Youth Players

[PEARCEY]

I agree that Long has not really developed as much as hoped over the last two seasons but so what? That does not mean the likes of Henry and Pearce will fail..give them a chance.Age does not matter.

[cmonurz]

I Tottaly agree with u on going out on loan to a championship club but what happens if a striker or two picks up and injury, whos going to deputise then?

The Premiership standard striker Coppell signed over the summer.

Oh.........

I know Long can't go out on loan, but that doesn't mean I am going to pretend he is good enough.

[ESTIM8R]

I think that if SC wants to jolt some of his starting eleven into action then calling up some players from the Reserves will do the trick!
Age is an irrelevant thing if the player possesses the skill to adapt his game to the tempo of the Prem. It is hard to say if "this" player or "that" player has the skill to do so but you would imagine if we had them in our Reserves then they would have had a run-out by now??
We definitely need a shake-up as the Squad looked painfully uninspired to take on Sunderland, a complete opposite of our opposition as they took the game to us!! I know the Int'l break didn't help us, but give me strength our lads looked like a Pub Team out after a night of pints looking for a dark place to hide!!
We were more inspired once Long,Fae and Convey came on. BC looked as though he had something to prove and was eager to show it from the minute he came on!
The Team musn't get complacent and start thinking that "I'm guaranteed a spot" and wander about the pitch looking for heads which were planted firmly up their arses at Sunderland! We ARE better than that and now have a huge task in front of them but perhaps looking at the table and watching the other teams pull away will be the inspiration they need.

If bottom three can't motivate them, then who knows!!???

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Age doesn't matter, whether they are good enough really does. Coppell and the coaches see these players every day. They're the only who can make the decision. Coppell must feel that Fae out of position is a better choice than James Henry and we have not seen anything of Henry to suggest otherwise. Coppell picks what he thinks is the best team, that's his job. He's got trust issues with players that much is obvious, but he spends every day with these players to make these decisions.

I bet if you asked Coppell he'd say now is the worse possible time to bring in young players, there's a real pressure on anyone coming into the side now, how's a young player going to react to that? It could very conceivable ruin them as a player. I understand the argument that you'll never find out unless you play these kids, but just trying to see it from Coppell perspective.

Looking at the team and the bench from Saturday, are the likes of Pearce, Henry etc better players than any of those guys? I'd argue that we have seen nothing to suggest that they are and that Coppell has seen an awful lot more than us. While I'm desperate to look at ways to improve our side, I find it hard to argue, that with the current situation, looking to the youngsters is the answer.

[mini _dariusz]

Can people please stop talking about using our youth players. Players like Mikkel Andersen, James Henry and Alex Pearce are not going to improve the team. These players are not of a Premiership standard at the moment, maybe they will in four or five years time, I don't know. At the moment, these players are good enough to play for League 1 sides, maybe lower Championship sides but certainly not against Premiership sides, so can people stop talking about how these player must be brought in because they shouldn't as they do not have the qualities at the moment to cut it in the Premiership.

Clueless.

[bassavage]

Age doesn't matter, whether they are good enough really does. Coppell and the coaches see these players every day. They're the only who can make the decision. Coppell must feel that Fae out of position is a better choice than James Henry and we have not seen anything of Henry to suggest otherwise. Coppell picks what he thinks is the best team, that's his job. He's got trust issues with players that much is obvious, but he spends every day with these players to make these decisions.

I bet if you asked Coppell he'd say now is the worse possible time to bring in young players, there's a real pressure on anyone coming into the side now, how's a young player going to react to that? It could very conceivable ruin them as a player. I understand the argument that you'll never find out unless you play these kids, but just trying to see it from Coppell perspective.

Looking at the team and the bench from Saturday, are the likes of Pearce, Henry etc better players than any of those guys? I'd argue that we have seen nothing to suggest that they are and that Coppell has seen an awful lot more than us. While I'm desperate to look at ways to improve our side, I find it hard to argue, that with the current situation, looking to the youngsters is the answer.

That is my point exactly - will people get off my back, I'm not clueless I know exactly what I am saying and maybe I just wrote it in the wrong way.

[Royal Rebel]

I think Henry at least deserves a place on the bench.

[sotonroyal]

I think claiming that these youth team prospects are obviously not good enough as Coppell has yet to involve them in the first team is a weak arguement. For all his attributes I have never considered him to be the kind of manager who is likely to involve youngsters as he has consistantly proved himself to be conservative and fiercely loyal to the players he has signed himself. People will hark back to the days of Ian Wright and what a brilliant signing he was, however in his time at Reading we have seen a number of supposedly excellent young footballers leave the club without being given an opportunity in the first team (Hayes, Young, Howell, Campbell). Although it is conceivable that these players simply went off the boil, Campbell for instance was plainly a player of real talent who I still believe could have certainly made an impact at championship level under the right circumstances.

I personally find the Henry situation unbelievable and if I were him I would be scratching my head. Having just scored a hat trick in reserve game from the right side of midfield he is unable to even get in the first team squad and a central midfielder and then a right-back are played out of position instead. It is easy enough to dismiss these players as not good enough but we now have one of the countries top youth set ups and consistantly perform excellently at this level. Rather than the players not having the quality I feel it is a case of us not having the manager in place at present to utilise them.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

I think claiming that these youth team prospects are obviously not good enough as Coppell has yet to involve them in the first team is a weak arguement. For all his attributes I have never considered him to be the kind of manager who is likely to involve youngsters as he has consistantly proved himself to be conservative and fiercely loyal to the players he has signed himself. People will hark back to the days of Ian Wright and what a brilliant signing he was, however in his time at Reading we have seen a number of supposedly excellent young footballers leave the club without being given an opportunity in the first team (Hayes, Young, Howell, Campbell). Although it is conceivable that these players simply went off the boil, Campbell for instance was plainly a player of real talent who I still believe could have certainly made an impact at championship level under the right circumstances.

I personally find the Henry situation unbelievable and if I were him I would be scratching my head. Having just scored a hat trick in reserve game from the right side of midfield he is unable to even get in the first team squad and a central midfielder and then a right-back are played out of position instead. It is easy enough to dismiss these players as not good enough but we now have one of the countries top youth set ups and consistantly perform excellently at this level. Rather than the players not having the quality I feel it is a case of us not having the manager in place at present to utilise them.

None of those players you mention were good enough. Cambell was crippled by injuries. Howell? Maybe you can argue he could have been handled better, but just look at the level he's playing at now. If he'd had the kind of talent and more importantly application to get in our 1st team he'd have forged better carer for himself. Young's a reserve at Wycombe and he's tiny for a keeper, I doubt we'll see Hayes playing in the Premiership.

[PEARCEY]

SKDD dont you think SC is a bit too conservative though sometimes? I really dont seem the harm in bringing on Henry say twenty minutes from time against a tiring defence and just let him give it a go. No manager is perfect and I think SC could just let go a bit more. I just get the impression the defensive mindset of our opening game draw has crept into the team. Lets have two genuine widemen in the side firing crosses into the box...its what the team do best.

[Katie Marsden]

Sorry but LOL @ anyone comparing our youngsters with some of the best young players in the world like posters have on page one.

[PEARCEY]

I think the point being made Katie is that there are plenty of young players at other Premiership clubs who are making their mark...not that our academy players are their match..young enough/good enough etc and I agree with that. Henry and Pearce are doing superbly well in the reserves but if they are not given the opportunity in the first team what more can they do.....age should not be a barrier to first team opportunities.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

SKDD dont you think SC is a bit too conservative though sometimes? I really dont seem the harm in bringing on Henry say twenty minutes from time against a tiring defence and just let him give it a go. No manager is perfect and I think SC could just let go a bit more. I just get the impression the defensive mindset of our opening game draw has crept into the team. Lets have two genuine widemen in the side firing crosses into the box...its what the team do best.

It doesn't matter what we think. Personally I'd agree with you, I don't think Coppell does though and I just think it's important to try and understand it from his perspective.

[Alan Partridge]

Would love to see Pearce and Henry used asap. Henry couldn't do any worse than the recent players tried at right midfield.

similarly I REALLY hope Pearce plays against Liverpool.

[zac naloen]

Would love to see Pearce and Henry used asap. Henry couldn't do any worse than the recent players tried at right midfield.

similarly I REALLY hope Pearce plays against Liverpool.

Personally, I think he's going to play both (or at least Henry) against Liverpool and use that as a judge of whether they are ready for the league..

[brendywendy]

Ive Forgotten was it Long that Scored 2 Goals agaisnt Derby To Secure the Championship?

Yes, in the Championship, yes it was.

so in his 1st season in british football in the second tier he was good enough, but he is not good enough two years later for a bottom of the table premiere league club?

[winchester_royal]

Can people please stop talking about using our youth players. Players like Mikkel Andersen, James Henry and Alex Pearce are not going to improve the team. These players are not of a Premiership standard at the moment, maybe they will in four or five years time, I don't know. At the moment, these players are good enough to play for League 1 sides, maybe lower Championship sides but certainly not against Premiership sides, so can people stop talking about how these player must be brought in because they shouldn't as they do not have the qualities at the moment to cut it in the Premiership.

never have i read so much complete and utter boll*cks in one post, James Henry was just picked for the England U19, Mikkel Andersen is the youngest ever player to play in the danish league, and Alex Pearce was brilliant while on loan to Northampton. How can they play any worse than the shite on show at the moment?

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

What makes me laugh the most about all these people banging on about youth players. Have you ever seen them play? At absolute most some of us have seen them play reserve team games against shocking opposition. The fact not a single person on this web site has mentioned Gylfi's goal from the opening academy match of the season, just shows how little people know. I've no doubt that to the majority of people on this board (and I'm sure there are some exceptions) these players are nothing but names. It's laughable that people think they seen enough to confidently say these players are good enough, when Coppell and our staff see them every single day and are in a far, far better position to judge.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

Exactly agree, we tried Shane Long, not premiership standard.

Maybe not, but he sure as heck loooked a better attacking option than Lita on Saturday. At least Long looked to stay on his feet!

[Biscuit]

I think the problem comes more from squad sizes. Coppell will want his most experienced, 'reliable' 11 out on the field, then he'll have his 5 subs, 1 of which is a keeper. That leaves four places on the bench, and at least one of those has to be one of the 4 strikers at the club. He'll then have a couple more choices to make, and I think he'll always pick a Convey, De La Cruz, Fae etc not because he necessarily thinks that they'll make an impression from the bench, but more to keep them happy and involved. What would Convey/De La Cruz think if Henry took their place in the team? Egos are important at this level, and I think that's where Coppell has problems and won't take risks.