We did seem to suffer bad luck with several potential players picking up long term injuries just as they were showing promise.
I would be pleased to see us taking a risk, with Reed rather than buy a DM. However, we shouldn't promote people just because they are young.mthey should play when they are ready for a chance. Koeman took no chances with youth.
Yes, quite true. The aim is to have 50% of the first team squad from the Academy. That's a long way off, but nobody's putting a timetable on achieving that at Saints, so I don't see any reason for concern. First and foremost, they have to be good enough.
The way to improve at pretty much anything is to take on challenges that stretch you and test your limits. You don't improve by waiting until you're good enough for the next level then stepping up, you improve by stepping up and finding out how good you can be - that means being allowed to take risks.
Yes, but what you do is get the little lads to make the step-up elsewhere. Then, when they've shown they're worth taking the chance on, you promote them.
Could be argued they knew the door was closed, they wouldn't get a chance regardless, and had a lack of confidence as a result. (as Adam Blackmore alluded to)
We have at least 6 more games next season (and if we can win a game in December, might even play more than once in the FA Cup). So there might not be much choice.
Indeed. Playing youth is always a risk as they are unproven. They get played when the manager thinks they are good enough. When they play you find out whether the gamble has paid off. The point is you only play them when you think they can step up.
Pochettino showed himself willing to take that risk. Koeman didn't. So is the difference the ability of the players or the philosophy of the manager?
Pochettino [I'll try ditching Pinocchio for once] was in charge of a much thinner squad, in terms of depth of quality. In Koeman's second season he started with the strongest squad Saints have had in the PL. It's no wonder the youngsters didn't get much of a look-in. Where Pochettino has properly succeeded is for Spurs where they got rid of experienced players who hadn't performed, kept ones who had, and brought in development players who were given their first matches by Sherwood and who had been very promising. Poch''s blending of those players was very good indeed. If you remember, he did say, very early into his Spurs job, that the development players, under the surface, at Spurs were better than those at Southampton. As much as it pains me to agree with him, I'd have to go along with that.
