Is Brookes ready?

[DronnieSoul]

I have been following his progress this srason after being impressed with him at Stocksbridge pre season. Scored again for under 23's yesterday. Would be nice to have a look at him last couple of games... thoughts please.

 

[Bladezz]

CW and his team see him every single day and probably a majority of under 23 games.

The issue he has now is the Championship will force us to strengthen the midfield with new players. The standard will go up and only the good players will continue to push.

Saying that I have seen him a couple of times and looks a real threat but he's only young, if I remember rightly he's only like 18/19. Whiteman is a couple years older than him so would imagine him in first after his impressive Mansfield appearances.

 

[Ihadadream]

Personally I think the kid is class, totally different to anyone else on the books in how he has the ability to drift and glide past players with ease and moves us up the pitch quickly, Be nice to see him get some time on the pitch maybe Chesterfield game but next year he would benefit massively by going out on loan and playing some competitive football in league 1 or 2 come back at the age of 21 I think he'd be and then challenge for the first team regular.....that's if someone don't come in for him there are a lot a higher league scouts watching his progress at the minute.

 

[Blade58]

Saying that I have seen him a couple of times and looks a real threat but he's only young, if I remember rightly he's only like 18/19. Whiteman is a couple years older than him so would imagine him in first after his impressive Mansfield appearances.

Re Ben Whiteman, apparently had a stormer in League 2 at Mansfield whilst on loan. Perhaps he's now served his apprenticeship and is ready, able and capable of making the transition

If DCL caught the eye at Everton, then Whitemans performances cannot have gone unnoticed by other clubs either and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest that if his performances have been as good as the Mansfield fans say, he could well be another who could be destined to leave. It doesn't take much these days for Prem clubs to take the gamble because in the grand scheme of things, these clubs are picking up potential young talent for next to nowt

 

[DronnieSoul]

I get the concept of sending players out on loan but sometimes if they are good enough get them in.

 

[FriethBlade]

58 and that's the crazy situation...good enough for a premiership team to take a 1m gamble on but not good enough for a championship or league one manager to risk losing his job over !

 

[larkymasher]

58 and that's the crazy situation...good enough for a premiership team to take a 1m gamble on but not good enough for a championship or league one manager to risk losing his job over !

That is exactly the situation Frieth. Why would CW risk his job on a youngster when his sole remit is to get out of this league. Semple would have been in the first team squad also this season but he went for Wilson as his cover c back because Wilson had the experience behind him. Thats why DCL went, Adams went. Ramsdale went.

Its called self preservation.

You, me and everyone else would do the same thing.

Funnily enough if we are in mid table next year or in the league cup you may well see more youngsters being given game time to aid their development.

 

[larkymasher]

On the Brookes front, i have watched him play 18s, 23s over 2 years.

There is a talented footballer there. Glides past players with ease, scores goals and has added a tough side to his game.

For me he needs to play half or a full season week in week out at a L1 club. If we don't, he will not play enough football with us and leave for decent fee. ( Ramsdale ) I think Brookes, Whiteman, Reed and Semple when fit all need to go on loan to L1,2 next season to gain match day football every Saturday and midweek to get ready to join the first team the following season.

 

[TJB.]

Re Ben Whiteman, apparently had a stormer in League 2 at Mansfield whilst on loan. Perhaps he's now served his apprenticeship and is ready, able and capable of making the transition

If DCL caught the eye at Everton, then Whitemans performances cannot have gone unnoticed by other clubs either and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest that if his performances have been as good as the Mansfield fans say, he could well be another who could be destined to leave. It doesn't take much these days for Prem clubs to take the gamble because in the grand scheme of things, these clubs are picking up potential young talent for next to nowt

Koeman will sign him up and start him against Chelsea first game of the season.

YHIHF.

 

[FTPE]

Wilder said he was going to be really selfish with his loans.
I took that as he wasn't going to leave us short even if it meant some of the fringe players not getting games.
Personally I think he's worth a place on the bench already but nobody will know him like Wilder will.

 

[Mouth of the South]

Did I read somewhere that Brookes is out of contract this summer? If so, all the above plans for him may be irrelevant and the discussion should be focused on how little compensation the club will receive for him.

 

[I should coco]

Now we are back in the Championship, how long will it take for us to get 'Catergory 1' status on our academy to stop the big boys coming and taking all the sweeties they want and leaving a bit of loose change on the counter?

Additionally does anyone know of the cost implications, eg more physios / pitches etc?

I'd forgo the wonderful opportunity to enter the Chuckaturd, but it would be nice to have full academy status.

 

[Baw Heid]

Seen a lot of Brooks and the lad is a tallent. He needs room to get into his stride but he is brave and direct. He can be marked out of a game at the moment and a loan move that gives regular games will make him. Once he gets into his stride defenders have a hell of a time getting him off the ball.

 

[Wards]

We've been working towards Cat1 status all year, wouldn't be surprised if they went for it for next season.

 

[Gimli]

Brooks and Whiteman are two that I really hope get a chance in the first team at some point - when that will be is a difficult question

 

[Ricky]

Imagine how much shit our fans would be giving him if he was called Davide De Brooksio....

 

[larkymasher]

Now we are back in the Championship, how long will it take for us to get 'Catergory 1' status on our academy to stop the big boys coming and taking all the sweeties they want and leaving a bit of loose change on the counter?

Additionally does anyone know of the cost implications, eg more physios / pitches etc?

I'd forgo the wonderful opportunity to enter the Chuckaturd, but it would be nice to have full academy status.

We do not have the finance, infrastructure or just plain old space to go CAT1.

There are minimum number of pitches, educating players at school, number of full time coaching staff etc that at present we just can't fund. Any money at present will be going in the first team.

The CAT1 thing always amuses me in that we think players will not be poached by other clubs. If a club really wants a young player then they will get him. It may mean they pay £100k for a 15 year old instead of £50k from a CAT2 club but if they want him they will get him no matter where they are playing.

Hence Barcelona losing 15/16 year olds to Aresenal or Chelsea etc.

Looking at how CW is working with the youth it seems he likes a very stream lined number of young professionals with a genuine chance of being in his plans rather than having young professionals in just to make the numbers up at U23s.
This approach is actually closer to how a CAT3 Academy is run than a CAT1.

SUFC do just fine as a CAT2 Academy. They are a well known, highly thought of academy where young players are allowed to develop..

 

[Ecco1889]

Seen him 3 times,very good technically,the only reservation was he was very lightweight,but may have
bulked up since then
He did one run and turn v Hallam fc pre-season that was very waddle-esqe...really hope he makes the grade

 

[larkymasher]

Seen him 3 times,very good technically,the only reservation was he was very lightweight,but may have
bulked up since then
He did one run and turn v Hallam fc pre-season that was very waddle-esqe...really hope he makes the grade
View attachment 25916

I think what we all agree on is that 'if they are good enough', there is nothing quite like a young player coming through the ranks to play for our first team from our academy and if they are born and brought up in Sheffield, went to school in Sheffield and support SUFC then it adds and even bigger cherry on top of the cake.

 

[Baw Heid]

Now we are back in the Championship, how long will it take for us to get 'Catergory 1' status on our academy to stop the big boys coming and taking all the sweeties they want and leaving a bit of loose change on the counter?

Additionally does anyone know of the cost implications, eg more physios / pitches etc?

I'd forgo the wonderful opportunity to enter the Chuckaturd, but it would be nice to have full academy status.

First thought is that it would be a big spend for us to get in with the Man Us,City, Chelsea and Arsenal. but then again Reading and Southampton did it so why not.

 

[Baw Heid]

Seen him 3 times,very good technically,the only reservation was he was very lightweight,but may have
bulked up since then
He did one run and turn v Hallam fc pre-season that was very waddle-esqe...really hope he makes the grade
View attachment 25916

I agree he does remind me of Waddle

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

At the Q&A with Travis earlier in the season he gave me the impression that moving up to Cat 1 was NOT in the plans. Again, I can't remember his exact words. But, I got the impression we can't afford it & he doesn't think it's good value for money.

He did give me the impression he would like to have more money to spend "buying" kids in. Horatio Hirst is a buy in. And Brooks himself was snaffled in once Man City binned him.

 

[JJBlade]

Here's the problem
Players like Whiteman and Brookes can only come into a settled side so that they can become integrated into the whole set up

If they come into a poor side they are being asked to make a difference in that poor side, which at their age is unfair on them

But how do they break into a settled side ?

We have to be careful not to lose them if they are as good as people say they are, and the only way to do that is to keep expectations realistic for next season

We need them to get some game time without jeopardising our safety, so an odd start and a dozen or so substitute appearances to see how they cope would be great if it's possible to do it

You never know, they might start to show immediate promise, and if they do the club should tie them to an improved deal immediately and not wait for the first million pound offer to come in

 

[Wards]

At the Q&A with Travis earlier in the season he gave me the impression that moving up to Cat 1 was NOT in the plans. Again, I can't remember his exact words. But, I got the impression we can't afford it & he doesn't think it's good value for money.

He did give me the impression he would like to have more money to spend "buying" kids in. Horatio Hirst is a buy in. And Brooks himself was snaffled in once Man City binned him.

I'd obviously take your word as you are much closer to the ground so to speak than I am. What I'd been told is that they've been doing a lot of the preparatory work behind the scenes so we can make the step up to C1 when needed, without the need to wait - good planning of course. Until we're top half Champ/Prem it may be that we stay at C2.

 

[coolhandluke]

A question for the chaps on here who watch a lot of U18 and U23 games .

If you had to name just 2 current Academy players who you think will be playing for our first 11 in the next 2 years who would they be ?

 

[larkymasher]

For

A question for the chaps on here who watch a lot of U18 and U23 games .

If you had to name just 2 current Academy players who you think will be playing for our first 11 in the next 2 years who would they be ?

For me there it's more a question of who will be a fixture in the first team squad.
At 17 years old and how the club is moving forward it would be a tough ask on any youngster to be playing regularly for any Championship or Premiership club.

First team squad players IMO will be Brooke's, Semple, Graham, Slater, Ty Smith.

This is based on CW already highlighting Semple and Brookes. The other 3 based on purely seeing how they have progressed this season.

Not just 2 I accept but it shows we have some good young players coming through ...... All with their faults to be worked on but all with lots of plus points.

 

[coolhandluke]

For

For me there it's more a question of who will be a fixture in the first team squad.
At 17 years old and how the club is moving forward it would be a tough ask on any youngster to be playing regularly for any Championship or Premiership club.

First team squad players IMO will be Brooke's, Semple, Graham, Slater, Ty Smith.

This is based on CW already highlighting Semple and Brookes. The other 3 based on purely seeing how they have progressed this season.

Not just 2 I accept but it shows we have some good young players coming through ...... All with their faults to be worked on but all with lots of plus points.

No Whiteman ? Is his contract up this year ?

 

[Fraggle Blade]

We have to keep some of our better youngsters available for when we have to fulfill the ruling on, one player from your academy, or whatever in your match squad.
Isn't that from the season after next?
If they keep getting poached from us, we'll end up with someone not up to standard on the bench.

 

[coolhandluke]

We have to keep some of our better youngsters available for when we have to fulfill the ruling on, one player from your academy, or whatever in your match squad.
Isn't that from the season after next?
If they keep getting poached from us, we'll end up with someone not up to standard on the bench.

I think Brookes is signed up for three years .

 

[larkymasher]

No Whiteman ? Is his contract up this year ?

I kind of accept that Whiteman is part of the first team squad already. Trains every day with them, is treated like a first team player.

The kids i have mentioned only train with the first team when asked and in general are still academy players.