The OS has announced that Danny Rose and Kyle Walker have extended their contracts until 2015 and 2016, respectively. I hope that both of them get a decent number of games as back-up full-backs this season, especially if we can progress in the Europa League and avoid tiring out any of our main players. Both appear to be very attacking options at the back, though. I hope that Redknapp takes that into account and compensates for any gaps that they may leave, when they go forward.
Good to see a couple more players on long-term deals. Also, a year ago Danny Rose was quoted saying he wanted to leave, so to see him fight for his place and get rewarded is a good sign.
We do need to start blooding some of our youngsters. To see the likes of Rose and Walker really coming on would be better than us blowing £30 million in the transfer market buying players to fill in for them.
That is certainly true. It'll be interesting to see how Harry utilises these two players next season. I really do hope that each gets a crack at some league games, and are not used merely for the cup matches. Rose, in particular, looked very solid when he got his chance, last season. I think he could be a quality player.
What's happened to Bostock? He was being hailed as the new Wunderkind when we bought him. But it all seems to have gone quiet. Is the boy doing well, or is he going to fall by the wayside?
As they're back-up to Corluka and BAE, they should both get opportunities next season. I'd like to see them getting some late cameos if we're coasting to a win, as well as starts if we're resting players in the Europa League/FA Cup/Carling Cup, rather than throw them in at random intervals. I get the feeling he's going to be all promise, no end product - especially with the reports from Brentford and Hull that he's got an appalling attitude are true. Another Adel Taarabt, in other words.
Bostock's had a couple of loans and they haven't worked out for him. There has been some talk of an attitude problem, so maybe that's not the route to go with him. Rose and Walker both play in positions that we needed to add to, in my opinion. Hutton hasn't done it and Assou-Ekotto has been overused, so back-up in both full-back slots was something that we would have needed to look at, if they hadn't broken through.
I think it's more a case of other clubs not addressing similar problems with their players. As I understand, Utd have a zero tolerance policy towards their youngsters showing unproffesional attitudes but some of the stuff I've heard about the West Ham and Chelsea youth graduates, in particular, it sounds like if they're talented enough they get a virtual free pass.
The majority of the youngsters we loaned out last season (Walker, Caulker, Townsend, Livermore, M'Poku, Kane et al) didn't have any talk of attitude problems, but Bostock did. It does seem to be an issue endemic in English youngsters that once hear themselves being bigged-up as the future of the England team before their 18th birthday, they don't feel the need to live up to the billing, as they think that billing is the be-all-and-end-all, and it's just a matter of time before the world is at their feet. Plenty of player who had that billing a decade ago are still obnoxious and entitled, without prviding any reason for that attitude. Joe Cole is the shining example of this, especially thinking he deserved a £20k wage hike after leaving the Chelsea bench and treatment table.
