Last year was too risky to play the kids as we needed to go up. This year is too risky as we need to stay up.
See, I disagree. Last year was the perfect opportunity. I get what you're saying; none of them should've been relied upon or key players, but there was certainly opportunites we didn't take with them. We were brave enough with JWP & Shaw last time we got promoted, and it very much can be done, we're just not brave enough to do it nowadays.
Why did we persist with Mara and send Ballard out on loan, for example? Or there was countless chances for the likes of Dibling to come on late in the game when we were comfortably winning and ... we just didn't.
If I was Ballard, and saw Mara being persisted with and doing **** all, I'd be a bit miffed to be honest. Yes, I know Mara is a little bit older, but I'm pretty sure if Ballard had made the appearances that Mara did, he'd have contributed far more. Same with Dibling/SAA and Sulemana. Pochettino would have been brave enough to blood these lads, as would early-era Ralph, but it's not about relying on them as core players, it's about giving them opportunities to grow that I feel we missed out on.