Looks like AN HAS got something right and we are indeed building a DYNASTY for the future. How about if the first team performs as appallingly as they did against Brum, he unleashes that dynasty early????
This is what gives me hope for the future, Braveheart. With the Murphys, Maddison, Morris, Toffolo and Thompson all pushing for first-team places, we now have another generation coming along with the likes of Godfrey, Efete, Cantwell, and Killip as we build that dynasty.
I will admit that I cannot recall our youth system having so much potential. Let's hope that potential is realised in the next few years. But it raises a question. If our scouts can be so successful at spotting future stars, how come they are so inept at getting to-days men?
I'm fairly certain if they are that ambitious and talented they would rather be playing in the Premier league, If we fail to go up they will be snapped up by Hull or Burnley etc.
In some ways, I hope AN stays until February at least and then hopefully we can see Maddison at least on the bench occasionally. As you said RER some of the other young guns you mentioned should be coming in to the reckoning soon as well. I'm coming to the conclusion that we should use this season to build for the future and if we don't start to give these youngsters the opportunity to develop within the 1st team framework, then I can see them leaving for pastures new next summer!!! - see my post above.
Absolutely. Getting promoted again and kick-starting the inevitable yo-yo cycle once more can wait. Let's get an established nucleus of players who can grow, learn and mature together and then see where we are / go next season. As long as we finish above the 'gristle' I'll settle for that
Having seen the "yoof" last week I must admit that we do have a bright future if we can keep them together, blood them as necessary this season wherever possible and if we are not in the hunt for promotion (Heaven forbid) by the end of say Feb, use the rest of the season to give them meaningful game time so that they become the nucleus of the team next season (I'm thinking of Godfrey, Thompson, Maddison, Efete, the Murphys and possibly Morris). OTBC
That's great to hear OCF and I know you were impressed by some of them at Posh last week as well - I really must try and get along to see them next time they play at CR. IF we can keep them all here, the future's bright - the future's yellow and green.
That's the big IF though. If we don't get promoted then there will be 3 more promoted clubs and 3 demoted ones all ready to cherry pick anyone who has excelled for us. We need to get promoted to keep any of them that are PL quality. Others say build around the youth for 2-3 seasons, I just see the best being cherry picked and us languishing in the championship. Bah!
Spot on General and I just hope AN doesn't go back on his word of actually integrating them into the 1st team, otherwise the money we have invested in their training them to date will be lost. Having said that, apparently none of the Chelsea team we beat to lift the FA Youth Cup are playing football at any significant level, so we seem to have done better than them in that respect.
Good point about Chelsea. Of course, they have the funds to bring in players as and when needed, whereas, financially, we are more reliant on those youngsters making the grade. The fact we seem to be doing that better than them makes me happy to support the team I do.
But whichever way you look at it, we are in a Catch 22 situation. Play the youth to give them experience, but fail to get promoted, or go with the experienced Pros, get promoted then next season ignore the youth because they are not ready for the premiership.
That's why I'd prefer us to not strive too much for promotion this season, but to develop our youff and then they will be ready for a concerted effort next season and also hopefully be ready for the challenges they will face in the PL. <donstinhatemoticon>
I said on here somewhere yesterday, I'd rather see us consolidate and build this year so that when the nucleus of a new young team is in place, then try to get back up. I'm sick of one season of relative elation followed by one of despair, gloom and continuous disappointments as per the last two years. Plus we've proved several times that we can't / won't spend the money needed to stay in the top flight, so why bother trying to get there before were equipped and ready?
As long as we can integrate properly the likes of Maddison, the Murphy twins, Godfrey etc I see it as putting the building blocks in place for a new generation which can actually compete rather than our older warhorses, who floundered badly last year. Just finish above the Gristle, that's my only concern for this season
I don't think it is quite as cut and dried as that. Play the youff on merit. Josh warrents a run in the team after performances so far, AN didn't believe Maddison did, so best that he gets more football in a first team in a robust league to toughen him up ready for January and our title run in. I'd actually have sent more out on loan. I think oportunities are going to be limited for many of them and more progress could be made playing in another champ side or even lge1. The thing is if the manager doesn't think them ready this year for the championship then they likely won't be for the PL weather they've played or not. But just suppose Josh tears up this division, a real star and we don't go up. Will he still be here next season when the PL vultures start circling? Maybe? He and his family have been in and around the club for some time. But doubling money, maybe trippling and he may not be able to ignore it. We are a selling club and the only way to keep the best players we have is to increase our revenue stream, for that we need the PL at all costs. The younguns if only given limited time this season won't be PL ready, but they may get a loan with a champ side and then be ready for the jump the following season. We need to build not have the core of our team continually ripped out by the PL which will surely happen more with every passing season or even window spent in the championship. Bah!
Not KIO but I'm going to disagree. As long as we are yoyoing we can build a better team as surely we are. Last relegation look at our team and what we lost. Snoddy was our significant loss. But since then look at our team. This time we may have lost Redmond (Not as bigger loss as Snoddy in my book!) But we have kept Klose and Brady surely PL players. Get promoted and we are two players closer (Or is that Kloser!) to having a team capable of survival than last time. I think then with two more players, a striker and a CB away from survival. McGovern Pinto Klose ????? Olsson Josh/Canos Howson Tettey (Or an upgrade) Brady Pritchard/Hoolahan/Naismith ?????? Could very well have what it takes to survive, it would be great if during this season some of the other youth develop so they to will be in 1st team reckoning, but that for me is upto them to prove their worth. Bah!
