Everton Youth Teams Thread

This is spot on. If you listen to Unsworth talk about experienced players getting involved he bemoans how little it happens nowadays and is probably one of the weaknesses in our under 21's, that it there are very few first team players who have a game with them.

If you take firstly Osman, here is a lad who has come through our youth system, is a full England International and has made 400 appearances for Everton. He has won at Wembley playing for Everton and played in cup Finals and countless semi finals. As a role model you can't really get much better than that. He is a walking embodiment of what is possible for every young player in that team, especially so given he didn't make his debut until he was 22/23.

He is also taking an increasing interest in the reserves, what with his commentary for the mini derby. I expect to see him being increasingly involved in this and may well move into the coaching side of it in a couple of years. I know some people hate him, I think it's a great shame he is spoken of in the way that he is. Most clubs eulogise players who've come through their academy, particularly one club men. Look at how United talk about Butt or Phil Neville, very limited players but treated with the upmost respect from their fans. The same with Carragher at Liverpool.

It does sadden me somewhat that sections of our fans are so hard on Osman and have never really recognised what he offers to the team and the value of him and Hibbert have on being locals lads who played close to 800 games for the club.

As for Gibson it is more complicated. He has obviously made a number of high profile mistakes. In truth I think he is a very unhappy man, primarily because of a series of injuries have curtailed what was a very promising career. I am not trying to justify his recent actions, I don't have much sympathy for him but there has to be an understanding.
Just when he had fought his way back into Martinez's plans he gets a freak broken metatarsal. It must have been heart wrenching for him.

Aside form that though, on the pitch I've always felt Gibson was a top professional. He is a real winner and a very talented player. This is a lad lest we forget who has won league titles and just about every top honour a player could wish to win. He was central in a Manchester United team that won a European cup Semi final 4-0 and was brilliant in that game.

Some of that is bound to rub off on our young players. How he warms up, what he does in the 10 minutes before kick off. How he prepares etc. Maybe some of them will even look at him and think "I don't want to waste my talent like him" and it will drive them on. Some may look at them and think "I'm as good as him" and it could give them that confidence to push towards the first team.

Whatever people's personal opinions about both players as footballers and as people shouldn't cloud the issue that to play with them and be around them for young players will make a huge difference.

Excellent post.

Osman and Hibbert are exactly what our youngsters should be looking towards. Yes Hibbert is limited on the ball, but has managed 15 years at a Premiership club through realising his limitations and working extremely hard on all facets of his game. Osman is far from limited in my opinion, he is an excellent technical player and suffered at times with our fans because of his willingness to play anywhere for the team.
Another thing that is an example for our youngsters is that I cannot remember either of these players receiving any negative press throughout their careers.
 
This is spot on. If you listen to Unsworth talk about experienced players getting involved he bemoans how little it happens nowadays and is probably one of the weaknesses in our under 21's, that it there are very few first team players who have a game with them.

If you take firstly Osman, here is a lad who has come through our youth system, is a full England International and has made 400 appearances for Everton. He has won at Wembley playing for Everton and played in cup Finals and countless semi finals. As a role model you can't really get much better than that. He is a walking embodiment of what is possible for every young player in that team, especially so given he didn't make his debut until he was 22/23.

He is also taking an increasing interest in the reserves, what with his commentary for the mini derby. I expect to see him being increasingly involved in this and may well move into the coaching side of it in a couple of years. I know some people hate him, I think it's a great shame he is spoken of in the way that he is. Most clubs eulogise players who've come through their academy, particularly one club men. Look at how United talk about Butt or Phil Neville, very limited players but treated with the upmost respect from their fans. The same with Carragher at Liverpool.

It does sadden me somewhat that sections of our fans are so hard on Osman and have never really recognised what he offers to the team and the value of him and Hibbert have on being locals lads who played close to 800 games for the club.

As for Gibson it is more complicated. He has obviously made a number of high profile mistakes. In truth I think he is a very unhappy man, primarily because of a series of injuries have curtailed what was a very promising career. I am not trying to justify his recent actions, I don't have much sympathy for him but there has to be an understanding.
Just when he had fought his way back into Martinez's plans he gets a freak broken metatarsal. It must have been heart wrenching for him.

Aside form that though, on the pitch I've always felt Gibson was a top professional. He is a real winner and a very talented player. This is a lad lest we forget who has won league titles and just about every top honour a player could wish to win. He was central in a Manchester United team that won a European cup Semi final 4-0 and was brilliant in that game.

Some of that is bound to rub off on our young players. How he warms up, what he does in the 10 minutes before kick off. How he prepares etc. Maybe some of them will even look at him and think "I don't want to waste my talent like him" and it will drive them on. Some may look at them and think "I'm as good as him" and it could give them that confidence to push towards the first team.

Whatever people's personal opinions about both players as footballers and as people shouldn't cloud the issue that to play with them and be around them for young players will make a huge difference.

i think you're over-rating gibsons contribution to utd to be honest, he made 60 appearances in 7 yrs and a lot of them were in league cup games or lower level league matches. you'll struggle to find a utd fan with a good word to say about him.
 
i think you're over-rating gibsons contribution to utd to be honest, he made 60 appearances in 7 yrs and a lot of them were in league cup games or lower level league matches. you'll struggle to find a utd fan with a good word to say about him.

Well he was playing for about the best team in Europe. Most United fans I speak to say he was a talented player who struggled with injuries. When we signed him I remember moaning to them saying he was poor, they told me I was wrong and over time my view changed on him.

He played in some very big matches for them. I'm not being horrible but he was MOTM in a champions league semi final match they won 4-0. We don't have a single player in the history of Everton who could have something like that said about them, so he deserves a bit of respect. I think to treat him as a player who you one can't have a good word to say about him isn't a fair reflection of some of his performances.

In the end he lacked consistency, games and was affected by injuries. This replicates what we would say about him at Everton.
 
Excellent post.

Osman and Hibbert are exactly what our youngsters should be looking towards. Yes Hibbert is limited on the ball, but has managed 15 years at a Premiership club through realising his limitations and working extremely hard on all facets of his game. Osman is far from limited in my opinion, he is an excellent technical player and suffered at times with our fans because of his willingness to play anywhere for the team.
Another thing that is an example for our youngsters is that I cannot remember either of these players receiving any negative press throughout their careers.

Yes I agree 100%. I think Hibbert and Osman have struggled with the idea that the mindless anti-Moyes Lobby seem to attach them to the Moyes era. It's sad really as Martinez has (for particularly Osman) recognised his abilities.

I also agree he is not a limited player at all. Had we have had a Spanish or German manager managing England he'd have had a lot more caps, over your Milners, Parkers, Hendersons of this world. A manager who appreciated technically ability, confidence in possession and guile to open up a defence over athleticism and stamina. And England would have performed a lot better in cup competitions as well.

What is sad though is there are a layer of fans who knock our local players. I can never understand it. You listen to the way United fans go on about say Nicky Butt "a warrior" "best English central midfielder" or Neville "on his day better than Viera" or even some idiots who tried telling me Beckham was better than Zidane! Now I wouldn't go as far as that with our youth team graduates, but a bit of honesty is often needed.

Osman is an England international. The state of some of our fans make it out that the England manager made a mistake selecting him ahead of yard dogs like Milner. It's embarrassing.
 
Yes I agree 100%. I think Hibbert and Osman have struggled with the idea that the mindless anti-Moyes Lobby seem to attach them to the Moyes era. It's sad really as Martinez has (for particularly Osman) recognised his abilities.

I also agree he is not a limited player at all. Had we have had a Spanish or German manager managing England he'd have had a lot more caps, over your Milners, Parkers, Hendersons of this world. A manager who appreciated technically ability, confidence in possession and guile to open up a defence over athleticism and stamina. And England would have performed a lot better in cup competitions as well.

What is sad though is there are a layer of fans who knock our local players. I can never understand it. You listen to the way United fans go on about say Nicky Butt "a warrior" "best English central midfielder" or Neville "on his day better than Viera" or even some idiots who tried telling me Beckham was better than Zidane! Now I wouldn't go as far as that with our youth team graduates, but a bit of honesty is often needed.

Osman is an England international. The state of some of our fans make it out that the England manager made a mistake selecting him ahead of yard dogs like Milner. It's embarrassing.

If Gibson had stayed injury free and able to play every week , I think we would be as anxious to keep him as we are with Stones and under as much pressure to sell him.

Gibson is a seriously talented player, but his fitness issues have devastated what could have been a glittering career and who knows what effect the constant injuries are having on him personally.
 
If Gibson had stayed injury free and able to play every week , I think we would be as anxious to keep him as we are with Stones and under as much pressure to sell him.

Gibson is a seriously talented player, but his fitness issues have devastated what could have been a glittering career and who knows what effect the constant injuries are having on him personally.

I think that is fair. I am sure we went 10-15 games were we hardly lost when Gibson was fit and playing at his best under Moyes. He had a huge impact upon that side and we really missed him when he first went out.

It is a big shame that injuries have got in the way. I feel very sorry for him, as it's one thing after another. He had the thigh problem, he eventually got over that and did his knee ligaments. When he eventually got over that he broke is foot. There is a reasonable argument to say he is injury prone, but I also think there is a fair amount of bad luck, given the injuries are in different areas and not related to one another.

I think it has had a huge impact upon him personally. I have always said I have very little sympathy with pro footballers. They earn millions of pounds a year and are still paid when injured. They live the life of riley that millions of people in this country on the breadline could only dream of. However that doesn't mean they can just switch emotions off. Gibson had just got himself to a situation where he had played his way back into Martinez's plans ready to kick on this season. His foot injury was particularly cruel.

He hasn't dealt with it very well. I am sure he will be gone at the end of the season.
 
Ledson is being kept back at the moment it seems, but it could be for a whole host of positive reasons.
I would not be surprised if the club are changing his role slightly and when RM said about a young player at the club who could play no. 10 but wouldn't be ready for a couple of years he could have been referring to Ledson. I think he most most aspects of the no. 10 type game in his locker..
Sorry, I disagree with that - I just don't see Ledson has having the aspects of a 10, why the Club would try to turn him into one or that he's RM's future 10. At his age level he's an organised , combative, defensive midfield player capable of getting from box to box , spraying 40 yard passes with either foot , creating goals with his passing ability and being a captain/general of a team by leading by example. He doesn't have that burst of speed , guile or finesse necessary to be a 10. He's more likely to score goals from outside the box than by ghosting into areas and finishing neatly like a good 10 . He just doesn't have the natural instincts of a 10, and while our Academy does wonders in terms of making sure players try different positions, develop different skills,become two footed etc it would be wrong in my view to try to shoe horn him into a position he hasn't shown any great aptitude for.
Only one player , with his startling run of goals pre season and goals since, has stood out as potentially RM's 10 and that is Anthony Evans. Whether it is him remains to be seen. In some ways it was unfortunate that Roberto ever mentioned it, Ledson and Evans are developing nicely without heaping more speculation onto their shoulders.
 
Sorry, I disagree with that - I just don't see Ledson has having the aspects of a 10, why the Club would try to turn him into one or that he's RM's future 10. At his age level he's an organised , combative, defensive midfield player capable of getting from box to box , spraying 40 yard passes with either foot , creating goals with his passing ability and being a captain/general of a team by leading by example. He doesn't have that burst of speed , guile or finesse necessary to be a 10. He's more likely to score goals from outside the box than by ghosting into areas and finishing neatly like a good 10 . He just doesn't have the natural instincts of a 10, and while our Academy does wonders in terms of making sure players try different positions, develop different skills,become two footed etc it would be wrong in my view to try to shoe horn him into a position he hasn't shown any great aptitude for.
Only one player , with his startling run of goals pre season and goals since, has stood out as potentially RM's 10 and that is Anthony Evans. Whether it is him remains to be seen. In some ways it was unfortunate that Roberto ever mentioned it, Ledson and Evans are developing nicely without heaping more speculation onto their shoulders.

dowell too
 
Yep I was thinking about Dowell. It's interesting that he appears predominantly left footed , yet the majority of times I've seen him they've started him on right of a midfield 3. Although he then wanders about a bit. I guess it also depends on how each person defines "a 10" . Pele of course was the classic 10 , and Messi today is in the mould of "skilfull playmaker who scores goals regularly playing off/behind the 9" , that's my rough definition.
 
Yep I was thinking about Dowell. It's interesting that he appears predominantly left footed , yet the majority of times I've seen him they've started him on right of a midfield 3. Although he then wanders about a bit. I guess it also depends on how each person defines "a 10" . Pele of course was the classic 10 , and Messi today is in the mould of "skilfull playmaker who scores goals regularly playing off/behind the 9" , that's my rough definition.
Ya suppose kinda like gareth bale and other left footers you want them coming inside so they have a better angle for shooting.works both ways.wasnt ronaldo played alot on the left side of utds midfield.got sheet load of goals cutting in and shooting.thats why its so important that players these days are two footed so they can still crosd the ball if cutting inside isnt an option.
 

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