Young Player Mistakes & time to settle in

[SwissBlade]

I'm not sure if this is just me that thinks this, but I referred to young players not being allowed/ forgiven for making mistakes in a thread a few weeks ago and I was told that us Blades would much rather the young lads given a go rather than bring outsiders in...

But... Walker is often criticised for mistakes, Lowton was criticised for his sending off, Kyle Bartley has been dismissed by some as a liability, Taylor is apparently rubbish, Wardy has been written off as injury prone and Ched is the biggest waste of space going... Obviously this is not the opinion of all but a lot of lads with potentional don't seem to be given much time.

Are we giving the youngsters time to fit in or is football so unforgiving that we expect every player to be the Messi or Ronaldo that we know nowadays?

Seems that whilst many criticise for not picking youngsters or Academy lads, others criticise for doing just that...

One other question, did Jags ever make any mistakes in his early years? I don't recall any howlers, but I also wasnt using Forum's back in those days.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

One other question, did Jags ever make any mistakes in his early years? I don't recall any howlers, but I also wasnt using Forum's back in those days.

To be fair, Jags was anonymous as a midfielder when he first came in and it was moving to RB that was the making of him. He got slated on BU after a heavy defeat away at Wigan and a mullering at the hands of Etherington at the Lane and many said he was rubbish at that time. Without mentioning names, certain knowledgable posters defended him to the hilt, suggesting he was an England centre back in the making...

Back to your original point, players are expected to hit the ground running these days and certain players do seem to get leeway more than others, home grown players being the obvious example. I agree though that the Lowton posts this week aren't as forgiving as they might have been.

 

[Micalijo]

I'm not sure if this is just me that thinks this, but I referred to young players not being allowed/ forgiven for making mistakes in a thread a few weeks ago and I was told that us Blades would much rather the young lads given a go rather than bring outsiders in...

But... Walker is often criticised for mistakes, Lowton was criticised for his sending off, Kyle Bartley has been dismissed by some as a liability, Taylor is apparently rubbish, Wardy has been written off as injury prone and Ched is the biggest waste of space going... Obviously this is not the opinion of all but a lot of lads with potentional don't seem to be given much time.

Are we giving the youngsters time to fit in or is football so unforgiving that we expect every player to be the Messi or Ronaldo that we know nowadays?

Seems that whilst many criticise for not picking youngsters or Academy lads, others criticise for doing just that...

One other question, did Jags ever make any mistakes in his early years? I don't recall any howlers, but I also wasnt using Forum's back in those days.

I saw Jags have a total nightmare at Wigan when Roberts and Ellington ran us ragged.

I don't think Lowton has got much stick at all (quite rightly so). He made a mistake and hopefully he won't do it again but the players you mention - like any other - have their performances talked about by us fans, irrespective of their age. I think the crowd have been incredibly patient with Evans for example - Cooper gives him a one man standing ovation every time he is subbed.

 

[Grecian2000]

I'm not sure if this is just me that thinks this, but I referred to young players not being allowed/ forgiven for making mistakes in a thread a few weeks ago and I was told that us Blades would much rather the young lads given a go rather than bring outsiders in...

But... Walker is often criticised for mistakes, Lowton was criticised for his sending off, Kyle Bartley has been dismissed by some as a liability, Taylor is apparently rubbish, Wardy has been written off as injury prone and Ched is the biggest waste of space going... Obviously this is not the opinion of all but a lot of lads with potentional don't seem to be given much time.

Are we giving the youngsters time to fit in or is football so unforgiving that we expect every player to be the Messi or Ronaldo that we know nowadays?

Seems that whilst many criticise for not picking youngsters or Academy lads, others criticise for doing just that...

One other question, did Jags ever make any mistakes in his early years? I don't recall any howlers, but I also wasnt using Forum's back in those days.

Out of the players you've highlighted (Walker, Lowton, Bartley, Taylor, Ward and Evans) only Walker and Lowton are our own youngsters, which are the players we were discussing.
Walker has been criticised on here but mainly because Len always defended him to the hilt so some then have to take an alternative view as a matter of course.
I don't think Lowton has been given undue stick and the debate seems to have been around the referee and whether he should have been sent off. Agreeing with the referee does not mean a criticism of Lowton just an assesment of the incident.

As the other players have been brought in from elsewhere they don't fit the bill as regards the discussion of a couple of weeks ago and, therefore, aren't a relevant barometer of how we like to crucify all our young talent.

 

[Wards]

They won't get much stick while actually playing for us, just on the bloody internet forums! I think it's rare for the fans to boo a youngster during the actual match, I certainly don't think they'd get on some kids back based on a mistake (unless you're Stephen Quinn).

 

[Robbie]

People will always discuss games, and while Lowtin and Walker have had a few negative comments about them on message boards, I've not seen any bad mouthing of them in the terraces at all.

 

[LouTheBlade]

I agree with what Swiss is saying here and it's something people should bare in mind. I can give an insight into what its like from the youngster's point of view as well. Having played some reserve team football I know what a learning curve it is to play against more experienced players. As a centre back at youth team level I was fairly dominant and rarely flustered, but when you come up against a 30 year old centre forward who has "been there and got the t-shirt" so to speak, you notice a huge difference.

We have to remember that the subtleties of the game are better understood by the more experienced players and younger players will find it difficult to assert themselves at first. The better youngsters will learn faster and it will be noticeable but they need games and they need encouragement. Some may respond to criticism and bollockings (personally I did), but most need an arm round their shoulder at that age so fans need to bare this in mind.

The more game time they have and the more they come up against experienced pro's, the better they will become. I know that I'm mentally a much better player than I was and because I served my time learning the game from older players whom I played with and against. Lads such as Ched, Bartley and Lowton are even luckier than me because they are still living their dream and with the players they have around them they will become better and better. Patience is a virtue.

 

[raul]

I'm not sure if this is just me that thinks this, but I referred to young players not being allowed/ forgiven for making mistakes in a thread a few weeks ago and I was told that us Blades would much rather the young lads given a go rather than bring outsiders in...

But... Walker is often criticised for mistakes, Lowton was criticised for his sending off, Kyle Bartley has been dismissed by some as a liability, Taylor is apparently rubbish, Wardy has been written off as injury prone and Ched is the biggest waste of space going... Obviously this is not the opinion of all but a lot of lads with potentional don't seem to be given much time.

Are we giving the youngsters time to fit in or is football so unforgiving that we expect every player to be the Messi or Ronaldo that we know nowadays?

Seems that whilst many criticise for not picking youngsters or Academy lads, others criticise for doing just that...

One other question, did Jags ever make any mistakes in his early years? I don't recall any howlers, but I also wasnt using Forum's back in those days.

Tbh Swiss I think it's a bit offside just picking on Duncs quotes to make your point...

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

To be fair Walkers problems weren't brought up actually after those particular matches but as evidence of some fans bias against certain players.

For example I never mentioned Walkers mistakes until a thread where Evans/Bartley were being slated as being a total crap because they were making mistakes while in the same breath fans were moaning that we didn't get a good deal for Walker. It was more a question of balance.

This still goes on and its why I think it is hard for young players to come through at United and perform regularly, the fans are so quick to criticise.

 

[JohnDenver]

Without mentioning names, certain knowledgable posters defended him to the hilt, suggesting he was an England centre back in the making...
.

It's OK Jim, you can tell 'em it was me.

 

[Balham]

The problem as I see it is that the fans want the club to be successful - winning games and competing for promotion. This overrides any thought of pride in bringing young players through.

What is different is that there isn't as much negativity towards young players as there is towards certain older members of the squad (Montgomery, for example). Most of the time, the younger lads will get the same groans as the older players for misplaced passes/airshots/missed chances but it could be argued that it's more likely to affect them.

 

[LouTheBlade]

The problem with the fans in regard to this is the background they come from. They expect instant performances from any player (young or not) because of their general attitude towards work and life. Sheffield people (particularly the older generation) have this attitude of "ah ee's gerrin paid t' play' fur Yoooo-nited so ee ought t' do't job prop'ley."

As proud as I am of where I come from, I still acknowledge the fact that people from this region aren't very patient and tend to make quick judgments. There is no room for giving young people time to blossom. The old fashioned attitude (rightly or wrongly) is to get stuck in and do it properly the first time. To the same token United fans take the attitude that if a player has been deemed ready for first team action, he should be good enough to hit the ground running.

Some would say that's narrow minded, where as they would argue that its a dog eat dog world get on with it! There's an argument for both really in regard to this subject. Personally, I'm one for giving young players experience and time.

 

[SwissBlade]

In many ways I don't have an issue with getting on youngsters back's provided that the same rules apply to all players... from Morgs to Ward to Monty to Quinn to Lowton...

But part of me feels that youngsters should be allowed to make mistakes as long as they learn from them to allow them to develop

We all want youngsters to come good and perhaps we could be known one day as the new Crewe Alex. under Gradi or West Ham (pains me to admit that).

For me it doesn't matter if like Lowton and Walker they come through the ranks at United, like Ched they step down from the PL to step back up (perhaps with us) or step up from a lower division to make the grade with us like Wardy. I like to think we can develop young talented players and not just take on old warhorses (or carthorses) looking for a final pay day...

I'm so anti the PL moneybags at the moment that i'd really rather we didn't sign another big money player again, instead become a conveyor belt for stars of the future...

But, whilst I want us fans to give players time, I think that the youngsters also need to work with us and stick around. The big issue that I had with the Kyles is that they went for the big money, first chance they got...

But maybe as football is changing and players realise that money isn't there like it was 2, 3, 5 or 10 years ago that they'll want to stick around. Also England are taking a battering, what affect will that have on young players...

If as Blades fans we can learn to be more patient with players, perhaps even at the expense of immediate promotion then the players will want to stick around knowing that we have a development reputation as a club...

Of course I'm not suggesting that players want away because of us fans, but we could help to turn our club into the place that youngsters have a chance to make it...

I like many Blades, don't really see the PL as the wonderland it once was, so is the ultimate measure of "success" the PL? Not for me.

Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the Lane full and rocking, this only seems to come when we are playing PL football, but look at some of the young teams like Arsenal, Leeds a few years ago, Man U when Becks, Scholes etc came through they played football to get the crowds excited, the players were always buzzing and perhaps this is where our focus should be to get a gelled, young team...

Something which has been commented on the Blackpool thread in the "general football" section is that should promoted teams be told that they should spend their 50 Million on expensive signings (or words to that effect), not for me.

Perhaps if we demand 'less' we get more back...

 

[DuncDisorderly]

Are we giving the youngsters time to fit in or is football so unforgiving that we expect every player to be the Messi or Ronaldo that we know nowadays?

Yes, that...