rochdaleblue
Player Valuation: £50m
Does anyone know if koeman was at the under 23 game last night? If he hasn't been already, I bet he is taking more interest in the under 23 team.
mightymoyes
Player Valuation: £70m
no just his brother went. and walsh presumably
Philw
Player Valuation: £50m
It's nice signing up good youngsters from other teams, but I'd much rather we brought through our own youth. 1 Tom Davies is worth 20 John Stones'...
I think it might of just been this, that he wanted to get as long as he felt he needed to run the rule over certain players/combos before the Jan window opened up and where he needed to buy and, importantly, sell - and where the kids could step up. At least, that's what I'd like to think.
Maybe he was just protecting them, trying to divert attention and pressure...
Unfortunately I don't think that was the case, as I've said Unsworth nailed his colours to the mast last season. I think he was spot on and Koeman has eventually used a few of them but there's 3 or more that could step up that haven't had a look in. Let's see if he uses them in the coming months instead of the dead wood we've got in the squad.
....I think we have to be careful in thinking this crop of U23 players will see a flow of Premier League talent. They play in ring fenced aged groups and when they have been exposed to more experienced and senior opponents (the high-profile UEFA tournament and individuals out on loan) they have often been found wanting (although Liam Walsh was terrific at Yeovil).
Local talent won't be a magic wand that can produce 'one or two' every season. Just consider how many have truly come through in the last 10 years. We'd love it to happen but Tom Davies' are a rarity. I'm all for bringing in the best youngsters from around the globe, Holgate, Calvert-Lewin, Galloway and Stones are an illustration that this is a more productive route.
bluestevon
Player Valuation: £80m
Still think Kenny will make it mate, then again those fullback positions - it is kinda easier to ease them into the team (which is why so many young cb's get tried there first), Walsh and Dowell i guess are the two names most know best - Dowell deciding to go on loan is IMO a great decision by the lad, Walsh i have never seen but hear he looks great in the under 23's - but some people reckon his size could be a problem to him making the step into the first team.
after that i guess it's Galloway, Connely, Pennington and a few others that names escape me - IF any of those make it - who knows, but one thing the club does seem to be doing is not totally scrapheaping the ones who don't make it, but seem to be trying to get them loans/permananet deals when there time at the club comes to an end - which really speaking is vastly important in terms of handling the youth players aand giving them the best chance of a career in footy long term (and will be a big factor in talented younger players choosing our academy over others)
...it's so difficult to gauge. Kenny isn't getting any younger, if you think he was in the same age group as Ledson who is now plying his trade in the lower leagues. Saying that, I think the coaches really like him and he signed a new contract not so long ago. Holgate might be a problem for him if he's seen as back-up RB but Kenny has such a great attitude to his footy that you can see him taking his chance if an opportunity arises.
Walsh is a smashing player. He's a tough lad who uses the ball really well in difficult situations like good players do. There are a few smallish players at the top level these days. My fear is RK isn't a fan. I appreciate he's been injured but he's not been around the first team squad on matchdays.
Dowell is a talent but been a bit disappointing when I've seen him this season. He has a tendency to go missing in games. He'll need to show he can mix it in open age footy. He's brilliant at picking a pass to get players in behind the back four and might actually be better playing with better footballers. He scored a cracker on Monday night but when he plays league football I doubt he'll get the opportunity to run unchallenged from the half way line. Time will tell.
bluestevon
Player Valuation: £80m
As ever mate some good points raised by you there.
Kenny i just really like the look off ever since the England under 17s winning tournament, and when he had the chance when the other young lad went off injured against Norwich i though he looked a natural when he came on at this level, was very encouraging to see Koeman have him on the bench already this season (don't think Koeman does token things), lad seems to play with a similar attitude that Davies has - that he knows he's good enough and runs himself into the ground, which someone like Koeman will love in training.
Walsh does sound good from everything i have heard, obviously time will show on that regard
As for Dowell - when i've seen him in the first team (albeit only a couple of games) he didn't impress given all the hype around him, seemed out the younger lads to be the one who struggled with the increase in pace of the game and the fact you don't get anything close to the space you do at the lower levels, a loan could be the making of him in that regard, or show us that long term he maybe won't make the step up.
Either way though it's bloody brilliant to be able to talk about several options of young players coming through the ranks, all too often it was just the one lad with all the hopes slung onto him from the entrie age group.
bluestevon
Player Valuation: £80m
As ever mate some good points raised by you there.
Kenny i just really like the look off ever since the England under 17s winning tournament, and when he had the chance when the other young lad went off injured against Norwich i though he looked a natural when he came on at this level, was very encouraging to see Koeman have him on the bench already this season (don't think Koeman does token things), lad seems to play with a similar attitude that Davies has - that he knows he's good enough and runs himself into the ground, which someone like Koeman will love in training.
Walsh does sound good from everything i have heard, obviously time will show on that regard
As for Dowell - when i've seen him in the first team (albeit only a couple of games) he didn't impress given all the hype around him, seemed out the younger lads to be the one who struggled with the increase in pace of the game and the fact you don't get anything close to the space you do at the lower levels, a loan could be the making of him in that regard, or show us that long term he maybe won't make the step up.
Either way though it's bloody brilliant to be able to talk about several options of young players coming through the ranks, all too often it was just the one lad with all the hopes slung onto him from the entrie age group.
A lot of the U23's will make it just not necessarily PL level. Producing players that can play League 1 or even Championship should be seen as a great success for the academy.
bluestevon
Player Valuation: £80m
Exactly mate, something that our former manager actually stated as an aim - to give the lads the best chance of forging a career etc through the way they where handled, for that can't not give him credit like
I can kind of see Koeman liking Walsh actually. It may just take him til next season or so to start getting a look in, as bedding in two youngsters in the same position as once could be a bit much. Walsh is quite similar in stature and style to Clasie, who Koeman loves.
TheGhostOfBolasie
Player Valuation: £1m
I can't remember ever having so many promising up-and-coming players.
Not just the new lads Lookman and Calvert-Lewin, or even Davies and Holgate who have already proven they are ready for the first team, but the likes of Browning, Dowell, Galloway, Kenny and Griffiths the goalkeeper too.
Even if just Lookman and Browning, just as an example, make it through as Davies and Holgate look to be doing so, that'd be fantastic. Massive credit to Unsworth and his team for bringing them on the way they have.
Not just the new lads Lookman and Calvert-Lewin, or even Davies and Holgate who have already proven they are ready for the first team, but the likes of Browning, Dowell, Galloway, Kenny and Griffiths the goalkeeper too.
Even if just Lookman and Browning, just as an example, make it through as Davies and Holgate look to be doing so, that'd be fantastic. Massive credit to Unsworth and his team for bringing them on the way they have.
A lot of English academies tend to have a "golden generation" but we seem to be managing ours miles better than others. Chelsea won the FA Youth Cup multiple times with a British core but they're massively mishandled in my opinion and lots of their promising players will just disappear.
Billy Dean
Player Valuation: £70m
I like the look of Connolly myself. By all accounts he acquitted himself well in his first team appearances, slotted in seamlessly at Wigan and has always done the business at youth international level. Versatile too. Seems to be confident too. Would be interested to hear what our experts thoughts on him are.
