[Atomic]

With us being in the Championship next season it should be slightly easier to bring a youngster or two into the first team fold. I've been looking at our squad and there are a number of them that are on the fringes:

Sam Field: Should've been a regular this season let alone next. Given that we're likely to be a footballing team next season and at a lower level than we're currently playing at I would expect Sam to hold down a place. He turns 20 in May, now is the time.

Alex Palmer: Ben Foster says he wants to stay at the club which is excellent news. Alex isn't likely to dislodge Ben but could he be our genuine second choice next season? 21 is very young for a goalkeeper. Would we trust him in Foster's absence? I'm not so sure.

Kane Wilson: Has been on loan at Exeter. Only 18 years old but gaining first team experience. Right back isn't a position we are particularly strong in. Nyom is no world beater and Dawson is arguably a more natural central defender (Dawson may go anyway). Could Wilson make the step up next season?

Jack Fitzwater: On loan at Walsall, seemingly doing well. 20 years old centre back. Hegazi, Gabr (given that he's reportedly learning English), are likely to be here next season. McAuley at his age may not be, Dawson may or may not be, Evans won't be, there is an opening at centre back. I expect we'll add to the back line in the summer.

Oliver Burke: Has been on the fringes this season. Has had Championship experience before. I expect him to figure regularly next season.

Jonathan Leko: Soon turns 19. Has been out at Bristol City this season, didn't really make too much of an impact. I've never been too sure about Leko I'm not sure his technique is good enough and I'm not sure about his footballing intelligence. Will he be good enough to earn a place next season when he never cemented a place at Bristol? I'm not sure but I think next season is huge for Leko. If he doesn't step up to that next level I can see him going down the leagues even at his age.

Rekeem Harper: Hard to know what to make of Harper. Only 18 had a short loan spell at Blackburn, featured only once. Made the bench for us against Swansea. Our midfield is slow, defensive and poor, will surely be totally different next season. Gareth Barry should be moved on, Krychowiak won't be here for sure. Chadli won't be. Morrison?


How many of these kids will be regulars for us next season? I'd say Field and Burke, unsure of the rest.


Thoughts?

[Standaman]

The kids will be vital going forward. It is critical that we hire a Head Coach who has a good reputation for working with and developing young talent. We have to get out of the habit of clogging up the squad with journeyman pro's and give the kids responsibility.

Next season we will need to start to at least have a core of youngsters who if not automatic starters being the first back up to the more established players.

I would hope Burke, Field, Harper, Fitzwater, Leko (issue here is he occupies the same position as Burke) and Wilson be very heavily involved in the first team squad. There are others e.g. Tulloch but maybe next year is a little too early.

[tommcneill]

I would like to see the team feature Field as a mainstay...time to bring him on and an excellent opportunity to do that.

Leko may or may not make it here....he needs to up his game though

Burke I can see being a regular and he will storm the championship in my opinion

We need to find a good balance of youth and experience

[mulliganstired]

I think they should all be given a chance, we'll have 3 games a week regularly.  Wilson did well at Exeter.

[telford baggie]

give all the kids a chance and we go down again simple as that look at u23s shocking and they say we have a good academy! apart from field and burke dont see anybody else been a regular

[WorcsWBA]

Players should only be put in the side if they're good enough, not just out of sense of obligation/desire to play young players. All of those named in this thread (Burke aside) have yet to show that they're good enough for the Championship, let alone the Premiership. I understand the argument that we won't know unless we play them, but if they were widely regarded as potentially being good enough, there would have been Championship sides wanting to take them on loan this season. Leko did go to a Championship side and didn't do much there, so why would you expect him to be any better for us?

I'm all for playing youngsters, but because they warrant it and not just for the sake of it.

[BaggieBoy04]

I think Field needs a Game and Burke Maybe Try Someone else but only these two we know are Good and Possibly Devolpe

[TheJacko2000]

Just don't see it with Field. He's just another defensive midfielder. Not a player you build a team around.

[Wigmore]

give all the kids a chance and we go down again simple as that look at u23s shocking and they say we have a good academy! apart from field and burke dont see anybody else been a regular

The U23's are using a lot of younger players operating way above their age groups. Totally wrong to judge the quality of the academy on the results of one team, given the numbers of players out on loan.

[SirTonyM]

I know they are Albion kids and want to give them a chance but are they any good?

[Adder]

Field is clearly rated judging by the contracts the club have given him and his England involvement. Megson said he had the best passing range of anyone at the club. So far we've seen touches of quality and also an ability to arrive late in the box and get on the end of things. Hopefully we can see him in a sequence of 10 - 12 games next season and get a real look at him.

A DM with good mobility and passing range is a good asset.

Pre season games will start very early in the Championship and suspect we'll see a number of the younger players playing quite a large part in those, while the rest of the squad is being pieced together.

[mig]

Leko has more than enough to make it here. What are people judging him on to say he isn't good enough when he isn't even 19?

He lost the ball against Palace (when he had just turned 18) which led to a goal only because McAuley backed off Townsend for about 35 yards, letting him run into the area and shoot. He was also stifled by Pulis. Under the right manager he can thrive and succeed at Championship level and maybe beyond.

I would also love to see Harper given fair opportunity next season.

[RogerBadoo]

I understand that both Wilson and Edwards (who seems to be forgotten) have done well at Exeter. I have talked to people who watch them every week. No doubt Wilson is going to be very good indeed. We have several others that have been forgotten - the lads in Scotland and the big centre half at Port Vale. I suspect some of these and Tahvon Campbell will be moved on - out of the group I think we should see more from Field, Wilson, Harper and maybe Leko (I also wonder if temperament is an issue) - not sure Fitzwater will make the step up.

[FallOutBoy]

I would imagine Field and Burke will play the most, possibly Fitzwater and Leko will be part of the squad too depending on the new manager.

Palmer might be good enough for 2nd choice, but may need more game time first. Would expect the rest to be in the under 23's still.

[billvis]

What about Zhang yuning? Got to bring him into the fold, surely?

Not sure how he's gotten on at weirder Bremen, but must be worth a punt, being as they bought him like!

[TheJacko2000]

What about Zhang yuning? Got to bring him into the fold, surely?

Not sure how he's gotten on at weirder Bremen, but must be worth a punt, being as they bought him like!

Still won't be eligible for a work permit.

[WBArgo]

Well, there's no point in having an academy if you're not going to play the kids...having said that I think it's natural for all fans to overstate the quality of their kids.

For me, Field is a must-started next season. I also liked the look of Harper against Bournemouth and think Leko looked decent at times.

[Hull Baggie]

What about Zhang yuning? Got to bring him into the fold, surely?

Not sure how he's gotten on at weirder Bremen, but must be worth a punt, being as they bought him like!

He's not played for Werder Bremen's first team and I'm not sure he's even featured for their 2nd team, which doesn't bode well.
I might be wrong but I'm sure I read something about Bremen wanting to cut the loan deal short.

[seteefeet]

It's almost impossible for Academy kids to get regular games in the Premiership and they have to be exceptional to do so. I think Field has done enough to put him into this category and hope he is a key player for us next season.
The others are probably the next level down at best, which is good for them as that is where we will be playing next year. Leko and Harper should get game time, if they are still here.
Not sure any of the others will step up just yet but, that doesn't mean our academy is a failure, you have to be a very good footballer to play at any professional level and, if you look at the Championship - League 2, there are quite a few of our ex kids making a decent living.
Don't know how we compare to other clubs but I think we hold our own when it comes to producing professional footballers.

[DaveWBA]

Let's not get carried away. We have only one youngster who looks like he could be playing regularly for us next season and that's Field. Jacko is probably right, he's not one to build a team around but alongside a more creative midfielder that we're crying out for he is more than capable. A good season in the Championship next year would see his value soar.

Harper has played about 20 minutes for us and made four apps for Blackburn in the league below. A big gamble to throw him straight in next season.

Wilson and Edwards have been playing in League 2. Wilson when I saw him against Northampton in the cup looked lively, and the experience this season will have done him the world of good. Another big gamble to rely on him to cover on the full back berths. Edwards I know nothing about, so I have to reserve judgement.

Burke will play, providing he keeps himself fit. If the new manager doesn't fancy him then it's an extraordinary waste of money by Pulis.

Palmer will be on the bench next season and we may see him in the cup games.

Fitzwater is 20 now and has never played above L1. Will be a big ask for him to step up next season I think. Can see him being moved on in the summer.

Leko is raw, but is deserving of a place on the bench. If he can continue to improve his end product then he will be an asset next season, but only off the bench.

The only other one is Tulloch, who is highly rated and has signed a pro-deal. Probably too early for him next season.

There's enough coming through from our academy to cover the worst case scenario with injuries etc. I would expect Field and Leko will be the two most likely to see game time. There's a couple of those lads approaching 21 which is make or break time for them to come good for us. I'd be surprised if all of those listed are with us come the start of next season.

[baggiebof]

Let's not get carried away. We have only one youngster who looks like he could be playing regularly for us next season and that's Field. Jacko is probably right, he's not one to build a team around but alongside a more creative midfielder that we're crying out for he is more than capable. A good season in the Championship next year would see his value soar.

Harper has played about 20 minutes for us and made four apps for Blackburn in the league below. A big gamble to throw him straight in next season.

Wilson and Edwards have been playing in League 2. Wilson when I saw him against Northampton in the cup looked lively, and the experience this season will have done him the world of good. Another big gamble to rely on him to cover on the full back berths. Edwards I know nothing about, so I have to reserve judgement.

Burke will play, providing he keeps himself fit. If the new manager doesn't fancy him then it's an extraordinary waste of money by Pulis.

Palmer will be on the bench next season and we may see him in the cup games.

Fitzwater is 20 now and has never played above L1. Will be a big ask for him to step up next season I think. Can see him being moved on in the summer.

Leko is raw, but is deserving of a place on the bench. If he can continue to improve his end product then he will be an asset next season, but only off the bench.

The only other one is Tulloch, who is highly rated and has signed a pro-deal. Probably too early for him next season.

There's enough coming through from our academy to cover the worst case scenario with injuries etc. I would expect Field and Leko will be the two most likely to see game time. There's a couple of those lads approaching 21 which is make or break time for them to come good for us. I'd be surprised if all of those listed are with us come the start of next season.

I think this is a fair summary.

Regarding Fitzwater, I think coming through as a centre back is so difficult as a youngster as centre backs generally peak later on. I guess they have to be outstanding to break through. It isn't even a position where you can get 20mins here and there from the bench as you generally don't look to change a centre back mid-game.

With Leko, I saw a lot of him when the reserves were playing at the Ricoh and was very excited by him however every time I've seen him since, he doesn't appear to have improved very much. He has bags of ability however looks like he needs a long hard summer in the gym to get stronger, faster and fitter. It's a little like Cristiano Ronaldo when he was first at United, he needed to put the work in the gym before he could fully flourish (that's not me saying Leko is another Ronaldo). We don't know what Leko's mentality is like; if he doesn't have that drive to improve then he won't be any good for us next year. He is soon to be 19 which obviously is still very young but the penny does need to start dropping as I feel already he has stagnated.

[Baggies]

In defence of the under 23's, there is an article on the BBC website with regards to Man Utd's under 23 team and their relegation from the first division down to the second.  In it, Nicky Butt explains that the set up isn't really ideal and that while some clubs will prioritise winning the league, Man Utd treat it more like Southampton and Tottenham do (felow strugglers in the last 2 years) and look at it purely for development. They play younger players and so they lose more games.

Of course, this is our clubs policy as well. Whether it is right or not, it seems if you do play younger players, instead of a core set up of older youth players, your results will suffer and so league success is not necesserily a good measure of how well our academy is performing.

Our under 18s arent doing too badly (still not amazing but better) and maybe this is where we should be looking.

We shouldn't expect a squad full of youth plauers next season, but I would hope 1 or 2 of them can expect to see more game time than they would get in the prem (Field the obvious one, but also Harper, Fitzwater and maybe Wilson).

As for Leko, i feel a loan to league 1 would be good for him.

[darbolina]

I'd say Field, Harper and Wilson have the best chance of being involved regularly next season from what I've seen of them so far. I'm not sure about the others as I can't comment. I wouldn't include Burke in the same bracket as he was a big signing (for us) and should be ready to play most weeks next season unlike these players and others who are still firmly in development mode.  I think Burke just needs to play more to learn his trade more and to be more 'match wise'.

I do rate Field, very clever player, good on the ball, is forward thinking for a DM and is athletic enough to keep up around the pitch. In the championship, his physicality will be tested to the max though so we'll see how strong he is for sure!? He should be able to play regularly in the championship and make an impact in my view.

Leko needs a loan as Baggies says and maybe needs someone to really spend time with him on his final product.

 

[AlbionFan]

On this issue, I believe we are in the hands of the new Head Coach, to all intense and purposes.

I consider most of our fan base, me included, like homegrown talent, they relate to us and we relate to them.

[BaggieBoy04]

Saw Tulloch play twice for England  U17's One was on TV against Isreal Came on as a Sub Did Nothing Really and Dived. Seen him Today at The Bescot Came on again as Sub added a bit more Creativity and got an assist or was involved in our First Goal but as soon as he came on Pulled a Player back got aye.low and at 2-1 up Dived in the box and Was lucky not To see A Second Yellow was in Front of me both times As England were Scoring at Tile Choice Stand in Second Half So Dives And is a bit on off But Might make an impact given time.