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The Spurs Youth Thread - 2017/2018

Hengy1

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2014
2,744
7,424
How can a player be part of a squad when there is a 99% chance they won't start any match this season and a 05% chance they won't feature again.

Surely squad members are genuine options to the manager. And I can kind of see what you mean but then at what point does a young player ever get a chance,surely squad players will always need game time

Off course they are first team squad players while they are going with the team. Georgiou came on Vs APOEL away game.

ToB slightly different but he’s still training every day with them and not youth.

I’d be very happy if we pushed Edwards, Bennett’s, Skipp up for the game but if they aren’t going to get good minutes I’d rather they just stay and do well in the UYL.
 

IGSpur

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2013
7,939
13,758
Off course they are first team squad players while they are going with the team. Georgiou came on Vs APOEL away game.

ToB slightly different but he’s still training every day with them and not youth.

I’d be very happy if we pushed Edwards, Bennett’s, Skipp up for the game but if they aren’t going to get good minutes I’d rather they just stay and do well in the UYL.

I think we're just debating over what the definition of a squad player. I don't classify someone who has played 6mins this season and likely won't play more, as a squad player, and I certainly wouldn't classify anyone who's played even less than that a squad player.

Redknapp would play completely 2nd elevens in UEFA cup, and I wouldn't consider most of them as part of the first team squad they were just used by Harry to avoid injuring the first teamers.

Fair enough and I agree. My point was IF Poch planned on using the kids then they should go. What I seemed to be reading was that, even if that opportunity was there, others thought they should stay in the u19s and try to qualify for the UYL which I 100% disagree with. Even if we won the UYL while we'd love it I don't think it would encourage Poch to play them anymore so it is ultimately meaningless, other than making our academy look good. Of couse if Poch isn't going to play them then they should play.
 

Hengy1

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2014
2,744
7,424
I think we're just debating over what the definition of a squad player. I don't classify someone who has played 6mins this season and likely won't play more, as a squad player, and I certainly wouldn't classify anyone who's played even less than that a squad player.

Redknapp would play completely 2nd elevens in UEFA cup, and I wouldn't consider most of them as part of the first team squad they were just used by Harry to avoid injuring the first teamers.

Fair enough and I agree. My point was IF Poch planned on using the kids then they should go. What I seemed to be reading was that, even if that opportunity was there, others thought they should stay in the u19s and try to qualify for the UYL which I 100% disagree with. Even if we won the UYL while we'd love it I don't think it would encourage Poch to play them anymore so it is ultimately meaningless, other than making our academy look good. Of couse if Poch isn't going to play them then they should play.
Tbf it’s a moot point because it’s not something that will happen.
 

EQP

EQP
Sep 1, 2013
7,958
29,657
I don't understand the logic of this prioritising qualifying for the UYL group over giving first team opportunities to the best of that group.

Surely their final development is the end goal, if they get promoted brilliant replace them with the next player. That is much better opportunity for them than playing in a UYL group decider. It's about development not results ultimately. Regardless you can move Edwards and Shashoua up, and put in Roles, Bennetts, Clarke. Promotion to the first team is the ultimate goal. We've got more than enough squad to come in and win that group. Either way APOEL beat us last time so no guarantee with anything, give more opportunities to other players.

Saying that I don't expect anyone to be playing in against APOEL. I don't know why we need to care what Dortmund or APOEL do though, we've earned the right to give young players an opportunity through how well we've played

Well said, I think we should look to give those who've done well in the UYL an opportunity to play against APOEL if it's feasible.

Just read this article about Chris Ramsey and how we (Spurs) put performance over result.

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/espn-fc-...s-park-rangers-tottenham-including-harry-kane

" Chris Ramsey points at the cracked screen of his touch-pad where two pyramids represent the priorities of the first team and the development team. The first team's pyramid is pointed side down. At the bottom, the least important aspect of the first team is the individual. In the middle is the team performance and at the top, the widest segment of all, is the result. The development pyramid is inverted. Here the result is the least important aspect, then the team performance and then, broadest of all, is the individual. And on this notion rests the crux of Ramsey's philosophy.

Now Technical Director at Queens Park Rangers, Ramsey arrived at Tottenham in 2005, working under John McDermott on a newly inaugurated 12-year plan of technique-focused youth development. That plan has now reached completion in spectacular style: Harry Kane is one of Europe's hottest strikers, Danny Rose has become one of the nation's finest left-backs and Harry Winks has broken into the England side alongside former Spurs youngster Jake Livermore. A host of fresh names await in the wings: Kyle Walker-Peters, Josh Onomah, Cameron Carter-Vickers and perhaps the jewel in the crown, the exciting Marcus Edwards.

Ramsey was there almost every step of the way, rising up with the players from the academy and eventually working as the assistant manager under Tim Sherwood as Kane broke into the first team. But it hasn't always been easy. For Ramsey, as the pyramids demonstrate, the development of the individual comes first. Not the result.

"When you're in the first team, you have to win," Ramsey tells ESPN FC. "If you play terribly and still win, people will forgive you. But in development, the performance is for the player; the result is for the coach. If I want to win more than I want those players to develop, sure, we might win the youth league. But eventually, those players won't make the grade."

Clubs and supporters take great pride in the results of their youth teams, citing their trophy hauls as evidence of their club's wisdom and far-sightedness. But Ramsey believes that emphasis is misplaced. He mentions with pride one youth tournament in which Spurs performed well but finished seventh. Barcelona, who operate with similar emphasis, finished eighth.

"You get these young coaches and they think 'I want to be [Jose] Mourinho, I want to be [Antonio] Conte' but are those managers the best role models for developers? No, because their parameters are different to our parameters. They're trying to win the game, they're not trying to develop players. They don't care about that."

"When I go and coach the Under-11s and we lose, their coach might think 'Oh, that Chris Ramsey's no good, we beat them 5-0.' But we're focused on developing. I might be telling my players just to express themselves.

"We do a thing where we manipulate things so if the game is getting too easy, we change it so they can only play on their wooden side. Or we'll take somebody off. Simulate a red card or take somebody off as if they are injured. Or play two at the back, I see youth teams now putting on players in the 88th minute -- what's that about? Their coach might be saying, 'We've beaten him!' But what I'm saying is, you've not beaten me. You've not helped your players."

At the end of the 2004-05 season, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy brought in coach John McDermott and tasked him with revitalising the youth development programme. McDermott brought in Ramsey and they laid out the plan. Ramsey repeatedly stresses that Spurs' success on this front is a group effort brought about by the efforts of many people, including Perry Suckling who transformed the way the goalkeepers play, Richard Allen who excelled in recruitment, as well as Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand, who oversaw the final stages of development.

The focus was firmly upon technique. Young players were recruited or retained for their technical ability, not physical attributes, and up until the age of 10, technique was the primary focus. Progression was partly dictated by a strength based capability assessment, meaning that smaller players might be held back, but generally it wasn't until the age of 11 when the players moved around the pitch to assess their positional strengths. At 14, players with as many as six years of technical focus, start to find their place, but it's not until 15 and 16 that bespoke programmes for specific positions are laid down.

"Because you've got technique, you can be moved around," says Ramsey. "We teach the principles of defensive and attacking play, but we work mainly on attacking."

But it was Ramsey's approach to matches that caused the most consternation. Defensive tactics were considered counter-productive. If an opposing team, for example, had a devastating left-winger, Ramsey would pointedly not protect the right-back by bringing in support from another player to double-man the threat. He wanted his right-back to be exposed. He wanted his right-back to evolve.

"We picked systems to allow the players maximum one vs. ones all over the pitch. The way we played, there was no hiding place. You always get the ball. You are always working. So we're not putting holding midfielders in. We're just letting their forward get the ball so that our defender has to defend. So when you do work on tactics when you're older, it's easier because you've been brought up having to cope without them."

Not everyone understood. Parents, appalled that their offspring weren't winning trophies, complained. But so did other people within the club including, on occasion, unnamed first-team managers. Fortunately, Levy resisted the urge to make changes, which was always Ramsey's biggest fear.

"That's the problem. People stop halfway through something like this and then start again. But what do you want? Do you want to develop players or do you want to win matches? I'm not saying it's all right to lose. I'm not saying that at all. All players want to win. You pick two teams from a primary school and they'll all want to win. I'm saying that the priority is to develop."

Ramsey reaches for the touch pad again and pulls up the team sheet for a youth game between Brentford and Arsenal in 2005. Arsenal lost the game on penalties and the result caused a stir in the development community. But only a handful of Brentford's players went on to play lower or non-league football; the majority never made the grade and slipped out of the game. By contrast, Arsenal's team that day featured the likes of Alex Song, Fabrice Muamba, Nicklas Bendtner and Henri Lansbury.

"Who won the game?" asks Ramsey. "Twelve years on, who cares?"
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
Well said, I think we should look to give those who've done well in the UYL an opportunity to play against APOEL if it's feasible.

Just read this article about Chris Ramsey and how we (Spurs) put performance over result.

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/espn-fc-...s-park-rangers-tottenham-including-harry-kane

" Chris Ramsey points at the cracked screen of his touch-pad where two pyramids represent the priorities of the first team and the development team. The first team's pyramid is pointed side down. At the bottom, the least important aspect of the first team is the individual. In the middle is the team performance and at the top, the widest segment of all, is the result. The development pyramid is inverted. Here the result is the least important aspect, then the team performance and then, broadest of all, is the individual. And on this notion rests the crux of Ramsey's philosophy.

Now Technical Director at Queens Park Rangers, Ramsey arrived at Tottenham in 2005, working under John McDermott on a newly inaugurated 12-year plan of technique-focused youth development. That plan has now reached completion in spectacular style: Harry Kane is one of Europe's hottest strikers, Danny Rose has become one of the nation's finest left-backs and Harry Winks has broken into the England side alongside former Spurs youngster Jake Livermore. A host of fresh names await in the wings: Kyle Walker-Peters, Josh Onomah, Cameron Carter-Vickers and perhaps the jewel in the crown, the exciting Marcus Edwards.

Ramsey was there almost every step of the way, rising up with the players from the academy and eventually working as the assistant manager under Tim Sherwood as Kane broke into the first team. But it hasn't always been easy. For Ramsey, as the pyramids demonstrate, the development of the individual comes first. Not the result.

"When you're in the first team, you have to win," Ramsey tells ESPN FC. "If you play terribly and still win, people will forgive you. But in development, the performance is for the player; the result is for the coach. If I want to win more than I want those players to develop, sure, we might win the youth league. But eventually, those players won't make the grade."

Clubs and supporters take great pride in the results of their youth teams, citing their trophy hauls as evidence of their club's wisdom and far-sightedness. But Ramsey believes that emphasis is misplaced. He mentions with pride one youth tournament in which Spurs performed well but finished seventh. Barcelona, who operate with similar emphasis, finished eighth.

"You get these young coaches and they think 'I want to be [Jose] Mourinho, I want to be [Antonio] Conte' but are those managers the best role models for developers? No, because their parameters are different to our parameters. They're trying to win the game, they're not trying to develop players. They don't care about that."

"When I go and coach the Under-11s and we lose, their coach might think 'Oh, that Chris Ramsey's no good, we beat them 5-0.' But we're focused on developing. I might be telling my players just to express themselves.

"We do a thing where we manipulate things so if the game is getting too easy, we change it so they can only play on their wooden side. Or we'll take somebody off. Simulate a red card or take somebody off as if they are injured. Or play two at the back, I see youth teams now putting on players in the 88th minute -- what's that about? Their coach might be saying, 'We've beaten him!' But what I'm saying is, you've not beaten me. You've not helped your players."

At the end of the 2004-05 season, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy brought in coach John McDermott and tasked him with revitalising the youth development programme. McDermott brought in Ramsey and they laid out the plan. Ramsey repeatedly stresses that Spurs' success on this front is a group effort brought about by the efforts of many people, including Perry Suckling who transformed the way the goalkeepers play, Richard Allen who excelled in recruitment, as well as Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand, who oversaw the final stages of development.

The focus was firmly upon technique. Young players were recruited or retained for their technical ability, not physical attributes, and up until the age of 10, technique was the primary focus. Progression was partly dictated by a strength based capability assessment, meaning that smaller players might be held back, but generally it wasn't until the age of 11 when the players moved around the pitch to assess their positional strengths. At 14, players with as many as six years of technical focus, start to find their place, but it's not until 15 and 16 that bespoke programmes for specific positions are laid down.

"Because you've got technique, you can be moved around," says Ramsey. "We teach the principles of defensive and attacking play, but we work mainly on attacking."

But it was Ramsey's approach to matches that caused the most consternation. Defensive tactics were considered counter-productive. If an opposing team, for example, had a devastating left-winger, Ramsey would pointedly not protect the right-back by bringing in support from another player to double-man the threat. He wanted his right-back to be exposed. He wanted his right-back to evolve.

"We picked systems to allow the players maximum one vs. ones all over the pitch. The way we played, there was no hiding place. You always get the ball. You are always working. So we're not putting holding midfielders in. We're just letting their forward get the ball so that our defender has to defend. So when you do work on tactics when you're older, it's easier because you've been brought up having to cope without them."

Not everyone understood. Parents, appalled that their offspring weren't winning trophies, complained. But so did other people within the club including, on occasion, unnamed first-team managers. Fortunately, Levy resisted the urge to make changes, which was always Ramsey's biggest fear.

"That's the problem. People stop halfway through something like this and then start again. But what do you want? Do you want to develop players or do you want to win matches? I'm not saying it's all right to lose. I'm not saying that at all. All players want to win. You pick two teams from a primary school and they'll all want to win. I'm saying that the priority is to develop."

Ramsey reaches for the touch pad again and pulls up the team sheet for a youth game between Brentford and Arsenal in 2005. Arsenal lost the game on penalties and the result caused a stir in the development community. But only a handful of Brentford's players went on to play lower or non-league football; the majority never made the grade and slipped out of the game. By contrast, Arsenal's team that day featured the likes of Alex Song, Fabrice Muamba, Nicklas Bendtner and Henri Lansbury.

"Who won the game?" asks Ramsey. "Twelve years on, who cares?"



Great find, excellent read.

I remember discussing this when we were all getting a bit worried about some of Ehiogu's U23 performances.

Edit found a couple of posts (inc where you and I agreed it probably wasn't down to Ehiogu:

I think some odd decisions are being made but I also don't think Ehiogu is working with a full deck. I'm not sure who's making all the above decisions, and until we know we need be careful blaming Ehiogu for everything.

This. Ugo answers to John McDermott and probably Poch on some level. If John felt Ugo's decisions were hampering the players development there is no reason we wouldn't see some obvious changes.

I think we've all questioned Ehiogu's positional selection choices this year (and the way his teams have played - whether because of those selections or not) but earlier in this thread I mooted how much we blame Ehiogu for the odd positional selections and how much these decisions may be taken by committee with people like JM with a view to developing and testing individuals and in light of JM's talk recently (where he spoke of this facet and wanting this to be prioritised over results), maybe we have to review some of those opinions?

That doesn't mean I think Ehiogu is great, and JM himself has raised the issue of the current quality of coaches we have and have lost. Just that it's hard to judge at the moment when we aren't often seeing talented, settled development teams at their collective best for various reasons.



As far as Ehiogu goes, I still think we should exercise some caution when criticising. I think I said this last year, so if I need I apologise for repeating myself, but I find it hard to believe that at U21 level, Ehiogu would be making some of the decisions made about who plays and where they play and how they are applied on his own, at that penultimate stage of development I reckon JM and MP are heavily involved and I think Ehiogu probably took flack from all of us for decisions that weren't always his alone, but were made collectively with a view to individual development rather than team cohesion and results.

I think U21/U23 is probably the hardest development stage to coach, as by this stage the groups that have often risen together through the development process, and therefore built cohesion over time, have become very fragmented and their development is now being staggered. Some have advanced and are part of first team squad, some are in limbo and are either still playing U21 or have gone off on loan, and then there are the younger ones being advanced into the U21 group from younger groups. You have players being played out of position to help their individual development. This must make coaching the U21/23 the most difficult task and I think it takes a massively serendipitous bunch of circumstances for that group to look cohesive and get consistent results.



I think that piece from Ramsey clears up the debate once and for all.


I still lament the loss of the likes of Inglethorpe, Ramsey and McKenna. And the tragic loss of Ehiogu. We've lost some good youth coaches over the last few years.
 

St José Dominguez

Well-Known Member
Jul 15, 2014
3,592
11,648
It would be a slap in the face to both Apoel and Dortmund, and I doubt Poch fields such a team. It will be another game for the senior players to work on their form. I can see Foyth playing, Son will likely start. FBs will rotate. Could see Llorente in for Kane - but I suspect Kane will want to get at least 60 minutes and a goal or 2. If Winks is starting PL matches - Dembele probably starts here to keep his sharpness.

I would guess that Eriksen sits, Dele plays - since Dele already missed the first 3 CL matches. Sanchez and Dier will probably play. I doubt Wanyama is ready - but if he was ready, this would be the game for him.

Why should we care what Apoel and Dortmund think, Dortmund in particular should have played better against Apoel in the first place so it's their own fault.
Considering the Xmas schedule coming up I think it would be bonkers playing anyone who's played in the previous PL game or is going to start the following one.

We've earned the right to give our first teamers a weeks rest so they're fresher coming up to hectic period of games, why not take advantage of it.
You can't even argue what about the fans who've paid money to go, because as I said personally I'd actually go if I knew we were starting youth players and I'm sure many others feel the same. It's an utterly pointless game beyond that.

It's such a great chance to give the best youth players a first team start. I agree Dele hasn't played many games and could start but why bother, he's missed games recently through injury and not like he won't be getting game time before then.
Even Sissoko who's a squad player is playing more than enough minutes to be fine right now. Poch quotes about GKN make me think he'll never be a Spurs player so it's pointless starting him. Llorente could do with a start although i'd rather see Sterling.

Be a real shame if we put out a first team eleven without a single youth team player, and also an idiotic risk.
 

Kiedis

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,926
8,490
Well said, I think we should look to give those who've done well in the UYL an opportunity to play against APOEL if it's feasible.

Just read this article about Chris Ramsey and how we (Spurs) put performance over result.

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/espn-fc-...s-park-rangers-tottenham-including-harry-kane

" Chris Ramsey points at the cracked screen of his touch-pad where two pyramids represent the priorities of the first team and the development team. The first team's pyramid is pointed side down. At the bottom, the least important aspect of the first team is the individual. In the middle is the team performance and at the top, the widest segment of all, is the result. The development pyramid is inverted. Here the result is the least important aspect, then the team performance and then, broadest of all, is the individual. And on this notion rests the crux of Ramsey's philosophy.

Now Technical Director at Queens Park Rangers, Ramsey arrived at Tottenham in 2005, working under John McDermott on a newly inaugurated 12-year plan of technique-focused youth development. That plan has now reached completion in spectacular style: Harry Kane is one of Europe's hottest strikers, Danny Rose has become one of the nation's finest left-backs and Harry Winks has broken into the England side alongside former Spurs youngster Jake Livermore. A host of fresh names await in the wings: Kyle Walker-Peters, Josh Onomah, Cameron Carter-Vickers and perhaps the jewel in the crown, the exciting Marcus Edwards.

Ramsey was there almost every step of the way, rising up with the players from the academy and eventually working as the assistant manager under Tim Sherwood as Kane broke into the first team. But it hasn't always been easy. For Ramsey, as the pyramids demonstrate, the development of the individual comes first. Not the result.

"When you're in the first team, you have to win," Ramsey tells ESPN FC. "If you play terribly and still win, people will forgive you. But in development, the performance is for the player; the result is for the coach. If I want to win more than I want those players to develop, sure, we might win the youth league. But eventually, those players won't make the grade."

Clubs and supporters take great pride in the results of their youth teams, citing their trophy hauls as evidence of their club's wisdom and far-sightedness. But Ramsey believes that emphasis is misplaced. He mentions with pride one youth tournament in which Spurs performed well but finished seventh. Barcelona, who operate with similar emphasis, finished eighth.

"You get these young coaches and they think 'I want to be [Jose] Mourinho, I want to be [Antonio] Conte' but are those managers the best role models for developers? No, because their parameters are different to our parameters. They're trying to win the game, they're not trying to develop players. They don't care about that."

"When I go and coach the Under-11s and we lose, their coach might think 'Oh, that Chris Ramsey's no good, we beat them 5-0.' But we're focused on developing. I might be telling my players just to express themselves.

"We do a thing where we manipulate things so if the game is getting too easy, we change it so they can only play on their wooden side. Or we'll take somebody off. Simulate a red card or take somebody off as if they are injured. Or play two at the back, I see youth teams now putting on players in the 88th minute -- what's that about? Their coach might be saying, 'We've beaten him!' But what I'm saying is, you've not beaten me. You've not helped your players."

At the end of the 2004-05 season, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy brought in coach John McDermott and tasked him with revitalising the youth development programme. McDermott brought in Ramsey and they laid out the plan. Ramsey repeatedly stresses that Spurs' success on this front is a group effort brought about by the efforts of many people, including Perry Suckling who transformed the way the goalkeepers play, Richard Allen who excelled in recruitment, as well as Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand, who oversaw the final stages of development.

The focus was firmly upon technique. Young players were recruited or retained for their technical ability, not physical attributes, and up until the age of 10, technique was the primary focus. Progression was partly dictated by a strength based capability assessment, meaning that smaller players might be held back, but generally it wasn't until the age of 11 when the players moved around the pitch to assess their positional strengths. At 14, players with as many as six years of technical focus, start to find their place, but it's not until 15 and 16 that bespoke programmes for specific positions are laid down.

"Because you've got technique, you can be moved around," says Ramsey. "We teach the principles of defensive and attacking play, but we work mainly on attacking."

But it was Ramsey's approach to matches that caused the most consternation. Defensive tactics were considered counter-productive. If an opposing team, for example, had a devastating left-winger, Ramsey would pointedly not protect the right-back by bringing in support from another player to double-man the threat. He wanted his right-back to be exposed. He wanted his right-back to evolve.

"We picked systems to allow the players maximum one vs. ones all over the pitch. The way we played, there was no hiding place. You always get the ball. You are always working. So we're not putting holding midfielders in. We're just letting their forward get the ball so that our defender has to defend. So when you do work on tactics when you're older, it's easier because you've been brought up having to cope without them."

Not everyone understood. Parents, appalled that their offspring weren't winning trophies, complained. But so did other people within the club including, on occasion, unnamed first-team managers. Fortunately, Levy resisted the urge to make changes, which was always Ramsey's biggest fear.

"That's the problem. People stop halfway through something like this and then start again. But what do you want? Do you want to develop players or do you want to win matches? I'm not saying it's all right to lose. I'm not saying that at all. All players want to win. You pick two teams from a primary school and they'll all want to win. I'm saying that the priority is to develop."

Ramsey reaches for the touch pad again and pulls up the team sheet for a youth game between Brentford and Arsenal in 2005. Arsenal lost the game on penalties and the result caused a stir in the development community. But only a handful of Brentford's players went on to play lower or non-league football; the majority never made the grade and slipped out of the game. By contrast, Arsenal's team that day featured the likes of Alex Song, Fabrice Muamba, Nicklas Bendtner and Henri Lansbury.

"Who won the game?" asks Ramsey. "Twelve years on, who cares?"

Actually one of the most interesting things regarding football and player development I've read for a long time. Especially the paragraphs about leaving players exposed in matches on purpose to make them sort out the situation individually.

Thanks for sharing it.
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
Why should we care what Apoel and Dortmund think, Dortmund in particular should have played better against Apoel in the first place so it's their own fault.
Considering the Xmas schedule coming up I think it would be bonkers playing anyone who's played in the previous PL game or is going to start the following one.

We've earned the right to give our first teamers a weeks rest so they're fresher coming up to hectic period of games, why not take advantage of it.
You can't even argue what about the fans who've paid money to go, because as I said personally I'd actually go if I knew we were starting youth players and I'm sure many others feel the same. It's an utterly pointless game beyond that.

It's such a great chance to give the best youth players a first team start. I agree Dele hasn't played many games and could start but why bother, he's missed games recently through injury and not like he won't be getting game time before then.
Even Sissoko who's a squad player is playing more than enough minutes to be fine right now. Poch quotes about GKN make me think he'll never be a Spurs player so it's pointless starting him. Llorente could do with a start although i'd rather see Sterling.

Be a real shame if we put out a first team eleven without a single youth team player, and also an idiotic risk.

With 11 games in 37 days there’s not a chance Poch will miss this chance to rest players.
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
little bit Hazard like?
Shash is very similar to Edwards for me. And hazard was player I always thought Edwards looked like. If both can add that explosive burst of pace which I believe is possible we could have 2 real players on our hands.
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403


That’s hazard at 18 . The way Edwards moves is very similar. Not quite as explosive but that may just be confidence and cockiness.
 

Trix

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
19,337
329,027
Surely we will still be wanting to top the YCL group? Can't see any of them playing in the first team personally.
 

Ron Burgundy

SC Supporter
Jun 19, 2008
7,705
23,267
Surely we will still be wanting to top the YCL group? Can't see any of them playing in the first team personally.

There's a Chris Ramsey article further up essentially saying "it's about the development, not the result"

It may be that none of them play, but my guess is that if Poch sees that one of them would benefit/is ready, that'll take priority over the potential to put out a first XI against a team that has (bizarrely with the exception of vs. us) been taken to the cleaners
 

Trix

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
19,337
329,027
There's a Chris Ramsey article further up essentially saying "it's about the development, not the result"

It may be that none of them play, but my guess is that if Poch sees that one of them would benefit/is ready, that'll take priority over the potential to put out a first XI against a team that has (bizarrely with the exception of vs. us) been taken to the cleaners

But surely them progressing as far as they can in the most prestigious youth competition will benefit their development greatly? I know it is first team football, and it's in the CL but our game against Apoel is now nothing more than a friendly. Personally I'd rather they play in the YCL, and we progress as far as possible.
 

allpaths

Well-Known Member
Oct 31, 2014
3,174
8,381
But surely them progressing as far as they can in the most prestigious youth competition will benefit their development greatly? I know it is first team football, and it's in the CL but our game against Apoel is now nothing more than a friendly. Personally I'd rather they play in the YCL, and we progress as far as possible.
I doubt we see it happen but not because it shouldnt, but because its not really poch's style to throw kids into a one off game.
For the sake of the arguement, say that we brought up Sterling, Edwards, Skipp or TOB and Tanganga, Im confident that we have the quality in depth were we should be able to handle APOEL and then some.
Austin
Hinds Eyoma BLF Brown
Marsh Skipp/TOB/Roles
Bennetts/Roles Maghoma Shashou
Griffiths
And even if we dont qualify, would playing in the one off game be that horrible. Be a great way to put the kids in a high pressure situatio, away from home. It would be a great developmental tool imo.
 
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