Author Topic: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches  (Read 6060 times)

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loucanova

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On the evidence of what I’ve seen of this young lad in recent games he looks stronger, quicker, more mobile and more skilful than any forward we currently have at the club.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2018, 07:52:48 AM »
I'm afraid it was probably through being in the premier league and a judgement was probably made as to when he would be ready for that level if at all.

We do seem generally too reluctant though to let youngsters 'fly' and see how they do though. We need to make sure the same doesn't happen with Field, Edwards and co.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2018, 09:15:30 AM »
He wouldn't be half the player he is without his experience of the lower leagues. Being stuck in our youth team or being thrown into the Premier League 5 years ago would have seen him fade out of the game imo.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2018, 10:39:23 AM »
Wasn’t good enough for the level we were at. Only past 2 seasons has he produced in the champ.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2018, 10:50:12 AM »
He would have been 21 when he left us and that's the age where you either have to be good enough for the match squad or you're on your way at a club like ours.

Whether he should have been given more of a chance is open to debate, at the time I think we only had Sessegnon who would fit into the bright attacking player with a bit of pace description.

Roofe has clearly reacted well and rebuilt his career...currently looks a live-wire suited to the style Leeds are playing.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2018, 10:51:17 AM »
Roofe was a strange one. Within 12 months of leaving us, he had scored 18 goals in one season and earnt a move to the championship.

There is no guarantee that he will ever be more than a championship player of course, but his rise to the championship was very quick.

One thing the club does seem very good at is producing forwards. Izzy Brown, Jerome Sinclair, Saido Berahino, Chris Wood, Keemar Roofe, Romaine Sawyers and Tyler Roberts are all registered to clubs in the championship or above, while lower, young Alex Jones scored 20 goals in a 15 month period in league 1 before getting a season ending injury last winter. At youth level we also have Rayhaan Tulloch, Jamie Soule, Morgan Rogers and Louie Barry in or around their respective Englanf youth sets ups.

If only we could develop a few more central midfielders.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2018, 10:51:52 AM »
It’s all about timing, do you hold a players career back because he’s not good enough for your level on the off chance that in 3,4, or 5 years times you find yourself in a suitable league for him. Or develop them as much as you can before selling them so they can flourish elsewhere. Either way I’d say him making it at the level he’s at is a good thing for all parties. Anyone who comes through our academy to make it in the pro game is a massive achievement , even if it’s ultimately at another club.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2018, 10:55:29 AM »
Barcelona have sold Yarry Mina to Everton with a buy back clause, common in Europe. Exactly what we should have done with Roofe and need to do in the future. That way if we are releasing talent at least we can get them back.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2018, 11:00:28 AM »
At the time he left we were premier league and he was miles off making our squad, he was 21 so not exactly a “kid” anymore. We can’t hold on to players until they are 25 in the hope they improve drastically. If he had stayed, he’d have got far less game time and probably wouldn’t be the player he is now.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2018, 11:04:41 AM »
At the time he left we were premier league and he was miles off making our squad, he was 21 so not exactly a “kid” anymore. We can’t hold on to players until they are 25 in the hope they improve drastically. If he had stayed, he’d have got far less game time and probably wouldn’t be the player he is now.

Applying that logic Leicester would sell Harvey Barnes. However they have used some common sense, signed him up to a new five year deal and then sent him out on loan to play. We’ve obviously dropped the ball on Roofe big time.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2018, 11:07:02 AM »
Applying that logic Leicester would sell Harvey Barnes. However they have used some common sense, signed him up to a new five year deal and then sent him out on loan to play. We’ve obviously dropped the ball on Roofe big time.

Barnes has shown himself to be championship level in 2 seasons at the age of 19-20, which is different to Roofe though.

The buy back clause however might be something we should look at.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #11 on: August 12, 2018, 11:32:58 AM »
Coaches didn't trust the youth set up and let them go, seems to me at the Albion that experience counts above ability and is still happening under Moore. Not investing in first team year in year out  so that every year coaches were in a relegation battle was also to blame for lack of youth involvement.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2018, 11:34:12 AM »
He was the stand out kid born in 1992.
Everyone wanted him from the age of 10,
He and his parents remained loyal to the Albion only to be let go.
Sad. Great talent

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2018, 11:37:21 AM »
In defence of the club we let a 20/21 year old go to Oxford United who were in League 2 at the time. It was a brilliant move for the player because Oxford were one of the more stable clubs at that level and he had a Head Coach (Appleton) who knew him and critically tried to play football.

From the off it was very obvious that he was too good for League 2 after 2 seasons he was picked up by Leeds and has always looked pretty decent in a side that has had zero continuity he is now being managed by his 5th different manager.

On the basis of 2 performances this season he seems to have gone up a gear under Bielsa yet he hasn't played at Premier League level and may never do so. The player we see today is not quite the player we let go and even now if a Premier League club were to sign him there would be a question mark as to whether he could make the step up.

The question is what could have done to retain him long enough so we could benefit from the player he has become?  Maybe without letting him go somewhere like Oxford he would not have developed the way he has.

However it does bring into question how we and other clubs develop youngsters and the pathways through to first team level.  The practice of loaning players out to lower league clubs rather than pushing them through their own first team structures.

I am not convinced that we have got this right. While going into the lower leagues gives young players valuable experience of the harsher realities of grown up professional football it doesn't do much or anything for their technical ability.

Equally many Premier League and Championship clubs seem to have legions of fairly mediocre players in their squads but the next generation struggle to get a spot on a squad. I am not sure of the answer but I am fairly sure what we are doing isn't quite working.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2018, 11:49:38 AM »
I guess it's important to send them to clubs who try to play football in the lower leagues, like we sent Wilson and Edwards to Exeter under Tisdale. Even if their game time is a bit limited, hopefully they are not falling into bad habits on the training ground....or during their time off.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #15 on: August 12, 2018, 12:29:05 PM »
Best player on the pitch again Forrest for West Brom preseason when Irvine was in charge and then let go. Tyler Roberts another sold on the cheap to fund a flop.  Roofe as others just needed games or loaning out.  I hope the club has learnt lessons as with Fitzwater and others.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #16 on: August 12, 2018, 01:21:32 PM »
Kemal roofe ,Eric cantona
Or
Neil Mellor, izzy brown

Some move and improve, some don't , what's the issue, we keep getting stuck in this misty eyed nostalgic trip down memory lane, Darren Bradley cannot re-sign get over it
If youre going to get told off, get told off for doing something not for doing nothing..

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #17 on: August 12, 2018, 01:27:28 PM »
Applying that logic Leicester would sell Harvey Barnes. However they have used some common sense, signed him up to a new five year deal and then sent him out on loan to play. We’ve obviously dropped the ball on Roofe big time.
so at that time he was let go when he was only good enough to be playing league 1 football and we were supposedly pushing on in the premier league who would you suggest he would have replaced. He’s only progressed to where he is now from playing regularly which never would have with us, if we’d stayed in the premier league we’d have been looking at better players than roofe now.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #18 on: August 12, 2018, 02:23:47 PM »
so at that time he was let go when he was only good enough to be playing league 1 football and we were supposedly pushing on in the premier league who would you suggest he would have replaced. He’s only progressed to where he is now from playing regularly which never would have with us, if we’d stayed in the premier league we’d have been looking at better players than roofe now.

Yeah so we should have signed him up to a long term contract and loaned him out. Either that or sold him with a buy back clause.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #19 on: August 12, 2018, 04:36:57 PM »
Yeah so we should have signed him up to a long term contract and loaned him out. Either that or sold him with a buy back clause.
it’s all hindsight, at 22 when he left he clearly wasn’t good enough, the club after him was a league 1 club, how old do you want us to hold on to players until? Barnes is 20, 2 years younger than what roofe was when we let him go and he’s at a far more advanced stage than roofe was at his age, but by 22 if he’s still nowhere near the first team at Leicester I’d imagine they will sell him. We can’t just hold onto players that aren’t showing the promise in the hope they do, there’s always going to be players that slip through the net. If we are going to whinge about the odd one that slips through the net then we may as well start whining that Alan Shearer wasn’t offered a contract after having trials with us.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #20 on: August 12, 2018, 05:41:02 PM »
Kemal roofe ,Eric cantona
Or
Neil Mellor, izzy brown

Some move and improve, some don't , what's the issue, we keep getting stuck in this misty eyed nostalgic trip down memory lane, Darren Bradley cannot re-sign get over it

Bit early to write off Brown. He’s still only 21 and I wouldn’t be surprised if his goals to games ratio in the championship is actually better than Roofe’s who is deemed now to be a success

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #21 on: August 12, 2018, 06:03:10 PM »
I think the club fail to instill there confidence in our youth players. There has been so many youth players that have gone over the years, that have really shown there potential.

Izzy Brown, George Thorne, Kemar Roofe, Chris Wood, Romaine Sawyers, Tyler Roberts...

Now, I'm not saying these players are world beaters, but some of them have gone on to be quite successful with the level of football we are playing now. It really upsets me how we fail to turn to our prospects or that we don't give them the opportunity they can get elsewhere.

Even youth prospects we have bought. Olly Burke, Scott Allan, James Hurst all them years ago. We invest in these players that other clubs have nutured and we still fail to give them game time
« Last Edit: August 12, 2018, 08:37:38 PM by Dorrans17 »
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #22 on: August 12, 2018, 08:07:04 PM »
I think the club fail to instill there confidence in our youth players. There has been so many youth players that have gone over the years, that have really shown there potential.

Izzy Brown, George Thorne, Kemar Roofe, Chris Wood, Romaine Sawyers, Tyler Roberts...

Now, I'm not saying these players are world beaters, but some of them have gone on to be quite successful with the level of football we are playing now. It really upsets me how we fail to turn to our prospects or that we don't give them the opportunity they can get elsewhere.

Even youth prospects we have bought. Olly Burke, Scott Allan, James Hurst all them years ago. We invest in these players that other clubs have neutured and we still fail to give them game time

I think you mean nurtured.
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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #23 on: August 12, 2018, 08:18:20 PM »
Pulis didn't rate him. Need I say more.

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Re: Kemar Roofe - how did we let this talent slip through our clutches
« Reply #24 on: August 12, 2018, 08:29:07 PM »
The problem is every club will have players like this, Pogba with Man Utd being the biggest example.
Off the top of my head down the years we've had: Nabi, Mkindawire, Gayle, Worrall, Nicholson, Hodgkiss, Hurst etc.

All these guys at some point were tipped to play for us etc, there's probably more. The issue is that when you're in the Premier League, it's too risky to play them so you need to loan them. But these days they may force a move by wanting ridiculous wages, and realistically you may have to loan them for 3+ seasons. In that time, their contract may run out, they may force a move etc.

So, it's not that easy as simply holding on to guys like Roofe. For the record, I think we did quite well with the development of Chris Wood - we loaned him out for years, also playing him quite a lot in the Championship. The truth is, he didn't look up to it - so he went and now he is a very good player. But what can you do in that situation?
With Roofe, I think it wouldn't have hurt to try loaning him for a few more seasons, but it may have ended up like Wood, which isn't as simple as holding on to talent.

Re-reading this thread, I actually think buy-back clauses are the way to go. I don't know why we don't do it more often.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2018, 08:31:39 PM by WBArgo »