Brooks

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Man alive - it's difficult to keep this Brooks thing out of your head isn't it? I've decided to have a beer and just let it all run it's course. My thoughts on the Blog....

http://ball-sup.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/buy-him-some-big-headphones.html

I've watched him a lot at U18 & U23. But. You know what. I've never seen him do that. Take the ball deep in his own half. Just keep going. And just roll it home. Never....
He's had a confidence implant - or steroids.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Think you mean, thank you Nigel Clough?

If it was Clough that brought him here then yes to Clough too - but it was Man City that released him for apparently being too small considering them and Chelsea appear to have first pickings of young talent.

UTB

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Man alive - it's difficult to keep this Brooks thing out of your head isn't it? I've decided to have a beer and just let it all run it's course. My thoughts on the Blog....

http://ball-sup.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/buy-him-some-big-headphones.html

I've watched him a lot at U18 & U23. But. You know what. I've never seen him do that. Take the ball deep in his own half. Just keep going. And just roll it home. Never....
He's had a confidence implant - or steroids.

Most of us bow to your knowledge of our youngsters and how you keep us updated on their progress.

Is it not the case with some young players that they will be better the higher up they play?

Whilst he has a long way to go, Brook's style (laid back) reminds me of Meset Ozil - a sweet left foot who appears to take the game in a quite nonchalant way.

As for confidence - The Toulon tournament is probably what may have changed his footballing life on it's head, hence the none move to Chezzie and into our 1st team squad?

UTB

 

[finlaytheblade]

It's poor that from Wilder. I've never had cause to criticise him before, but the facts are that Wilder didn't seem to realise what a talent we had in Brooks until it came up and bit him on the arse. It was only the rave reviews from the England U20 tournament that seem to have alerted Wilder to the fact that this kid really can play and is ready. Hence the late change of mind about allowing him to go to Chesterfield. So when Wilder says, in this interview, "it's what we expected he could do and he's been doing it since the back end of last season and through the summer" then why the hell didn't he get more of a chance to feature in the first team last season, towards the end of the season? And why were we planning to farm him out on a loan to Chesterfield?

The facts are - Wilder didn't really rate him until very recently, when he earned those rave reviews for his England performance. And now the penny has dropped he has just realised that he's probably the most talented and valuable player in the entire club.

Oh and please...no bullshit about the need to "protect" young players. That's something that was coined by Sir Alex Ferguson many years ago and widely misinterpreted. Trevor Francis was a sensation at the highest level at 16 - so was Wayne Rooney. No one wrapped them in cotton wool and we mustn't do that with Brooks either.

Let's get him in the first team from the off and take this sleepy division of bloated ex Premiership clubs by surprise.

And let's enjoy the lad while he's here because I doubt he'll be our player this time next season - and I'd like to see a bit of him before he goes if that's ok?

Brooke's has been training with the 1at team squad most of last season so saying Wilder didn't rate him is wrong.
He has protected him from the riggers of
1at team football ( gave him time to mature. he's only just turned 20 ) looks like the time is right to give him his head.

 

[Boxer Blade]

Something that also stood out from that short clip, the better quality footballers, at any level including your local leagues when they score a quality, individual goal dont tend to slways charge around, taking their shirt off, kissing the badge etc ( not saying thats wrong) they just walk back with a " whats all the fuss, I can do that any time" but inside he's thinking I fuckin enjoyed that, have another look at the video.

 

[Rodley]

Keep knocking the player pal.
Great Blade support.

Now now, I think you were getting a touch over excitable last night weren't you?

Talk of Messi, £15m+ valuations and some mild criticism of Wilder's management from some based on a preseason friendly, youth team matches and a YouTube on here don't do anyone any favours, including the player himself.

Chesterfield are 4th division and U23 football is simply that. Can he deliver in league football consistently? He's unproven until he does but I hope we've got a real prospect on our hands.

 

[EddieColquhoun]

I have a dreadful memory, but didn't DCL play a pre-season game last season where everyone raved about him? Just before being sold.

He scored at Grimsby and I think he also got an assist. I only saw the goals but he looked athletic getting in behind the defence. Went off injured in the first half on memory.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Sorry mate but neither Whiteman or Reed are anywhere near as good as Brooksy - he has skill and pace which neither of the other 2 have

My post did say ' in his position' and in any squad there are specialist players and utility players who can play one or sometimes two or three positions. Brooks can play better further upfield than Whiteman or Reed and he has the ability to stride past a player as though he isn't there.

Reed and Brooks complement each other well when they play in the same team but they need a Whiteman there doing the tough, physical work to help them to play. These days Reed does the hard yards and has a tackle in him, plays with discipline and is a lovely passer of the ball. Whiteman is a wholehearted, genuine all round player who gobbles the hard yards and dominates the opposition; he does score goals by arriving into position rather than creating the chance necessarily.

Let's embrace all three of them. If Brooks is a superstar then let's hope the club can benefit more than they have in the past, why not a 30% sell-on clause if Everton think they want him. Let's not forget you can only judge a player when he has found his level after maybe 40 first team games. In that time a lot can happen. Look at Reed, his mentor was sacked and subsequent managers don't appreciate him as much.

I hope Brooks has the character and resilience needed to grow. This past week he has played two part games and scored a great goal and a late winner in one game. In the other game he presented the opposition with their easiest chance late in the game. It's how he responds to those big moments that will forge his future.

Last night Reed had half a game. My Chesterfield mate rang me last night to talk about the game and said he was delighted with Reed's half a game, his lovely touches on the ball and how he "put himself about for a young 'un". Obviously he cast an eye at Brooks' goal with some regrets but he was happy with Reed.

Three really good prospects. I'd love to see them all in our team playing together within two year and for years to come. Can't happen I know but let's hope it can and does in the future with other similar players.

 

[FinchleyBlade]

Looks like a quality player, I just find it hard to get excited about young players when we all know they will be off thre first moment a prem team comes sniffing.

 

[SUFC Guy]

Don't play him against Stoke - they will want to take him back with them on their team coach. I would hide him after the Rovrum game and not let him back out until the Transfer window slams shut

 

[B14Nco]

It's poor that from Wilder. I've never had cause to criticise him before, but the facts are that Wilder didn't seem to realise what a talent we had in Brooks until it came up and bit him on the arse. It was only the rave reviews from the England U20 tournament that seem to have alerted Wilder to the fact that this kid really can play and is ready. Hence the late change of mind about allowing him to go to Chesterfield. So when Wilder says, in this interview, "it's what we expected he could do and he's been doing it since the back end of last season and through the summer" then why the hell didn't he get more of a chance to feature in the first team last season, towards the end of the season? And why were we planning to farm him out on a loan to Chesterfield?

The facts are - Wilder didn't really rate him until very recently, when he earned those rave reviews for his England performance. And now the penny has dropped he has just realised that he's probably the most talented and valuable player in the entire club.

Oh and please...no bullshit about the need to "protect" young players. That's something that was coined by Sir Alex Ferguson many years ago and widely misinterpreted. Trevor Francis was a sensation at the highest level at 16 - so was Wayne Rooney. No one wrapped them in cotton wool and we mustn't do that with Brooks either.

Let's get him in the first team from the off and take this sleepy division of bloated ex Premiership clubs by surprise.

And let's enjoy the lad while he's here because I doubt he'll be our player this time next season - and I'd like to see a bit of him before he goes if that's ok?

I love posts like this... I can categorically state that Wilder didn't have a clue about Brooks... based on nothing more than my own opinion...

 

[mattbianco1]

Article and goal video here.

Many are saying he put it over a midfielders head. Strange how folk remember something when they see it live.

Fantastic run and finish - Currie-esq

http://www.skysports.com/football/n...der-david-brooks-nets-sensational-solo-strike

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

The loan to Chessy wasn't Wilders doing and he wasn't happy about it.

Genuine question- did I miss something earlier in the summer? Is this a fact? I assumed it was Wilder doing what he did with Freeman and Coutts - changed his mind and was not afraid to admit it. It would be worrying if this had been done without his approval.

 

[BushBlade]

Sorry mate but neither Whiteman or Reed are anywhere near as good as Brooksy - he has skill and pace which neither of the other 2 have

Did you not see Whiteman's goal for Mansfield where he won the ball in their half, passed it on and made a run, got it back again and scored? That was proper football, not a friendly. I haven't seen enough of Brooks or Whiteman to say who's better but I wouldn't write Whiteman off, he could be a very good player for us.

 

[Slim Man]

Did you not see Whiteman's goal for Mansfield where he won the ball in their half, passed it on and made a run, got it back again and scored? That was proper football, not a friendly. I haven't seen enough of Brooks or Whiteman to say who's better but I wouldn't write Whiteman off, he could be a very good player for us.

Whiteman has also done it at first team level. So far Brooks hasn't.

Saying he's 'nowhere near' as good is funny.

 

[Ricky]

Really want to see Whiteman and Brooks in the same team. Goals from midfield wouldn't be in short supply. With a bit of luck we'll be able to see this after January. Then we could be looking at a couple of huge assets.

 

[Slim Man]

Really want to see Whiteman and Brooks in the same team. Goals from midfield wouldn't be in short supply. With a bit of luck we'll be able to see this after January. Then we could be looking at a couple of huge assets.

Fleck, Coutts, Leonard and Whiteman fighting for the 2 deeper midfield roles would be superb after January.
I suspect Duffy might go in January too to be honest due to the development of Brooks so we could see Brooks and Carruthers fighting it out for that position with probably another addition.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

I haven't seen enough of him yet. I hope to see more. It seems pretty clear he's going to feature in the first team squad. I suspect Tufty's radio response is intended to keep the young man's feet on the ground. We've all heard similar about young starlets from the likes of Fergie and the Almighty Brian. I've no doubt he's going to be in the match day squad. It's a bit early for 'first name on the team sheet' though. Let's give him room to breathe first.

For those who [deliberately] misunderstand what I say about young players (and it's no more than common sense) there are signs this one might be special and I'm right behind him.

I'm with you on this. Most of us make our judgements on young players on very little evidence, and it is best to be cautious, or opinions go from one extreme to the other, possibly to the detriment of the individual. It certainly does not help. I was hugely impressed by Diego (I think it was 2 goals for Italy under-??, one of which was absolutely brilliant), and probably his injury has held him back. Brooks looks like some player, and there presumably has been real development in recent months. Last night's goal was class, but remember:
1. It was a friendly.
2. Against 4th division opposition.
3. He came on in the 67th minute.
4 Defenders were presumably tiring, physically and mentally.
It is unreasonable to expect him to do the same against Championship players if he is playing a full 90 minutes. Let's not get on his back if he is not an immediate sensation. He will need a little time to carry on learning, and could do without accusations that his head is elsewhere (which will be made if he has a couple of poor games). But let's hope we can enjoy his talents; who knows, he might make up for us not signing Maradona in 1978.

 

[B14Nco]

Whiteman has also done it at first team level. So far Brooks hasn't.

Saying he's 'nowhere near' as good is funny.

Agree... i really think this kid will be ace as well.

I think the difference between them is they have completely different games. I think Whiteman will be an excellent box to box enforcer (a bit like the player and job we want Len to do if we get him).

Due to this tho he needs to go out and scrap and fight and become physically strong enough. He also doesn't have Brooks natural confidence (his few games showed he was a little star struck) but that's why I believe a loan move for him was the right idea... again big future and has the ability but isn't quite ready for the roll he's going to play at this level. So at the moment is still in that bracket of a kid with masses of potential.

Brooks on the other hand looks to have all the attributes needed to play his game... at any level already and the only question is just how good he can be.

 

[Hodgyman]

My old man normally picks out the good ones straight away. On Kyle Walker's full debut he said "that kid has got it, he will play for England."

He was at the game tonight while I'm having to follow it on twitter from the West Country. He texted me saying "we have a very special player there" ....he's never been wrong about the best ones.

Your dad clearly knows his stuff. I have been watching United regularly for over 60 years and have not seen a prospect look so good as Brookes at his (or any other age) since Currie. The list of not as good includes Walker, Badger, Woodward, Jagielka Mick Jones etc who were exceptional as teenagers themselves

 

[CaptainHotdog]

Just seen his goal from last night, brilliant ball control and finish.

I also recall him giving the ball away deep in our own half, late in the game against Malaga, which could have resulted in a goal had their striker not fluffed his shot straight at Moore.

Plenty to learn still for the lad. Mr Wilder knows that, so will his team mates. Let's keep him grounded

 

[B14Nco]

Just seen his goal from last night, brilliant ball control and finish.

I also recall him giving the ball away deep in our own half, late in the game against Malaga, which could have resulted in a goal had their striker not fluffed his shot straight at Moore.

Plenty to learn still for the lad. Mr Wilder knows that, so will his team mates. Let's keep him grounded

To be fair that was nothing compared to the through ball Fleck played to their centre forward. Cracking ball.

I'm pretty sure Wilder did what we all wanted and forced him to have a kebab and a couple of peroni before kick off so scouts didn't think he was very good. By far the worst I've ever seen him play (I still fucking love him tho).

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I'd love you to come back to this post in about a year's time mate and see if you still disagree with what I'm saying. I know full well that Naughton and Maguire had completed a season in the first team and that they looked liked really good prospects. Which indeed they have turned out to be.

Maybe I'm not explaining myself well enough, but what I'm saying to you is that Brooks is a talent far beyond either of those two. And by some margin too! It helps that he's a striker/attacking midfielder, rather than a defender. But I tell you now that Brooks is the best young player I've EVER seen come through this football club. And I go back over 40 years. Yes, he really is that good. That's what I'm saying.

Ah OK, fair enough. I thought you meant that he was universally considered more valuable in which case I would disagree based on the degree to which those 2 had established themselves at championship level by such a young age. But I see you’re referring to a more subjective assessment as to how talented the player is. I can neither agree nor disagree on that front as I’ve only seen Brooks in bits and pieces. I hope you’re right because let’s face it, Maguire is on the verge of becoming an England international and can still get better so if Brooks exceeds that (and by a wide margin as you suggest), that would mean we have the new TC on our hands and I think we’d all be over the moon if that was the case. Still think it’s a very bold statement though.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

It's poor that from Wilder. I've never had cause to criticise him before, but the facts are that Wilder didn't seem to realise what a talent we had in Brooks until it came up and bit him on the arse. It was only the rave reviews from the England U20 tournament that seem to have alerted Wilder to the fact that this kid really can play and is ready. Hence the late change of mind about allowing him to go to Chesterfield. So when Wilder says, in this interview, "it's what we expected he could do and he's been doing it since the back end of last season and through the summer" then why the hell didn't he get more of a chance to feature in the first team last season, towards the end of the season? And why were we planning to farm him out on a loan to Chesterfield?

The facts are - Wilder didn't really rate him until very recently, when he earned those rave reviews for his England performance. And now the penny has dropped he has just realised that he's probably the most talented and valuable player in the entire club.

Oh and please...no bullshit about the need to "protect" young players. That's something that was coined by Sir Alex Ferguson many years ago and widely misinterpreted. Trevor Francis was a sensation at the highest level at 16 - so was Wayne Rooney. No one wrapped them in cotton wool and we mustn't do that with Brooks either.

Let's get him in the first team from the off and take this sleepy division of bloated ex Premiership clubs by surprise.

And let's enjoy the lad while he's here because I doubt he'll be our player this time next season - and I'd like to see a bit of him before he goes if that's ok?

I’d substitute “didn’t rate” for “didn’t think he was ready for that level of football”. Wilder has always tipped Brooks for a big future but perhaps didn’t think he was up to the physical challenges yet. By all accounts he’ grown a bit and improved as the season has gone on and Wilder is now thinking he might just be reaching the point where he’s ready. I’ve no problem with that as I’m certainly less qualified than Wilder to make that assessment. That said, Wilder does have a pattern of letting promising young players leave for bigger and better things to free up space and budget for experienced, efficient players to perform at the level he’s at. DCL, Adams, Ramsdale etc. Before he came to us he did the same with Matty Taylor at Oxford.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Something that also stood out from that short clip, the better quality footballers, at any level including your local leagues when they score a quality, individual goal dont tend to slways charge around, taking their shirt off, kissing the badge etc ( not saying thats wrong) they just walk back with a " whats all the fuss, I can do that any time" but inside he's thinking I fuckin enjoyed that, have another look at the video.

The bit that most impressed me with that goal was his first touch. Completely took an opposing player out of the equation and was as cool as you like. That created the space for him to charge into. Let’s hope we see a lot more of that.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

My post did say ' in his position' and in any squad there are specialist players and utility players who can play one or sometimes two or three positions. Brooks can play better further upfield than Whiteman or Reed and he has the ability to stride past a player as though he isn't there.

Reed and Brooks complement each other well when they play in the same team but they need a Whiteman there doing the tough, physical work to help them to play. These days Reed does the hard yards and has a tackle in him, plays with discipline and is a lovely passer of the ball. Whiteman is a wholehearted, genuine all round player who gobbles the hard yards and dominates the opposition; he does score goals by arriving into position rather than creating the chance necessarily.

Let's embrace all three of them. If Brooks is a superstar then let's hope the club can benefit more than they have in the past, why not a 30% sell-on clause if Everton think they want him. Let's not forget you can only judge a player when he has found his level after maybe 40 first team games. In that time a lot can happen. Look at Reed, his mentor was sacked and subsequent managers don't appreciate him as much.

I hope Brooks has the character and resilience needed to grow. This past week he has played two part games and scored a great goal and a late winner in one game. In the other game he presented the opposition with their easiest chance late in the game. It's how he responds to those big moments that will forge his future.

Last night Reed had half a game. My Chesterfield mate rang me last night to talk about the game and said he was delighted with Reed's half a game, his lovely touches on the ball and how he "put himself about for a young 'un". Obviously he cast an eye at Brooks' goal with some regrets but he was happy with Reed.

Three really good prospects. I'd love to see them all in our team playing together within two year and for years to come. Can't happen I know but let's hope it can and does in the future with other similar players.

Whilst I hope all 3 can have a part to play in our squad for several years, I don’t see either Reed or Whiteman displacing the majestic John Fleck. Brooks could become a key player I think but think Reed and to some extent Whiteman are more likely to supplement the squad which is fine as it saves us going out and spending money on squad players. If they kick on more than I think they will, or we lose Fleck, then who knows?

 

[Dnblade]

Cracking goal by Brooks,i could watch that all day...We were great last season,but we do lack a player who can run with the ball and go past players.
It looks like we could have solved that problem with this kid...I can see him being used off the bench,but who knows how good he can be...Trouble is,if he can produce runs and goals like that regularly,i can't see him being here to long unfortunately.

 

[Edinblade]

If Brooks had stayed at Chesterfield would we have lost last night?

 

[Sean Thornton]

Plenty to learn still for the lad. Mr Wilder knows that, so will his team mates. Let's keep him grounded

Exactly. Wilder will. Can't see who's going to keep fans grounded though now he's worth £10m+ by people who've probably only watched his goal against Chessie, good as it was.

 

[Jon P]

Can't believe no one has mentioned that assist from Bash for Brook's goal!! He practically put it on a plate for the lad and 100% meant it.