The thing with playing youth is that if they aren't ready, it can horribly impact their game. KLP came in brimming with confidence last season and that's great, ditto the two lads that went out on loan to Cheltenham.
But even at League One level, there's a huge gulf between the standard of the league and our U23s. Certainly they would have been overfaced in the Championship, especially in a losing team. If we played our U23s against Harrogate in the EFL Trophy, I think they'd find it tough against full time professionals.
That's not to say they're bad players, they're at the start of their careers, but I think there's something in getting them adjusted to the level we're at. They're a talented bunch, so we'll no doubt see some go out on loan anyway. I know you've got to have the experience of first team football, but at whose expense in this team that's kept three clean sheets and won three games? If they're sat on the bench, they're not on the pitch so they might as well be in the league below getting first team experience.
But even at League One level, there's a huge gulf between the standard of the league and our U23s. Certainly they would have been overfaced in the Championship, especially in a losing team. If we played our U23s against Harrogate in the EFL Trophy, I think they'd find it tough against full time professionals.
That's not to say they're bad players, they're at the start of their careers, but I think there's something in getting them adjusted to the level we're at. They're a talented bunch, so we'll no doubt see some go out on loan anyway. I know you've got to have the experience of first team football, but at whose expense in this team that's kept three clean sheets and won three games? If they're sat on the bench, they're not on the pitch so they might as well be in the league below getting first team experience.