Everton Youth Teams Thread

That's fair. It's probably a bit of a leap to suggest he's some rogue element, especially considering he's demonstrated tremendous loyalty to Everton. However, you do wonder how interested he would really be managing a team if he wasn't 100% focused on winning. I always thought that was a strange thing, but it really can't be just about winning at the U23 level.

....yes, I understand the point being made and appreciate the real aim is to bring a player or two through, but I am of an opinion the very special ones will do that regardless.

I’m not defending Unsworth, I really don’t know what he’s like as a coach, but there’s no doubt his teams play with great spirit and togetherness. That is an achievement when youngsters are fighting with each other for limited contracts. That team spirit is a good trait for them to have going forward.

I remember Craig Short saying Everton U23s are the ultimate test because more than any team at that level, they play like a PL outfit.
 
Hardly a promising snippet from Unsworth in the Echo. Saying he’ll pick the strongest squad of what is available too him. Looks like a season full of the older, experienced players and some horrid football for the U23’s.

Echoed my thoughts exactly. I used to enjoy his sound bites for the first few seasons he was in charge... very little to enthuse in that statement

What I do think is that we can probably forget about Simms making it at Everton. If he does have the talent then the system is broken .
 
That's fair. It's probably a bit of a leap to suggest he's some rogue element, especially considering he's demonstrated tremendous loyalty to Everton. However, you do wonder how interested he would really be managing a team if he wasn't 100% focused on winning. I always thought that was a strange thing, but it really can't be just about winning at the U23 level.
I’ve been reluctant to criticise Unsworth in the past but have become increasingly frustrated with our play in the last 3 months of last season and the two games I’ve seen so far. I’ll accept that there are other factors in play in picking Martina, Connolly, Charsley but the mentality then seems to be not to lose rather than winning , hold what we’ve got , don’t concede, plus a lack of tactical attacking nous on his part.

Both games reflect my view. Leicester were down to 10 men away from home and we couldn’t break them down . We had 3 centre backs on the field, tactically it was crying out for a switch to a back 3 and allowing Foulds and John two attacking full backs to play as wing backs and try to get behind them.
Against Wolves they were the better team, we couldn’t score so we took off an attacker Charsley , who was probably knackered so fair enough, but brought on a defensive mid Markelo, with two attacking options Phillips and Mampala on the bench. Over three seasons Unsworth has been brilliant at organising the defence, going through multi changes in personnel yet still having a solid, structured defence. But he seems lacking in the ability to get the best out of our attack options , and I fear another season of us having the best defence in the league and scoring far too few goals.
 
Echoed my thoughts exactly. I used to enjoy his sound bites for the first few seasons he was in charge... very little to enthuse in that statement

What I do think is that we can probably forget about Simms making it at Everton. If he does have the talent then the system is broken .

has he even scored for the u23s yet? hes miles away from being a PL player
 
Refuses to play? Because they lost their semi?

Hardly.

From Valdes -

"I've taken the decision personally," the former goalkeeper said.

"My decision is based solely on safeguarding the health of my young players, we're not happy with the organisation in terms of rest time between matches.

"Having lost the semi-final today, there hasn't been a gap for recovery, not even an hour between matches. "It's an abnormal fatigue for their age and for the stage of pre-season that we're in.

"I want to say that, with the high risk of injury in my squad or something more serious on a cardiac level that could occur in not taking this decision, I assume all responsibility for what this may have caused.

"I will always protect my players without thinking about the consequences."
 

Hardly.

From Valdes -

"I've taken the decision personally," the former goalkeeper said.

"My decision is based solely on safeguarding the health of my young players, we're not happy with the organisation in terms of rest time between matches.

"Having lost the semi-final today, there hasn't been a gap for recovery, not even an hour between matches. "It's an abnormal fatigue for their age and for the stage of pre-season that we're in.

"I want to say that, with the high risk of injury in my squad or something more serious on a cardiac level that could occur in not taking this decision, I assume all responsibility for what this may have caused.

"I will always protect my players without thinking about the consequences."
Not entirely sure what he was expecting seeing as the schedule was clear from the outset.
 
Hardly.

From Valdes -

"I've taken the decision personally," the former goalkeeper said.

"My decision is based solely on safeguarding the health of my young players, we're not happy with the organisation in terms of rest time between matches.

"Having lost the semi-final today, there hasn't been a gap for recovery, not even an hour between matches. "It's an abnormal fatigue for their age and for the stage of pre-season that we're in.

"I want to say that, with the high risk of injury in my squad or something more serious on a cardiac level that could occur in not taking this decision, I assume all responsibility for what this may have caused.

"I will always protect my players without thinking about the consequences."

Doesn’t he have more than 11 players that could have come in for the second game to rotate like every other team did in the tournament.
 
has he even scored for the u23s yet? hes miles away from being a PL player

That’s the point I’m making. An 18 year old who is likely to make the PL would by now, at the very least, be banging them in for the u23s with hype around first team action. If he is only sitting on the sidelines at his age now, either our system to bring youngsters through is a complete mess with the clear bottlenecks it’s allowed or he really isn’t the next Moise Kean.
 

That’s the point I’m making. An 18 year old who is likely to make the PL would by now, at the very least, be banging them in for the u23s with hype around first team action. If he is only sitting on the sidelines at his age now, either our system to bring youngsters through is a complete mess with the clear bottlenecks it’s allowed or he really isn’t the next Moise Kean.

Lol Who ever suggested he was the next moise Kean?!
I'm not really sure of the point you're making, do you think our youth set up should only consist of players that will be Premier league stars?
 
Not entirely sure what he was expecting seeing as the schedule was clear from the outset.

Tbf, the tournament was absent last year and Valdes is newly hired with the Juvenil A squad (All 16-18 years of age) still in pre-season whereas Everton already finished their preseason. They sustained injuries before & during the tournament and Victor decided to avoid taxing the young players any further before the season begins much less UEFA Youth League, the CDR etc

Nothing to do with sportsmanship
 
Official u18s slowly being updated , no new photos yet but 3 new names that we already know and a number of blanks .
Reece Welch whos started one u18 already despite being a 15 year old
Sean McAllistair from Northern Ireland
Zan-Luc Leban , Slovenian 16 year old keeper who has apparently been with Barca and had a trial at United.
He’s a big guy for 16, this is him alongside Pickford.
 

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Official u18s slowly being updated , no new photos yet but 3 new names that we already know and a number of blanks .
Reece Welch whos started one u18 already despite being a 15 year old
Sean McAllistair from Northern Ireland
Zan-Luc Leban , Slovenian 16 year old keeper who has apparently been with Barca and had a trial at United.
He’s a big guy for 16, this is him alongside Pickford.
Any news on Sebastian Kristensen the 16 year old we signed from Lyngby
 

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