Kieran Dowell

[Barnfred 55]

But he's 19 next month, clearly if he doesn't score a hat trick by then he's doomed, oh and Liam Walsh is 19 today so he's younger than him.

We've witnessed his undoubted talent last season with some superb goals not only with his stronger left foot but also with his right. His weakness I think is a tendency to drift out of the game and let it pass him by, a bit like Delofeu at times. Then he does something simple but very effective and he's back in again. This happens to all young players when they step up say to the 1st team , where they can't dominate aspects of a game as they did in a younger age group. It makes it very difficult to get a run in the first team. Davies can be similar but his style of play allows him to charge about , make tackles and interceptions and be more prominent. Dowell is a more subtle player who needs careful nurturing .

If he's played on the right of midfield he doesn't offer the pace and ability to beat a man that Bolasse and Geri give you. But equally that's a strength too in that he can offer something different , something game changing from others we have .

As ever the the reality is that home grown youngsters find it more and more difficult to break into a PL club's squad these days and we are no different . I saw an article somewhere that said in the past 5 years only Rodwell and Barkely have broken into our first team and played for us for more than one season. Not sure if Anichebe also qualifies , but the message is pretty stark , you have to be pretty special to break all the way through these days. Dowell is no Rooney or even Barkley but he has shown something special at u21 level and seems to have the other aspects like desire and mentality to succeed.

The other aspect for me is the club itself. We've talked about developing the best Academy in Europe, brought in Dr Peter Vint etc, so converting the likes of Dowell ( and Davies, Connolly, Kenny, Walsh) into players who are regular squad members at PL level is fundamental to proving we have one of the best youth set ups.

Seems to have grown quite a bit in stature over the last 18 months. His style and skill set reminds me very much of a young Matt Le Tissier, and his goals last year for the under 21s were remarkably similar too.

If he turns out to be as good as Tiss I'd be delighted. As you say he offers something different to all the other offensive players we have at the moment. What he does is always neat and tidy and sometimes spectacular, and he's not afraid to put a [Poor language removed] in defensively too. He reads the game well for such a young player and you get the feeling he knows what he's going to do before he actually receives the ball. But from what I've seen he needs to learn how to get more involved in games before he's ready for regular inclusion in the first team squad.

There's plenty of time as he's still only 19. Tiss didn't start influencing games consistently until he was mid-late 20s. Great prospect though.

 

[macdog]

"he's not afraid to put a [Poor language removed] in defensively too."

Gold, mate.

 

[Billefc]

Seems to have grown quite a bit in stature over the last 18 months. His style and skill set reminds me very much of a young Matt Le Tissier, and his goals last year for the under 21s were remarkably similar too.

If he turns out to be as good as Tiss I'd be delighted. As you say he offers something different to all the other offensive players we have at the moment. What he does is always neat and tidy and sometimes spectacular, and he's not afraid to put a [Poor language removed] in defensively too. He reads the game well for such a young player and you get the feeling he knows what he's going to do before he actually receives the ball. But from what I've seen he needs to learn how to get more involved in games before he's ready for regular inclusion in the first team squad.

There's plenty of time as he's still only 19. Tiss didn't start influencing games consistently until he was mid-late 20s. Great prospect though.

Not too keen on some of his defensive tactics you have mentioned there , turd division play that !!!

 

[Barnfred 55]

Not too keen on some of his defensive tactics you have mentioned there , turd division play that !!!

shift!!!

How did that get past the mods?

 

[hetion]

But he's 19 next month, clearly if he doesn't score a hat trick by then he's doomed, oh and Liam Walsh is 19 today so he's younger than him.

We've witnessed his undoubted talent last season with some superb goals not only with his stronger left foot but also with his right. His weakness I think is a tendency to drift out of the game and let it pass him by, a bit like Delofeu at times. Then he does something simple but very effective and he's back in again. This happens to all young players when they step up say to the 1st team , where they can't dominate aspects of a game as they did in a younger age group. It makes it very difficult to get a run in the first team. Davies can be similar but his style of play allows him to charge about , make tackles and interceptions and be more prominent. Dowell is a more subtle player who needs careful nurturing .

If he's played on the right of midfield he doesn't offer the pace and ability to beat a man that Bolasse and Geri give you. But equally that's a strength too in that he can offer something different , something game changing from others we have .

As ever the the reality is that home grown youngsters find it more and more difficult to break into a PL club's squad these days and we are no different . I saw an article somewhere that said in the past 5 years only Rodwell and Barkely have broken into our first team and played for us for more than one season. Not sure if Anichebe also qualifies , but the message is pretty stark , you have to be pretty special to break all the way through these days. Dowell is no Rooney or even Barkley but he has shown something special at u21 level and seems to have the other aspects like desire and mentality to succeed.

The other aspect for me is the club itself. We've talked about developing the best Academy in Europe, brought in Dr Peter Vint etc, so converting the likes of Dowell ( and Davies, Connolly, Kenny, Walsh) into players who are regular squad members at PL level is fundamental to proving we have one of the best youth set ups.

Arguably there has been a bit of a shift in terms of players getting their breakthrough in the last season or two. I wonder if it's just chance or a change in perspective from managers/DoFs - but there's been a bunch of success stories from players who weren't held up as massive stars of reserve teams. Kane, Rashford, Coquelin, all were regarded as 'merely' decent-to-good - certainly no Rooneys. There are others too but I'm tired and drawing a blank.

I feel this may even extend beyond youth players, and into players from lower leagues/poor teams who aren't obvious stars but just need a chance under a different system...see Gueye and pretty much all of Leicester.

 

[Neiziro]

Now is young Kieran's to shine.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Can't be worse than Valencia

 

[argietoffee]

Can't be worse than Valencia

or Barkley

 

[MikeH72]

Is it time for this lad to get a game? Or at least an appearance from the bench? He couldn't possibly contribute less than Barkley at the minute, and we literally have no other options in that position.

 

[toffeejack]

Is it time for this lad to get a game? Or at least an appearance from the bench? He couldn't possibly contribute less than Barkley at the minute, and we literally have no other options in that position.

watching that u23's game yesterday, no. Don't know if the lad needs a kick up the arse or not, but one time he lost the ball, it was 2 yards away and he stood there looking at it instead of challenging for the 50/50 which he probably would have won. Was so weird.

 

[Ashtonian]

Imagine is the likes of davies and dowell end up being just as good as ledson, and leave the club n the future?

there is nothing like a young everton academy player being talked up for the first team and then getting released/sold before they make it eh? one of our specialities!




Don't get me wrong i would love a great attacking talent break through, just are we not talking this lad up like all the others? Same as davies, you would think we had the next fabregas waiting there when you talk about them

 

[davek]

Imagine is the likes of davies and dowell end up being just as good as ledson, and leave the club n the future?

there is nothing like a young everton academy player being talked up for the first team and then getting released/sold before they make it eh? one of our specialities!




Don't get me wrong i would love a great attacking talent break through, just are we not talking this lad up like all the others? Same as davies, you would think we had the next fabregas waiting there when you talk about them

I've seen enough of Dowell to say with some assurance he has what it takes. The way he takes a pass and knows precisely where it's going next cant be taught. He's a natural. He wont get the chance for first team football from Koeman though. He'll be looking to buy in players and Dowell will wilt and be lost to us.

 

[kithnou]

The Dowell I saw yesterday in the U/23 derby loss, with Koeman in the stands watching, was rubbish. No intensity. Poor free kicks. Total rubbish not deserving of any promotion.
Give it a rest with the Koeman bashing here.

 

[Ashtonian]

I've seen enough of Dowell to say with some assurance he has what it takes. The way he takes a pass and knows precisely where it's going next cant be taught. He's a natural. He wont get the chance for first team football from Koeman though. He'll be looking to buy in players and Dowell will wilt and be lost to us.

That may be true and i hope it is, don't misconstrue my words as being arsey, genuinely do want to see young lads coming through, was part of my first everton experience. I grew up seeing cadamarteri/branch/jevons/jeffers to name a few break through which was great at the time, even if they weren't all gems.

But i am sure if you go back long enough there was people saying the same about ledson, before him lundstrum and so on. It seems to be a thing that for every barkley or rooney that breaks through you have another 5 or 6 that are talked up and ultimately sold before even seeing them really get a chance.

 

[Papa Shango]

Seems to have grown quite a bit in stature over the last 18 months. His style and skill set reminds me very much of a young Matt Le Tissier, and his goals last year for the under 21s were remarkably similar too.

If he turns out to be as good as Tiss I'd be delighted. As you say he offers something different to all the other offensive players we have at the moment. What he does is always neat and tidy and sometimes spectacular, and he's not afraid to put a [Poor language removed] in defensively too. He reads the game well for such a young player and you get the feeling he knows what he's going to do before he actually receives the ball. But from what I've seen he needs to learn how to get more involved in games before he's ready for regular inclusion in the first team squad.

There's plenty of time as he's still only 19. Tiss didn't start influencing games consistently until he was mid-late 20s. Great prospect though.

Le Tissier?

No pressure then...