaching was not exactly ball work and progressive football.

I'd say that team would hold there own in lower championship/top league one........basically Wigan