The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2024/25

[shaka's shorts]

Tanner is playing tonight, so we are clearly going for it still. He just tweeted. Wonder if Tshibola will play?

[icelandboy]

We could end up with a forward line of Fosu, Samuel, Nova, Stacey at some point next season. Especially if the signings are shit.

Anyone hear any news on Stacey's injury. He Looked in a fair amount of pain at Derby when he came off.

If I had to judge, he walked off the pitch, I'd suspect his expression was more of being distraught at his first start being cut short.

Was his second start, he started in the 4-1 loss to Watford

[SCIAG]

1-0, Tanner.

Team:

------------------Lincoln----------------
Long----Keown--Sweeney---Griffin
------------Kuhl------Tshibola---------
Tanner----------Kelly-------------Fosu
------------------Novakovich------------

Subs: Ward, Hyam, Sammi, Owusu, Cardwell

[toppy]

strong team with Tish and Tanner

[ZacNaloen]

It's currently 1-1

Wolves scored just before half time

[Wycombe Royal]

Lost 2-1

[marlowuk]

Lost 2-1

That's disappointing. Wolves are bottom of the table with only 2 wins before today. Maybe the pressure is getting to the lads? Or maybe, with promotion secured, they relaxed too much.

[winchester_royal]

Played a lot of games recently. Young guys get tired, especially towards the end of the season.

The reintroduction of Tanner and Tish may not have helped either tbh. Disrupted a winning flow.

[ZacNaloen]

Yep, on paper makes for a stronger team, but they've been playing as part of a different teams for months and not been part of the group.

[SCIAG]

Lost 1-0 again tonight, conceded an early goal down our right hand side and then West Brom defended well.

No real cutting edge from us, too much sloppiness from the midfield (although there were some good moves, we just didn't create chances from them), and we weren't clinical enough with those we did create. Kelly didn't connect with a low cross when he surely would have scored, Tanner didn't score a 1-on-1 and then Novakovich missed with the rebound.

I'd have liked to see Cardwell come on to inject a bit of pace and power up front. Novakovich has good close control but I don't think he has quite the same raw directness.

Tanner worked really hard, could see him being a credible pick for one of the wing spots in the first team next season.

Long and Griffin both impressed, as did Keown. Sweeney a little shaky, but I'd never noticed how quick he is.

Finally, West Brom's goalkeeper was very good, and Marc Ethelston would make our team significantly prettier.

[Nameless]

On the other hand...
1. We've put a lot of money into the youth set up and people could rightly say that the investment has been made and a return is required, so make some use of it. That would also need some kind of reassurance that if it didn't work there would be a recognition of why. There really is no point having a good academy and simply giving a manager carte Blanche to ignore it (not that this has happened here)
2. Good management does not equal constantly buying players. Sometimes I feel too many managers rely on cheque books rather than the old fashioned skills of man management, motivation, coaching, organisation and tactical thinking. It's easier to spend a million on a new left winger than spend time improving the ones you already have.
Swindon have built a playoff side on players rejected from other academies, Ipswich have built a playoff side on players released from other , Middlesbrough built a decent Premiership side on local Academy products.
It can be done, it just needs a club to decide a strategy and a manager who can implement it and accept that building a team does not actually mean buying players.....

[Bob1871]

Lost 1-0 again tonight, conceded an early goal down our right hand side and then West Brom defended well.

No real cutting edge from us, too much sloppiness from the midfield (although there were some good moves, we just didn't create chances from them), and we weren't clinical enough with those we did create. Kelly didn't connect with a low cross when he surely would have scored, Tanner didn't score a 1-on-1 and then Novakovich missed with the rebound.

I'd have liked to see Cardwell come on to inject a bit of pace and power up front. Novakovich has good close control but I don't think he has quite the same raw directness.

Tanner worked really hard, could see him being a credible pick for one of the wing spots in the first team next season.

Long and Griffin both impressed, as did Keown. Sweeney a little shaky, but I'd never noticed how quick he is.

Finally, West Brom's goalkeeper was very good, and Marc Ethelston would make our team significantly prettier.

I thought overall it was quite a good team performance, looked a much better team than WBA we were just missing a striker (very similar to the first team!)

Keeper made a mistake for their goal but apparently was his first game for a month as he is U18 but usually sits on the bench for the U21's.

I really liked the look of Long, reminded me a lot of Murty and Keown also looked very solid, I'd agree about Sweeney.

I thought Tshibola looked pretty poor, didn't look like he wanted it much, Kuhl on the other hand was by far the best player on the pitch, kept looking for the ball and linked the moves together well.

Kelly looked great on the ball, great feet and turn of pace but he is about 4 foot tall so not sure he's close to the first team at the moment. Novakovich started the game well but then went missing for large parts and missed an absolute sitter at the end.

Tanner looked good, hardworking but final ball was shockingly bad!

[RATM]

We played some decent football but just lacked the final ball, maybe the edge has gone since promotion has been sealed.
Kelly was our best attacking player and hopefully if/ when he makes the 1st team his size will work to his benefit like Sammy Igoe.
Long also impressed last night, he is improving all the time and I think he has a decent chance of making it now.

[parky]

Nice to see we won the Soccer AM Futsal cup today, beating Sheffield United 11-6 in the final

[ZacNaloen]

Stuart Moore doesn't look as good as Dan Lincoln to me. His kicking was very poor for one.

[Royal Rother]

Interesting re different levels.... Moore was POTS at Basingstoke last season, voted by their own supporters and separately by away supporters.

[ZacNaloen]

Tbf I've seen a lot more of Dan Lincoln than any of the others so he's had way more chance to impress me.

[SCIAG]

Yeah, I think it's pretty hard for us to judge the relative ability of the goalkeepers.
Lincoln's consistently been picked ahead of Moore though, and Henly got a better loan (but didn't do as well when he was there), so I think the club would put Lincoln first, then Henly, then Moore - at least at the start of the season.

I don't know what's going on with Legg and Gogic's contracts, but with those five, Ward, and Southwood, we could have seven goalkeepers too old for the U18s waiting to make their debut next season.

[ZacNaloen]

I've never seen Legg or Gogic play at any level, which doesn't look good for their chances.

Lincoln needs to be aiming to be Number 2 next year.

Andersen isn't good enough and it certainly looks like Feds is leaving and we'll be bringing someone in, I'm told his house is on the market and we can't have someone as young as Lincoln as 1st choice no matter his ability.

[Hoop Blah]

I'm not convinced that Andersen isn't good enough, he just hasn't had the chance to get a run and be match sharp to give the best account of himself (he might still not be good enough though).

It may be that he isn't. I just don't think we've seen enough to really know. Clarke and Bibbo will know what they think though and I'd guess they agree Zac.