The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2024/25

[Sutekh]

How under strength is our academy though? The best ones are in the first team or got sold to fund the club. Maybe we were outclassed tonight, but the fact we've beaten the likes of Ajax and Spurs recently shows the depth of talent in the academy. The odd result like this is nothing to be ashamed of.

I'm sure Vickers, Harris, Garcia, Wareham and Bindon (who is still a teenager) would have made a difference.

Plus Holzman and Tuma missing tonight.

Bench tonight then

[Crusader Royal]

How under strength is our academy though? The best ones are in the first team or got sold to fund the club. Maybe we were outclassed tonight, but the fact we've beaten the likes of Ajax and Spurs recently shows the depth of talent in the academy. The odd result like this is nothing to be ashamed of.

I'm sure Vickers, Harris, Garcia, Wareham and Bindon (who is still a teenager) would have made a difference.

I’m not sure we were outclassed as such. It’s absolutely crazy that as a third division team we are playing top European sides on equal terms ! They were definitely the better side but this was not our best set of u21 players and being disappointed with the performance shows the level of expectation is high. We played better towards the end (after Senga came on) but our weakness down the flanks was a real issue throughout.

[Fox Talbot]

<<I’m not sure we were outclassed as such. It’s absolutely crazy that as a third division team we are playing top European sides on equal terms ! They were definitely the better side but this was not our best set of u21 players and being disappointed with the performance shows the level of expectation is high.>>

We were outclassed, 1-4 was a fair reflection, but we did well to hold them to 0-1 for an hour. They looked faster, fitter, sharper throughout the team and they were well-up for it, plenty of niggle and strop.

But you're right - they're a top side (1st team currently 2nd in Ligue 1?) and we were 3-5 players short of our best.

[SCIAG]

How under strength is our academy though? The best ones are in the first team or got sold to fund the club. Maybe we were outclassed tonight, but the fact we've beaten the likes of Ajax and Spurs recently shows the depth of talent in the academy. The odd result like this is nothing to be ashamed of.

I'm sure Vickers, Harris, Garcia, Wareham and Bindon (who is still a teenager) would have made a difference.

Plus Holzman and Tuma missing tonight.

Aside from in goal, we were basically missing a whole XI - Holzmann, Kanu, Bindon, Ryan, Clarke, Garcia, Ahmed, Rushesha, Camara, Akande, Tuma, and Wareham. That's not including Senga who is still working his way back to full fitness, Abbey, Vickers, Harris, Princewell E. and Fletcher who we sold/got poached, or the possibility of the likes of George or CMS stepping up from the U18s.

Agree that we got outclassed across the pitch and it's not surprising. We had three or four players out of position, and looked under-coached. Monaco had the better of us in every area, tactically, physically, mentally, and technically. They dominated possession and progressed the ball well, creating space with intelligent movement and exploiting the overloads.

All our players showed moments of quality, except maybe Sackey who didn't get on the ball and wasn't effective in the press, but they didn't have the same consistent, dangerous quality that Monaco had. Expected a bit more from Charlie Wellens who is now one of the senior members of the side and needs to be turning it on regularly if he wants to make a career in the professional game, but accept that the set-up made things difficult for him. Thought Barough or whatever was narrowly the pick of the forwards but they all struggled.

With Wareham and Ryan or Garcia in the side we'd have looked better but still probably lost.

[Crusader Royal]

Has anyone checked whether Monaco were playing their best u21’s or was that just a bunch of kids who they grabbed off the streets of Marseille on Monday morning ?

[Royals and Racers]

No respite for the U 21’s as they take on Blackburn in a “ home “ PL 2 fixture tomorrow evening 1st November KO 7pm. This match is the 1st of this seasons matches taking place at Aldershot’s EBB stadium. Having seen nothing to say otherwise, i am assuming it’s free entry.
With the FA Cup match on Saturday i am expecting a very young and inexperienced starting X1 and bench for this one.

[Royals and Racers]

No respite for the U 21’s as they take on Blackburn in a “ home “ PL 2 fixture tomorrow evening 1st November KO 7pm. This match is the 1st of this seasons matches taking place at Aldershot’s EBB stadium. Having seen nothing to say otherwise, i am assuming it’s free entry.
With the FA Cup match on Saturday i am expecting a very young and inexperienced starting X1 and bench for this one.

Decent preview of tonight on the Blackburn Rovers website. They confirm that it’s free entry tonight at Aldershot.
As for RFC nothing and if you were relying on the club for info you would never know we crashed out of the FA Youth cup on Wednesday evening.

[Sutekh]

No respite for the U 21’s as they take on Blackburn in a “ home “ PL 2 fixture tomorrow evening 1st November KO 7pm. This match is the 1st of this seasons matches taking place at Aldershot’s EBB stadium. Having seen nothing to say otherwise, i am assuming it’s free entry.
With the FA Cup match on Saturday i am expecting a very young and inexperienced starting X1 and bench for this one.

Decent preview of tonight on the Blackburn Rovers website. They confirm that it’s free entry tonight at Aldershot.
As for RFC nothing and if you were relying on the club for info you would never know we crashed out of the FA Youth cup on Wednesday evening.

You’d think there was other priorities within the club wouldn’t you

Not that the coverage was any use before the media resources were cut a year or so ago, let alone now there’s no management, money or direction either.

[Crusader Royal]

No respite for the U 21’s as they take on Blackburn in a “ home “ PL 2 fixture tomorrow evening 1st November KO 7pm. This match is the 1st of this seasons matches taking place at Aldershot’s EBB stadium. Having seen nothing to say otherwise, i am assuming it’s free entry.
With the FA Cup match on Saturday i am expecting a very young and inexperienced starting X1 and bench for this one.

Decent preview of tonight on the Blackburn Rovers website. They confirm that it’s free entry tonight at Aldershot.
As for RFC nothing and if you were relying on the club for info you would never know we crashed out of the FA Youth cup on Wednesday evening.

You’d think there was other priorities within the club wouldn’t you

Not that the coverage was any use before the media resources were cut a year or so ago, let alone now there’s no management, money or direction either.

When line ups, scores and reports are provided on here on a regular basis why should the club spend time and money duplicating the info ?

[Snowflake Royal]

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest the club probably aren't keen to promote bad news stories about the Academy at the best of times, let alone the worst of times.

The odd nice puff piece about a good result.

And I think that's reasonable. I don’t think the Academy players really need to be under the microscope, and I doubt they'll benefit from it.

[Royals and Racers]

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest the club probably aren't keen to promote bad news stories about the Academy at the best of times, let alone the worst of times.

The odd nice puff piece about a good result.

And I think that's reasonable. I don’t think the Academy players really need to be under the microscope, and I doubt they'll benefit from it.

Yes let the club only report the wins.

[Snowflake Royal]

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest the club probably aren't keen to promote bad news stories about the Academy at the best of times, let alone the worst of times.

The odd nice puff piece about a good result.

And I think that's reasonable. I don’t think the Academy players really need to be under the microscope, and I doubt they'll benefit from it.

Yes let the club only report the wins.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you (we) don't get a say.

[Royals and Racers]

Norcott
Borgnis
Beacroft
Senga
Stickland
Harrison
Osho
Wellens
Okine-Peters
Sackey
Barough
SUBS
Welland
Duah
Bowdery
Saint-Louis
George

[Royals and Racers]

NOT free to get in £4.50 for a concession !!!

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Would have liked to see Okine-Peters on the bench tomorrow, but maybe the trophy is a better option next week.

[Royals and Racers]

H-T 0-0
1-0 50 mins Sackey
F-T 1-0
Royals up to 13th
Attendance 72

[Royals and Racers]

Next up for the U21’s is a PL Cup group G match this Friday 8th at the SCL stadium KO 7pm against Burnley.
Current table
Burnley P 2 points 6
Brighton P 2 points 3
Luton P 2 points 3
Reading P 2 points 0
I have only just realised that this season 36 teams are in it- 9 groups of 4. I cannot find the rules anywhere so can only assume to get to the last 16 they will have to take the 9 group winners and the best 7 runners-up.
With 4 matches left for the Royals i would think we need 3 wins at the very least to stand any chance of qualifying.

[The Cube]

U15 Premier League Floodlit Cup - Reading played away to Southampton last night and won 5-2. The game was at Totton and open to the public, but I didn't find that out until just now.

[Royals and Racers]

Boyce-Clarke
Borgnis
Beeacroft
Senga
Stickland
Kanu
Osho
Wellens
OkinePeters
Sackey
Barough
SUBS
Norcott
Duah
Source
McMillen
George

[Royals and Racers]

Reading 0 Burnley 1 20 mins
0-2 22 mins
1-2 34 mins Barough
H-T 1-2