Midfielders in the Youth Set-Up

[Robertor]

by all accounts 'allegedly' was always going back to Bradford, playing the big 'I am' and getting on the pop and stuff. Again 'allegedly' after that 'wonder goal' at Tranmere went on a bender to celebrate.

Talking about Ledson mate.

 

[degsy]

Talking about Ledson mate.

Oops*climbs down off soapbox

but stand by my original premise, 1 in 30,40,50? make it

Harvey, Buckley, Richardson ( who had to go away to really make it ) Ebrell, Osman, Barkley
60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's.

Do you Include Rooney as a midfielder*waggles hand...

anybody I've missed?

 

[bluebrotha77]

Talking about Ledson mate.

I think he is "ALLEGEDLY"

 

[bluestevon]

I think he is "ALLEGEDLY"

He was talking about george green mate not ledson

 

[bluebrotha77]

He was talking about george green mate not ledson

Ah right sorry lad reading it wrong

 

[BlueIsTheColour]

Oops*climbs down off soapbox

but stand by my original premise, 1 in 30,40,50? make it

Harvey, Buckley, Richardson ( who had to go away to really make it ) Ebrell, Osman, Barkley
60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's.

Do you Include Rooney as a midfielder*waggles hand...

anybody I've missed?

Rodders?

 

[mightymoyes]

Oops*climbs down off soapbox

but stand by my original premise, 1 in 30,40,50? make it

Harvey, Buckley, Richardson ( who had to go away to really make it ) Ebrell, Osman, Barkley
60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's.

Do you Include Rooney as a midfielder*waggles hand...

anybody I've missed?

gavin mccann

 

[degsy]

Rodders?

nah

Is this the rodders that never had a defined position
was too much Birkdale and not enough Kirkdale
whose biggest claim to fame was getting fouled by suarez
who went to city and hardly got a game.
then moved to sunderland for much of the same.

nah

 

[degsy]

gavin mccann

get real, bigger 'Nah' than rodders

 

[mightymoyes]

get real, bigger 'Nah' than rodders

didnt realise it was your arbitrary view on what made it means. a professional player in the premier league that got capped by england has made it in my view. if england single player we have in the youth squads has that career we'd have the best youth set up in the world!

 

[dave abrahams]

In approximate order or ability below. I should point out that the set of midfielders below are stronger than the majority in our curry under 17/16's age group (Evans aside).

Evans: A terrific talent. Delighted he has signed a long term contract as some top clubs were monitoring him. He is quick, good on the ball, confident at dribbling, has vision and an eye for a goal. Also over 6 ft tall. Looks a real prospect. Often has the under 18's and under 21's built around getting the best out of him.

Ledson: A lot has been written about him. Tall box to box Midfielder. Strong in the tackle, good passer with a decent shot on him. Like a Defensive Gerrard type player or a young Rodwell. Not been included much recently so needs to get more game time you would think.

Dowell: Already featured for the first team. A natural number 10. Drifts into great positions, has brilliant vision and can naturally play one touch football way beyond his years. Also he has grown a lot in height over recent years. He does look a bit languid though and isn't a great mover. I think he is quite similar to Ozil in style and ghosts past players. He will be fine as long as Martinez stays but I would be worried is another Moyes type manager came in. He will be viewed as a "luxury player"/

Walsh: Arguably the most talented young player we've got. he has fantastic technique and an ability to control the flow of a game from a deep lying position. The worry is his size. Again like with Dowell I would worry if Martinez went. In an era where young players tend to be 6 ft+ and good athletes he doesn't fit that. Ledson and Evans will stand a chance whoever is in charge, but Walsh will need a little more care.

They are the main 4 contenders. Some others to keep an eye out:

Donuhue: This lad is a bit of a mystery to me. Often for the under 18's looks head and shoulders above the rest. A great dribbler, gutsy and can finish. However he hasn't had enough time in the reserves for me to think he is knocking the door down for selection.

Williams: He has ticked all the right boxes. Tall and similar to Ledson. I don't see him having that standout ability to make it at Everton though, but we will see.

Davies: Currently a 17 year old. Strong lad, see what I've written about him in his own thread.

Bannigame: A young lad to keep an eye on, looks big and strong.

Good summing up of all these players. Walsh is small, but I wouldn't worry about that too much, he can look after himself
got a bit of a temper on him, especially with his own players if they mess it up, a bit young to go overboard but I really think Liam will do well at Everton.

 

[catcherintherye]

Good summing up of all these players. Walsh is small, but I wouldn't worry about that too much, he can look after himself
got a bit of a temper on him, especially with his own players if they mess it up, a bit young to go overboard but I really think Liam will do well at Everton.

You are absolutely right on that one. Walsh has a real presence about him and reminds me of a little Paul Scholes type player when Scholes was towards the end of his career. he is excellent vision and a great passing range, he's also more than happy to handle himself in the tackle. As you can tell from the write up I really like Walsh.

I maintain though a lot will be dependant on if Martinez stays in charge. A lot of premier league managers will look at him and feel that he's too small. Increasingly clubs want athletes who can cover the ground in Central midfield. The Spanish outlook hinted at a change in that but in honesty it has never caught on in England.

 

[catcherintherye]

Oops*climbs down off soapbox

but stand by my original premise, 1 in 30,40,50? make it

Harvey, Buckley, Richardson ( who had to go away to really make it ) Ebrell, Osman, Barkley
60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's.

Do you Include Rooney as a midfielder*waggles hand...

anybody I've missed?

You make a good point but perhaps going a bit far. If you look at most England under 17's/18's/20's squads (the 21's is a bit different) around 1 in two tend to play a game for the first team. Probably around 1/3 get a bit of a run for a premier league first team. A lot depends on the coaches though and the manager being prepared to give them a chance.

If you look at the England under 20 squad from 2 years ago when Martinez first arrived Barkley, Stones and Garbutt all featured along with Chris Long. 3 of the 4 have been given an opportunity in the first team and 2 of the 3 have really grabbed it.

 

[Saint Domingo]

You are absolutely right on that one. Walsh has a real presence about him and reminds me of a little Paul Scholes type player when Scholes was towards the end of his career. he is excellent vision and a great passing range, he's also more than happy to handle himself in the tackle. As you can tell from the write up I really like Walsh.

I maintain though a lot will be dependant on if Martinez stays in charge. A lot of premier league managers will look at him and feel that he's too small. Increasingly clubs want athletes who can cover the ground in Central midfield. The Spanish outlook hinted at a change in that but in honesty it has never caught on in England.

Exactly the type of midfielder we need though. Potentially an upgraded version of Gibson. No one else has that passing range from deep. Ledson might be an alright player but what does he bring that McCarthy Besic Cleverley are not already offering? If Dowell Evans and Walsh kick in to join Barkley we could have great strength in depth in the next few years but like Baxter, Lundstram, even Rodwell, you can never tell when they are just going to plateau. Another manager may have even lost patience with Barkley.

 

[DRINGO]

I used to love watching john paul kissock ! used to remind me of ortega and not just his hair ! alas never made it !