Everton Youth Teams Thread

[Eggs]

I’m always happy to be proven wrong, but I haven’t seen anything resembling the pace or engine from him to suggest that he’ll be an effective presence on the wing.
If anything, his composure on the ball and distribution would probably lend to him playing as an anchor/holding midfield who can drop into a back 3 or step up and recycle possession.
Positional depth will probably necessitate that he is deployed as a CB for a while to come though. He is by and far the best CB prospect in the system by a long shot, imagine him and Tamen will be the starting duo as often as possible next year for the U21s barring an interesting import.

….away from the obvious potential of Graham, i like what I’ve seen of Tamen in an injury hit season. He’d be the one to watch for me.

 

[SuperKev91]

….away from the obvious potential of Graham, i like what I’ve seen of Tamen in an injury hit season. He’d be the one to watch for me.

I think Thomas has a real chance. We don’t usually produce centre backs who can play like him but have the size as well.

He is a proper prospect IMO.

 

[oglop44]

Hell of a debut season for Braiden Graham. Wins the Geneva cup and the Senior cup, scores in both finals, plays Liverpool twice, wins both, scores in both. Pre-season with the first team surely beckons.

 

[blueloon]

I’m always happy to be proven wrong, but I haven’t seen anything resembling the pace or engine from him to suggest that he’ll be an effective presence on the wing.
If anything, his composure on the ball and distribution would probably lend to him playing as an anchor/holding midfield who can drop into a back 3 or step up and recycle possession.
Positional depth will probably necessitate that he is deployed as a CB for a while to come though. He is by and far the best CB prospect in the system by a long shot, imagine him and Tamen will be the starting duo as often as possible next year for the U21s barring an interesting import.

At the moment I’d leave Thomas to develop as a left sided CB, he’s done well in a four and as the left of side of three CBs in the last few games. He’s got the sweetest left foot for a CB , those in swinging corners he was taking in a recent match ( Utd?) were really good creating a well worked goal and again last night a perfectly weighted cross for Sherif to head in . How he develops physically is usually the determining factor for a CB at his age, he certainly has a good skill set for an 18 year old and looks to be ahead of where Welch and Campbell were as 2nd year Scholars. Yeah you could see him and Tamen striking up a good partnership.

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

Thomas looks very Gibson/Astley coded in that he's tidy on the ball, but not athletic enough to be a full back. Whilst probably not being big enough to be a premier league centre half either.

Just an awkward physical build to project a PL career for compared to say Tamen or in the past Welch/Branthwaite.

 

[MikeH72]

It’s a bit off to me that a Premier League side is allowed to enter its reserves in the Senior Cup in this day and age. May have my non league fan tinted glasses on but if you really think about it, what do these lads gain from a kick about against a load of non league teams anyway? Bit of a waste of time for a trophy that means absolutely nothing to the football club.

 

[Blast_of_Cannock]

It’s a bit off to me that a Premier League side is allowed to enter its reserves in the Senior Cup in this day and age. May have my non league fan tinted glasses on but if you really think about it, what do these lads gain from a kick about against a load of non league teams anyway? Bit of a waste of time for a trophy that means absolutely nothing to the football club.

Please don't deny us our only chance of winning a trophy.

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

It’s a bit off to me that a Premier League side is allowed to enter its reserves in the Senior Cup in this day and age. May have my non league fan tinted glasses on but if you really think about it, what do these lads gain from a kick about against a load of non league teams anyway? Bit of a waste of time for a trophy that means absolutely nothing to the football club.

I was shocked how strong a side we fielded. It was a clear mismatch when normally we name a u18 side where only about 4 or 5 out of 11 will make it professionally to make it more even alongside the age factor of men vs boys.

If we field an actual U21 side every year we are obviously going to beat everyone 8 or 9 times out of ten. I also don't see what some of the lads will have got out of playing as near 22 year olds against Sunday leaguers.

 

[oglop44]

I was shocked how strong a side we fielded. It was a clear mismatch when normally we name a u18 side where only about 4 or 5 out of 11 will make it professionally to make it more even alongside the age factor of men vs boys.

If we field an actual U21 side every year we are obviously going to beat everyone 8 or 9 times out of ten. I also don't see what some of the lads will have got out of playing as near 22 year olds against Sunday leaguers.

Expect we'll go back to entering the 18s next year now that the 21s have qualified for Europe.

 

[Lanolin]

It’s a bit off to me that a Premier League side is allowed to enter its reserves in the Senior Cup in this day and age. May have my non league fan tinted glasses on but if you really think about it, what do these lads gain from a kick about against a load of non league teams anyway? Bit of a waste of time for a trophy that means absolutely nothing to the football club.

I think younger lads can learn a lot from playing against men in a game that actually means something to them, but agree that for some of the older players that doesn't really apply. I reckon a lot of the non league lads like playing against us and Liverpool though.

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

Expect we'll go back to entering the 18s next year now that the 21s have qualified for Europe.

Hopefully. Because it was a bit ridiculous of a contest after the hour mark once the non professionals expectedly tired and we brought on about 5 subs who would normally start.

 

[MikeH72]

I think younger lads can learn a lot from playing against men in a game that actually means something to them, but agree that for some of the older players that doesn't really apply. I reckon a lot of the non league lads like playing against us and Liverpool though.

Isn’t that what the EFL Trophy is for though, and why they allowed Premier League sides to enter their youth teams into that?

 

[Lanolin]

Isn’t that what the EFL Trophy is for though, and why they allowed Premier League sides to enter their youth teams into that?

Well that's one where I think it's fine for the older lads to play so it's a bit different anyway, but even ignoring that i'm not sure that them getting 3 other games precludes them from learning anything from a game like this does it? I'm not saying it would be a disgrace if we stopped entering or whatever, just saying I think the younger lads who aren't used to open age football can learn something from playing a few games against gnarly old blokes.

 

[oglop44]

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

Would be a strange career move for him if we actually wanted to retain him.