U21s vs Swansea tonight

[BalticBlade]

Is Peck injured? Or is he back?

 

[1987]

I have a feeling Peck might end up being the best of the lot, if he stays injury free.

 

[Balham]

Don’t know why but I thought it was a serious injury he went down with.

He went in for knee surgery in December but clearly it wasn't a major issue.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Peck another that we brought in from a 'bigger' academy. Lots of things to knock the club about but the academy scouting is sensational

Brooks (David), Lankshear, Peck, Hampson. There's more but you get my point

 

[Rodley]

Peck another that we brought in from a 'bigger' academy. Lots of things to knock the club about but the academy scouting is sensational

Brooks (David), Lankshear, Peck, Hampson. There's more but you get my point

Academy performance is sensational really.

If we can get our first team scouting and recruitment performing at the same level, we’d be in business.

 

[Nedski]

Can he do better than Neal and Maguire? Both at his age were potential talent in the same position.

Hampson is better. Much more attack-focused too.

Maguire seems to have regressed over the past couple of years. He was on the bench in our last premier league season, then had a good loan followed by a couple of bad ones. I think he had an injury in there somewhere too.

 

[Yogi]

Don’t know why but I thought it was a serious injury he went down with.

He had surgery on his knee but it must have gone well

 

[jt64]

If we are to give these young midfield players opportunities next season then we need to concentrate our transfer efforts on signing a couple of real leaders to play behind them, players with bags of experience and big voices.

Doesn't matter if they're any good, as long as they can shout and will demand veteran level wages it's all good

 

[SUFCinks]

Yes Machedo was number 16 I was very impressed with him against Blackburn where he showed a really good touch and strength when marked tight and an instinctive feeling for where the space is and how to turn into that space. Not sure he’ll be in the frame for the first team quite yet but he’s very fun to watch for the 21’s

yeh, he's an exciting player to watch, just really brave and fluid. You can tell he has that Brazilian flair and instinct.

 

[Rochdaleblade]

Is Peck injured? Or is he back?

Given that he played, we can assume he is back. Even our medical staff surely wouldn't let us play a crocked player

 

[SGBlade]

D

Academy performance is sensational really.

If we can get our first team scouting and recruitment performing at the same level, we’d be in business.

Difficult to tell what the secret sauce is with our academy because it’s been regularly producing championship-and-above level players for almost 30 years now, going back to the likes of Quinn, Morris and Woodhouse. I’m assuming that the academy staff have turned over several times in that period, so it’s obviously something in the setup and culture.

As a big(ish) club with an average position of, say, top half champ, we are in a bit of a sweet spot when it comes to hoovering up talent and giving them a realistic route to the first team. But you’ve still got to make that count. Plenty of other similar clubs that never seem to produce anyone. Our scouting at that level is incredible.

Does make you wonder whether we shouldn’t sign any senior players except on frees for a couple of years and just pump whatever cash we have into the academy. Whether it needs to be Cat A or just an improved version of what we have now, I’m not sure - I’d let the staff who run it so well take that call. But I reckon it could be our equivalent of the ‘brentford’ model - getting the best 15 to 18 year olds outside the Prem and fast-tracking them.

No idea if that gets us promoted again but I’d love to watch a team with 4-5 technically gifted academy boys trying their hearts out each week and give them a couple of years to see what they can do.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

I think we have seen that the jump from academy to premier league and championship is huge though. Osula looks a beast in u21 games and a kid in the real stuff.

 

[bertieblade]

Osula could have scored another 2/3 last night but he could not sort his feet out, or made the wrong decision. Lots of potential but again proving how we having to work with inferior players in one of the best leagues in the world, the experience will however stand him in good stead for next season but still a long way to go before he becomes a reliable striker for the championship and eventually the Premier league

 

[Grappler]

Highlights....

 

[wak1889]

To have home grown players coming through seems to be more important to us than other clubs.

The way we got behind the youth team in 2011 with a huge away following at Old Trafford. When you consider we were relegated that season it appears more impressive.

Man United have featured a home grown player in every match day squad for 85 years , I think they see it as very important

 

[Greystones Blade]

Not getting carried away but I think the future looks bright for United, some very talented youngsters on display tonight.

How good must Birmingham City youngsters be? They are top of the u18 league AND the u21 league.

 

[bornablade]

Man United have featured a home grown player in every match day squad for 85 years , I think they see it as very important

That's a great point. When I used the word 'us' I was referring to how important the development of youngsters is to the fans rather than to the club.

 

[Balham]

How good must Birmingham City youngsters be? They are top of the u18 league AND the u21 league.

Successful age group teams aren't necessarily made up of hugely talented players who will go on to play first team football. Our approach seems to be sometimes aimed at getting players out of their comfort zones, maybe by playing them out of position or mixing up partnerships which may be better for individual development but at the detriment of the team performance.

 

[Silent Blade]

Successful age group teams aren't necessarily made up of hugely talented players who will go on to play first team football. Our approach seems to be sometimes aimed at getting players out of their comfort zones, maybe by playing them out of position or mixing up partnerships which may be better for individual development but at the detriment of the team performance.

I remember Dave Bassett saying that one season the Wimbledon youth team won every week easily but none of the players made it to the 1st team in later years. In another season the Wimbledon youth team lost heavily nearly every week and Brian Gayle played in that team that season!

 

[Champagneblade]

To be honest, we would only need to renew about 5 contracts for next season out of the current expiring players, with what free agents/cheap transfer that may be available to sign in the summer (with chamionship quality, probably another x4/5). Then to add in the u21s that should/are good enough to step up and make up the first team squad and we should be in a better position than we are now, could be 4 or 5 in the match day squad regular next season.

All without really using a transfer budget, its definitely doable and with some of the u21s we got, we should have decent depth in the squad which would make it quicker and more athletic than we currently have coupled with plenty of experience. We could have a really strong and exciting young squad next season, IF we target the right players and right positions and do business early enough.

I would have quite liked to see Maguire tested at a higher level. He seems to be a little stuck at level 6 with his loan moves. He seems to be quite all-action and one of those you might hope can become a squad player.

 

[SouthportBlade]

I would have quite liked to see Maguire tested at a higher level. He seems to be a little stuck at level 6 with his loan moves. He seems to be quite all-action and one of those you might hope can become a squad player.

Feels like a mix of bad luck, bad loans and an injury I believe? With Maguire the concern is that he wasn’t able to kick on

Thinks it shows the really difficulties of academy football, where he will now be behind Arblaster, Brooks and Peck (at least) - meaning he’ll have no real path to progress, or find it really challenging to do so.

Maguire may end up going the way of the likes of Neal and Brunt, showing promise and likely a career in football (superb achievement) - but not quite there for the top end of the pyramid.

 

[SE1Blade]

I remember Dave Bassett saying that one season the Wimbledon youth team won every week easily but none of the players made it to the 1st team in later years. In another season the Wimbledon youth team lost heavily nearly every week and Brian Gayle played in that team that season!

Slightly flawed point. Mark Morris, Kevin Gage, Glyn Hodges, Dennis Wise, Andy Sayer, and Clive Goodyear were all youth team age but a combination of the players in question being good enough for Division 4 (at the time) and Wimbledon being skint, they were all in the first team. So the chances of the youth team winning many games with all those missing are slim. Therefore results themselves aren’t an indicator of a good youth set up or not.

 

[blade too long]

I think we have seen that the jump from academy to premier league and championship is huge though. Osula looks a beast in u21 games and a kid in the real stuff.

its the same for 95 per cent of under21 s at every club
its just inexperience

cant expect kids in their first go at it to match up to battle hardened players who have been all their career in the prem