Everton Youth Teams Thread

[atrottel]

Who are the rest of the 'last four' then?

 

[Sarnia Kevin]

4-2 final score. Brentford best side in the first half, but a well deserved win for the Blues.

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

You run out of superlatives with Graham he's an absolute joy to watch at this level. The past 6 months have been akin to when Broadhead, Cannon and Price ascended to a level above which they were playing at and torched the league.

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

Let me tell you though, I try not to be overly critical of players in this thread but given his age and wages I feel he warrants it more. For a player that has played as high as Everton's first team and England's U20s, I'd be shocked if Reece Welch is still in professional football by next year. He is a testament to how far being tall from a young age can get you.

 

[atrottel]

You run out of superlatives with Graham he's an absolute joy to watch at this level. The past 6 months have been akin to when Broadhead, Cannon and Price ascended to a level above which they were playing at and torched the league.

And all have ended up as decent Championship players (and there are more), which is a credit to the academy. Graham is playing well above his age atm and training with the first team so will be interesting to see what heppens in the pre-season next year.

 

[Clarky cat]

Let me tell you though, I try not to be overly critical of players in this thread but given his age and wages I feel he warrants it more. For a player that has played as high as Everton's first team and England's U20s, I'd be shocked if Reece Welch is still in professional football by next year. He is a testament to how far being tall from a young age can get you.

He might be converted to a goalkeeper in his early/mid teens if he was coming through nowadays, quite a few clubs where I live are going down that route with the tall/strong CB’s who don’t have the technical ability of their peers.

 

[blueloon]

You run out of superlatives with Graham he's an absolute joy to watch at this level. The past 6 months have been akin to when Broadhead, Cannon and Price ascended to a level above which they were playing at and torched the league.

And unlike them he’s done it while still a second year in the Academy . I know things have changed but Gordon or Simms weren’t making the same impact at this stage of their careers , only Armstrong has achieved more in recent years . He could single handedly drag our otherwise average u21s to winning this competition.

 

[Toffeebraeden]

Let me tell you though, I try not to be overly critical of players in this thread but given his age and wages I feel he warrants it more. For a player that has played as high as Everton's first team and England's U20s, I'd be shocked if Reece Welch is still in professional football by next year. He is a testament to how far being tall from a young age can get you.

He has to have a pre-contract arranged elsewhere because I’m flabbergasted by how not just useless, but incredibly uninterested he’s looked the bulk of the year.

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

And unlike them he’s done it while still a second year in the Academy . I know things have changed but Gordon or Simms weren’t making the same impact at this stage of their careers , only Armstrong has achieved more in recent years . He could single handedly drag our otherwise average u21s to winning this competition.

He's been playing in a youngish 21s side but the level of deference the team has towards him is incredible. When he scored the equaliser in the youth cup against Ipswich this season the commentator said something along the lines of 'Just give it to him and hope' and that's exactly how the 21s are in every possession for each game now. Just get the ball to him and let the magic happen.

Hopefully the club have a plan agreed with him because the only concern with him is that his contract has only 1 year left.

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

He has to have a pre-contract arranged elsewhere because I’m flabbergasted by how not just useless, but incredibly uninterested he’s looked the bulk of the year.

Yep I didn't want to turn into a roast of him but since you've mentioned it, I don't think I've ever seen a player at any level of football with such a lack of intensity and aggressiveness. It's a level of going through the motions I've never seen before by a professional. He plays like he's in slow motion and totally checked out.

 

[Toffeebraeden]

Exactly. Not going to give kids a hard time who are honing the craft and maybe aren’t up to the skill level required. But at 22, with his size and with the loan and first team experience he has, should be setting an example for the rest of the lads and quite frankly manhandling most of the opposition in a controlled age group. Didn’t see any of that this year.

 

[RomanReigns]

just sell Barry and upgrade Graham to first team to take his place

 

[Eggs]

just sell Barry and upgrade Graham to first team to take his place

….he’s 10st dripping wet, if Graham comes through I’d be surprised if it’ll be as a lone central striker. He’s clever, he’s capable of filling other positions, I personally don’t see him as an alternative to Barry.

 

[mightymoyes]

….he’s 10st dripping wet, if Graham comes through I’d be surprised if it’ll be as a lone central striker. He’s clever, he’s capable of filling other positions, I personally don’t see him as an alternative to Barry.

He's not an alternative in a like for like sense but he is an alternative in that he would be more use to have on the pitch than Barry

 

[Eggs]

He's not an alternative in a like for like sense but he is an alternative in that he would be more use to have on the pitch than Barry

….this is what I don’t quite understand, because we’d still need to play a central striker. I’m a little surprised Graham hasn’t been utilised but I’ve noticed him plenty in first team training clips and deep in conversation with Coleman, hopefully they know exactly what they have and are carefully managing him.