Second half just started Southampton 0 - 2 Sunderland (Brady, Watmore) Highlights here https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC
I missed all the good bits but still nice to see us win something. So under 21s top of the league and first team bottom of the league, weird. Looks good for the future of the team if we can start bringing these lads through. If they're anything like Watmore they'll play their hearts out and without fear.
It'd be interesting to keep the best four or five players from the first team (Lens, M'Vila, Pantillimon, Borini, Defoe) and fill in the rest of the team with the under 21s. Probably do pretty well.
They're a better team that wins games..... Why would that be a promotion....? Hi lads, yeh I know you were planning on doing some light training on Saturday, but we've got a game against the hammers. I know, I know, we usually give the old farts a game most Saturdays, but hey, give em a break, they've played 3 times this month already, they're exhausted, and haven't had a week away in Dubai this month yet, so give em a break already.....
Would probably go down and kill any prospective careers. U21 league us more like league 1 or 2 level of football! There are a few shining lights but being top of that league bears no reflection on how good the players are.
Aye but Rooney was given a chance in his teens, look at beckham, Giggs, Butt and the rest the youngsters that were brought up at MU. Properly managed and coached, with pace and determination and they should start pushing for the 1st team. What hope does it give them to see the likes of Brown, Oshea and the other journeymen we have cantering around the pitch into their 30's living on past glories
It's always a tricky one with the yoof players, do you show faith in them and throw them in the deep end where there's every chance they'll thrive or do you protect them from the psychological issue of failure on the big stage and sneak them on here and there. I don't think there's any clear right or wrong answer.
ManU playing their youngsters all at the same time was forced on them by the departure of Hughes, Ince and Kanchelkis. It worked for them but should never be used as a yardstick as it could very well have gone the other way. Personally, I like the EFC way of drip feeding kids in.
The thing is Watmore has been out there and put the ball in the net. He`s certainly no worse than that idle ****er Fletcher and a bloody sight better than Graham.
I'm getting so fed up of reading about Watmore scoring in almost every game he plays and at every level, only to find that he is still being overlooked for a place in the first team. What more can the guy do? It would not surprise me one bit if he turns down the new contract that is apparently being prepared.
I remember we actually did it once (1977), with Elliot, Arnott & Rowell. We had gone about 11 league games without even scoring a goal and then suddenly it all seemed to click and won 4-0, 6-1 & 6-0 in consecutive home games. We still went down though
Ah **** was it streamed? FFS! Been playing Championship Manager 93 all day and bearly looked online, David Rush is turning into a cracking player. I'm a bit detached from it all at the moment.
What hope would it give them being thrown into the situation we're in Rooney etc were all blooded in relatively no risk situations in relatively successful teams. Not in relegation fodder. You blood a youngster in our side and we play rubbish his head could end up in the gutter. We can't afford the risk. Besides, we never win in August and September!!!
In a way I agree, but we seem to continually play the oldies, forcing the departure of Bruce, ONeill, Di Caneo, Poyet...................DA? Only joking, but something is deeply wrong at the club for this depressingly bad run of seasons. Look around at some of the other teams and their players, who at least give their fans some goals and entertainment. I remember watching Norwich v Sunderland under ONeill, we were dire, Johnson ambling away from the sideline with his back to the ball as we were taking a throw in; he looked completely disinterested and we were abysmal. Some of those players are STILL there. So let's get one or two of the better youngsters (at 19 or 20 they are adults ffs) having a go, As I put earlier, we are in the **** anyway
True, it's the chance you take. Although properly managed and coached they could also lift a team where it seems the mentality is 'we've lost this one' before a ball is kicked. I really cannot understand the logic behind it all, it could be absolutely rocking in the NE, a power house of football........ instead the fans, being as loyal as any team could ask for, are being kicked in the teeth season after season and we continue to get ridiculed and laughed at. It's time to change that mindset
