FA Youth Cup - Home leg thread

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Highbury_Blade said:
Article on When Saturday comes

http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/7257/38/
Click to expand...

A big article in today's Daily Mail too...

Relegated... but Youth Cup glory could herald a brave new era for Sheffield United
By Laurie Whitwell

The future of Sheffield United is on a knife-edge. The Blades are in a dire position after a chaotic season of four different managers and 40 players and face life in English football's third tier for the first time since 1988.
Already £57million in debt, relegation to League One will cost the club £12m in missing revenue and they are currently without a manager or chief executive. But amid the turbulence there is hope.

Sheffield United's Under 18 side have reached the FA Youth Cup final for the first time in their history and will play the first leg against Manchester United at a close-to-capacity Bramall Lane on Tuesday night.

The game is being seen as a chance for fans to find pride in their club after the first team's car crash of a campaign and 28,000 have snapped up tickets.

A huge amount is expected of the teenagers who will line up against the competition's perennial finalists from across the Pennines and the match will test the belief that several should feature in the first team next season.
Five of the side expected to start tasted Championship football this campaign and chairman Kevin McCabe has outlined how they can be the club's saviours by either helping to win League One points or bringing in transfer fees.
'We have a fantastic set of youth players,' said McCabe. 'With good coaching and management, I expect to see many being first-team players for Sheffield United.'

McCabe knows these prospects are in excellent hands. The man behind the remarkable FA Youth Cup run is John Pemberton, the former Crystal Palace, Leeds and Sheffield United defender.

Appointed academy director last May, Pemberton has built on the fine work by predecessor Ron Reid and quietly gone about establishing a clear set of principles.

'I looked at the structure of the academy, looked at the players it's produced and put my ideas into it,'

Pemberton told Sportsmail ahead of training at Bramall Lane, where the 46-year-old has moved sessions to acclimatise players to tonight's surroundings.

'The secret behind it? Hard work, discipline, good recruitment. 'We have good players but it's about giving them a greater understanding of the game and making them all technically better on the ball. There's no one embarrassed with the ball at their feet and that's the starting block.

'It's one of the things I wanted to instil into the young players at every age down to Under 7s.'

The philosophy has reaped rapid results and the Blades are the first team outside a select group of Premier League sides to contest the youth final in six years.

Such success has seen Pemberton, who coached at Nottingham Forest for 14 years before leading the side to two wins in two games as caretaker in 2009, installed as favourite to take over from the departed Micky Adams.

A sign of the esteem in which Pemberton is held by the club hierarchy was evident at the AGM in December. He sat at the top table alongside McCabe and impressed 400-plus shareholders with a powerful speech on the mer its of a strong youth system.

'He really held the audience,' said one observer. 'He spoke about the brand of football he wants to play, indicating Arsenal as the example.'
United's £1m annual spend on youth development is around a seventh of the Gunners' outlay. But Pemberton's methods have been honed over a long career in the game, having worked with the likes of Steve Coppell, Dave Bassett and Howard Wilkinson.

'I've learnt from everybody,' he said. 'Paul Hart was the academy manager at Forest and I had four years at Crewe with Dario Gradi.
'They're all highly-respected coaches and managers, you'd be foolish not to pick anything off them. I spoke to Steve Coppell the other day and I always pick people's brains about certain things.'

Last season Hart hired Pemberton as first-team coach at Palace to assist in their successful relegation fight.

'It's a magnificent achievement to reach the final,' said Hart, who won the FA Youth Cup at Leeds in 1993 and 1997.

'I brought John in at Forest and he learnt his trade in youth development. He gets the players well organised.'

The FA Youth Cup final can act as a shop window for emerging talents. But while Pemberton is aware of the heightened need to develop gems, he is keen for the process to be a patient one.
'The young players have to be blended in with some experience,' he stressed. 'They're still babies and we don't want to put too much on them too soon. 'They're a great group, they've got a great spirit and they're getting better every day.'
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Where does the Daily Mail get their figure of 57 million in debt?
 
Maidenhead said:
more than likely BOSS

---------- Post added at 02:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:54 PM ----------



You have now. T'other one aiming for about 6.15. I' planning to be a bit earlier than that.
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OK mate - will aim for 6 but will depend on traffic after Reception football club a bit later!
 
Remarkable. Compare this to the attendance for last season's Villa-Chelsea final:

- 1st leg (Villa Park) 3,356
- 2nd leg (Stamford Bridge) 10,446
 
LoughboroBlade said:
Remarkable. Compare this to the attendance for last season's Villa-Chelsea final:

- 1st leg (Villa Park) 3,356
- 2nd leg (Stamford Bridge) 10,446
Click to expand...

I'd be interested to know what they charged fans for this.
It would also be interesting to know how many Man Utd have sold for the 2nd leg.
 
Robbie said:
I'd be interested to know what they charged fans for this.
It would also be interesting to know how many Man Utd have sold for the 2nd leg.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's necessarily just down to price. I doubt if we charged a couple of quid for a midweek League Cup home match against Gillingham for the first team that we'd see the same level of enthusiasm from fans.
 
Previous Winners XI

I've just been looking at the list of previous winners on Wikipedia.
Let's hope some of our lads have the same success as this lot:-

P.Robinson
G.Neville J.Woodgate J.Carragher P.Neville
D.Beckham J.Wilshere N.Butt, R.Giggs
H.Kewell M.Owen

Subs:- W.Henderson, P.Rice, R.Dunne, J.Cole, M.Carrick, J.Barnes, B.Little

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FA_Youth_Cup
 
LoughboroBlade said:
I don't think it's necessarily just down to price. I doubt if we charged a couple of quid for a midweek League Cup home match against Gillingham for the first team that we'd see the same level of enthusiasm from fans.
Click to expand...

Indeed. The prices are a great enabler but the interest in this team's exploits is genuine. I couldn't give a fig about 90% of our first teamers, but these are just lads who want to play football for Sheffield United. I'll be kicking every ball with them for as long as they're with us.
 
Sothall_Blade said:
I've just been looking at the list of previous winners on Wikipedia.
Let's hope some of our lads have the same success as this lot:-

P.Robinson
G.Neville J.Woodgate J.Carragher P.Neville
D.Beckham J.Wilshere N.Butt, R.Giggs
H.Kewell M.Owen

Subs:- W.Henderson, P.Rice, R.Dunne, J.Cole, M.Carrick, J.Barnes, B.Little

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FA_Youth_Cup
Click to expand...



Yes, and let's hope that success is with us and not another club!
 
Just hope those who are going for the first time realise these are kids and not £10k a week pros. Last couple of games has seen a very appreciative crowd but I have heard the odd complaint when things weren't going exactly as planned (not surprisingly from some bozos who looked the worse for wear).

Can't wait to be honest and I haven't felt like that for a single first team game all season.
 
I'm delighted to hear that Pembo spoke to Steve Coppell the other day.

I hope he said "I'm really looking forward to working with you at The Lane, Gaffer"
 
From OS at 17:38:

It's a sell-out!
Posted on: Tue 17 May 2011

All tickets for tonight's FA Youth Cup Final first leg clash have been accounted for.

At 7.30pm the young Blades will take on Manchester United in the first leg at the Lane and the message is - do not turn up without a ticket or without validating your season ticket as you will not be able to gain entry.

Supporters are advised to arrive early as a crowd of over 30,000 can be expected if all tickets allocated so far are taken up.

Sheffield United would like to thank fans who have expressed their intention of supporting John Pemberton and his young players tonight by taking advantage of the ticket offers.

Word of advice - please arrive early to be sure of admission before kick-off.
 



Please Remember: NO LINKS TO STREAMING SITES TO BE POSTED ON THE FORUM OR SHOUTBOX
 
LoughboroBlade said:
I don't think it's necessarily just down to price.
Click to expand...

I agree,

However, do we know how many were sold compared to given away?

Countless youth teams, and charities around Sheffield have been given tickets from what I am led to believe.
On top of the season tickets receiving 2 tickets per ST (obviously if they got them).
 
Robbie said:
I agree,

However, do we know how many were sold compared to given away?

Countless youth teams, and charities around Sheffield have been given tickets from what I am led to believe.
On top of the season tickets receiving 2 tickets per ST (obviously if they got them).
Click to expand...

I would happily have paid, but at the end of the day its a great gesture by the club as well as a great achievement by the kids.

It was why I was so keen to make sure my free spares didn't go to waste.

Really looking forward to tonight match, hopefully this will be the first of many great evenings this crop of youngsters give us.
 
Good Luck Lads!

Heres hoping the lads give it their all tonight and do themselves and us fans proud!

In a season to forget, make it two nights to remember in front of a packed Bramall Lane.

Gutted I can't be there, but i'll be on the edge of my seat tonight either trying to catch a glimpse of the game or following Foxy's Tweets.

Come on you Jnr Red and White Wizzarrds!!!!

Up the Young Blades! :thumbup:
 
Starting line up:

Long
Montgomery Maguire Kennedy Barry
Gregory Harriott Whitehouse McFadzean
Slew Ironside​

Good luck lads!!
 
A bit over-run at times in the first half but got stronger as the game went on, Slew looking lively up front. There's was never over the line but what a strike from McFadzean, take a bow son...
 
Good job it was. Harry Maguire handled it. A sending-off and penalty would have been disastrous.
 
Pinchy said:
Good job it was. Harry Maguire handled it. A sending-off and penalty would have been disastrous.
Click to expand...

Not conclusive either way, though i agree, had he not given a goal, i think the ref probably though it was a handball.
 
A great performance I thought. They look very well organised and close down well.

Stand out players for me were Maguire, Whitehouse, Harriott and Slew. I thought our main weakness tonight was down the wings, we got caught out quite a bit down the left hand side. Still, very promising and thoroughly enjoyable, the first-team players should take note.
 



Well done to the lads, really enjoyed the passion and skill shown :)
 
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