Saints were invited to, and have taken up a place, in a 16-team European Cup competition aimed at improving youth development. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ar...e-new-European-cup-competition-U21-sides.html DTLW
so now not only english clubs but the rest of Europe will be after our players now!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Teams involved... England: Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester City, Man City, Man Utd, Southampton, Sunderland, West Ham. Europe: Celtic, Athletic Bilbao, Benfica, Borussia Monchengladbach, Schalke, FC Porto, PSV Eindhoven, Villarreal It would be still the likes of Chelsea, Man U and City having a good look at the talent pool.
We have no chance in this. We have good U21s however the best ones won't be available as they are in the 1st team squad and won't be risked in something like this. The other teams have all their youth players in youth teams. Effectively Chelsea, Man U and City etc will be at full strength whereas ours could have had JWP, McQueen, Targett, Reed, Gallagher, Isgrove. We would have won it then. So we await the 'thought Saints youth teams were supposed to be good' when our best youth products are already in the first team squad. Much like we hear every year 'why do Saints U?? teams not win the league if they are so good' when in fact our youth players all tend to be playing at higher age groups than their opposition.
I find it ironic that Man City are in a youth cup aimed at improving the development of youth players considering their record of developing youth players.
They have however recently spent a fortune on their academy and linking it all into the stadium. They may have bought success to date and they may well pinch the best youngsters in the future, however they are at least investing heavily in that area .
Would really like to send a message with this tournament, free up all available players from first team duties (few will be first choice for the first team) and make JWP captain. None of Chelseas youngsters will be involved with the first team so we will need to be at our best
Weaken the first team to make sure we win a competition organised by invite only? Why on earth not? ;-)
Mmmm I call it the English disease. This built in desire we have to win no matter what. The purpose of having academies and youth set-ups is to develop players with the technical ability and playing know-how to become players for our first team. Winning youth cups is neither here nor there. If it happens it happens.
You might be thinking of the UEFA Youth League, which features the youth teams of the 32 teams which qualified for the Group Stage. Even that replaced the Next Gen Series, which invited the best teams in Europe themselves to join, which featured Aston Villa in its inaugural season.
If its the English desease then how come England have won **** in almost half a century, the kids do well then get pushed too quickly. This is a chance for our best players to play against some of the best players in thier age group. At the moment only Targett is first choice as there is no other choice. At the moment the fans are on a downer and most people in football think that the club is going tits up, if the kids could do well then the feel good factor would be wonderful and those on the outside may see that the club has a rosey future instead of writing articles that damages club morale
Targett is first choice as the coaches think he can play. We give chances to young players, that's the thing we do much better than everyone else. Considering all the other clubs place more emphasis on results of their U18 teams and seem to create nothing. We push them up as soon as we think they are ready and have oodles of good young lads. I think we have it right, and don't really need to be pushing to win some silly new tournament. Ignore everyone else and keep doing what we're doing, it's clearly working.
There I rest my case, your honour. This line shows you missed my point entirely. I am saying that by thinking of winning things at younger age groups is why England never win anything because we don't develop players properly (Saints don't win many things at that level because they focus on player development firstly)... winning a cup just doesn't matter unless it is the first team. It is not about kids getting pushed too quickly that England have failed. It is down to them not being coached well enough and being coached to win games first and foremost from the ages of 8-18. Your suggestion puts the 'feel good factor' of fans and people writing about the club ahead of player development.... winning a tournament at that age is irrelevant. If the player is good enough for the first team, that is where they should be, not being held back for a younger age group just so we can be seen to be winning something. 'At the moment the fans are on a downer' ... so the answer to that is to hold back players who could be playing in the first team, play them I the U'21s, just to make some fans feel better. Sorry Benditlikeabanana, but that is nonsensical.
