This season we have had many debuts from players who have come through the youth team, Cousins, Pigott, Poyet and now Lennon. People are saying that they aren't getting the chance but when was the last time we had so many come through in one season? Even though the situation for Lennon coming on due to injury and Poyet coming in when the match is over, there are still other options but Powell has given them their debuts.
We will be relying on our youth products more than ever once this transfer window slams shut. I'm afraid things are about to get messy.
i have faith in our youngsters. they wouldnt be given their debuts if they werent good enough. they win all their leagues and there's no where else to go except into the first team plus they care more.
I'm fed up with loanee journeymen getting preferred to our own youth products, let's hope that policy is coming to an end.
Lennon played well today, according to the Huddersfield commentators. Things will only get messy if our youth products aren't good enough. Let's give them a chance to prove they are.
I agree with all your points, SIG, but I fear some of the youth players will be thrown in before they are ready. Commitment, vigour, and first class training will only get the youngsters so far in the cut and thrust of Championship football. The squad is about to be squeezed, and if my sources (and gut-feelings) prove to be correct, then my heart will go out to CP. The next seven days are going to be horrible.
Alright to put them in, but be ready to rest them before they wilt. Harriott and Cousins were left in too long. Stilll, they will come again.
This is indisputably true, as is "If you're good enough, you're young enough" when applied to players like Kevin Phillips, Roger Milla, Gianluigi Buffon and others. Unfortunately it is no help in selecting a team, which cannot be done on the basis of Christmas cracker mottoes. The difficult part is deciding whether they are indeed "good enough" in an all-round sense. Young players may be good enough in terms of speed, ball-skills, coaching knowledge ingested, and other assets (certainly, one would expect, in enthusiasm), but lack experience or maybe self-confidence when things don't go well. The initial adrenalin of making the first team may carry them along for a few games but that won't last forever. Others may feel they have cracked it and get lazy with their training or careless in their private lives. Every player is different and the manager and his staff must make a decision. They won't always get it right. If they get it wrong, it could cost us much-needed points and/or damage the player's longer-term development. I think that Cousins and Harriott should have been rested earlier. Powell said he would put youngsters in only for short runs of games but did not keep to his plan. Pigott started well but when he experienced one game where everything went wrong the confidence drained out of him and the crowd (disgustlingly) started to get on his back. Will these prove character-strengthening experiences in the longer run? Who knows? I do think CP is a tad too conservative, but he may have info we don't have. Does the fact that all the youngsters have looked good once introduced (Lennon the latest, despite being out of position) prove him right, or mean that he could have tried them earlier? We don't know. I think once it was decided to let Smith go there was nothing to lose in giving him a try first.