2024/25 Harrison Armstrong

[MikeH72]

Biggest compliment I can give is that he doesn’t look like a child playing against men like a lot of our youngsters tend to. The benefits of getting these players out on loan when they’re 17/18 rather than hoarding them until they’re 21 playing in the daft kids league.

 

[Aries]

He looks levels above to anyone playing last night in terms of quality, and I’m not talking about Accrington players I’m talking about the Everton midfielders he was playing alongside. He’s already a better footballer than James Garner, that is clear.

 

[maccavennie]

He looks levels above to anyone playing last night in terms of quality, and I’m not talking about Accrington players I’m talking about the Everton midfielders he was playing alongside. He’s already a better footballer than James Garner, that is clear.

The question is would Moyes put him ahead of Garner?

As.things stand i think Moyes has it as

Gueye
Garner
Tim
Armstrong

100% we need another midfielder so that would put him further down the pecking order.

I'd have no qualms at all Armstrong taking Garners spot but I think Moyes likes him, he's forever praising him in the training vids for another 5yd square pass he's done.

 

[Mr Happy]

One of the better players last night. Confident on the ball just didn’t have players around him on the same page.

Technically he looks great. Lovely effort outside the box which no other players offers bar McNeil.

Charly

 

[Aries]

The question is would Moyes put him ahead of Garner?

As.things stand i think Moyes has it as

Gueye
Garner
Tim
Armstrong

100% we need another midfielder so that would put him further down the pecking order.

I'd have no qualms at all Armstrong taking Garners spot but I think Moyes likes him, he's forever praising him in the training vids for another 5yd square pass he's done.

I don’t think he would no. And I agree with your order of preference where Moyes is concerned unfortunately. I like Moyes as a manager, he’s clearly a very good one. But although hes nowhere near as bad a Dyche, he’s cut from a similar cloth where there seems to be trust issues based on a players birth certificate.

You get teenagers where you can clearly see they haven’t quite developed physically and they’re not ready for top flight football no matter how talented they are.

Armstrong isn’t one of those. He’s no shrinking violet! He was barging players in to advertising boards against Peterborough last year and snapping in to tackles like a seasoned pro. A lot will obviously depend on recruitment, but as things stand, Armstrong SHOULD be starting games alongside Gana. IMO.

 

[MikeH72]

The question is would Moyes put him ahead of Garner?

As.things stand i think Moyes has it as

Gueye
Garner
Tim
Armstrong

100% we need another midfielder so that would put him further down the pecking order.

I'd have no qualms at all Armstrong taking Garners spot but I think Moyes likes him, he's forever praising him in the training vids for another 5yd square pass he's done.

If we went into the season with those midfield options plus one other, he would get plenty of game time.

 

[Marius57]

If we went into the season with those midfield options plus one other, he would get plenty of game time.

He will get time in the first 2/3 league games. If he manages it, he will stay. If it passes him by, I think he goes out on loan right at the end of the window.

Obviously dependant on us bringing another CM in as well.

 

[Neiler]

He’s special, said it after his first PL mins. Let’s not get carried away with last night, he was playing a team three levels below the PL and
Two from the league he was playing in on loan last season.

Hea awfully young, let’s let him develop and grow in the right way.

We killed Anthony Gordon here with expectation and pressure as a teenager - we’ve seen the player he’s become when he has been supported and developed in the right way, let’s do it different with Harrison.

 

[COYB75]

I think the best thing to do right now is declare him a world beater and place all hope for a glorious Everton revival on his shoulders whist demanding David Moyes plays him.

We need an official supporters club for him. I vote you as chair and spokesperson.

 

[Bedfordblue]

Looked hungry and eager to prove he has a place in the squad (if not team)

Kept busy and involved and provided a couple of good through balls / passes that should have been goals from Chermiti and Patterson.

Keeps those levels up Moyes will have a decision to make on stick or loan.

 

[blueloon]

He's been doing a lot of work prior to preseason with former Everton player and professional conditioing coach Lee Molyneux too. Comments included he never stops going and his mentality is different to lads the same age.

Lee Molyneux was the S&C coach that Gordon used a while back, so it’s a great sign of Armstrong’s attitude - for me Gordon had the best attitude, desire to improve of any of our youngsters in the past 10 years or so.

Having watched as many games as I could have when Harrison was playing for Derby , my focus was solely on him , I’m fully bought in to keeping him here , and developing him into a first team player. He’s got all the attributes to become a regular PL player for us, so it’s a question of more games in the Championship or progress with our coaches in the PL with fewer minutes. I’ll happily take the later , let’s demonstrate we can develop promising youngsters with a combination of loans / first team coaching.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

What are you judging a “special talent” to be? Literally Wayne Rooney levels and nothing else? Because to me, an 18 year old that can hold his own in the Premier League week in week out would be a considered a special talent. There’s a reason it’s so rare to see players of that age playing regularly in the Premier League.

He's not doing that though is he? He did ok for Derby but looked a bit lost the one time I watched a full game and he looked ok v Accrington Stanley but nothing particularly special. He still obviously has time to develop but people are getting carried away.

 

[Bally1989]

Unlike how we handed Tom Davies ideally we get it right with Harrison. I would send him on loan at least until Jan to a championship club, maybe someone like Southampton.

We shouldn’t be heaping pressure on him at this stage of his career nor does he need to be playing bit part roles because we’ve got our recruitment so badly wrong.

 

[AndyZ]

What level of ability and involvement are we seeing and expect from him? Let’s hear comparisons and no fence sitting.

Does he have a future in the first team? Barkley level impact? Or just a Tom Davies? Or will be one of the countless academy graduates to ply their trade at lower levels, à la Kieran Dowell, John Lundstram, etc.

No fence sitting, please. Need material for the vaults.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

He looks levels above to anyone playing last night in terms of quality, and I’m not talking about Accrington players I’m talking about the Everton midfielders he was playing alongside. He’s already a better footballer than James Garner, that is clear

This is total hyperbole. Garner was one of the key players in a team that got promoted. Armstrong played ok for a team fighting relegation.