Everton Youth Teams Thread

I'm not one to quote Jamie Redknapp, but I thought his latest piece for the Mail was pertinent to this thread:


"I was watching my youngest son Beau play for Chelsea against Manchester City Under 8s the other day. The standard was unbelievable, but what also stood out was the number of Scouse accents among the parents on the touchline.

City's recruitment drive for the best young talent is the talk of football and they are clearly trying to tie up the North West region."



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-right-son-Man-City-United.html#ixzz4TX3W0qDC
This bit caught my eye :
Players are taught to use both feet — and there are still so few English players in the league who are really two-footed. Off the top of my head, I can think of only John Terry, Michael Carrick and Adam Lallana."

This is something which is ingrained at our Academy. There was a clip of the U18s training with balls being fed in from the left hand side to Shayne Lavery and Antony Evans forcing them to shoot with their weaker left foot. It stuck in my mind because the same day we had a pre season game game where Gibson took the ball diagonally across the left corner of the box from right to left but was unable/unwilling to shoot because it was on his left foot, and I thought an Academy player would have shot. Players like Dowell can shoot with both feet and Connolly in particular is very good with his left foot, and playing on the left, for a natural right footer. Aspects like this are sometimes missed when looking at the work the Academy coaches do, they undoubtedly make these young players better, but unless they unearth a Rooney who has enormous natural talent they get poor re ognition.
 
This bit caught my eye :
Players are taught to use both feet — and there are still so few English players in the league who are really two-footed. Off the top of my head, I can think of only John Terry, Michael Carrick and Adam Lallana."


This is something which is ingrained at our Academy. There was a clip of the U18s training with balls being fed in from the left hand side to Shayne Lavery and Antony Evans forcing them to shoot with their weaker left foot. It stuck in my mind because the same day we had a pre season game game where Gibson took the ball diagonally across the left corner of the box from right to left but was unable/unwilling to shoot because it was on his left foot, and I thought an Academy player would have shot. Players like Dowell can shoot with both feet and Connolly in particular is very good with his left foot, and playing on the left, for a natural right footer. Aspects like this are sometimes missed when looking at the work the Academy coaches do, they undoubtedly make these young players better, but unless they unearth a Rooney who has enormous natural talent they get poor re ognition.
This strikes me every time I see Connolly. Whatever position he is in he doesn't spend time shifting onto his preferred foot. Last night he stepped out of the defence using a different foot on 2 occasions. Its really quite impressive
 
This strikes me every time I see Connolly. Whatever position he is in he doesn't spend time shifting onto his preferred foot. Last night he stepped out of the defence using a different foot on 2 occasions. Its really quite impressive
I've been a big fan of Connolly since I watched him on tv playing for England as a 17 year old. He doesn't have the pace at LB of say a Luke Shaw, doesn't have the skills of a Stones , not particularly big or strong for a CB but at youth and U23 level he has continually impressed over the years. For a long period last season he was top goalscorer for the U23s, and ended the season playing in every position across the back four. 2 headed goals in his last two games underlines his ability to find space in the box when he goes forward. He's one of those players that I just enjoy watching whether it's for us or England so I concentrate on him rather than others. And maybe that's it, he's a player to be enjoyed at U23s level only .

But still only 19 and was in the same intake as Walsh, Dowell and Davies but seems to have been around longer, so who knows how much more he can develop. 10 or15 years ago he'd have been similar to a Hibbert or Osman, not a startling , easily identified talent but someone who would serve the club well over the years. Now £10 or £12 mill buys you an experienced back , an easier route than waiting for him to fully develop. I think he'll be a PL player one day, sadly maybe not for a few years and so maybe not for us.
 
The goals from last night


...interesting point Unsworth makes that the 'opposition play against men every week and are battle hardened'. You only truly find out about youngsters when they step up to open age football. I know a few of us on here keep banging on about this but there must be a better system than keeping players in age bands once they hit professional ranks.
 

...interesting point Unsworth makes that the 'opposition play against men every week and are battle hardened'. You only truly find out about youngsters when they step up to open age football. I know a few of us on here keep banging on about this but there must be a better system than keeping players in age bands once they hit professional ranks.

Make an agreement with a lower league club that they can sign any of our youth team players (with an exception of the likes of Rooney who are first team ready) and we'll pay them for each one they take (to cover their wages). Then agree that we have first dibs to re-sign them (and we'll receive a % of resale if they aren't good enough for us but get sold) and if they reach the first team we'll pay them again for the development work they do. We also get first dibs on any players they produce.
We'd have clubs fighting to sign and develop our players.
I reckon it would work well. We pay £1m for random punts from overseas who'll never make it. Why not pay Wigan £2m to take 5 of our players and give them first team football in the Championship/League 1 playing first team football. If 1 of them develops into a starting PL player for us then it is worth £10m to us easily. Good for Wigan as they get 5 PL developed players for free and good for us as we get a much better environment for our players than PL2.
 
Make an agreement with a lower league club that they can sign any of our youth team players (with an exception of the likes of Rooney who are first team ready) and we'll pay them for each one they take (to cover their wages). Then agree that we have first dibs to re-sign them (and we'll receive a % of resale if they aren't good enough for us but get sold) and if they reach the first team we'll pay them again for the development work they do. We also get first dibs on any players they produce.
We'd have clubs fighting to sign and develop our players.
I reckon it would work well. We pay £1m for random punts from overseas who'll never make it. Why not pay Wigan £2m to take 5 of our players and give them first team football in the Championship/League 1 playing first team football. If 1 of them develops into a starting PL player for us then it is worth £10m to us easily. Good for Wigan as they get 5 PL developed players for free and good for us as we get a much better environment for our players than PL2.


....or just have a central league (reserve team football).
 
Great to see Holgate, Davies and Barkley on the pitch today.
Yeah it was, all played well too.

In a few years could also be seeing Kenny, Connelly and Walsh feature... would love to see this. Dowell being another, but although he is very technically good, I fear he hasn't got the urgency or work rate for the top level and has disappeared when I have seen him play, I hope to be very wrong though.
 

Has anyone seen Will Hughes play in the England u21s? I hardly remember him now but were linked.

As with Lookman, good if we sign players from the national teams to complimant our lot who are their teammates
 
First team fringes and England youth level;

GK -
RB - Kenny u19 (in u20 squad)
CB - Holgate u21
CB - Galloway u21
LB - Connolly u19 (in u20 squad)
DM -
CM - Davies u19
CM - Walsh
LW- Dowell u20
CF - Calvert-Lewin u20
RW -


Weird Walsh has only played for England u18s and not been brought into u19s or u20s yet some consider him a better prospect than Davies.

Interesting to see Hughes u21s and Lookman u20s strongly linked to us.

@blueloon @catcherintherye how do you guys feel about the players ive listed above, think they can all be fixtures in the first team squad and perhaps the first 11 ?

Any thoughts on Lookman and Hughes and also if Walsh can follow Davies into the squad?
 
First team fringes and England youth level;

GK -
RB - Kenny u19 (in u20 squad)
CB - Holgate u21
CB - Galloway u21
LB - Connolly u19 (in u20 squad)
DM -
CM - Davies u19
CM - Walsh
LW- Dowell u20
CF - Calvert-Lewin u20
RW -


Weird Walsh has only played for England u18s and not been brought into u19s or u20s yet some consider him a better prospect than Davies.

Interesting to see Hughes u21s and Lookman u20s strongly linked to us.

@blueloon @catcherintherye how do you guys feel about the players ive listed above, think they can all be fixtures in the first team squad and perhaps the first 11 ?

Any thoughts on Lookman and Hughes and also if Walsh can follow Davies into the squad?

....reports today that Lookman is a done deal.
 
....reports today that Lookman is a done deal.
Yep looks like it's edging closer, given the price quoted he's unlikely to get much discussion in this thread, straight into his own thread and first team squad as a Bolassie replacement . As I've said before, my only viewing of him has been when he's played alongside our boys for England U19s/u20. He looked a typical England youth forward fast , direct , selfish dribbler - give him the ball and he'll likely skip past his man and the next one but don't expect him to pass. Hopefully that was just a need to impress and been coached out of him at Charlton or will be when we booo him for it o_O We certainly don't have anybody like him at U23 level so a welcome addition if he comes , but that price tag brings with it high expectations.
 
First team fringes and England youth level;

GK -
RB - Kenny u19 (in u20 squad)
CB - Holgate u21
CB - Galloway u21
LB - Connolly u19 (in u20 squad)
DM -
CM - Davies u19
CM - Walsh
LW- Dowell u20
CF - Calvert-Lewin u20
RW -


Weird Walsh has only played for England u18s and not been brought into u19s or u20s yet some consider him a better prospect than Davies.

Interesting to see Hughes u21s and Lookman u20s strongly linked to us.

@blueloon @catcherintherye how do you guys feel about the players ive listed above, think they can all be fixtures in the first team squad and perhaps the first 11 ?

Any thoughts on Lookman and Hughes and also if Walsh can follow Davies into the squad?

HI Zat, sorry for the slow reply Christmas festivities and all that.

Of the list above the aspiration will be to have them all involved. Instinct tells me that so many breaking through is unusual and having seen them some have a better chance than others.
To take each of them. Kenny has an outside chance., Holgate I expect to stay. Galloway is really struggling, if he can't get a game for West Brom that is very telling. Connolly needs to grow into himself, I felt he looked a bit nervous when he came on, so I am doubtful over him (Kenny has a better chance).

Davies I think will be a Premier League football. Walsh is a very talented lad and probably the hardest to predict. IN his age group he's the most talented player we have, but very small. You hear odd bits of information and whispers he may get close, but we will have to see.

Dowell needs to rediscover his form and not become too disheartened. I like Calvert Lewin but a lot may depend on the strikers we bring in and how quickly they settle.
 

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