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West Bromwich Albion FC Forums => West Bromwich Albion FC => Topic started by: Baggies on July 31, 2012, 09:13:14 PM
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The topic for all Under 21 and Academy News
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With our record last season, I think we have a good chance of making the Elite group stage. Hopefully this will also see reserve football taken more seriously.
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With our record last season, I think we have a good chance of making the Elite group stage. Hopefully this will also see reserve football taken more seriously.
Will all the games be held behind closed doors? would be a shame seeing that this is a new league being introduced under the PL banner.
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I think it will be the same as last season. Some will be behind closed doors while others are week nights.
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3-1; 2 from Berahino and 1 from Wood
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Oops must have missed this thread.
Great start for the under 21s winning 3-1. Wood, Berahino x2
I would imagine it will get more difficult when some of our better players go out on loan.
We've left Merseyside in our wake this weekend.
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Great to hear that the under 21s have started with a win.
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Im interested to see the subs bench. We should have quite a good squad of under 21's now, with a fair few coming out of the academy.
Roofe, Brown, Nabi, Garmston and one of the young keepers will all be close, while Alex Jones shouldn't be too far away.
The club are targeting the under 21 league this year so I expect a strong line up quite often. interesting to see how some of our traditional reserves get on though now. Players like Thomas and El Ghannasy as well as Rosenberg will need some game time soon.
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Garmston is rapid. He used to do athletics, and in the Junior Championships, I think he came second to Gemili, who competed at this years Olympics!
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Have to agree with Jacko on this one. :-[ Most of that team wouldn't go on loan to Championship sides.
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Since when have we had an u21s? Though we only had up to 18s
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Since when have we had an u21s? Though we only had up to 18s
Wood is 20, Allan is 20, Thorne is 19, Hurst is 20, Mantom is 20, O'Neil is 19, Luke Daniels is 24, Gayle is 19, Berahino is 19, Sawyers is 20, Brown is 20.
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Since when have we had an u21s? Though we only had up to 18s
It's instead of the reserve league
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Have to agree with Jacko on this one. :-[ Most of that team wouldn't go on loan to Championship sides.
I think over half the side could easily find a slot in a championship side Allan, Luke Daniels, Wood, Thorne, Berahino and Hurst. Obviously as a team it would be hammered in he Championship but indivdually I would of thought most will be able to hack it at least at Division One level.
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I think over half the side could easily find a slot in a championship side Allan, Luke Daniels, Wood, Thorne, Berahino and Hurst. Obviously as a team it would be hammered in he Championship but indivdually I would of thought most will be able to hack it at least at Division One level.
I'd agree with those six.
Edit: Except I'm not so certain "easily" applies to those without prior Championship experience -- mind you I'm only going on reports of their performances. It's not like I've been able to see them practically at all.
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Team for tonights game at Reading:
Albion U21 team v Reading: (ko 7pm): Lewis, Hurst, Garmston, Thorne, D Daniels, O'Neil, Allan, Mantom, Wood, Berahino, Sawyers.
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Is there anyway of knowing the score? Or will we have to wait to see on the Official Site?
Some guy on FB claims we're 5-0 down at HT. I'd be amazed if that was true though.
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WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
Albion 5-0 down at half-time at Reading in Barclays U21 Premier League
Bloody Hell....... Just look at that team?! How on Earth are they being thrashed? Very surprised at this...
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Would of expected a comfortable victory with that team.
Are Reading playing all the allowed (4) senior players?
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Final Score - Reading 6 Albion 1
Berahino penalty for our goal.
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Final Score - Reading 6 Albion 1
Berahino penalty for our goal.
Having read the Reading forum it would seem their overage players made the difference - so perhaps not as disheartening.
http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=114836
"It was literally men against boys at times. It was noticeable how much better our 4 over age players were than most of the kids on the pitch."
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http://www.wba.co.uk//news/article/albion-u21-2-blackburn-u21-2-350658.aspx
Sounds like Sawyers had a really good game.
Sawyers and Roofe got the goals.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKQ5hdkXBBQ&feature=youtu.be
The goals from the game. Looks a bit scrappy to me.
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Anybody going to the Hawthorns tomorrow?
WBA under 21's vs West Ham under 21's. 2 pm kick off.
First under 21 game at the Hawthorns this season.
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Got some experience in the team today - so I expect a decent result. El Ganzo, Tamas and Rosenberg need match fitness.
Some of these youngsters could do with some loan deals soon.
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Can someone explain to me why Tamas and Rosenberg are included in an u21s match?
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Can someone explain to me why Tamas and Rosenberg are included in an u21s match?
For match fitness.
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For match fitness.
I know that mate, I mean how can they be included when they're both over 21?
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For match fitness.
you are allowed 4 over age players in the squad (including a goalkeeper) because there are no reserve games anymore.
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you are allowed 4 over age players in the squad (including a goalkeeper) because there are no reserve games anymore.
Cheers mate.
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I know that mate, I mean how can they be included when they're both over 21?
Sorry I thought most knew that now.
Surprised Dawson isn't going to feature.
1-1 at HT. El Ganzo with our goal.
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Finished 1 all. Sounds like we should of won and El Ganzo played well.
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Did anyone go to the game? Care to give a report on the game?
1 win, 2 draws and a loss so far in the league. It's an okay start.
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Thats a cracking win given that several of our normal second string have gone out on loan.
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Has had a bit of press coverage due to Wilshere making his comeback.
The i paper printed Frimpongs tweet 'Fair play to West Brom they have a decent set of young players, impressive'
Good to hear with 4-5 regulars out on loan now.
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So we all know we have Billy Jones in the squad...
I just noticed tonight on the official site that the U21's played with a team consisting of A Jones and C Jones. http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/u21s-squad-named-for-bolton-trip-415886.aspx
If we started them all together we could have A,B and C Jones on the field together :P Imagine the commentators confusion if we threw a Jonas in there too :|
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Another 1-0 victory tonight against Bolton at the Reebok.
Liam O'Neil ?@LiamONeil31
Good 1-0 result at the Reebok, solid performance from the team and should of scored more!!! #wba
The tweets coming out the club (players) seem very encouraging to congratulations to them.
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Imagine the commentators confusion if we threw a Jonas in there too :|
Nah, they already think he's "Martin" Olsson.
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So we all know we have Billy Jones in the squad...
I just noticed tonight on the official site that the U21's played with a team consisting of A Jones and C Jones. http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/u21s-squad-named-for-bolton-trip-415886.aspx
If we started them all together we could have A,B and C Jones on the field together :P Imagine the commentators confusion if we threw a Jonas in there too :|
God help Garth Crooks if that were to happen that's all I can say!
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Gutted, when i read our subs for tonights game at first glance thought it said Ampadu! Sadly was Ambalu!
I thought we had brought Kwame out of retirement or maybe it was his son carrying on the family name! Some fans wont have a clue who i am on about, others will recall the wing wonder! If you were in the Halfords his name was pronounced Kerwaarmee, if you were in the Smethwick it was pronounced Kwayme! I also remember a fella in the Smethwick who just referred to him as w**kadoo every game without fail!
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This young goalkeeper (Lewis) seems to be doing well. Heard he has made a string off excellent stops in the last two games, I also saw him in pre season against Worcester and thought he was very assured for a young man playing in his position. Hopefully one for the future.
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interestingly if the punctuation is to be believed the set up is the same (4-2-3-1) as the first team,absolutely excellent in my eyes as imo it shows SC has been putting his stamp and beliefs on the whole club and we dont as has happened in the past have every team doing its own thing,making it easier for somebody to come in and do the job with minimum alteration.
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interestingly if the punctuation is to be believed the set up is the same (4-2-3-1) as the first team,absolutely excellent in my eyes as imo it shows SC has been putting his stamp and beliefs on the whole club and we dont as has happened in the past have every team doing its own thing,making it easier for somebody to come in and do the job with minimum alteration.
I was reading one of the matchdays programmes last season and Michael Appleton said something similar. He said there was no direction until Tony Mowbray came and asked them to play a specific way. I'm sure Appleton was the academy coach at that time. He wanted the emphasis on pass and move, quick flowing football. The same went for Di Matteo but by that time Appleton has been promoted to first team coach. He then said when Hodgson had assessed the youngsters he wanted them to develop there organisation skills so the objective came from pass and move football to retaining shape, similar to our first team. It appears that we're also looking to follow the footsteps of what Steve Clarke wants to do which is pleasing. Also enables players from the academy which join the first team to know exactly what to expect when they step up.
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Hopefully help youngsters develop getting more games and also for the national team too.
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Interesting that you mention the formation, I went to watch my friends younger brother play for the under 14s on sunday against Manchester United at the training ground
They set up with the one lad up top and 2 supporting players with him.
Kind of like how the albion first teamers set up.
Very good footballing side, won 4-2.
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No El G ? Thought he would have got some game time - any reason he didn't play ?
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http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-u21-3-reading-u21-3-455041.aspx
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/everton-u21-2-albion-u21-1-469567.aspx
Drawed 3-3 Against Reading (Nabi, Sawyers and Roofe) followed by a 2-1 loss to Everton (El Ghanassy).
We are 6th in National group 1 with not that many games left before the league splits. If we want to get into one of the better leagues for the second half of the season, we could do with getting a few wins under our belt and soon.
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We all want the Academy lads to do well, but I think this new league system has really highlighted how far they still have to go to match the real heavyweights with prestigious, long-established youth systems (Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham, etc). When the leagues split around Christmas, I wonder if our boys might actually be better off confidence-wise if they go into the "middling" group and are one of the better teams among that set, than scraping their way into the "elite" group and potentially ending up as whipping boys.
Given a few more seasons hopefully we'll see our U-21s really competing with the Arsenals and West Hams, but for the time being I think it's best to have some patience with them and not pile too much expectation on their shoulders.
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What I find strange is that at under 16 level, we always seem to do very well and produce a number of players who make it for England school level, and yet once we get to under 21 level all of these players have faded while average youth set ups beat us. Is there a problem emerging in our coaching from 16-21?
I think it is too soon to say at the moment, but if we haven't produced a premier league player i the next couple of years from the numerous exciting schoolboy sides we have then we might need to have a look.
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What I find strange is that at under 16 level, we always seem to do very well and produce a number of players who make it for England school level, and yet once we get to under 21 level all of these players have faded while average youth set ups beat us. Is there a problem emerging in our coaching from 16-21?
I think it is too soon to say at the moment, but if we haven't produced a premier league player i the next couple of years from the numerous exciting schoolboy sides we have then we might need to have a look.
A very good point Baggies. Im not sure why that is either but it does appear to be a bit of a trend. We can only hope that one of the current crop breakthrough to the first eleven. Maybe thats a part of the problem in itself that the youth players dont have a role model to look up to so they can say "look he's done it why cant I"
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Good point Ruby,i'm not taking into account the psychological effect of having never had a player break through in the premier league era and stay there, and in the development coaches defence, a number of our players have shown signs they can cope in the championship at least, but I would like top see players start to break through at the top level soon.
Villa, Everton, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Southampton all manage it, we really need to as well.
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Good point Ruby,i'm not taking into account the psychological effect of having never had a player break through in the premier league era and stay there, and in the development coaches defence, a number of our players have shown signs they can cope in the championship at least, but I would like top see players start to break through at the top level soon.
Villa, Everton, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Southampton all manage it, we really need to as well.
yes I dont know if that would be the case but we have to hope so. Taking your example of Everton. Since Rooney broke into the first team they seem to have at regular intervals been able to bring one through. Im thinking Rodwell Barkley Coleman. I do think it takes a brave coach as well to put trust in youngsters because at the end of the day its his job that is probably on the line. But it would be so nice to get Berahino for example back off loan and SC to take a punt and get him involved in the first team.
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Beat Norwich's under 21s 4-0 today. Reid getting a run out too.
Nabi got a brace with Sawyers and Roofe getting the others.
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Great win for the u21s today, really pleased to see Reid get a run out.
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Great win for the u21s today, really pleased to see Reid get a run out.
yes agreed he is obviously close to full fitness now. That is going to present SC with yet another selection headache because Billy was really excellent yesterday. Not a foregone conclusion that Reidy will walk back in now?
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Its a good win. Glad to see Nabi scoring a few now as I was starting to think he had failed to develop into the player who we thought he would 2 or 3 years ago. Hopefully now we will have a strong finish to this first half of the season.
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2 away games on the trot have seen us lose 1-0 to West Ham and then beat Arsenal 2-1 with goals from Roofe and O'Neil.
We are now in third place going into the final game of the National Group Stage and if we can beat bottom placed Bolton at home and if results go our way we should go straight into the Elite Group, which gives you a more straightforward path to winning the over all title.
Tables:
http://www.myfootballfacts.com/U-21_Premier_League_2012-13.html
Away from the under 21 league, West Brom travel to Stourbridge on Tuesday defending the Birmingham Senior Cup we won last season. Pat Frost put a call out on twitter asking fans to get down to Stourbridge to support the team in the match, so if you are at a loose end on Tuesday, I suppose it could be a good game.
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For those who want more information, see below link on the tournament set up. It is better for us to finish third and go into the Elite Groups as we will be facing better opposition and have a better chance of getting to the final.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/the-worlds-toughest-playground-new-under21-premier-league-kicks-off-8073635.html
U21 Premier League: How it works
The teams
There are 22 teams involved in the Under-21 Premier League, the 17 Premier League and five Championship clubs who applied for Category One academy status. Watford did apply but have withdrawn. The teams have been randomly drawn into three groups, in which they will play each other home and away.
National Group 1
Arsenal
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Everton
Norwich City
Reading
West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United
National Group 2
Aston Villa
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Southampton
Stoke City
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
National Group 3
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Fulham
Liverpool
Manchester City
Middlesbrough
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Elite Group Stage
The top three teams from National Group 1, the top two teams from Groups 2 and 3 and the best third-placed team from Groups 2 and 3 will go into the eight-team Elite Group Stage, in which every team plays each other home and away.
Qualification Group Tiers 1 and 2
The remaining third-placed team, and the fourth, fifth and sixth-placed teams from all three National Groups will go into the 10-team Qualification Group Tier 1. The three seventh-placed teams and Group 1's eighth-placed team will go into Tier 2.
Knockout stage
The second and third teams from the Elite Group Stage will play a semi-final, while the first-placed team will face the winner of a play-off between the two winners of Qualification Group Tiers 1 and 2. The two winning semi-finalists will then meet in the final.
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Well done to the lads. Great effort.
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Glad to hear that the lads beat bolton, well done.
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Cant remember the last time a young player broke through to become a regular first teamer to be honest.The days of Statham and Robson are long since gone!
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Cant remember the last time a young player broke through to become a regular first teamer to be honest.The days of Statham and Robson are long since gone!
Coldictot. Chambers x 2,
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If we had been in the championship then we would have a number of home grown players like Wood, Berahino, Hurst, Thorne, maybe Mantom and maybe Daniels all playing full or bit parts in the campaign.
Being in the premier league however means our players have to move even quicker and this is our problem. It isnt impossible because Villa produce lots of players at this level and although they are probably the best at it, lots of other teams also bring through home grown players like Southampton and Crystal Palace.
Hopefully the next few years of player will produce one or two premier league quality players. If not, questions need to be asked.
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I was thinking that there didn't seem to have been any under 21/reserve matches lately and, having checked, found that the "season" seemingly finished on Dec 3rd! This makes no sense to me at all, as younger players and peripheral first team squad players need competitive matches to keep their fitness levels up and find some form. I know some players can go out on loan, but we also need a players playing for us using our shape and tactics.
Does anyone know why there are now so few under 21/reserve matches?
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I believe that there are two "seasons" last season was the groups and the highest two of each group go to the Elite group and the rest into a regular group, I think it's later this year around Feb/March to the end of the actual season.
But then I'm guessing!
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I believe that there are two "seasons" last season was the groups and the highest two of each group go to the Elite group and the rest into a regular group, I think it's later this year around Feb/March to the end of the actual season.
But then I'm guessing!
This is the future of grassroots football, to have two "seasons" in one season, one pre Christmas and the other post Christmas
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Im planning on going down to London colney to watch the 21s tomorrow - first day in London from Sydney and what a start to the trip! Any info on how to get tickets or location of ground or who's in team?
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This match is a behind closed doors match so unfortunatley mate it is not open to the public.
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That sounds a good result against a far more experienced Arsenal team. Nabi seems to get on the scoresheet quite a bit, anyone seen him play ?
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That sounds a good result against a far more experienced Arsenal team. Nabi seems to get on the scoresheet quite a bit, anyone seen him play ?
Can't say I have but i think he's about 17 and in that second wave of academy products with Donervon Daniels. Probably just overshadowed by Chris and Saido in the public eye.
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Nabi is 18 at the moment, 19 in February or March now. He was great at schoolboy level and started well at academy level but faded. He hasn't developed much physically and here might be question marks over his pace and power at the pro level but he seems to be scoring again now he has gone from under 18's to under 21's level.
When I have seen him, he has bee very lively and confident. He seems to play just behind the strikers and likes to go for goal.
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As an aside. Is Terry Burton back with us again? Haven't heard anything about that one, thought he left to coach for Dave Jones at Sheffield Wednesday.
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He aint very loyal if he is with us,he was managing the Arsenal kids ;p
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Aha that explains it! ;D
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Are the Nabis bros/twins?! Hopefully better than our last set!
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Half time.
Albion 0 Dingles 0
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WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
FT: Albion U21 1 (Roofe 74) Wolves U21 0
:D :D
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well done the Baggy babbies! ;D
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WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
FT: Albion U21 1 (Roofe 74) Wolves U21 0
:D :D
We Know What We Are !
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Are the Nabis bros/twins?! Hopefully better than our last set!
Brothers and it sounds like there's a third on the books as well.
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Great to see the good run against Wolves is still going.
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Always nice to see a goal against the Dingles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5zg1IfXKA4&feature=youtu.be
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couple of nice bits of play there - and a great goal
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Great shot, but very strange goal, one Albion player surrounded by eight Wolves, yet he scored. :)
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No Daniels in goal against West Ham tonight (7pm kick off)...Piquionne on the bench for the Hammers.....is it Frederic?!.
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SENDING OFF. Liam O'Neil for foul on Marc Pelosi. Currently losing 2-1
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We lost 2-1.
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Looked a nasty injury to Pelosi ,was prob a 60-40 ball ,interestingly ref didn't show red card but just ushered our lad off the pitch strange one ,but the crack sounded nasty around a mostly empty stadium , Was a good game very frantic pace for the whole game ,both teams very evenly matched their keeper pulled off an outstanding save or would have been 2-2
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Looked a nasty injury to Pelosi ,was prob a 60-40 ball ,interestingly ref didn't show red card but just ushered our lad off the pitch strange one ,but the crack sounded nasty around a mostly empty stadium , Was a good game very frantic pace for the whole game ,both teams very evenly matched their keeper pulled off an outstanding save or would have been 2-2
Wasn't a 60-40 ball by any means going by the highlights, very late, high and with intent, absolute horror challenge and I hope your management makes that clear to him. Unacceptable at any level of the game.
As for Pelosi he broke both the bones in his leg and will probably not play again until the end of the year if he's lucky, could well be a career ender if he isnt. Real shame as he was really impressing at U21 level and had been given a squad number for the Europa league, along with training with the first team.
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Back in action against Arsenal today. Side is:
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
Albion U21 team v Arsenal: Myhill; Hurst, C Jones, Atkinson, Smart; Birch, Allan; I Brown, A Nabi, Roofe; Sawyers.
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
Albion U21 subs v Arsenal: Lewis (gk); Francis, Wedderburn, Howkins, S Nabi.
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
Arsenal U21 team v Albion: Fabianski; Boateng, Angha, Yennaris, Monterio, Miquel, Ansah, Wynter, Akpom, Henderson, Neita.
Score is currently:
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
Albion U21 2 (Roofe 39, A Nabi 50) Arsenal U21 0
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WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
GOAL. Albion U21 2 (Roofe 39, A Nabi 50) Arsenal U21 1 (Smart OG 62)
Romaine Sawyers has also missed a penalty.
Edit:
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
GOAL. Albion U21 2 (Roofe 39, A Nabi 50) Arsenal U21 2 (Smart OG 62, Akpom 67)
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Went up to this game today..
Was a good game ..Nice to watch 2 teams attack each other..
Have to say Scott Allan looks a top player in the making..Tenacious, never gave the ball away at all..Sprayed the ball all over the park..He ran the centre mid today..
Was also impressed with Kemar Roofe who played left side of midfield..Fast tricky and a great finish for his goal..
Brown,Smart and Nabi were decent...
Shame Sawyers missed the pen as it would put us 3-1 up at the time..
Enjoyable game and Scott Allan certainly caught the eye..
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Glad to hear Allan did well. Got a feeling he could be one who if given the chance, might rise to the challenge of 1st team football...possibly a couple of 20 minute spells in the Mozza role between now and the end of the season ?
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I would be very suprise to see Allan making any more than 1 or 2 appearances for us in the Prem. I'd expect him to go for a nominal fee in the summer to a low championship or league 1 side.
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Presumably none of us have seen enough of Allan to judge properly. He's under contract for next season, seems to have talent, so hope we don't offload too lightly.
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Presumably none of us have seen enough of Allan to judge properly. He's under contract for next season, seems to have talent, so hope we don't offload too lightly.
Can't remember the article, but I remember Keith Downing saying when he went to Portsmouth it was to hopefully get him to learn on the pitch to improve his defensive ability and off the ball positioning. He had the same issues as Yassine did, does he look better in that regard?
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Can't remember the article, but I remember Keith Downing saying when he went to Portsmouth it was to hopefully get him to learn on the pitch to improve his defensive ability and off the ball positioning. He had the same issues as Yassine did, does he look better in that regard?
It is the most difficult part of the game simply because its not natural for kids to learn. When a kid gets hold of a ball his natural instinct is to dribble, pass or shoot no young kid looks at closing down or blocking angles. It is a MASSIVE part of the modern game.
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I can only give an opinion on what i saw today but he was so strong in the tackle..Wanted the ball constantly..Never gave it away..Linked up play well..
I dont want to go on about him but he was superb with both feet...Put himself about and never shirked a tackle..
Still early days with him but he looks a prospect...As does Roofe..
Time will tell..
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Todays game at home to Manchester United is live on MUTV SKY 418 for anyone who has it.
For some reason i've got it but not a subscriber so hoping its not a freeview for the prematch part lol
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Lineup -
Myhill; Atkinson; Daniels; Jones; Smart; Roofe; Birch; Allan; Brown. Sawyers; A Nabi
subs: Francis; Lewis; Pace; Wedderburn; S Nabi
Only notable United player is Lindegaard in goal
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Come on you Baggies.
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Todays game at home to Manchester United is live on MUTV SKY 418 for anyone who has it.
For some reason i've got it but not a subscriber so hoping its not a freeview for the prematch part lol
Hence a stream is available, so I get a very rare chance to watch them. :)
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Stream here : http://nutjob.eu/njtvx1.html
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Were having most of the play but little cutting edge.
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Ref just gave a penalty for a foul outside the box, then changed his mind and came to his sense. MUTV commentators admit it was bizarre.
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Never a penalty to be fair, ref made the right decision in the end, fair play to him.
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Getting tired of hearing about it from the commentators by now. Put it to bed.
Izzy went off with a knock earlier.
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Hope its not a serious one, he's due to join up with the England under 17's this week for a game at Walsall on Saturday I think it is
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Soooo close for Adil Nabi. :(
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Damn. All that good defending and now everything just came unstuck.
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I hope they get a good result tonight at the custard bowl. COYB.
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Finished 1-1. First half all Wolves second half was more even with both sides having chances, Luke Daniels made a few excellent saves, Donervan Daniels solid at the back along with the lad next to him who's name I can't remember. Two Nabi's up front caused a few problems. Kemar Roofe with the goal.
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A draws not to bad, thanks for the report Oldbury. Much of a crowd there tonight.
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Finished 1-1. First half all Wolves second half was more even with both sides having chances, Luke Daniels made a few excellent saves, Donervan Daniels solid at the back along with the lad next to him who's name I can't remember. Two Nabi's up front caused a few problems. Kemar Roofe with the goal.
Did you go mate?
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Yes mate, was over to the right by the dugout at the back
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Many other Albion fans there?
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Probably 30 or so. They said the attendance was 600 plus but didn't look anywhere near that many, only one block open in the main stand whatever its called with the dugouts and there was probably 50 or so in the new stand.
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Tomorrows game at Liverpool live on LFC TV 12.15 SKY 429
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54 mins 1-0 Liverpool u21, goal from Nacho, cross from Suso
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62 mins Liverpool u21 2-0 Cody long range shot, thought keeper Lewis should have done better, shame as he's had a good game so far
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Finished 2-0 Liverpool.
Best team won, Albion defended well, Shane Lewis in goal man of the match for me up against a decent Liverpool side.
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Shame that we lost the game but I imagine Liverpool must have a pretty decent team, who have we got next?
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Drew 3-3 at home to Southampton today, coming from 3-0 down to equalise in the last minute
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What a comeback it will still 3-0 to Southampton with only twenty minutes to go.
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on MUTV live tonight .goal down inside 10mins and getting shredded
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Incase anyone wants to watch tonights game: http://88.80.5.88/c4b00/20130429/vv517ebd1185366392868568-571782.html
Scott Allen threw in a few monster crosses so far and Daniels (I think) smacked one against the post. So far we're 1-0 down.
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What was the final score in that match please?
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What was the final score in that match please?
1-0 united
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Just seen James Hurst tweet that today is his last day at Albion, so he has obviously been released or got a move elsewhere.
Not seen anything on the website yet, shame as a few years ago he was on the verge of the first team.
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I guess he's one who'se been around a bit longer - young player of the year what 2 years ago ? This could become a regular thing when academy players are old enough to need to take a place in the squad of 25, either they are judged good enough to do so or they are left with nowhere to go but out. Doesn't necessarily mean they are not good players or haven't put the work in - just that they are not quite good enough to make it in a tough league.
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I wonder what is happening to the goalkeeper Shane Lewis. I've seen him a couple of times and was reasonably impressed on both occasions but he was left out of the last game at Old Trafford and he mentioned playing some sort of trial game on his twitter.
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I wonder what is happening to the goalkeeper Shane Lewis. I've seen him a couple of times and was reasonably impressed on both occasions but he was left out of the last game at Old Trafford and he mentioned playing some sort of trial game on his twitter.
Tweeted today was his last game for WBA so guess he has been released.
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I guess it was the last game for three or four of them today, can't see us keeping any of the 'professionals' that played today apart from Donervorn Daniels & Adil Nabi (is he a professional ?)
Shane Lewis has really improved since Xmas but how can we keep him, we have three good goalkeepers in front of him in the pecking order, he made one great save today, I guess our U21 goalkeeper for next year will be Jack Rose.
It was a good game today, two evenly matched teams, in which we just came out on top, 1-0, with a goal straight from a free kick by Adil Nabi.
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Good to see Donervon Daniels has made the England under 20 squad for the under 20 world cup in June, always nice to see an academy prospect doing well. Next season will be the big one for him I suspect, no doubt a loan or two and a decision will be made on whether to keep him.
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I wonder what is happening to the goalkeeper Shane Lewis. I've seen him a couple of times and was reasonably impressed on both occasions but he was left out of the last game at Old Trafford and he mentioned playing some sort of trial game on his twitter.
Shane Lewis ?@ShaneLewis04 12m
Finally signing off the season and my time at West Brom today! Been a great 6 years and I'm truly grateful to everybody involved with the
club for everything they have done for me! A huge thank you to the coaches for putting their time into me at a young age and giving me a
chance to improve myself season upon season with Their knowledge and skills within football! Hopefully the future is bright for both and
i will cross paths again with many of the players and staff! Thank-You!!
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I think its difficult for young goalkeepers these days as its a position where you can only play 1 in any team, with us having Foster, Myhill and Daniels it will be hard for any keeper to make a breakthrough.
I saw Lewis in the game against Liverpool not long ago and he was man of the match for me, kept us in it a few times, hopefully he will get fixed up with a club soon and get a chance.
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It's a shame Lewis is going, as mentioned before I've seen him a couple of times and have been impressed but there are only so many goalkeepers you can have I guess. Hope he gets a decent club.
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Nice comments from him - hope he finds a good club and has a good future.
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Very good comments from him. I wish him all of the best for the future I hope where ever he goes he does well for them and that we see him at a Football leauge club soon. It is very hard for goalkeepers to play regular football, espcially as we have some of the ilk of Ben Fotser.
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Great to see Saido notch another two goals. It can't be long before he is given his head in the first team - he has certainly earned it.
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Do people thing Saido will go out on loan or get a chance?
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with our lack of pace in the team I was disappointed he didn't get a run out on Saturday. id certainly give him a bit of game time to see how he copes. if he looks a bit out of his depth then send him out on loan.
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Has anyone got the west brom team for u21 gamee against United?
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Just got it off a tweet
Rose; Francis, D Daniels, Gayle, Atkison; Birch, Hayes; Roofe; Ferrier, A Jones, Garmston.
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Cheers mate, just found it, couple mins ago,
Week team isnt it Phil?
United team are strong
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Yeah, very weak, maybe thinking of the cup game in the week and a couple probably traveled upto Everton just in case.
1-0 United - Nick Powell
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Thats what i like to hear here lol ;D
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http://www.viponlinesports.eu/football/170371/1/west-bromwich-albion-u21-vs-manchester-united-u21-live-stream-online.html
Here's a link if anyone wants to watch the game :)
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Live on MUTV too if you can get that.We are a goal down.
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We are completely outclassed tbh *shock*
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2-0 United - Henriquez
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One of the most inept performances I've ever seen. Oh dear oh dear.
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Just wondered why we had a l/b playing on the r/h side of midfield (Garmston?)
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It finished 4-0 very disappointing with the result. Who have we got in the next under 21 match?
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Lost 5-1. Tough start for Camp
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Lost 5-1.
And there are players who played who some would be happy to see play for us in the Prem!
I don't know if it counts in this thread, but the U14s were beaten 1-0 by Bala Town in a friendly yesterday!
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And there are players who played who some would be happy to see play for us in the Prem!
I don't know if it counts in this thread, but the U14s were beaten 1-0 by Bala Town in a friendly yesterday!
Strange comment mate, without knowing too much about how the game unfolded, even in the most one-sided game one or two players can put in decent performances. No one is suggesting we transpose the u-21 side into a Premier League game.
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Pretty inexperienced team at under 21 level with 'seniors' like Scott Allan, Thorne, Berahino, Adil Nabi missing for differing reasons and Sawyers gone from last year. We seem to like putting younger players in to stretch them (different to the 1st team) rather than stiffen the side up with a couple of fringe 1st teamers, so the odd result like this is on the cards.
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Fantastic news, is he playing? Very inexperienced the rest of it though... Surprised with having such a large squad now that one or two more seniors haven't travelled.
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Gera played an hour, which Clarke said was the plan beforehand. All of sudden we are looking very strong in the wide areas. Tactically Gera is outstanding - and I think if we can get 20 games out of him this season. That will be great.
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Lost 4-3 against Newcastle. Sounds like a great game.
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
FT: Albion U21 3 (A Jones 13, O'Sullivan 14, Ferrier 41) @NUFCOfficial U21 4 (Gael Bigirimana 8, Vuckic 25 & 75, Armstrong 82)
George Thorne continued his come back from injury.
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
U21 team v Newcastle @ Hawthorns (ko 2pm): Rose, Francis, Garmston, O'Neil, Gayle, Atkinson, Roofe, Thorne, A Jones, O'Sullivan, Ferrier
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial
U21 subs v Newcastle @ Hawthorns (ko 2pm): Birch, Palmer, C Jones, S Nabi, Campbell
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Did Thorne play 90min?
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Did Thorne play 90min?
Yes mate.
George Thorne ?@GeorgeThorne15 39m
Pleased to complete 90 minutes today #WBA
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Yep it was a good match earlier today, I've got a couple of days off and didn't realise this match was on at The Hawthorns today until it came up on the Official site at lunchtime, but having a bit of free time (for once) I thought I'd go and have a gander.
To be honest, George Thorne was the only player I was really familiar with, and while he is clearly and understandably still getting back to full fitness, I thought he played well with some nice touches and a good run on goal, plus a couple of long range efforts.
As the official site said, it was a young Albion side, but they gave it a good go and the match could have gone either way, though Newcastle were a bit sharper in attack but there were some good goals though the other Albion players looked some way off knocking on the first team door, which is totally understandable as they were clearly a young team.
I noticed Joe Kinnear walking up Halfords Lane with some other bloke in a suit and it looked like Peter Beardsley was their coach.
What was a surprise was a small number of Newcastle fans at the match, all in their replica shirts, and chatting to one of them at half time, he told me they'd come down in a mini bus to take in the Reserves and then were heading up to Everton and then home, so fair play to them, that really is dedication?!
Good match though.
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Great to see Thorne's back in action. A couple more U21 games and it wouldn't surprise me if he went out on loan for a month to get some games.
The results at this level aren't important. Everyone wants to see us do well but its about player development.
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Agreed, obviously Berahino has stepped up now and Adil Nabi who is one of the most likely of the rest to come through, is out for the season. Looks like today's strike force picked up a goal each - not familiar with them, how did they look ?
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I thought Thorne did very well today, looked fit & stong, he went on two long runs with a good shot on goal in the last five minutes, quite a few scouts there today, maybe looking at Thorne & Vuckic (Newcastle's star player)
Garmston did well but got injured halway through the secont half, also Alex Jones showed major improvement from the last time i saw him play, We just deserved a 3-2 lead at half time but Newcastle finished stronger, a couple of our players struggled to get through the game.
Our defence was poor, no cover & too deep.
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Beat Reading in another high scoring game.
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial 43m
FT. Reading U21 3 (Taylor 2, Ugwu) Albion U21 4 (Vydra, Roofe, Ward, A Jones pen)
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Glad Thorne is getting game time. Time for a loan move and back into the squad in January?
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Highlights of our victory against Reading now available:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEquKwJ2nFs&feature=youtu.be
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I'd expect all of these to start or at least get some game time with the Andield trip looming. Shame Sinclair isn't ready yet.
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Currently 1-1.
Vydra has just equalised.
The team is:
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial 27m
Albion U21 team v Liverpool: L Daniels; Gayle, Garmston, Dorrans, D Daniels, Atkinson, Roofe, Thorne (c), Vydra, Gera, Ferrier.
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It's on lfctv now if you wanna watch. Vydra just hit post.
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2-1 Thorne
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3-1 Roofe
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Zoltan Gera has been substituted after 30 minutes.
Hopefully nothing serious.
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George Thorne has also been substituted just before half time.
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Zoltan Gera has been substituted after 30 minutes.
Hopefully nothing serious.
That doesn't sound good :(
Missed the first 50. Just tuned in now, currently 3-2 up.
Was hoping to see more of Gera.
Those who are watching, how have the members of the first squad done, particularly Vyrdra and Dorrans?? Showed the extra experience they have?
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4-2
Roofe Penalty.
Good play from Vydra to earn the pen.
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George Thorne stated on Twitter that he came off as a precaution.
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The highlights are now available on the official youtube channel. commentary from LFCTV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UPSGLVxBOU
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Whenever i see the under 21 highlights Kemar Roofe seems to stand out , i know he got an extended contract during the Summer so the club must think something of him. Roofe has turned 20 now so like Saido you hope he may push on a bit , I'd like to see him get another loan spell soon.
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Whenever i see the under 21 highlights Kemar Roofe seems to stand out , i know he got an extended contract during the Summer so the club must think something of him. Roofe has turned 20 now so like Saido you hope he may push on a bit , I'd like to see him get another loan spell soon.
What position does he favour mate, haven't had much time to watch the under 21's to be honest?
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What position does he favour mate, haven't had much time to watch the under 21's to be honest?
Left wing/midfield with a want to cut in and shoot.
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Left wing/midfield with a want to cut in and shoot.
That's right , he actually reminds me of a young Jerome Thomas.
Like Saido before him i don't think Roofe can get much more out of Under 21 football so I'm hoping a loan will arrive soon.
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we seem to be scoring goals for fun at this level.
defence needs some work obviously...
and indication to who will make the cut and who will not perhaps?
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Vydra looks sharp, looking forward to seeing more from him in the coming weeks.
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we seem to be scoring goals for fun at this level.
defence needs some work obviously...
and indication to who will make the cut and who will not perhaps?
Defensively not so much, we have tended to move players around all over the place to get them used to being in different areas of the pitch ( we've moved Gayle who's a RB to CB to give Francis a game before, and Alex jones is a midfielder yet tended to be the striker before Vydra) so there's not really a fixed partnership, and as we know a good partnership can be essential. Add that the full backs play the modern game (and as such are very offensive playing) they tend to leave space for attackers to plunder, Garmston especially likes a bit of swashbuckling. But, as with Jones, leaving massive holes is eventually learned out of their games through experience.
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No Gera or Roofe tonight , wonder if the youngster is off out on loan soon?
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Footage from the victory against Sunderland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLETaJqDwds
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Footage from the victory against Sunderland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLETaJqDwds
Cheers - nicely taken 2nd goal
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Gone into extra time
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial 1m
FULL-TIME: Albion U21 1 (Birch 90) Forest U21 1 (Rees 25) - 30 MINS EXTRA-TIME TO BE PLAYED
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Won 2-1.
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial 10s
FULL-TIME (AET): Albion U21 2 (Birch 90, Roofe 98) Forest U21 1 (Rees 25)
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Good, always nice to see the youth doing well.
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Won 2-1.
WBAFCofficial ?@WBAFCofficial 10s
FULL-TIME (AET): Albion U21 2 (Birch 90, Roofe 98) Forest U21 1 (Rees 25)
Cheers for info Liam much appreciated.
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Great to see Kemar Roofe on the score sheet again. Very promising talent. Hope he makes it if only for the song potential! The Roofe, the Roofe, the Roofe is on fire!
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Youssouf Mulumbu was also watching in the stands. Nice to see him cheering the young lads on.
Interestingly, Jonathan Greening is now a coach for the Forest under 21s.
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Just in case anyone's interested, or doesn't fancy watching Man U turn over Villa.
The U21's are at home to Man City at The Hawthorns later today with a 2pm KO.
Myself and my lad are off to join the other "anoraks" ;) a bit later.
Appreciate these games are never going to attract large numbers, but always pleasant to watch an Albion match where the result is of secondary importance.
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Ben Foster completed 45 minutes today.
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Big Sam played a lot of the West Ham lads at Forest :o :o
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I like to keep my eye on the academy and read threads like this etc. but I don't recognise too many of those names so I'd guess that they were quite a young U21 team. That's just a feeling, it might be that I've lost touch with the current crop of youngsters though.
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I like to keep my eye on the academy and read threads like this etc. but I don't recognise too many of those names so I'd guess that they were quite a young U21 team. That's just a feeling, it might be that I've lost touch with the current crop of youngsters though.
It was an FA youth cup game, think it is an under 18's competition.
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The FA youth cup is a good guide to which clubs have the best youth players and those who may rise up through the ranks. Man Utd, Villa, Southampton and Everton often do well. Thats why I always get frustrated to see we have been knocked out very early. We have been an academy for about a decade now and yet I don't recall us going past the 4th round in the modern era.
If we fail to see any results soon in the youth competitions, we might need to start asking questions if we could be doing more to bring through better young players. Apart from Saido Berahino, we haven't yet brought through a player who is good enough to hold down a spot in a premier league team.
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It was an FA youth cup game, think it is an under 18's competition.
That would explain it! Cheers for that.
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The academy needs an overhaul, they should get someone with a proven track record at a decent academy, you look at the coaches we've had for our academy and none of them really have any grounding in it. Myabe even look abroad to see where we're going wrong and getting the academy playing a decent style.
3m a year is a huge investment, you realistically have to be getting players out the academy regularly, but after Berahino there doesn't appear to be any names cropping up. Particularly concerning is none of them are even getting decent loans, at best to relegation strugglers in league one, so there's not much hope for the current crop.
Doesn't help that we lose our very best of course, and I still think the academy isn't worth the minimum 3m we put into it annually. I guess Berahino looks to be a good find but I imagine our academies run at a huge loss over these 10 years. Only Wood has actually gone on to be sold for more than a nominal fee.
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The FA youth cup is a good guide to which clubs have the best youth players and those who may rise up through the ranks. Man Utd, Villa, Southampton and Everton often do well. Thats why I always get frustrated to see we have been knocked out very early. We have been an academy for about a decade now and yet I don't recall us going past the 4th round in the modern era.
If we fail to see any results soon in the youth competitions, we might need to start asking questions if we could be doing more to bring through better young players. Apart from Saido Berahino, we haven't yet brought through a player who is good enough to hold down a spot in a premier league team.
I'd agree it was a bit of a disappointing result in the Youth Cup, I didn't go last night (and completely forgot it was being played until I read the report on the Official site) but our record in the competition clearly isn't great.
Personally I hope the club continue to invest in the Academy, I know at times it feels as if progress is slow but there is evidence of improvement, going back a few years Chris Wood spent time within the youth structure, just over a year ago George Thorne gave an assured midfield performance at Old Trafford (obviously he's had the setback of the serious injury shortly after that), Berahino's progress is very encouraging, and Izzy Brown was in the first team at 16, prior to his bizarre decision to leave the club that had given him such a great platform of opportunity at such a young age for a club where the chances of him ever making the first team are negligable
So for me, I hope Albion stick with the Academy and continue to support it.
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Adil Nabi, Donervan Daniels, Kemar Roofe and Liam o Neil are names that spring to mind along with the couple we lost to LFC and CFC. It's coming of age as a project. Why do people need to be negative?
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On a (slightly) related note, at the time of the Izzy Brown furore, the talk was Albion were taking it to tribunal rather than accept the standard EPPP set fee.
Does anyone know the outcome of that? What fee did it end up as?
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On a (slightly) related note, at the time of the Izzy Brown furore, the talk was Albion were taking it to tribunal rather than accept the standard EPPP set fee.
Does anyone know the outcome of that? What fee did it end up as?
Does seem to have gone quiet on this one.
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On a (slightly) related note, at the time of the Izzy Brown furore, the talk was Albion were taking it to tribunal rather than accept the standard EPPP set fee.
Does anyone know the outcome of that? What fee did it end up as?
Not entirely sure if it has been sorted out yet but there was never going to be a standard EPPP set fee for Izzy as he had agreed a scholarship with Albion when he turned 16. We will still end up getting peanuts for the lad. If the tribunal has happened or the clubs agreed a fee beforhand then I don't think the result has been made public.
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Adil Nabi, Donervan Daniels, Kemar Roofe and Liam O'Neil are names that spring to mind along with the couple we lost to LFC and CFC. It's coming of age as a project. Why do people need to be negative?
It's called asking a fair question Mike. If you perceive asking fair questions of something to be a case of "being negative" then a discussion forum isn't for you. Why shouldn't it be raised? If you don't ask questions, nothing gets improved.
I don't think those four names are going to make our first team really. Donervan Daniels is 20 and has just been released back to us after failing to get much game time at Gillingham at the bottom end of league 1. Keemar Roofe is 21 now and is still playing for a mid table league 2 team while Liam O'Neil turns 21 in the summer and has yet to get a loan move anywhere or near our first team.
If you contrast that with the development of other players, we have signed players at 21 such as Darren Carter, Richard Chaplow and Joe Mattock who have been capable of playing championship football at that age but have never been good enough to reach the top level. For this reason, I would say it is unlikely that Roofe, Daniels and O'Neil will break into our team if we stay in the top flight (that's not to say they can't be late developers elsewhere with hard work). I hope Nabi can come through but his injuries may well curtail his development - he turns 20 next month himself and hasn't even got close to the first team picture yet.
Looking further down the academy levels, there seems to be very little buzz about the players we have available to us, although we have been unfortunate to lose our best players like Brown, Sinclair and Dhanda but beyond those 3 there does not seem to be much left in the academy that looks like it is going to make it into the first team any time soon. That should raise some questions as these players will have spent their entire careers in our academy structure as some would have been 7 or 8 when we got the academy status.
There is still time to wait, but if we don't start to see results soon then the club may need to start analysing what is going wrong and what needs to be improved. At the moment we are producing a number of players capable of playing league 1, league 2 and conference football, but so far only the 1 in 10 years capable of playing premier league football.
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Adil Nabi, Donervan Daniels, Kemar Roofe and Liam o Neil are names that spring to mind along with the couple we lost to LFC and CFC. It's coming of age as a project. Why do people need to be negative?
Gayle and Garmston also possible - Gayle came on sub against Newport in the capital 1.
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Jonathan Leko(England) and Tyler Roberts(Wales) looked decent in the Victory Shield earlier in the season, and when I saw Leko at Hereford in pre-season he was very good. I know it's the youth cup but is that mostly under 18's? I know Leko is the same age as the lad Dhanda that we lost to Liverpool, so perhaps this year came just one too soon for him.
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There is still time to wait, but if we don't start to see results soon then the club may need to start analysing what is going wrong and what needs to be improved. At the moment we are producing a number of players capable of playing league 1, league 2 and conference football, but so far only the 1 in 10 years capable of playing premier league football.
The PL is a very strong league. The fact is that to be an impact player nowadays in the PL you need world class talent and that simply is not something you can teach. You can hone it if it is there but you can't create it if it isn't there to start with. That is the simple reason we lost Sinclair, Dhanda and Brown, they had the talent and the potential.
I think that four or five like that in the system, if you add Berahino, is what you can expect in terms of cutting edge talent at one single club that doesn't outright buy their talent. For a club like us it is a disaster to have our real talent poached for nothing because such talent is so rare and so hard to replace.
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It's called asking a fair question Mike. If you perceive asking fair questions of something to be a case of "being negative" then a discussion forum isn't for you. Why shouldn't it be raised? If you don't ask questions, nothing gets improved.
I don't think those four names are going to make our first team really. Donervan Daniels is 20 and has just been released back to us after failing to get much game time at Gillingham at the bottom end of league 1. Keemar Roofe is 21 now and is still playing for a mid table league 2 team while Liam O'Neil turns 21 in the summer and has yet to get a loan move anywhere or near our first team.
If you contrast that with the development of other players, we have signed players at 21 such as Darren Carter, Richard Chaplow and Joe Mattock who have been capable of playing championship football at that age but have never been good enough to reach the top level. For this reason, I would say it is unlikely that Roofe, Daniels and O'Neil will break into our team if we stay in the top flight (that's not to say they can't be late developers elsewhere with hard work). I hope Nabi can come through but his injuries may well curtail his development - he turns 20 next month himself and hasn't even got close to the first team picture yet.
Looking further down the academy levels, there seems to be very little buzz about the players we have available to us, although we have been unfortunate to lose our best players like Brown, Sinclair and Dhanda but beyond those 3 there does not seem to be much left in the academy that looks like it is going to make it into the first team any time soon. That should raise some questions as these players will have spent their entire careers in our academy structure as some would have been 7 or 8 when we got the academy status.
There is still time to wait, but if we don't start to see results soon then the club may need to start analysing what is going wrong and what needs to be improved. At the moment we are producing a number of players capable of playing league 1, league 2 and conference football, but so far only the 1 in 10 years capable of playing premier league football.
Fair point but I'm just fed up of the general negativity on this site at the moment. At a time when this club is more auccessful than at any time in the last 30+ years I read post after post by fans slating the chairman, the sporting director, 2/3 of the players and by 10pm on Monday probadly the new head coach. Maybe I snapped at the wrong post but seriously people need to realise what we've got here and try to enjoy it.
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The PL is a very strong league. The fact is that to be an impact player nowadays in the PL you need world class talent and that simply is not something you can teach. You can hone it if it is there but you can't create it if it isn't there to start with. That is the simple reason we lost Sinclair, Dhanda and Brown, they had the talent and the potential.
I think that four or five like that in the system, if you add Berahino, is what you can expect in terms of cutting edge talent at one single club that doesn't outright buy their talent. For a club like us it is a disaster to have our real talent poached for nothing because such talent is so rare and so hard to replace.
I agree with bits but not other. I do not think it is correct that you can not teach talent. Are we really saying that Spanish kids and Argentinian kids are just born with the natural talent while English kids just naturally aren't good enough? Or is it something to do with coaching? While a lot of it will come down to the culture of English football and the poor coaching kids during there very early development years, there is still a lot that can be gained by good coaching from the ages of 8 up to 13 or 14. After that I would start to agree that if they don't have it they probably never will, but the majority of "talent" is learned, and not natural (i'm not saying every but is, for instance Ajax coaches who know their stuff have picked out 4 areas they personally see as being the hardest to actually coach into a player who has not got it but you get my drift).
You my have a point on the second paragraph though. Maybe when you are brining through the likes of Brown, Sinclair and Dhanda, that is all you can really expect from an age group in an academy like ours. I do feel some clubs such as Southampton and Villa seem to produce 1 first team player from every age group but I suppose outstanding players are always going to be quite rare and our job is not being made easier by the very negative methods employed by the big clubs that can only be harming the national game of pooling the b est youngsters into structures they will struggle to adapt from and therefore could stagger their development.
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Important to remember that the academies at Southampton and Villa have been fully developed for longer than ours. It will be easier to judge the success of ours in 5 - 10 years time.
We have seen Thorne and Berahino emerge in the past two seasons.
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Is Thorne now ready for first team action after his injury problems?
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Is Thorne now ready for first team action after his injury problems?
I think he's been on loan at Watford and playing well.
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Jonathan Leko(England) and Tyler Roberts(Wales) looked decent in the Victory Shield earlier in the season, and when I saw Leko at Hereford in pre-season he was very good. I know it's the youth cup but is that mostly under 18's? I know Leko is the same age as the lad Dhanda that we lost to Liverpool, so perhaps this year came just one too soon for him.
Leko is only 15. Plays mainly for the Under 16's although he has been involved with the Under 18s on a couple of times.
I like the look of Tyler, hes a good striker and can hold the ball up well. Ive been to see the Under 16s play 3 times now and hes scored in every game.
The keeper looks good aswell and is good at catching.
The right back for the Under 16s also looks good, little blonde lad.
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ALBION suffered a 2-1 defeat by Leicester in the Barclays U21 Premier League at the club's training ground this afternoon.
Wes Atkinson (pictured) equalised for the Baggies late in the first half but the visitors fought back to all three points after the interval.
ALBION: L Daniels; Gayle, Atkinson, Thorne, D Daniels, O'Neil, Francis (Wright), Birch, A Jones, O'Sullivan, Ward (S Nabi). Subs not used: Rose (gk); C Jones, Howkins.
Read more at http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-u21-1-leicester-u21-2-1306108.aspx#AVfelmxA38ZyGMUv.99
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So it sounds as though Roofe, Donervorn Daniels + Wes Atkinson have gone on the training trip to Spain.
I don't know much about Atkinson - is he a fullback ?
I guess it gives Pepe a good chance to have a look at a couple, think its decision time soon as to whether Roofe gets a new deal. Not sure if the same applies to the other two ?
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Just heard the next U21 game against the Wolves has been switched from the Hawthorns to the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, next Monday night 7.00pm KO.
The Ricoh Arena, surely not
why not a local non league club if they want to protect the Hawthorns ?
Is any football played at the Ricoh any more ?
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Just heard the next U21 game against the Wolves has been switched from the Hawthorns to the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, next Monday night 7.00pm KO.
The Ricoh Arena, surely not
why not a local non league club if they want to protect the Hawthorns ?
Is any football played at the Ricoh any more ?
That's kind of the point, Ricoh's cheap and available at short(ish) notice.
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Just heard the next U21 game against the Wolves has been switched from the Hawthorns to the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, next Monday night 7.00pm KO.
The Ricoh Arena, surely not
why not a local non league club if they want to protect the Hawthorns ?
Is any football played at the Ricoh any more ?
Requirement of that league to play a certain number of games in a stadium environment.
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He's in the 20-21 ball park, I also saw on another forum (new606?) that Danny Barrow's been given/offered a one year contract.
http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/liam-oneil/leistungsdaten/spieler_141349.html
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Anyone got the teams for tonight yet?
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Lost 1-0.
Pepe, JP, Garlick OUT. :P
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Currently beating Fulham 1 - 0
BJ and Brunt in the team
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We won 2-1 - Roofe and Donervan Daniels
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We won 2-1 - Roofe and Donervan Daniels
2 for the future ??
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2 for the future ??
Could be, as Mel has included both on the bench recently. Think Roofe came back from his loan to prove himself to Pepe as he's soon to be out of contract.....or has it been sorted ?
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Just been flicking through some youth player's tweets and saw that Cameron Gayle has left, was quite surprised and thought he might be in and around breaking into the first team squad, thoughts?
Although I must admit its the first season where I haven't been to see any reserves games. Must make more of an effort next year.
Anyone have a list of u21 players that have been retained/released?
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Just been flicking through some youth player's tweets and saw that Cameron Gayle has left, was quite surprised and thought he might be in and around breaking into the first team squad, thoughts?
Although I must admit its the first season where I haven't been to see any reserves games. Must make more of an effort next year.
Anyone have a list of u21 players that have been retained/released?
I would imagine if Cameron Gayle is not making a big impression at Shrewsbury, he is unlikely to with us, it happens.
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Yes its a pity but probably more than 90% of the players coming through the academy structure will fail to get a first team contract with us, especially if we manage to stay in the prem.
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Yes its a pity but probably more than 90% of the players coming through the academy structure will fail to get a first team contract with us, especially if we manage to stay in the prem.
It's hard not to imagine any other scenario than any young players that are high wuality will end up being poached by bigger clubs either before they even play for our first team or before they become properly established in our side. The system is set up that way and it has to be questionable what point there is bothering with it as things stand, as Peace has previously suggested.
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If at 20/21 a player isn't getting a loan to the championship, or being involved in match day squads they're not going to make it here as long as we're in the premier league.
I imagine Kemar Roofe for the same reason will probably be released if he hasn't already.
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If at 20/21 a player isn't getting a loan to the championship, or being involved in match day squads they're not going to make it here as long as we're in the premier league.
I imagine Kemar Roofe for the same reason will probably be released if he hasn't already.
Berahino went to Brentford?
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Berahino went to Brentford?
He's only 20 now. He went to Brentford when he was 18.
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http://mobile.wba.co.uk/news/article/baggies-to-start-revamped-u21-season-against-wolves-1796355.aspx
U21 games to be played at the Ricoh apart from 3 matches.
What are people's thoughts in this? I am happy because I live a stones throw away from the Ricoh but if I were a local I'd be pretty peeved I imagine.
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Terrible news in honesty. Even harder to get a new generation of fans from the local area now it's been moved.
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http://mobile.wba.co.uk/news/article/baggies-to-start-revamped-u21-season-against-wolves-1796355.aspx
U21 games to be played at the Ricoh apart from 3 matches.
What are people's thoughts in this? I am happy because I live a stones throw away from the Ricoh but if I were a local I'd be pretty peeved I imagine.
Isn't this move due to the terrible wear we saw on the pitch at the Hawthorns this winter?
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The structure of the league seems far more impressive though. Hopefully it will make the under 21 league a decent competition.
Look forward to watching some of this but I imagine most of the sky games will be from the top division.
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SISU won't be happy about this. They were hoping Ricoh would file for administration and then be able to buy a share of the stadium. This deal with us gives the Ricoh a bit of cash in the tin.
http://www.skybluestalk.co.uk/threads/47486-west-brom-at-the-ricoh (http://www.skybluestalk.co.uk/threads/47486-west-brom-at-the-ricoh)
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http://mobile.wba.co.uk/news/article/baggies-to-start-revamped-u21-season-against-wolves-1796355.aspx
U21 games to be played at the Ricoh apart from 3 matches.
What are people's thoughts in this? I am happy because I live a stones throw away from the Ricoh but if I were a local I'd be pretty peeved I imagine.
It's a difficult one as presumably the wear and tear issues at The Hawthorns and the Training Ground (where they were playing some of these games) is an issue as well as obviously wanting to give the U21's a decent surface to play on.
I went along to a couple of the U21's at The Hawthorns last season and there weren't many there to watch, maybe 200 to 300, and this would include the players friends and families, so I would imagine the impact on supporters is fairly negligible.
Also for those into the Youth Football, there will still be a few U21's at The Hawthorns this coming season and any home FA Youth Cup matches plus, most likely, a few local Birmingham Senior Cup games.
Have to say it's a bizarre situation that Coventry supporters find themselves in, totally shambolic?
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ALBION will tonight kick-off their 2014/15 Barclays Under-21 Premier League season with a Black Country derby clash against Wolves at The Hawthorns (ko 7pm).
Brown Ideye, Gareth McAuley and Jason Davidson have all been named in James Shan's squad.
This is one of three home games that will be played at The Hawthorns, with the remainder taking place at the Ricoh Arena.
Admission is £5 adults and £1 concessions. Entry is free for Albion home season ticket holders.
Read more at http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-host-wolves-at-the-hawthorns-1837194.aspx#pwp48to6yxqr0VOu.99
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Will be going to this tonight, got to make the most of freebies :)
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Rose; Atkinson, McAuley, Howkins, Davidson; Leko, O’Neil, A Nabi, Garmston; Roofe, Ideye
subs: Palmer (GK); Donellan, Pace, Kandi, Barrow
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WBA 1-0 Wolves A Nabi
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Albion U21 1 (A Nabi 30) Wolves U21 1 (Bancessi 49).
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Albion U21 2 (A Nabi 30, Howkins 70) Wolves U21 1 (Bancessi 49)
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Any word on how Brown played?
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A match report is now on OS
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On tonight's display, he looked off the pace , and did not show any flashes of quality that you would expect to see , from a 10 million pound striker.
I would think , its more about his fitness and avoiding injury ,so I would not read to much into tonight's performance .Any word on how Brown played?
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Any word on how Brown played?
Honestly, not too well.
The dingle defenders marshalled him relatively easily.
I thought he was outshone by the youngsters, especially Nabi, Garmston and Leko.
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Was it a decent fan turn out?
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Was it a decent fan turn out?
901
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I didn't go but from I read about Brown on Twitter from those who did, they felt that he looked like a good player (good touch, good awareness, etc) but he was clearly playing within himself a little. As you get a lot in pre season, when players know they are going to do 90 minutes for the first time in a long time they do often just try to do the bare minimum, just so that they don't run themselves into the ground and they get through the game.
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I did not think he looked that good last night, as royhan said the dingle defence had no problems with him. Did not look like a £10m striker. I also thought Nabi,
Garmaston had good games but in my opinion Liam O'neil after giving the ball away in twice in the first few minuits had an excelent game and was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch having said that Rose in goal made 2/3 good saves especially at the end when McAuley fell over.
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Leko, nabi and oneil looked good! That Leko could be an asset if he works on confidence, extremely skilful on the wing. Head went down too often though.
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The first thing that surprised was how slight he was . He kept himself back last night so has not to get injured . Let's hope the real ideye is a lot better .
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will the real Ideye Brown please stand up
Heard Davidson had a good game?
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Sure I heard that Leko is only 15!
Danny Barrow looks like a really good player too
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Sure I heard that Leko is only 15!
Danny Barrow looks like a really good player too
Leko is 16 this year. Plays in the same age category as my friends brother.
Looks a very good talent, and from the under 16s games I watched last season, hes very highly rated amongst coaches who seem to encourage him to go past players and dont seem too upset when he loses the ball.
There are some very good players in the under 16 team.
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Leko is 16 this year. Plays in the same age category as my friends brother.
Looks a very good talent, and from the under 16s games I watched last season, hes very highly rated amongst coaches who seem to encourage him to go past players and dont seem too upset when he loses the ball.
There are some very good players in the under 16 team.
Wow, did not realise he was that young. He was always looking to take on the defenders and get in behind them (something we lack in our first team!). If he can sort out the issues regarding letting his head drop he'll be a hell of a player.
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Leko is 16 this year. Plays in the same age category as my friends brother.
Looks a very good talent, and from the under 16s games I watched last season, hes very highly rated amongst coaches who seem to encourage him to go past players and dont seem too upset when he loses the ball.
There are some very good players in the under 16 team.
That's encouraging to hear, heard good things about that Danny Barbir lad too
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I've always heard good things about Adil Nabi...
Plus on Football Manager, when I loaned him out to Hereford, he scored 27 goals in 39 games... :P
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Danny Barrow looks like a really good player too
From the little that I have seen of him, Danny Barrow looks quality.
Excellent touch, quick feet, cracking movement off the ball and good vision.
Will not criticise him for lack of size or physique, but it may serve him well to look up once in a while.
Having said that, only seen him on Youtube which was provided by a Birmingham City scout.
Other teams, and not just those down the road and currently less fortunate than ourselves, are very aware of him, including the likes of Arsenal.
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I went with my mate who's a wolves fan. Now I know it was a fitness exercise but I really don't see ideye as a main asset as in blistering pace or good in the air. His touch was very poor. Davidson also I can't see being better than poco. Some of the older group need to be moved on I think as they are nowhere near premier league level. The lad who played alongside gmac looks a talent even though his mistake have away the wolves goal. O Neil played well. I thought the young wolves left back looked a decent lad aswel.
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Danny Barrow looks quality great passer and vision, excellent skill and looks to be positive at every chance he gets, I would be surprised if he was here in two years time but i hope so, Looks like the type of player that has the ptential to get fans off there seat and excited.
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I went with my mate who's a wolves fan. Now I know it was a fitness exercise but I really don't see ideye as a main asset as in blistering pace or good in the air. His touch was very poor. Davidson also I can't see being better than poco. Some of the older group need to be moved on I think as they are nowhere near premier league level. The lad who played alongside gmac looks a talent even though his mistake have away the wolves goal. O Neil played well. I thought the young wolves left back looked a decent lad aswel.
I’m sorry but you simply cannot come to those sorts of conclusions after watching ONE game. Firstly, even the best players can look poor in one off games; it’s their consistency and ability to look good over the course of a season that sets them apart (Also, let’s not forget that Brown scored 2 in the previous U21 game!).
Secondly, Brown and Davidson are both significantly lacking in match practice and sharpness. You can be the best player in the world but if you don’t have the fitness to allow you to play how you want then you’re not going to look anywhere near the player you can be. They both need far more time to settle in and get up to speed before the judgements begin.
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I’m sorry but you simply cannot come to those sorts of conclusions after watching ONE game. Firstly, even the best players can look poor in one off games; it’s their consistency and ability to look good over the course of a season that sets them apart (Also, let’s not forget that Brown scored 2 in the previous U21 game!).
Secondly, Brown and Davidson are both significantly lacking in match practice and sharpness. You can be the best player in the world but if you don’t have the fitness to allow you to play how you want then you’re not going to look anywhere near the player you can be. They both need far more time to settle in and get up to speed before the judgements begin.
im not judging any of them im merely giving my opinion on what i saw. regarding ideye what im saying is most strikers have a particular asset, i didnt see him excell at any. maybe with better players around him he may shine,but he will also have better defenders around him. overall when you consider the experience within that team against a wolves team of mostly kids i was really disappointed.
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is Barrow the one we got from Plymouth ?
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Yes, he came to us from Plymouth in about 2011.
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http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/under-21s-squad-for-bolton-trip-tonight-1916864.aspx
ALBION visit the County Ground, Leyland, to face Bolton tonight (ko 7pm) in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League.
Liam O’Neil, Kemar Roofe and Bradley Garmston will all be looking to impress against the Trotters after being included in James Shan’s 16-man squad.
ALBION (from): Barrow, Donnellan, Garmston, Hawkins, Kandi, Leko, S.Nabi, A.Nabi, O’Neil, Pace, Palmer, Roofe, Rose, Smart, Ward, Wedderburn.
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So none of the ´unfit ´ones are included , interesting when we have no midweek game and dont play until Sunday. Have to conclude that ALL should be available this weekend.
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So none of the ´unfit ´ones are included , interesting when we have no midweek game and dont play until Sunday. Have to conclude that ALL should be available this weekend.
You would like to think so.
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Seems bizarre that we haven't seen any media with Varela and he's yet to feature in any of these games.
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Seems bizarre that we haven't seen any media with Varela and he's yet to feature in any of these games.
makes you wonder if we actually signed him, ive seen or heard nothing about varela.
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Just got back from the U21 game.
Liam O'Neill and Kemar Roofe were outstanding. Really stood out for me. Finished 3-1.
Howard Webb was there as well.
Considering our new signings are lacking fitness, I was quite disappointed that none of them figured tonight!
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With our lack of pace out wide, if Varela's still not ready why not get Roofe on the bench and give him 20 minutes...nothing to lose and maybe something to gain.
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makes you wonder if we actually signed him, ive seen or heard nothing about varela.
I saw him on Saturday after the game, going to his car in the players car park with his family.
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i still can't get my head round why none of the so called unfit players weren't involved last night :-\
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i still can't get my head round why none of the so called unfit players weren't involved last night :-\
Perhaps they believe they are better off just training with the squad for the next week in preparation for Spurs. A lot has been made of players not being fit but there is also the issue with the foreign lads of settling into the squad and learning how we want them to play. If they play in reserves I am assuming they lose that day training with the seniors and most likely the next due to warm downs.
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i still can't get my head round why none of the so called unfit players weren't involved last night :-\
Last night's game was an official FA under 21 league game so we couldn't throw in a batch of overage players.
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Last night's game was an official FA under 21 league game so we couldn't throw in a batch of overage players.
I was under the impression you could play 3 over age outfield players and a goalkeeper so I'm not sure the rules are the reason why none of them appeared.
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I was under the impression you could play 3 over age outfield players and a goalkeeper so I'm not sure the rules are the reason why none of them appeared.
You may be right but not sure. Maybe the club wants to prioritise these games for genuine under 21s for their development and monitoring if they are going to make it.
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Actually I do agree with you, competitive games should be used for the genuine under 21 lads.
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I don't think it's just about physical fitness, it's also about synergy with other members of the team. Not going to get that with 2 or 3 playing in U21 games.
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I'd hope the players are close to where we need them to be with regards to fitness, so spending more time with the group is probably for the better.
I don't know if anyone read AI's programme notes, but he was suggesting the team is starting to gel, with players, I think it was Gardner in his example, realising the kind of passes players like Blanco want. Sounds hopeful.
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Allow 3 overage outfield players and over age Keeper
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Varela in the squad for tonights U21 game v Brighton
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/varela-named-in-tonights-u21-squad-1935014.aspx
SILVESTRE Varela has been named in Albion’s 16-man squad to face Brighton in tonight's Barclays Under-21 Premier League clash at the Ricoh Arena (ko 7pm).
The FC Porto winger, recruited towards the close of the summer transfer window on a season-long loan deal, has been steadily stepping up his fitness levels with a view to being in contention for first-team selection.
And he will now get his first piece of match action in an Albion shirt as James Shan’s U21 Baggies outfit look to continue their fine start to the season against the Seagulls.
Liam O’Neil, Luke Daniels, Kemar Roofe and Adil Nabi, among others, are also included.
Albion squad (in alphabetical order): Daniels, Donnellan, Ezewele, Howkins, Kandi, Leko, A Nabi, S Nabi, O’Neil, Pace, Roofe, Rose, Smart, Varela, Ward, Wedderburn.
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Has Garmston gone out on loan? Is he injured? Haven't heard or seen him feature much.
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Has Garmston gone out on loan? Is he injured? Haven't heard or seen him feature much.
What about giving Blanco and Samaras some game time, or are the in line for Hull
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This means Varela won't be featuring in Hull games by the looks of it! Shouldn't be too far away from full fitness now
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Albion line-up: Daniels, Ezewele, Smart, O'Neil, Donnellan, Howkins, Roofe, A Nabi, Kandi, Leko, Varela.
Subs: Rose, S Nabi, Pace, Wedderburn, Ward.
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Varela has just scored for the U21s along with Nabi. He does exist!
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This means Varela won't be featuring in Hull games by the looks of it! Shouldn't be too far away from full fitness now
Would hope Varela can at least come off the bench against Hull and again against Burnley - regardless of yesterday we need more pace if we intend winning home games.
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Has Garmston gone out on loan? Is he injured? Haven't heard or seen him feature much.
Garmston played in the U-21 game last week at Bolton. Maybe he has a knock.
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I asked about Bradley when the team photo came out as I didn't think I'd see him in the pic'.
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Anyone know the result of tonight's game?
Just posted on official site 2-1 to the Baggies. ;D
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2-1 win tonight and much deserved. Varela looked good, a classy player. O'Neil did well holding the midfield in a 4-1-4-1. We har a lad on out hands with some real ability in Leko but he definitely needs some work in the gym and needs to mature on the ball, both will come in time. Roofe was lively but don't think he will be our level, can see him doing a Mantom. Our stand out player was Nabi who played deeper than I thought he would in the centre midfield. Technically sound, confident, fit, was pleased with him.
Garmston was in the crowd sitting next to Nathan Redmond.
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Nabi certainly seems to know where the net is.
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Our stand out player was Nabi who played deeper than I thought he would in the centre midfield. Technically sound, confident, fit, was pleased with him.
Nabi certainly seems to know where the net is.
I think he has always played in a deeper role baggiebof. When I have seen him before he is often playing in a second striker/advanced playmaker sort of role. I remember against Telford last pre season he played the same with Alex Jones in front of him. Before he picked up his season ending injury, he was behind every good move we made in that game pulling all of the strings.
I hope that 12 months out has not had too much of an impact on his development as he always an interesting player and it would be good for us to bring through another player who might be able to get into our first team.
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According to the England site Leko was only born April 1999, making him just under 15 and a half. At that age you do not want him doing too much in the gym. The risk of tendon injuries when growing makes weights work especially dangerous. Let him develop in his own time and up the gym work in 1-2 years when he has finished growing. In the meantime, what a prospect to be playing regular U21 at 15, and be in the England U17 team.
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ive been quite impressed with the lad who plays centre half howkins is it?
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>:(
http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/football-wls-blues-linked-with-west-brom-youngster-along-with-liverpool-man-city-and-tottenham
"Jonathan Leko of West Bromwich Albion is the latest teenager to be linked with Chelsea.
The Independent on Sunday say the 15-year-old striker is attracting interest from the Blues, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool.
West Brom, who lost Isaiah Brown to Chelsea a year ago, are said to be determined to hang onto Leko.
The player was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has represented England at Under-16 level and is already a regular in Albion’s Under-21 side.
Chelsea have also recently been linked with West Ham’s Reece Oxford, 15, and Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury, 16."
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What a crap, depressing system this is. If the FA want evidence that a player can emerge and benefit through being handled well by a 'small' well run club, they can take a look at Saido.
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...and Southampton's products for that matter.
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This system is ridiculous, what is the point in any club trying to bring talent through? The FA really need to sort this if we are ever to have a successful national team, I can't see the point in losing our best players to be lost in Chelsea's stockpiling system. And people wonder why clubs go for the cheap proven foreign option.
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>:(
http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/football-wls-blues-linked-with-west-brom-youngster-along-with-liverpool-man-city-and-tottenham
"Jonathan Leko of West Bromwich Albion is the latest teenager to be linked with Chelsea.
The Independent on Sunday say the 15-year-old striker is attracting interest from the Blues, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool.
West Brom, who lost Isaiah Brown to Chelsea a year ago, are said to be determined to hang onto Leko.
The player was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has represented England at Under-16 level and is already a regular in Albion’s Under-21 side.
Chelsea have also recently been linked with West Ham’s Reece Oxford, 15, and Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury, 16."
Not surprised sadly. He looked quality in the reserve game I saw.
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This system is ridiculous, what is the point in any club trying to bring talent through? The FA really need to sort this if we are ever to have a successful national team, I can't see the point in losing our best players to be lost in Chelsea's stockpiling system. And people wonder why clubs go for the cheap proven foreign option.
and with the FA putting a limit on non-EU signings, pushing the EU prices up, it's giving the big clubs with the money yet more advantage.
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With the price of stealing youth players now, little over 200k, there really is no risk of just signing up the best for clubs like Chelsea. Had it came in a few years earlier we probably wouldn't have kept Berahino either.
Only the FA could be so incompetent that their plan to improve academy football is single handedly destroying it. Eventually it'll get to the stage where clubs are closing down their academies because they're not beneficial anymore. At least the system before we'd get hefty compensation for players. 200k probably barely covers the investment in a player who's been in the academy for a number of years. Chelsea have 40 players in their youth team squad which says it all, 40 players for 11 spots. If you can't even make match day squads at under 18 level, what chance do these players have of developing?
Izzy Brown could have been starting for us now had he stayed here. Instead he'll be lucky to play again in the premier league before he's 20. Lukaku couldn't even get a look in there despite them having a dearth of strikers which says it all about their youth development.
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It tells you all you need to know about the potential of a youngster if they are regulars in the reserve/under 21 side at just 15-years-old like Leko. Not seen him play but to be ahead of others in his age group is very encouraging, need to do all we possibly can to keep hold of such players and continue to develop them.
Its just a shame the system in place allows for top clubs to pick off promising youngsters for next to no compensation where they are likely to get lost in the system and be lucky to achieve much in the game despite looking like they have the world at their feet at a smaller club. I thought the whole idea of categorising the academy system was so that the coaching standards were consistent, there should be little or no benefit for a youngster to move from one category 1 club to another so it should be in the rules that they can't poach from each other. Why should you spend £3m or so a year to keep up to category 1 standard if you are going to lose players for peanuts? We shouldn't have to spend like that to produce players for bigger clubs unless we largely dictate the fee of a potential transfer to make it worth our while.
Its difficult to blame young players like Izzy Brown, Yan Dhanda and Jerome Sinclair for joining big clubs. They, or sometimes their family/advisors will get their head turned by money and encourage them to move when the chance comes. However there is also the honour of playing for a real top club and the dream that they will develop and break into the side at some point, it rarely happens that way and sometimes they don't realise it could be better for their development to remain at smaller clubs and have a much better chance of breaking through.
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Its quite simple to me how the system should work.
The club that the player plays for through the academy gets first option on that player no matter what. Secondly no club can poach players.
Its not a hard rule to implement either.
Quite simply the FA is setup to pander to what it calls the 'Top Clubs'...
If clubs continue to poach then clubs like us will simply close the academies and then the first people to moan will be the FA when we decide to go foreign to replace the players we WOULD have brought through the academies.
Its so obvious how the system is setup to benefit the rich so called big clubs that its not even funny. Its ruining football and ruining the national team. Something needs to be done about it and done instantly or all the hard work clubs have put in to youth systems will be lost forever with no going back and thats when the English game dies a death
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Since I was child my Dad has always said that football is like a house of cards, take away the bottom and the top falls in
The worst thing they did in English football was when they stopped gate receipts from all league games being split 50-50, the 'BIG CLUBS' decided they wanted to keep all the gate receipts from home games to themselves, this ensured that clubs like us, Bolton, Burnley, Wolves, Preston would never win a league again and those clubs with bigger stadiums and fanbases only got bigger and better.
Before that every club had a steady stream of income each week from every game.
The FA screwed our game up and now they punish clubs for going into Admin because they cant afford to support themselves with an income only received every other week on average.
They are doing another damaging thing to our game allowing clubs to stockpile youngsters and allowing them to take players from good clubs to rot in the youth systems of clubs such as Chelsea.
Perhaps they should have a squad limit on youngsters allowed to be registered at each age group.
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Eventually it'll get to the stage where clubs are closing down their academies because they're not beneficial anymore.
They already are.
Wycombe, Yeovil & Crawley Town and I'm sure there are a couple of others I have forgotten who have closed down their academies since the implementation of the EPPP.
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you have hit the nail on the head there tom. The sponsers want Big teams, Big names. The FA will simply sit back and wait for their cut. The smaller clubs will struggle but they moneymen dont care about them
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Steve Madeley @smadeley_star · 2m 2 minutes ago
In the process of checking out the interest in Albion's latest teenage star, Jonathan Leko, I've had it confirmed they've agreed (1/2)
Steve Madeley @smadeley_star · 2m 2 minutes ago
a fee with Chelsea for Izzy Brown after more than a year of haggling. The figure is undisclosed but it's avoided a tribunal. #wba
Steve Madeley @smadeley_star 27s27 seconds ago
As for Leko: no bids but Albion are aware the 15-year-old striker is being watched by many clubs. They're very hopeful of keeping him. #wba
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I guess the important part is selling the kid on the idea that at Albion he has a far better chance of actually playing by his teens. The family are also important, if his family are refugees then i dare say they're not that well off, so Chelsea or whoever offering a few hundred thousand may swing it.
Saido coming through for us is of a double bonus as he's living proof the plan can work. Izzy brown not playing 1st team football is a reflection in the opposite. I would love to know how much we finally agreed. It must have been decent to avoid the tribunal?
The youth player rules need changing. If our promising kids keep being stolen there's no point keeping the academy.
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let's just hope Jonathan Leko has the sense to look at the respective careers of Saido and Izzy Brown and see how they have developed over the last 2 years. He should see some sense.
But yes the current system is wrong.
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Brown was around the first team 18 months ago and got a brief appearance. If he had stayed on I'm sure he would have been sniffing around the first team. I think and hope Leko would have tried to do the same rather than chasing cash.
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To be honest its about time something like a junior contract came into play , something like until 18 years old you stay with the club that picked you up and trained you since the age of 7 or whatever then the club have first option . If i was JP I'd be very tempted to shut the academy down if this keeps happening , knowing him he won't keep tipping 3M into it and getting players pinched for pennies . What 13/ 14 / 15 year old really needs to be under that strain regarding money , sponsorship and big clubs ? No wonder our National side struggles when all the players get poached to the big clubs and put in huge groups.
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let's just hope Jonathan Leko has the sense to look at the respective careers of Saido and Izzy Brown and see how they have developed over the last 2 years. He should see some sense.
But yes the current system is wrong.
I'm not sure Izzy is quite the example of making bad choices just yet. He played with the Chelsea first team during pre season and has had Mouriniho waxing lyrical about him. Berahino also didn't make his debut for us until he was 20 and Izzy is still 17.
If Chelsea want him enough, I doubt there is much we can do to stop him. The FA need to make the compensation figures more of a risk to the purchaser and benefit to the academy.
As for an academy getting first refusal. It can't happen I wouldn't have thought due to certain laws and human rights.
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Brown was around the first team 18 months ago and got a brief appearance. If he had stayed on I'm sure he would have been sniffing around the first team. I think and hope Leko would have tried to do the same rather than chasing cash.
To be honest Brown looked way out of his depth that day against Wigan , IMO that was done in hope he would stay. What really annoys me is we are hoping Leko and the likes will stay after finding them , putting them on the route to Pro football and coaching them over a number of years ....it's almost like we give them everything then at the end we are begging them to stay .This junior Champions League the big clubs playing in just makes things worse , as i posted above JP won't have much more of this.
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Playing Vile at The Shrine at the minute. No seniors involved. 3 - 1 up goals from Adil Nabi (2) and Kemar Roofe all this after Vile went in front.
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Playing Vile at The Shrine at the minute. No seniors involved. 3 - 1 up goals from Adil Nabi (2) and Kemar Roofe all this after Vile went in front.
4-1 now. Nabi hattrick
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4-1 now. Nabi hattrick
Even at u21...this feels good :P
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Wonder if he has any chance of getting a bench place against Man U?
On a side issue, it would be a huge plus in the PR department for a talented local Asian lad to come through. That shouldn't make any difference, but it would be an added bonus. Plus it would help in bulking the team out.
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Is there any match footage available for this game.
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As above is there any highlights for this game??
I do like the sound of Nabi he seems to be a young lad with lots of potential too
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Wonder if he has any chance of getting a bench place against Man U?
On a side issue, it would be a huge plus in the PR department for a talented local Asian lad to come through. That shouldn't make any difference, but it would be an added bonus. Plus it would help in bulking the team out.
On a slightly similar note. I spoke briefly to a player and his dad from our academy recently. The same age group that went years unbeaten (they have now lost though, they lost 5-1 to Bayern Munich who were apparently incredible and 2-1 to Real Madrid).
They both said there's a lot of people within the club still trying to get Money on Dhandra being the first Asian to play for England, he is that good. Shame we lost him.
They also said that Leko is unbelievable (already Sponsored by Nike) although he doesn't play with them much anymore.
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Highlight of our game against Villa
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/highlights-albion-u21-4-villa-u21-1-2020934.aspx?
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nice confident finishes, 2 footed as well by the looks of it,
I would love us to do a 3 degrees MK11 wth asian lads.
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Who was the left back for Villa's first goal? Hope it wasn't Garmston! :O
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Who was the left back for Villa's first goal? Hope it wasn't Garmston! :O
was it lb or ch covering for lb?
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The back four is in position when the free-kick is conceded. The person who misses the header (what I have issue with) is definitely the left back.
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Thats the first thing I noticed on the highlights was the LB completely missing his header
However I cant hold it against him too much, Ive not seen his other games, one slip that gets noticed on the highlights isnt enough for me to judge him on anyway
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Really hope to see Nabi, Roofe, O'Neil starting to break into the first team soon. It would give encouragement to our youth players like Leko showing they have a future here if they work hard.
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If the kids can break into the current squad they will have to be of high quality and that will ensure that our future is safe for a lot of years, either by ability or generating cash.
If we could get a crop of kids breaking through, well, who knows what that may bring.
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Who was the left back for Villa's first goal? Hope it wasn't Garmston! :O
Well Garmston is black so I don't think it was him.
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Impressed how well he stood up to the physical in the build up to the first, great finishing and composure by both of them mind. In contention for the cup game do you reckon?
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Looking at the line-up I think Smart played left back with Garmston much further forward.
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Looking at the line-up I think Smart played left back with Garmston much further forward.
Smart?
He didn't look too clever to me.
Boom boom.
:D ;).
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For those wondering about Leko i think he wore the number 9 shirt in the above game.
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Well Garmston is black so I don't think it was him.
Didn't bother to change the highlights to 720p, couldn't tell at 360p.
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Nabi and roofe are close to the first team now, expecting them involved sooner rather than later.
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I don't think that they are that close to the first team.
Don't get me wrong they are very good in the U-21's but the gulf between the two sides is enormous! I think that if we get an easyish cup game then maybe put them in....or on the bench. But not in the league.
On a side note I wil be going to watch the U-21's at Leigh vs Blackburn.
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http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-youngsters-primed-for-action-2020770.aspx (http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-youngsters-primed-for-action-2020770.aspx)
Youngsters continuing to impress
ALAN Irvine believes Albion's youngsters are ready to showcase their talents in the Football League - after 90 scouts applied for the Under-21s fixture against Villa.
The Baggies claimed a 4-1 win against their neighbours, with Adil Nabi scoring a hat-trick and Kemar Roofe also performing well.
Donervorn Daniels is already out on loan, currently playing for Championship side Blackpool.
Irvine has yet to make up his mind which players will be granted loan moves away from The Hawthorns - yesterday's U21s performance will certainly give him food for thought - but feels it would benefit some players.
"In the case of some of the young lads they may well go out on loan but we will see, other clubs have to come asking first and it has got to be the right thing for them to do as well," said the Albion head coach.
"There are some lads who are ready for league football. Liam O'Neil has obviously shown how well he can cope.
"With the performance he had against Hull you are thinking 'You have done enough to be in and around the squad'.
"He would be a difficult one, whether or not we want Liam O'Neil to go out on loan or not - that's another matter.
"It's looking at the individual circumstances for each of the lads.
"Kemar Roofe needs to be playing beyond Under-21 level, so does Adil Nabi, so does Bradley Garmston.
"We can't make that happen, it takes another club to phone us and say 'Can we have such and such a player on loan?' and then we will assess the situation.
"In Donervorn Daniels case a Championship club phoned up wanting him on loan. 'Is he going to play? Yes, great. You can have him on loan, how long do you want him for?'
"That's been done through to January which is great, if it had been a League Two club we would probably have said you can have him for a month and then we'll review it at that stage."
Sounds promising, to say the least.
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I should think there'll be a few clubs enquiring about Nabi given he seems to have an eye for goal. Question will be whether we want him playing 2 games a week in the championship relatively soon after coming back from the cruciate injury.
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ADIL Nabi and Liam O’Neil will be keen to impress as Albion Under-21s host Stoke City at the Ricoh Arena tonight in the Barclays U21 Premier League (7pm ko).
Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Bradley Garmston is also included in James Shan’s 16-man squad.
Albion Under-21 squad in full: Atkinson, Barrow, Birch, Cleet, Garmston, Howkins, Jones, Leko, S.Nabi, A.Nabi, O’Neil, Palmer, Roberts, Rose, Smart, Wedderburn.
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-under-21-squad-to-play-stoke-2060059.aspx#5viGDJJS2bADJO4F.99
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HT WBA U21's 1-0 Stoke U21's
(Scorer - Alex Jones)
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won 3-1
Scorers:
Alex Jones X2
Adil Nabi
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I went again tonight, really impressed with Alex Jones. First time I've seen him play and I was pleased. Adil Nabi again showed his class even though it wasn't his best game and O'Neill really lead by example. Lots of other decent performances too, notably from Samir Nabi an the centre backs.
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I went again tonight, really impressed with Alex Jones. First time I've seen him play and I was pleased. Adil Nabi again showed his class even though it wasn't his best game and O'Neill really lead by example. Lots of other decent performances too, notably from Samir Nabi an the centre backs.
thanks for feedback, sounds really encouraging
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I went again tonight, really impressed with Alex Jones. First time I've seen him play and I was pleased. Adil Nabi again showed his class even though it wasn't his best game and O'Neill really lead by example. Lots of other decent performances too, notably from Samir Nabi an the centre backs.
Talented, properly educated kids, progressing into the first team are really my main hope for us to break the hopeless Hodgson/Irvine style football.
If we can only keep the dirty paws of the 'top' clubs off them...
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At least once kids reach 18 and hopefully sign their first pro contracts, which is the case with most of the under 21 line-up, then it's the case that other clubs would have to part with money to get them. It's the young future stars age 13, 14, 15 that we have the problem with keeping from the clutches of the big boys.
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At least once kids reach 18 and hopefully sign their first pro contracts, which is the case with most of the under 21 line-up, then it's the case that other clubs would have to part with money to get them. It's the young future stars age 13, 14, 15 that we have the problem with keeping from the clutches of the big boys.
It's 17, once they get their NI numbers. I've always been curious as to how a "child" can sign a legally binding contract, but apparently if it's an employment contract, you can from 17. Odd, but there you are.
Otherwise totally agree. If/When Saido gets an England call up that will help our academy lads as he'll be the first (of many?) Albion youth players to get an England call in modern times.
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Many times the benefit of having the academy has been questioned, well perhaps we are staring to see the reward for the investment now.
It's been a long, long time since Albion have had a crop of youngsters coming through as well thought of as this lot seem to be.
Really, really promising from what is being said.
Well done Albion. Like GrGr says, all we have to do now is hang on to these boys, but I sense that with Saido making such slides the evidence is there for them that staying at the Hawthorns for at least a while is possibly a better route than shipping out in Sinclair, Dhanda or Brown fashion.
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Albion Under-21 team to play Derby County in the Barclays U21 Premier League Cup (2pm ko):
Palmer, Atkinson, Cleet, Howkins, Smart, Wright, Wedderburn, Pace, Samir Nabi, Jones, Adil Nabi.
Subs: Ross, Ezewele, Birch, Barrow, O'Sullivan
Derby County Under-21s: Mitchell, Lelan, Lowe, Koblenz, Rawson, Hanson, Santos, Guy, Thomas, Bunjaku, Bennett.
Subs: Barnes, Sharpe, Dryden, McDonald, Vernam.
No seniors. Though this is a cup match so not sure on eligibility.
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No seniors. Though this is a cup match so not sure on eligibility.
think it's academy only.
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Tyler Roberts captained and scored for Wales under 16's as they won the Victory shield tonight.
He was being linked with Liverpool at one stage - is he still with us ?
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Under 21's travel to Rugby Town tonight for 2nd round of the Birmingham Senior Cup
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Tyler Roberts captained and scored for Wales under 16's as they won the Victory shield tonight.
He was being linked with Liverpool at one stage - is he still with us ?
Yeah he is, recently been moved up from under16s to under 18s now, plays in the same team as Leko.
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Under 21's beat Rugby Town 6-2
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-wba-west-brom-rugby-town-birmingham-senior-cup-2105171.aspx#L9ldpBj0sWPLlwtx.99
ADIL Nabi scored twice as Albion began their defence of the Birmingham Senior Cup with an emphatic 6-2 win over Rugby Town last night.
James Shan’s side raced into a three-goal lead after just 21 minutes at Butlin Road, thanks to goals from George Cleet, Alex Jones and Samir Nabi.
However the Evo-Stik League Southern Division One Central outfit staged a spirited comeback, scoring twice through Robbie Burns on the stroke of half-time, and then Sam Youngs eight minutes after the break.
But two goals in the space of four minutes from Adil Nabi and then Danny Barrow midway through the second half, put any hopes of a Rugby revival to bed.
Adil Nabi, who captained the side on the night, then added his second and Albion’s sixth in the 82nd minute as the holders eased into the third round.
Speaking after the game, Albion Under-21 coach Shan said: “I value this competition and it is one that we want to win.
“I have spoken before about adding longevity to our season and the Birmingham Senior Cup does that.
“The game was a different kind of test to what we are used to.
“You never know what you are going to get from a non-league team, but we came through the test with flying colours.”
Albion: Palmer, Atkinson, Garmston (Smart 60'), Birch, Cleet, Howkins, Wright (Wedderburn 70'), S.Nabi (Pace 75'), Jones, A.Nabi, Barrow.
Subs: Ross, Ezewele.
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Id like to see Nabi go out on loan soon and get some game time in the Championship if possible.
Looks a good prospect, just needs some experience now.
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In the absence of a proper reserve team, one might wonder why none of our "not fit enough to be selected" players featured in yesterday's game to improve their match fitness, assuming Rugby isn't regarded as being too far for them to travel....
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In the absence of a proper reserve team, one might wonder why none of our "not fit enough to be selected" players featured in yesterday's game to improve their match fitness, assuming Rugby isn't regarded as being too far for them to travel....
Exactly. It's because they are fit. It's just an excuse not to play them
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In the absence of a proper reserve team, one might wonder why none of our "not fit enough to be selected" players featured in yesterday's game to improve their match fitness, assuming Rugby isn't regarded as being too far for them to travel....
I see the point. The club seems to view this competition as a good way of getting the youngsters competing against non age-group teams. The opposition are also likely to be more direct and physical than the premier league level under 21 teams I suspect.
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In the absence of a proper reserve team, one might wonder why none of our "not fit enough to be selected" players featured in yesterday's game to improve their match fitness, assuming Rugby isn't regarded as being too far for them to travel....
In fairness, I'm not sure I'd want any of our first teamers turning out against some non-league footballers who of course play a much more physical game. And you have to take into account the quality of pitch as well, I know it happens on the best pitches in the country as well, but I'd imagine on a lesser pitch the probability of picking up ligament injuries(when the foot gets caught in the ground like Gera for example) is far higher.
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In fairness, I'm not sure I'd want any of our first teamers turning out against some non-league footballers who of course play a much more physical game. And you have to take into account the quality of pitch as well, I know it happens on the best pitches in the country as well, but I'd imagine on a lesser pitch the probability of picking up ligament injuries(when the foot gets caught in the ground like Gera for example) is far higher.
Questions will 100% need to be asked if Varela isnt on the bench the weekend.
Not sure how Irvine can defend himself if he says hes still not match fit, but not being put in the under 21s game.
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Gather we saw off Reading 5-0 yesterday. Roofe hat-trick and a goal each for Samir and Adil Nabi. Gamboa and Blanco played.
Adil Nabi scored with a 'sublime curling effort from 25-yards-out'. Hope he signs the new contract and gets a look-in before too long.
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Wonder if Gamboa and Blanco played because TP wants a look at them for the 1st team, for the shop window, or none of the above...
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We play Wolves at Molineux on Friday. Both sides at the wrong end of the U21 table.
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We play Wolves at Molineux on Friday. Both sides at the wrong end of the U21 table.
Aren't we 3rd?
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Aren't we 3rd?
We are indeed
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/barclays-u21-premier-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=NATIONAL
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We are indeed
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/barclays-u21-premier-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=NATIONAL
Any idea how many sides get promoted?
I'm sure I saw that Division One has a TV deal. Be nice to be able to watch the Under 21's on TV from time to time.
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Any idea how many sides get promoted?
I'm sure I saw that Division One has a TV deal. Be nice to be able to watch the Under 21's on TV from time to time.
Through that link there is a format explanation. It says the top 2 will be promoted so it seems we have a good chance.
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Any idea how many sides get promoted?
I'm sure I saw that Division One has a TV deal. Be nice to be able to watch the Under 21's on TV from time to time.
Two teams Relegated / two promoted each season.
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More rumours that Adil Nabi might be on his way to Villa now. It's not quite the same as losing a promising 15-17 year old as Nabi is now 20 but it would be frustrating to lose yet another youngster to a bigger side with more money. This is the third of fourth youngster rumoured to be on the way out in less than 12 months.
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More rumours that Adil Nabi might be on his way to Villa now. It's not quite the same as losing a promising 15-17 year old as Nabi is now 20 but it would be frustrating to lose yet another youngster to a bigger side with more money. This is the third of fourth youngster rumoured to be on the way out in less than 12 months.
Odd one about this is that he hasn't got a look in this season despite our infamous troubles finding the net! Made the bench but never looked in danger of breaking through any time soon.
Would he really get a look in at Villa with Benteke, Weimann and Agbonlahor (plus Kozak?) all competing for a starting spot? Unless he feels his chances are even more limited under Pulis than before, other than money I can't see a reason for going.
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Odd one about this is that he hasn't got a look in this season despite our infamous troubles finding the net! Made the bench but never looked in danger of breaking through any time soon.
Would he really get a look in at Villa with Benteke, Weimann and Agbonlahor (plus Kozak?) all competing for a starting spot? Unless he feels his chances are even more limited under Pulis than before, other than money I can't see a reason for going.
It was only this season he came back from his cruciate injury so would have been feeling his way back in for a while this season. Now he seems to be ready to kick on. I'm hoping the fact his brother is progressing well also might be a factor in making him stay. There is another younger brother...not sure if he's progressing well also or may have been let go at some stage ?
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do we play the wolves this Friday, would love to watch this but don't think it gets covered by tv.
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Aren't we 3rd?
My apologies. I saw a table the other day that show we were both near the bottom. Must have been last seasons final table or out of date. Can't find it now.
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Tonights line-ups
Albion Under-21 team to play Wolves Under-21 at Molineux in the Barclays U21 Premier League (7pm ko):
Palmer, Smart, Cleet, Atkinson, Garmston, Pace, Samir Nabi, Adil Nabi, Roofe, Leko, Jones.
Subs: Ross (GK), Birch, Roberts, O'Sullivan, Wedderburn.
Wolves Under-21 team to play Albion Under-21s:
Flatt, Matinyadze, O'Hanlon, Weeks, Upton, Carter, Bancessi, Kellermann, Keita, Torras, Hunte.
Subs: Burgoyne (GK), Rainey, Wilson, Reid, Ortega.
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Tonights line-ups
Albion Under-21 team to play Wolves Under-21 at Molineux in the Barclays U21 Premier League (7pm ko):
Palmer, Smart, Cleet, Atkinson, Garmston, Pace, Samir Nabi, Adil Nabi, Roofe, Leko, Jones.
Subs: Ross (GK), Birch, Roberts, O'Sullivan, Wedderburn.
Wolves Under-21 team to play Albion Under-21s:
Flatt, Matinyadze, O'Hanlon, Weeks, Upton, Carter, Bancessi, Kellermann, Keita, Torras, Hunte.
Subs: Burgoyne (GK), Rainey, Wilson, Reid, Ortega.
Probably reading too much into these things but the lack of Blanco and Gamboa hopefully means they are being considered for tomorrow. Doesn't guarantee they will make the 18 but you'd think if TP wanted rid he'd allow them more game time? Unless of course it's just to keep their morale up by making them feel included...
I think I've confused myself :(
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Probably reading too much into these things but the lack of Blanco and Gamboa hopefully means they are being considered for tomorrow. Doesn't guarantee they will make the 18 but you'd think if TP wanted rid he'd allow them more game time? Unless of course it's just to keep their morale up by making them feel included...
I think I've confused myself :(
I may be wrong but I'm not sure any of the senior players have had games for the U21's in league games. All the games I can remember that featured senior players were all friendlies.
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Anyone know tje score from tonight?
0-0 bore draw.
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What are they called these days and where do they play?
Is it still open entry to season tickets or are all games now behind closed doors?
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What are they called these days and where do they play?
Is it still open entry to season tickets or are all games now behind closed doors?
Many U21 league games are played at the Ricoh in Coventry this season but they have to play a set number at The Hawthorns which is usually the ones to get a decentish crowd (Villa/ Woves etc). I think some are behind closed doors as well though at the Training Ground.
Free for season ticket holders, £5 for others unless behind closed doors
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I read that there were 950 or so fans at the Wolves v Albion Under 21's game the other evening
Fighting broke out between Wolves fans and......................................... Wolves fans, classic!
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Away at Newcastle today 1pm kick off and could go top if they win I believe
Albion U21 team v NUFC: Palmer, Atkinson, Smart, Birch, Howkins, Cleet, Roofe, S.Nabi, Roberts, A.Nabi, Wedderburn
subs: Ross, Pace, Barrow, Jones, Leko
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Does anybody know if Nabi has signed a new contract yet, or whether he is still attracting interest from the Vile?
All seems to have gone a bit quiet.
Sorry if this has been covered, but finding it very time consuming keeping pace with the 'Wild Speculation and Blind Panic Fish Wife' thread.
;).
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Ended 1-1 Heardman for Newcastle and Roofe equalised
West Bromwich Albion (4-4-2): Alex Palmer; Wesley Atkinson, George Cleet, Kyle Howkins, Tom Smart; Rees Wedderburn (Jonathan Leko 61), Aaron Birch, Samir Nabi (Callum Jones 84); Kemar Roofe; Adil Nabi, Tyler Roberts
Subs not used: Ethan Ross, Ryan Pace, Danny Barrow
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Jonas Olsson, Cristian Gamboa, Sebastien Pocognoli & Jason Davidson will all play for Albion at Hednesford tonight in the B'ham Senior Cup
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currently
Newc p13 24pts
Derby p14 24
Arse p12 24
Wba p13 23
the boys are very much in the shake up
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Albion team to play Hednesford Town in the Birmingham Senior Cup quarter-final (7.45pm ko):
Rose, Atkinson, Howkins, Olsson, Pocognoli, Birch, S.Nabi, A.Nabi, Gamboa, Jones, Davidson.
Subs: Palmer, Pace, Wedderburn, Cleet, Barrow.
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Were's Davidson playing? :-)
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Were's Davidson playing? :-)
Away at Hednesford perhaps?
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51' GOAL! Hednesford Town 0 Albion 1 (Jones)
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FT. Hednesford Town 0 Albion 1 (Jones 51')
The Baggies book a place in the last four of the Birmingham Senior Cup with a narrow win over Hednesford here at Keys Park
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http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-under-21s-west-brom-wba-bolton-2288545.aspx
ALBION Under-21s will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to nine league games when they host Bolton Wanderers on Monday afternoon at the training ground (1pm ko).
The Baggies’ impressive recent form has seen them climb to just one point off the top of the Barclays U21 Premier League division two table.
Loan moves for Liam O’Neil, Kemar Roofe, Jack Rose, Wesley Atkinson, Donervorn Daniels and Bradley Garmston have done little to hamper James Shan’s side’s surge.
And the Under-21 Coach admitted the eight-match unbeaten record is a fantastic achievement for his players, but insists they must keep working hard.
“To go eight games unbeaten at any level is a great achievement and one which should not go unnoticed,” said Shan.
“I am really proud of my players.
“Part of their development is learning how to win games, and also learning how to stay solid and not get beat.
“They have shown some real intelligence, grit and resilience during this run.
“We have also kept three clean sheets in that time too, which is always pleasing.
“Bolton are a very well organised team, and the last time that we played them it was a terrific contest and also quite an open, exciting game.”
Just five points separate The Trotters in seventh and league leaders Newcastle United, with Albion currently occupying fourth spot.
The progression of players from the Under-21 squad into the first-team is the main target for Shan, but winning as many games as possible and pushing for promotion into division one are also high on his list of priorities.
“The league is very tight at the moment, and in our last three games we have had the opportunity to go top,” said the Under-21 boss.
“The ultimate aim is to develop players so that they play in our first-team.
“Saying that, both as a group and individually, we are winners and we are determined to win as many games as we can and finish as high up the league as possible.
“To people looking in from the outside, our season will either be deemed a successful one or an unsuccessful one depending on where we finish in the league, so we want to try and aim for a promotion spot.
“Should we produce players that can or will play Premier League football, we will have had a fantastic season.”
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Anyone going to the Bolton game tomorrow, Could they please PM me
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Good to see the boys are doing so well!
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Congratulations to the team and to Mr Shan and his assistants, terrific achievements.
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Anyone going to the Bolton game tomorrow, Could they please PM me
Pretty sure its at the training ground and as such the general public, ie us, aint allowed in to watch
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Pretty sure its at the training ground and as such the general public, ie us, aint allowed in to watch
No problems cheers
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Albion Under-21 team to play Bolton Wanderers (1pm ko):
Rose, Atkinson, Smart, Pace, Cleet, Howkins, S.Nabi, Birch, Jones, A.Nabi, Roberts.
Subs: Palmer, O'Sullivan, Wedderburn, Barrow, Campbell.
Bolton Under-21 team:
Campbell, Holding, Sellers, Boben, Taylor, Campbell-Young, Lester, Woodland, Eaves, Iliev, Newby.
Subs: Ball, Thomas, Garrett, Nolan, Perry.
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FT. Albion (A.Nabi, Roberts, Atkinson) 3 Bolton (Eaves, Woodland) 2
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Nice run the lads have put together with a lot of their group away on loan, should bode well for future.
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Highlights available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjiaByAsu9E&feature=youtu.be
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Highlights available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjiaByAsu9E&feature=youtu.be
That goal from Nabi was superb, tidy finish by Atkinson for the 3rd goal too.
Also look out for the cross from the Bolton lad for the 1st Bolton goal. Superb cross
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Thought our second goal was very nice to be honest. Very patient passing. Got a bit lucky with the wayward pass which hit our own man but still a very good goal
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Yes seemed to be moving the ball around nicely in those clips.
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Gamboa, Davidson and Pocognoli will be playing for the under 21 ' s today. They will never get a chance in the first team, shame.
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Our strongest left back in 1st half season has to play in under 21 's team lol
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Our strongest left back in 1st half season play in under 21 's team lol
An absolute disgrace. JP should be asking a few searching questions today IMO.
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I don't understand, did Poco sleep with Tony's wife or something? He's doing everything but play him there. Brunt is pants there, Lescott is even worse there! Poco is more than comfortable, he gets stuck in, he's not a midget. What is there not to like?!
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I don't understand, did Poco sleep with Tony's wife or something? He's doing everything but play him there. Brunt is pants there, Lescott is even worse there! Poco is more than comfortable, he gets stuck in, he's not a midget. What is there not to like?!
He is foreign mate.
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FT. Albion U21 1 (A.Nabi 55') Middlesbrough U21 3 (Fewster 41' 77' Pen, Mondal 62')
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By all accounts Poco, Davidson and Gamboa were awful and hardly staked a claim for the first team, shame.
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By all accounts Poco, Davidson and Gamboa were awful and hardly staked a claim for the first team, shame.
hardly surprising though is it?, lack of matches and motivation !!
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hardly surprising though is it?, lack of matches and motivation !!
Or professional pride? ;)
If they lack motivation in training too how are they ever going to change Pulis' mind?
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What does 'by all accounts' mean? Were you there? If not where did you get this information? I would much prefer to see comments from someone who was at the match.
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My best friend went and as I want Poco in the first team he delighted in texing me every 5 minutes saying how poor he was and Brunt is a better option.....Twitter was also full of comments from people who went and not one person said any of them played well and as you can probably imagine most are crying out for Pulis to play them, hope that helps you understand chief.
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In one of the Sunday papers there was a bit from Gamboa who said he wasn't going to be picked as he wasn't a six-foot six center back, and that he attacked too much for Pulis.
All three of them are international players, and yet they don't play the Pulis way. If you want a reason they might lack motivation, maybe it's because they know they aren't wanted and not likely to be given a chance.
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Victor Anichebe, Youssouf Mulumbu and Cristian Gamboa are all in action for Albion's U21s today at Villa (ko 1pm). More team news soon (from Twitter)
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Victor Anichebe, Youssouf Mulumbu and Cristian Gamboa are all in action for Albion's U21s today at Villa
No Pocognoil,he may have chances to play against Man City? (Brunt may be suspended)
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Villa got a strong side out as well
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ht Vile 1 Albion 0 deja vu
edit SickVic off at ht!! saving him for sat or injured? answers on a postage stamp please 8)
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They will only want him to play 45
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FT. Villa Under-21s 3 (Burke 5', Grealish 54', Webb 72') Albion Under-21s 0
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Not just the 1st team that are crap against Villa then
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Can anyone talk about Gamboa's performance?
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I've been informed today that there has been a friendly arranged for Tuesday 24th March, Stourbridge v Albion U-21's at The War Memorial Ground, Amblecote, Stourbridge. Free entry, 7.30pm kick off.
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anyone got updates for tonights match against Blackburn.
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From Albion Facebook page
HT. Albion 0 Blackburn 1 (Bauress pen 33')
The Baggies are a goal down and a man down here at the break, after Kyle Howkins was dismissed for bringing down Rovers' winger Devarn Green inside the penalty area. Bradley Bauress stepped up to convert the spot-kick. Forward Tyler Roberts has been sacrificed as a result of Albion being reduced to ten men, with defender Josh Ezewele coming on
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many thanks Oldbury, u21s have hit a bad patch lately.
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0-1 was the final score.
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U21 seem to have fizzled out a little over the last few weeks after going top of the league.
Anyone know if the likes of Gamboa etc are getting game time?
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Gamboa wasn't playing yesterday. The team was Palmer, Atkinson, Cleet, Howkins, Smart, S.Nabi, O'Sullivan (Pace 71’), A.Nabi, Roberts (Ezewele 34’), Jones, Wedderburn (Birch 71’). Howkins was sent off in the first half.
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Gamboa wasn't playing yesterday. The team was Palmer, Atkinson, Cleet, Howkins, Smart, S.Nabi, O'Sullivan (Pace 71’), A.Nabi, Roberts (Ezewele 34’), Jones, Wedderburn (Birch 71’). Howkins was sent off in the first half.
I'd assume he got called up to play for Costa Rica during this international break, but I'm having trouble finding out if they have any games.
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I'd assume he got called up to play for Costa Rica during this international break, but I'm having trouble finding out if they have any games.
Drew 0-0 with Paraguay Friday, Gamboa not involved
http://uk.soccerway.com/matches/2015/03/27/world/friendlies/costa-rica/paraguay/1987001/
Next game is tomorrow away to Panama
http://uk.soccerway.com/teams/costa-rica/costa-rica/477/
Both Friendlies
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Semi-final of the Birmingham Senior cup tonight at Nuneaton. McManaman, Gamboa, Wisdom, Pocognoli and Davidson all playing.
Ridiculously really, going from a first team with no full backs to an U-21 team with a back 4 made up entirely of full backs.
Only McManaman who has a chance of being involved in any first team games, so his is the only performance to look out for.
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Albion team to play Nuneaton Town in the Birmingham Senior Cup semi-final (ko 7.45pm):
Palmer, Wisdom, Davidson, Pocognoli, Gamboa, Garmston, McManaman, O'Sullivan, Birch, Roberts, A.Nabi.
Subs: Ross, Leko, S.Nabi, Atkinson, Cleet.
Nuneaton Town:
Crocombe, Cowan, Dean, Ogleby, Gordon, Rees, Smith, Wheeler, Nardiello, Dawson, Sodje.
Subs: Brown, Walker, Franklin, Wren.
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HT. Nuneaton Town 0 Albion 1 (A.Nabi 23')
Baggies are ahead here in the Birmingham Senior Cup semi-final thanks to Adil Nabi's calm finish from inside the penalty area
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Wonder if Pulis or Kemp are there - any sightings ?
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How are the fullbacks doing?
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How are the fullbacks doing?
Which one. I counted 5?
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Which one. I counted 5?
Incredible. We can't have one in the first team, but there are five in the second string.
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Garmston is back with us? Thought he was out on loan?
Can only assume Wisdom is at CB, maybe with Poco? Can anyone there tell us how we've lined up? One of them must be playing on the wing too, surely?
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Garmston is back with us? Thought he was out on loan?
Can only assume Wisdom is at CB, maybe with Poco? Can anyone there tell us how we've lined up? One of them must be playing on the wing too, surely?
I'm not there but if I had to guess I'd the back four is like this.
Gamboa Wisdom Davidson Pocognoli
Pretty sure Davidson played centre back a fair bit earlier in his career so I'd imagine he played there tonight. Garmston likely to have played wide left midfield.
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FT. Nuneaton 1 (Ogleby 76') Albion 1 (A.Nabi 23')
Robert Ogleby forces extra-time with a late equaliser here in the Birmingham Senior Cup semi-final
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ET FT. Nuneaton 1 (Ogleby 76') Albion 1 (A.Nabi 23')
We go to penalties!
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FT. Albion surrender their grip on the Birmingham Senior Cup after losing 4-2 on penalties to Nuneaton Town. Cristian Gamboa and Tyler Roberts the unlucky men from the spot for the Baggies
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FT. Albion surrender their grip on the Birmingham Senior Cup after losing 4-2 on penalties to Nuneaton Town. Cristian Gamboa and Tyler Roberts the unlucky men from the spot for the Baggies
That's it! Pulis doesn't like Gamboas penalty taking abilities (or lack of) :P
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Albion Under-21 team to play Stoke at the Britannia Stadium in the #BU21PL (ko 7pm):
Palmer, Ezewele, Howkins, Cleet, Garmston, S.Nabi, Ward, A.Nabi, Roberts, Leko, Campbell.
Subs: Ross, Fitzwater, Hallahan, Edwards, Wright.
Stoke City Under-21s:
Gyollai, Prinhle, Moseley, Roberts, Teixeira, O'Reilly, Coban, Jarvis, N'Goy, Shenton, Taylor.
Subs: Barber, Kurasik, Banks, Williams, Yao.
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FT. Stoke Under-21s 1 (N'Goy 9') Albion Under-21s 1 (Roberts 70')
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Under 21's playing Arsenal at the training ground at the moment, teams are
(https://scontent-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/19483_10155498777785080_8067329136107174785_n.jpg?oh=6c7bd204690cdf46aa71421c830348a3&oe=559EF996)
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No Danny Barbir?
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HT 1-0 Albion (Fitzwater 17')
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No Danny Barbir?
U 18's probably got a game in a few days, or training with the first team again?
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3-0 Albion, Such a young team here as well, Shocked
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Nabi appears to be getting frustrated with his lack of opportunity I imagine he will leave in the summer. Now were virtually safe it will be terrible if he doesn't get a chance over people like anichebe. I can understand thorned frustration to a large extent, with regards to lack of playing time. We are one of the worst in the country for trusting the academy.
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Nabi appears to be getting frustrated with his lack of opportunity I imagine he will leave in the summer. Now were virtually safe it will be terrible if he doesn't get a chance over people like anichebe. I can understand thorned frustration to a large extent, with regards to lack of playing time. We are one of the worst in the country for trusting the academy.
what has he done to make it appear that way? or do you think that is the case?
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I thought Adil Nabi is under contract or has re-signed & is available next season for loan
He is a totally different type of player to Anichebe, more a deep lying forward, I can't see how he can break into our first team not a Tony Pulis type of player, doesn't track back & just simply nowhere near the quality of Sess & Saido.
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First season back after a major knee injury - I can see why the club would be hesitant about throwing him in the deep end too soon. That said, 20 minutes here and there wouldn't be too bad for him.
He's also 21 - his birthday is in February so he has one season left at U21 level. Next seasons could be make or break for him.
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Adam Campbell who played number 9 is on trial from Newcastle.
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/04/28/exciting-newcastle-united-striker-adam-campbell-on-trial-with-we/ (http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/04/28/exciting-newcastle-united-striker-adam-campbell-on-trial-with-we/)
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here's a set of highlights from Arsenal. You never think it how much our lads feature!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaUrmvAneRM
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Kemar Roofe has scored again for Oxford, 6 goals in 7 games. Same sort of record Saido had when he first went out on loan.
Think he's out of contract ? Should look to extend and loan him out to a league 1 side then look again at the end of next season.
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Kemar Roofe has scored again for Oxford, 6 goals in 7 games. Same sort of record Saido had when he first went out on loan.
Think he's out of contract ? Should look to extend and loan him out to a league 1 side then look again at the end of next season.
Always done well in the under 21 side yet until now hasn't done much in loan spells , suppose it helps having Appleton at Oxford who knows at lot about Roofe.I'd be tempted to give another year and loan out but he isn't a kid anymore.
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I noticed Nabi and someone else young looking were in the dugout behind Pulis. Have they been in the travelling squad for a while?
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Drew 0-0 at home to Derby tonight
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/wba-derby-county-u21-draw-2442782.aspx
ALBION Under-21’s were held to a goalless draw by Derby County at The Hawthorns in the Barclays U21 Premier League.
The stalemate extended Baggies’ unbeaten run to three league games, as both sides missed decent chances to claim all three points in an even encounter.
George Cleet was the first man to try his luck after just two minutes, his header from Adil Nabi’s corner was well saved by Jonathan Mitchell.
At the other end, Ivan Calero fizzed a shot at goal from all of 25-yards in the tenth minute, but Alex Palmer safely watched it whistle past his far post.
The two Campbell’s for Albion, Tahvon and Adam, then produced an eye-catching bit of link-up play on the edge of the area before the latter fired at goal, only to see Mitchell make a fine save.
Shortly after the half-hour mark, Ivan Calero’s dipping drive from 25-yards whistled inches wide of Palmer’s near post.
Palmer was, however, called into action nine minutes after break, when Mason Bennett forced him into a brilliant one-handed save with a fiercely-struck effort from inside the penalty area.
When the Baggies ‘keeper was finally beaten by Bennett in the 66th minute, Kyle Howkins came to his rescue by making a superb goal-line clearance to prevent the Rams winger from opening the scoring.
A minute later, the home side had a chance to take the lead but Adil Nabi headed Bradley Garmston’s cross over the bar from 12-yards.
The same Nabi brother had the game’s final chance, but his curling effort from just outside the penalty area went narrowly wide.
Albion: Palmer, Ezewele, Cleet, Howkins, Garmston, A.Nabi, S.Nabi, A.Campbell (Fitzwater HT), T.Campbell (Wright 70’), Leko (Hallahan 73’), Roberts.
Unused subs: Ross, Edwards.
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Anyone going tonight ? Newcastle at home might take a stroll up to have a watch, is it just the halfords open for these games ? Never been before, thanks.
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Yes it is the Halfords Lane stand for the U21 games.
Don't forget your stilecard for free entry.
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Yes it is the Halfords Lane stand for the U21 games.
Don't forget your stilecard for free entry.
Thanks I'm unfortunately not a season ticket holder but don't mind paying a fiver quite looking forward to it.
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here's a set of highlights from Arsenal. You never think it how much our lads feature!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaUrmvAneRM
Thought Nabi and Adam Campbell both are talent.
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Thought Nabi and Adam Campbell both are talent.
Adam Campbell from Newcastle? What's he doing playing for our U21s?
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Adam Campbell from Newcastle? What's he doing playing for our U21s?
he's on trial with us or at least he was
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At home to Newcastle tonight
(https://scontent-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/11255793_10155547586320080_3382589675916603095_n.jpg?oh=141ebaf9ec2f1290495fa8f740ecdcca&oe=55D1D8B1)
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It would be interesting to get the views of someone who perhaps goes to a few u21 games on Tyler Roberts. Could potentially have a really decent player there!
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Kemar Roofe close to joining Oxford on a perm apparently.
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beat Newcastle 3-2 (T. Roberts 26, Campbell 85,87)
Tahvon Campbell scored 2 goals in 2 minutes while only being on the pitch just over 10.
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beat Newcastle 3-2 (T. Roberts 26, Campbell 85,87)
Tahvon Campbell scored 2 goals in 2 minutes while only being on the pitch just over 10.
Hunnington is there a league table for the u21s, I know we had a chance of promotion not long back but is this still a possibility.
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beat Newcastle 3-2 (T. Roberts 26, Campbell 85,87)
Tahvon Campbell scored 2 goals in 2 minutes while only being on the pitch just over 10.
Didn't he travel to Man U with the first team last week?
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Hunnington is there a league table for the u21s, I know we had a chance of promotion not long back but is this still a possibility.
There you go.
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/barclays-u21-premier-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=NATIONAL
I think it's top 2 isn't it? so, long story short, no.. not a chance.
Also If you wanted to see, here's the under 18's too, we made the knockouts but lost to Everton a few days ago.
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/barclays-u18-premier-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=KNOCKOUT
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Didn't he travel to Man U with the first team last week?
Roberts did with Nabi, Campbell I don't think did.
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Kemar Roofe close to joining Oxford on a perm apparently.
Done Deal, congrats to Kemar and best of luck for the future. Happy for the academy too as another player breaks into the Football League.
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Done Deal, congrats to Kemar and best of luck for the future. Happy for the academy too as another player breaks into the Football League.
Roofe was being touted by some as someone who should be picked in the first team and play in the Premier League. It turns out that he's only currently good enough to play 3 divisions lower than that. The raison d'etre of the Academy has to be to produce Premier League-quality players, not players of League 2 standard. If it can only do the latter, shut it down and redistribute the money elsewhere.
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Roofe was being touted by some as someone who should be picked in the first team and play in the Premier League. It turns out that he's only currently good enough to play 3 divisions lower than that. The raison d'etre of the Academy has to be to produce Premier League-quality players, not players of League 2 standard. If it can only do the latter, shut it down and redistribute the money elsewhere.
In short agreed, Or if we don't give them experience of 20 minutes here and there for the first team there's not really much of a point to it is there really.
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The academy apparently costs around 2m per year to run. By this it is a success if ;
we produce a 20m prem player every ten years,
we produce 10 x 200k players every ten years
we produce one or two first team players we use regularly (thus saving us cash)
Looks like Berahino could be the one in ten year player. Sinclair (Liverpool) and Izzy Brown would've been in our first team squad by now too. Therefore, three premier first team players in the past 4 or 5 years is a good return. The problem is, the 'bigger' clubs poach them young so they can use them in their home grown quotas, not really with the intention of using them in their first teams much.
I hope we keep the academy going and I hope we get protection against teams poaching our players for fluppance so we can benefit because under FFP it's our only real chance of competing.
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Yes I agree with the above to however when you consider Brown will be worth 20 odd million in few years it does make you wonder if it's worth it they just get poached, saido after pulis reign will not be worth 20 mill unfortunately.
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It would be interesting to get the views of someone who perhaps goes to a few u21 games on Tyler Roberts. Could potentially have a really decent player there!
I watched him quite a bit at the start of the season as he was in the same team as my friends brother, the under 16s.
He got moved up to train with the 21's around Jan/Feb and hes been involved with them ever since, he travelled to Old Trafford with the squad.
The lad can score goals. He would be quiet for 10-15 minutes and then run onto a through ball and put the under 16s 1-0 up. Hes also good at holding the ball up (at under 16s level) cannot comment on how hes done for the 21's as I havent seen him play.
Leko is the same aswell, hes one of the brightest prospects in our academy, hes rated higher than Yan Dhanda (the one Liverpool poached).
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There you go.
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/barclays-u21-premier-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=NATIONAL
I think it's top 2 isn't it? so, long story short, no.. not a chance.
Also If you wanted to see, here's the under 18's too, we made the knockouts but lost to Everton a few days ago.
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/barclays-u18-premier-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=KNOCKOUT
Thanks for the links, not doing to bad really also its nice to see the wolves bottom of the league.
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I hope tyler Roberts gets a chance next season. Alongside Leko they are the best prospects we've had for years and years.
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I hope tyler Roberts gets a chance next season. Alongside Leko they are the best prospects we've had for years and years.
I dont think they are ready for first team football yet.
Tyler is only 16, and as a striker he would get bullied I feel against premier league defenders.
Give them another year in the under 21's see if they continue to impress, then when they are 17-18 can look to either loan them out or give them a crack.
I would prefer us to give Nabi a chance first.
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Here is the City reports Bradley Garmston is to be released by the club at the end of the season.
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I have to admit (very sadly) that i am coming around to the view that our Academy will not be around much longer.
I do think a lot of clubs will soon say "let the big clubs run their own academies, as it is just not cost effective running ours only to let the best kids get cherry picked, we would be better off picking up the big clubs "failures".
How sad is this.
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I think as a Premier League club we have a duty to keep our academy going, not only for us as a club, but also for home-grown talent and for the benfit on the Football League
Yes we might not have an academy side as good as Chelsea or whoever, but those lads we do have are good footballers and 80% of them that get through to their first professional contract will probably end up somewhere in the football league.
All you need is for one Berahino to come along every 10 or 20 years and you recoup all the money in one instance.
I mean, look at the Walsall team that got to Wembley this year - the Chambers twins, Sam Mantom, Romaine Sawyers, Paul Downing. All from our youth setup.
I remember Dan Ashworth when he was a youth coach/head of our academy, he said something along the lines of from any one year group, at say U15 level, only a small percentage progress to the next level, then at U17 or whatever it is, an even smaller percentage get taken forward. But even these players probably won't break into the first team. But to just abandon the entire setup altogether? That doesn't sit well with me.
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I agree - it would be very depressing if we abandoned the academy.
I guess the way Pulis wants his defence to look would count against whatever chance Garmston had of making it......but we'll wait for official word from the club before commenting on that too much
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Adil Nabi scores against Reading, leading 1-0
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How do you follow the score
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FlashScore.com
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Reading's twitter account
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Yes it just twigged to check :D thanks though and great to see nabi on the scoresheet surely going to move on in the summer and try he's game in the football league.
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Seems we was very close to getting promoted only a point between us and second place, well done to Shan and the team.
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Alex Jones has signed for Birmingham City on a 2 Year deal plus one year option.
http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/alex-jones-birmingham-city-2451722.aspx?
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I can't remember where I saw it, it might have been on here, but it said we were re-evaluating the current U-21 squad, maybe to bring a few more through to the first team? Was it Peace's piece (ha!) in the programme?
Good move for Alex, never had much hype about him but seems to have scored a fair few at U-21 level
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I can't remember where I saw it, it might have been on here, but it said we were re-evaluating the current U-21 squad, maybe to bring a few more through to the first team? Was it Peace's piece (ha!) in the programme?
Good move for Alex, never had much hype about him but seems to have scored a fair few at U-21 level
according to transfermarkt (which admittedly is not the most reliable source when it comes to youth teams) say he managed 11 goals and 4 assists in 47 games for the U21's over the span of 4 years, which isn't terrible when you consider he was competing with Nabi and Saido for a place. I think his only external experience is when City had him on trial a few months back, so he's managed to make Championship level without ever going on loan.
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according to transfermarkt (which admittedly is not the most reliable source when it comes to youth teams) say he managed 11 goals and 4 assists in 47 games for the U21's over the span of 4 years, which isn't terrible when you consider he was competing with Nabi and Saido for a place. I think his only external experience is when City had him on trial a few months back, so he's managed to make Championship level without ever going on loan.
Yeah a goal or assist every 3 and a bit games isn't bad going, but not setting the world alight either. To compare to Adil Nabi, Adil has a goal or assist every 149 minutes vs Alex's 212.
Average appearance is about 67 minutes across all seasons for Jones vs 75 for Nabi.
Wish the lad well
EDIT: I didn't realise Adil Nabi was scoring at better than a goal every other game for the U-21, and he has 6 assists!
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Yeah a goal or assist every 3 and a bit games isn't bad going, but not setting the world alight either. To compare to Adil Nabi, Adil has a goal or assist every 149 minutes vs Alex's 212.
Average appearance is about 67 minutes across all seasons for Jones vs 75 for Nabi.
Wish the lad well
EDIT: I didn't realise Adil Nabi was scoring at better than a goal every other game for the U-21, and he has 6 assists!
oh yeah, it's why behind Saido, Adil was touted as the big offensive player in this batch of players, arguably we havent got someone to replace him yet, Andre Wright and Tahvon Campbell look closest but there isn't a prodigious striker like we have in midfield (Tyler Roberts & Jonathon Leko)
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Roberts is a striker
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Roberts is a striker
0
really? he's played as a midfield for alot of this season for U18's & 21's.. then again Alex Jones was a midfielder turned into a striker , so what do I know.
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Remember reading something that they like giving players a taste of different positions in the academy. I had Tyler Roberts down as a striker though.
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Tyler Roberts is a striker.
Plays up front and captains the Wales youth team.
Hes always played up front through the youth levels, especially at under 16s.
Defiantly a striker.
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Adil Nabi, Liam O'Neil & Donvervorn Daniels have all signed new 12 month deals.
Alex Palmer offered a 2 year professional deal.
Kyle Howkins has signed a 1 year professional deal.
Professional contracts also offered to Danny Barbir, Ethan Ross, Zak Elbouzedi, Robbie McCourt & Shaun Donnellan.
Alex Jones released who has already signed for Blues.
Bradley Garmston released.
Mani O'Sullivan released.
Wez Atkinson released.
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No mention of Jonathon Leko dos anyone know what his contract status is?
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No mention of Jonathon Leko dos anyone know what his contract status is?
Agreed a contract "in principle" so we are just waiting till he's 17 so he can legally sign.
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Agreed a contract "in principle" so we are just waiting till he's 17 so he can legally sign.
It's a stupid situation isn't it? We've got to wait till next April and hope that in the next 11 months some sleaze-ball agent doesn't basically bribe his parents with £40k to join Chelsea or something. So how do we handle this? Do we not play him and hamper his progression, only to try to ensure he stays or do we play him, get his profile big and risk the consequences?
I guess with him and Tyler (next Jan is his birthday) and any of the others, we can only hope that he instil a certain sense of pride and loyalty at some point so they feel like Albion and the concept of leaving isn't that attractive. If Izzy was indeed a Chelsea fan as a kid, then that sucks, but with the others I guess we can just wait and see.
We're a Premier league club damn it! We shouldn't be in a situation where we're hoping a kid doesn't do a runner. It's a pathetic situation and the youth team EPPP set up is broken where Level 1 clubs can lose players like this.
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Agree knave, but from what I've heard (and I'm not saying it is at all correct or that I know anything as a matter of fact) that we have learnt from Izzy's situation (where a contract was verbally agreed but not much more as we felt that EPPP would cover us from poaching) and Leko has essentially already made up the contract and is technically tied to it.
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Bradley :'( :'(
Really hope we keep Nabi as a 3rd/4th choice striker next season. He's no worse than what we currently have. O'Neil can be Baird's replacement - plays in all the same positions except left back I believe.
Don't know as much about Daniels but playing for two different clubs should have helped him this year.
Hopefully the next lot of youngsters have the same sort of impact as the current crop, if not more so!
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Nabi didn't even make the squad for the last game of the season when there was nothing riding on the game, when we put a 16 year old on the bench, he's clearly not going to play here under Pulis. No idea why we've given him a new contract, let him make a career for himself elsewhere - its embarrassing to have a 21 year old on our books who has never played in a pro game.
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Nabi didn't even make the squad for the last game of the season when there was nothing riding on the game, when we put a 16 year old on the bench, he's clearly not going to play here under Pulis. No idea why we've given him a new contract, let him make a career for himself elsewhere - its embarrassing to have a 21 year old on our books who has never played in a pro game.
Seems happy at the club from an interview he gave in January even if he's not playing hopefully one of them can break through next two years.
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Nabi didn't even make the squad for the last game of the season when there was nothing riding on the game, when we put a 16 year old on the bench, he's clearly not going to play here under Pulis. No idea why we've given him a new contract, let him make a career for himself elsewhere - its embarrassing to have a 21 year old on our books who has never played in a pro game.
. I think it was the case yesterday that whether it was Nabi or Roberts they weren't going to get on (sadly in Nabi's case) as Anichebe and Ideye were also on the bench. Nabi has sat on the bench a handful of times already so it was probably a case of giving Roberts a taste of the match day squad.
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Tyler roberts being called up for sales first team!!
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Tyler roberts being called up for sales first team!!
Do you mean Wales by any chance ? Looks like he's been invited to train with them without actually being named in the squad.
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Do you mean Wales by any chance ? Looks like he's been invited to train with them without actually being named in the squad.
I wonder if the Jack Grealish situation has prompted this and they want to try and tie him down as I think TR can play for England as well.
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I wonder if the Jack Grealish situation has prompted this and they want to try and tie him down as I think TR can play for England as well.
I would say this is almost certainly the case, apparently he was called up by both England and Wales at underage levels and chose Wales. They did the same with a player called Harry Wilson a couple of years back, capped him at 16 in the last couple of minutes then dropped him back down the age groups again.
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I would say this is almost certainly the case, apparently he was called up by both England and Wales at underage levels and chose Wales. They did the same with a player called Harry Wilson a couple of years back, capped him at 16 in the last couple of minutes then dropped him back down the age groups again.
Correct about Wilson. It should come down to the player choosing the country they feel they belong to. Hopefully, (in my eyes) that would be Wales and he'd have a better chance of an international future and at a time when Wales should have a half decent team which can be built around Ramsey and Bale for at least the next 6 or 7 years.
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There's an article on the newfeed, which sadly I can't paste into here as my computer is playing up, but it's by Bill Howell (yes, I know....) and in it he states that Leko and Tyler Roberts are being kept at the club, as Albion are confident that they have closed loopholes which saw previous kids leave.
Apparently the top four, plus Spurs and Liverpool have shown interest, but Pulis has spoken to the kdis and said he intends to get them involved in teams next season.
I'll be much happier once they are both 17 and have signed proepr forms, but following on from previous posts I am happy to see the club taking strides in this regard.
I'm personally not that surprised, as the guy who runs the accademy (Hopcroft is it?) retweeted someone I wrote on the WBA official page about us trying to keep our new promissing kids from Chelski and L'pool. I doubt he'd have done that if we looked like we'd be losing them as he'd just look a wolly then?!
Anyway, glad to see steps are being taken and I hope one or both can make the step up in the next season, even if only a couple of sub games like Saido in his first season.
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There's an article on the newfeed, which sadly I can't paste into here as my computer is playing up, but it's by Bill Howell (yes, I know....) and in it he states that Leko and Tyler Roberts are being kept at the club, as Albion are confident that they have closed loopholes which saw previous kids leave.
Here you go Knave, read it earlier.
Let's just hope it has more basis than most of the utter puerile tripe that he writes.
;).
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-brom-youngsters-tyler-roberts-9336316 (http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-brom-youngsters-tyler-roberts-9336316)
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If I remember correctly, Saido arrived on the scene with a few goals vs Newport in the League Cup, and kicked on from there. I think the first round we're in (2nd round?) should be treated the same for these young players. They need to show the fans, and TP, what they can do.
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Unless Nabi is sent on loan somewhere, I would think he'd be first in the queue for 1st round of the capital one cup. If he's not given opportunity next year then we may as well have let him go now.
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There's a video on Facebook from the official WBA account of a highlights reel of Tyler Roberts. Couple of very, very good goals. The one he brings down on his chest, then a touch, then a volley - lovely.
Found it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIpZO6H3zZE&feature=youtu.be
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He certainly scores some good goals.
Be interesting too see how he develops
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There's an article on the newfeed, which sadly I can't paste into here as my computer is playing up, but it's by Bill Howell (yes, I know....) and in it he states that Leko and Tyler Roberts are being kept at the club, as Albion are confident that they have closed loopholes which saw previous kids leave.
Apparently the top four, plus Spurs and Liverpool have shown interest, but Pulis has spoken to the kdis and said he intends to get them involved in teams next season.
I'll be much happier once they are both 17 and have signed proepr forms, but following on from previous posts I am happy to see the club taking strides in this regard.
I'm personally not that surprised, as the guy who runs the accademy (Hopcroft is it?) retweeted someone I wrote on the WBA official page about us trying to keep our new promissing kids from Chelski and L'pool. I doubt he'd have done that if we looked like we'd be losing them as he'd just look a wolly then?!
Anyway, glad to see steps are being taken and I hope one or both can make the step up in the next season, even if only a couple of sub games like Saido in his first season.
I wouldn't take much notice of Hopcroft, he was academy manager when I was at Blues as a kid, didn't come across too well. He's gone back and forth between positions at Albion and Blues over the last ten years. Anyway from what I can see at the minute we probably have the best academy in the midlands currently and hopefully we can stop so many of our youngsters being poached.
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I believe Mark Harrison is academy manager with Hopcroft as head of academy recruitment or something like that.
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This isn't U 21's, but is related to the youth team
Our U 15's are part of a tournament in Greece right know, we have just come second in our group and we will face Manchest City in the next round (first in their group) at 3:20pm British time. It will be streamed live on this website.
http://elite.neoncup.gr/en/home/
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This isn't U 21's, but is related to the youth team
Our U 15's are part of a tournament in Greece right know, we have just come second in our group and we will face Manchest City in the next round (first in their group) at 17:20 tomorrow (I don't know if it's Greek time or British time). It will be streamed live on this website.
http://elite.neoncup.gr/en/home/
Well, there's no other decent football on is there at that time?
Thanks for the link, will be watching that with the outside world shut out.
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lost on penalties, we also got Chelsea'd. Lead for a long time but conceded a penalty in extra time because of a dirty dive. Ah well, good experience for the kids and shows them just what scum is out there in the professional world.
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lost on penalties, we also got Chelsea'd. Lead for a long time but conceded a penalty in extra time because of a dirty dive. Ah well, good experience for the kids and shows them just what scum is out there in the professional world.
Thanks for tip off. Enjoyed watching it. Thought our no.8 Kane? Looked a class act. Were robbed in the end by the dive but again good to see another youth team with quality players in.
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Thanks for tip off. Enjoyed watching it. Thought our no.8 Kane? Looked a class act. Were robbed in the end by the dive but again good to see another youth team with quality players in.
Funny, I thought the No 8 ( I think it's Kane too) wasn't all that good, pace to burn, yes, but no actual idea what he was meant to be doing, or perhaps worse still he knew exactly what he was doing and refused to try anything different. He got the assist, then kept trying the same thing over and over again even when no one was in the box. the black guy with No.16 (Williams, I think) impressed me much more, strong drive with the ball but also cool enough to make time for himself and see a good pass. Couple of good tricks too. I feel for the No. 5, he did really well all game then got cheated.
I also found it hilarious how they kept calling one of our defenders David Luis, because he has that weird, foppish curly dread/afro style.
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I have always attended as many reserve/U21 games as i can and have done around 10 a season the last few years.
I am genuinely mistified as to why Roberts and Leko are rated so highly - in every game i have watched they have been totally pants!! So i wanted the view of others that have seen them in the flesh - partivularly anyone that has seen them at their level which is youth team?
Dont get me wrong - i desperatley want them to be the real deal, i also understand that even U21's is a big step up for them as they are both 16/17 and playing above their age range ( something TP wants to hevily promote ). So i have not been expecting them to pull up trees but they have been truely awful - the ball pings off Roberts, he doesnt look like he has a goal in him, and Leko is quick but normally runs straight into the full back or has no end product.
In saying all this - a couple of years back, Saido looked average in the reserves!! A lad we have just let go called Alex Jones that had a bad injury looked really good and far better than Saido. He got injured - Saido sorted his physique and head out and the rest is history.
BTW - A young C/H called Kyle Howkins has just been given a years pro contract and every game i have seen him in he has been stand out! Bar 1 mistake against Wolves early last year, he is dominant ( he is about 6 5" ) good on the ball and can tackle! He is right up Pulis' street, unlike the silky skills of Nabi unfortunatly who probably fits into the Sess/Gamboa type situation wherby he is not TP's bag!
Would be very interested in others thoughts please, particularly regular watchers.
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I was at the wolves game and I thought how good a player howkins is.
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Some of the Under 21 games to be played at Tamworth next season
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/baggies-agree-new-u21-venue-2511891.aspx
West Bromwich Albion have agreed with Vanarama National League North neighbours Tamworth to play Under 21 fixtures at The Lamb next season.
The agreement should see the Baggies play the bulk of their U21 Premier League fixtures at Tamworth as well as some of their Cup ties.
Premier League rules require Albion to play at least three games at their home stadium while the training ground is another venue the Baggies are able to use.
But the Barclays Premier League outfit believe the switch to Tamworth, following the end of a previous agreement to play U21 games at Coventry’s Ricoh Stadium, will suit their purposes.
Richard Garlick, Director of Football Administration, says: “We have always enjoyed a strong relationship with Tamworth and we’re more than pleased to have forged this agreement.
“We know the facilities will be of a good standard but also that the stadium will be a more suitable setting for our Under 21s’ following.”
Albion have pencilled in seven League fixtures for The Lamb which has a 4,000 seat capacity and was the closing club of one of the most celebrated Baggies stars of modern times...
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reports that 19 year old Danny Barrow MAY be going to Sporting Kansas City in the MLS.
http://www.thebluetestament.com/2015/7/3/8889967/sporting-kansas-city-may-be-signing-a-19-year-old-from-west-brom
http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/Steven-Gerrard-Frank-Lampard-North-Devon-s-Danny/story-26820810-detail/story.html
From what I can tell, this was agreed way back in April.
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ok,I got bored and was thinking about the "success" of the academy in producing players and how many must be made to be considered as such, so I've tried to see where graduates have gone since leaving the academy in the last 5/6 years, ranked at the level they will play at the start of the new season. If I missed any, please add to the list
Premier League:
Ryan Allsop GK (sold 2011/est. £70,000 to Bournemouth) - Now at: Bournemouth
Isiah Brown LM/ST (sold 2013/by tribunal to Chelsea reserves) - Now at: Chelsea Reserves with a match for first team
Jerome Sinclair LM (sold 2012/by tribunal to Liverpool reserves) - Now at Liverpool Reserves with a match for first team
Yan Dhanda MID (sold 2013/ £??? to Liverpool reserves) Now at: Liverpool Reserves
Championship:
Chris Wood ST (Sold 2013/est £1 million to Leicester City) - Now at: Leeds United Previous Teams: Leicester, Ipswich Town (Loan)
George Thorne CM (Sold 2014/est £1.5/£2 million to Derby County) - Now at: Derby County
Alex Jones ST (Sold 2015/est FREE to Birmingham City) - Now at: Birmingham City
Chike Kandi ST (sold 2014/unkown fee to Brighton) Now at: Brighton (only spent 6 months with us)
League One:
Bradley Garmston LB (Sold 2015/est FREE to Gillingham) Now at: Gillingham
Donervorn Daniels CB (Sold 2015/est £??? to Wigan) Now at: Wigan Athletic
Romaine Sawyers CM (Sold 2013/ Est FREE to Walsall) Now at: Walsall
Sam Mantom CM (sold 2013/est FREE to Walsall) Now at: Walsall
Paul Downing CB (Sold 2012/est FREE to Walsall) Now at: Walsall
Luke Daniels GK (Sold 2015/£??? to Scunthorpe United) Now at: Scunthorpe
David Worrall RM (Sold 2009/FREE to Bury) Now at: Southend United Previous teams: Bury, Rotherham, Oldham Athletic
League Two
Kemar Roofe LW (sold 2015/ est Unkown fee to Oxford United) Now at Oxford United
Ryan Johnson CB (sold 2013/ FREE to Stevenage reserves) Now at: Stevenage
Overseas:
USA:
Danny Barrow CM (sold 2015/Free to Kansas City) Now at Kansas City
Mohammed Saeid CM (sold 2009/ £??? to BK forward) Now at: Columbus Crew Previous teams: BK Forward (Sweden), Orebro SK (sweden)
Ireland:
Lee Lynch (sold 2010/FREE to Glen Hoddle Academy) Now at: Limerick FC (2nd spell) Previous Teams: Hamilton Academical(Scotland), St. Patricks(Ireland), Sligo Rovers(Ireland), Drogheda United(Ireland), Jerez Industrial CF (Spain)
Those are the ones that I could find excluding those outside of the FL in England (Kayelden Brown, Jordan Francis etc), in minor international leagues (Lateef Elford Alliyu-Malta) or just released and picked up independently. as I'd be here all day. This also doesn't take into account the players who are just about to become overage (Adill nabi, Liam O'Neil) that are still with us.
As a result I found 18 members of the academy that are still within professional football at a comparatively high skill level, which isn't too bad considering there are only 3000 jobs at most in the Football League as a player and we currently have 12 at least from our academy (not including the three reserves players as there do not go to the 25 man squad. Also that we know that=, of these 6 years. the academy have roughly covered 2 years of running costs (£2 million a year).
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That was a really interesting read, Hunnington. I think it shows that even those who don't make it straight away can have good careers. I have know a guy who's a Bournemouth fan and he's touting Ryan Allsop as a future Prem keeper. No idea if that will be the case but sometimes the opportunities just aren't there in the first team, for example it will be tough for someone like O'Neill to break through at CM/DM as traditionally it has been one of the areas we have the most depth (Yacob, Fletcher, Morrison, Gardner etc).
I hope the early rounds of the cups look favourably on us this year, because Saido's hat-trick against Newport a couple of seasons ago was what really kick started his career, and we need some of the current crop of youngsters to get a chance like that and grasp it with both hands.
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Missed out Humphrey winger at Preston formerly Shrewsbury & some Scottish prem side
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Very interesting, great research! A complete matchday squad (barring reserve keeper) in a little over 5 years is pretty good going in my mind.
As a side note would James Hurst make that list? I see he's signed for Torquay....
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Scraping the barrel a bit but I believe that Lateef Elford Alliyu has played in the champions league for his side in Malta, albeit in one of the early qualifying rounds.
But we have an academy producing champions league players, what more can people ask for :P
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Missed out Humphrey winger at Preston formerly Shrewsbury & some Scottish prem side
Thanks for adding his name, but he was sold in 2006, I was only looking up to 2009, thats why I missed him :)
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Maybe stretching the net a little bit further, you could add a few more youngsters from the academy in recent year who are still in the professional game.
Ben Pringle plays for Fulham, having been at Derby and Rotherham
James Hurst is at Torquay United
Tamika Mkandawire is at the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the US
David Worrall (Maybe a poor example as we bought him at 15/16) is at Southend
Joss Labadie is at Dagenham and Redbridge
Jared Hodgkiss is at Kidderminster Harriers
Luke Daniels is at Scunthorpe
An unrelated fact that may interest you, somebody named Abi Clarke from the only way is Essex now goes out with former Albion academy prospect Rob Davies.
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Maybe stretching the net a little bit further, you could add a few more youngsters from the academy in recent year who are still in the professional game.
Ben Pringle plays for Fulham, having been at Derby and Rotherham
James Hurst is at Torquay United
Tamika Mkandawire is at the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the US
David Worrall (Maybe a poor example as we bought him at 15/16) is at Southend
Joss Labadie is at Dagenham and Redbridge
Jared Hodgkiss is at Kidderminster Harriers
Luke Daniels is at Scunthorpe
An unrelated fact that may interest you, somebody named Abi Clarke from the only way is Essex now goes out with former Albion academy prospect Rob Davies.
Thanks for those, I was unsure of whether to put Daniels on the list as we got him at 15/16 off Utd and was a more obvious one than Chike Kandi for example. but I think I will, so I'll add Labadie & Daniels to the list, the others are either sold too far back for my sample, or are not in a high enough league (not a dig at those levels, but I could spent the next day going through small non league clubs trying to find our old players and not catch them all!!)
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18 year old striker Jack Hallahan has recently had a trial with West ham.
Hammers check out West Brom youngster
Another player being given a chance by Academy Director Terry Westly is 18 year old West Brom youth striker Jack Hallahan.
The Republic of Ireland youngster was handed a trial during the under 21’s 4-0 trashing of Chelmsford on Friday evening.
Although the youngster didn’t manage to get on the score sheet himself he contribute an assist during the game. A short corner from Hallagan resulted in Nathan Mavila nipping inside before curling a beautiful shot inside the far post and beyond the outstretched arms of Timms to make it 1-0 at Half time.
West Ham United Starting XI: Sarkic, Knoyle, Westley, Cullen, Pask, Oxford, Mavila, Nasha, Gordon, Brown, Hallaghan.
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If he has only gone on trial he must have been released.
In other news, Wes Atkinson today signed for Notts County, so another Baggies alumni in the football league.
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First game of the season tonight away at Swansea 7pm kick off, Pocognoli captains the side. Leon Britton in the Swansea side
SWANS U21s: Josh Vickers, Daniel Alfei, Stephen Kingsley, Jay Fulton, Joe Roden, Alex Gogic, Leon Britton, Josh Sheehan, Owain Jones, Dan James, Ryan Hedges
SUBS: Tom Holland, Gregor Zabret, Keston Davies, Steve Fallon, Alex Samuel
WEST BROM U21s: Ethan Ross, Josh Ezewele, Sebastian Pocognoli (c), Liam O'Neil, Jack Fitzwater, Shaun Donnellan, Jonathan Leko, Samir Nabi, Tyler Roberts, Adil Nabi, Kyle Edwards
SUBS: Danny Barbir, Matthew Hall, Robbie McCourt, Chay Scrivens, Sam Field
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Albion beat Swansea 2-1 with Adil and Samir Nabi both on target.
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Great news. It was interesting to read the academy article today in the programme I know we have heard it before, but they seem cautiously optimistic about the current bunch.
Another interesting bit of news I found out from reading it. Donervan Daniels was not actually released this year - he chose he wanted to leave and rejected an Albion offer to stay. I do respect him for that and feel he has made the right decision.
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Albion 2 West Ham 1 today at the training ground
goalscorers
Adil Nabi & Kyle Howkins for us
Elliot Lee for West Ham
Ross: Ezewelle (Howkins), Fitzwater, Donnellan, Pocognoli (McCourt at HT): Leko, O'Neil, Samir Nabi (Ward), Edwards: Adil Nabi: Roberts
other subs: Cleet & Hall
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Nabi scores again. Surely he has got to be given a chance soon? He keeps scoring every game now. I think we either need to give him a chance in the forward line could be used in the current 451 system as the advanced central mid) or we need to send him on loan to a league 1 club because he is now ready.
Also pleasing to see our under 21's are doing so well.
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In more good news, looking at the Kidderminster forum, Tahvon Campbell got voted their man of the match and was supposed to be very good. Quite funny looking through their squad and seeing 3 players on loan, and 2 more who came from our academy who have signed there permanently.
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Nabi scores again. Surely he has got to be given a chance soon? He keeps scoring every game now. I think we either need to give him a chance in the forward line could be used in the current 451 system as the advanced central mid) or we need to send him on loan to a league 1 club because he is now ready.
Also pleasing to see our under 21's are doing so well.
Yes, if he ends up leaving here at the end of the season without having had a chance it will be a sad reflection on the modern game. It's been monotonous seeing the Nabi name (usually Adil) on the score sheet of various under age teams in the past 3 or 4 years. He even scores free kick goals.
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U21's top of the table 3 wins out of 3 after 1-0 win over Blackburn tonight, Samir Nabi with the goal from the spot
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/report-baggies-u21-1-blackburn-0-2644659.aspx
ALBION Under-21s climbed to the top of the Barclays U21 Premier League division two table after a narrow 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at The Lamb.
Samir Nabi grabbed the only goal of the game from the spot six minutes before half-time, following a challenge from Sam Lavelle on Tahvon Campbell inside the penalty area.
The victory ensures Baggies maintain their 100% start to the season having played three matches.
Blackburn looked certain to take the lead after just ten minutes, but Ethan Ross made a spectacular save to thwart David Carson from just six-yards out.
After a slow start, the Throstles began to boss the game towards the end of the half and should have gone ahead when the ball dropped to Samir Nabi inside the area, only for the midfielder to lash his shot wide.
But the same man made up for his miss just two minutes later from the penalty spot, after Tahvon Campbell was brought down inside the area.
Nabi confidently stepped up and placed his penalty into the bottom right-hand corner, sending Rovers’ ‘keeper Ryan Crump the wrong way.
The hosts wasted a glorious chance to double their lead eight minutes after the restart as Jack Fitzwater missed the target from eight yards.
Rovers went in search of an equaliser but Willem Tomlinson, Connor Mahoney and Devarn Green all failed to rescue a point.
ALBION: Ross, Ezewele, Fitzwater, Donnellan, McCourt, Ward, S.Nabi, Edwards, Roberts (Smith 90), Campbell (Elbouzedi 65), Wright (Cleet 56).
Unused subs: Hall, Field.
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Adil Nabi not involved, probably in the squad tomorrow ??
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Adil Nabi not involved, probably in the squad tomorrow ??
Leko not involved either so assuming both are fit, hopefully they will feature tomorrow.
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Leko not involved either so assuming both are fit, hopefully they will feature tomorrow.
I may be wrong but i think Leko played (and scored) for the u18's either today or yesterday.
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Bring them on....and through.
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I may be wrong but i think Leko played (and scored) for the u18's either today or yesterday.
Looks like it was Saturday and yes he did score ...so would have thought he would be OK to play tomorrow.
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Sounds good. Lets hope these players are in the squad tomorrow
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Noticed the 3rd Nabi played in the under 18s also - Rahis aged 16.....must be very rare to have 3 brothers playing for the same club even at under 18 level.
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Leko not involved either so assuming both are fit, hopefully they will feature tomorrow.
Leko is with the England under 17's who have a game on Wednesday
On a similar note, we had 3 players in the last England under 16 squad.
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Interesting one...a quote from academy manager Mark Harrison on the official site...
“In the last three years, we are ranked fifth in terms of PL appearances from home grown players. That’s out of 24 clubs, so that’s significant recognition of the productivity of the Academy in terms of producing players”.
Question is what does 'home grown players' mean, British ? or our own academy products. Can't be academy products can it ? Outside of Saido, George Thorne played a few before his first knee injury...other than that very brief appearances by Izzy Brown....stumped after that.
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Interesting one...a quote from academy manager Mark Harrison on the official site...
“In the last three years, we are ranked fifth in terms of PL appearances from home grown players. That’s out of 24 clubs, so that’s significant recognition of the productivity of the Academy in terms of producing players”.
Question is what does 'home grown players' mean, British ? or our own academy products. Can't be academy products can it ? Outside of Saido, George Thorne played a few before his first knee injury...other than that very brief appearances by Izzy Brown....stumped after that.
I think Dawson is an academy player to.
Edit: we signed him when he was 20...
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I think Dawson is an academy player to.
Dawson was not a product of our academy.
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Interesting one...a quote from academy manager Mark Harrison on the official site...
“In the last three years, we are ranked fifth in terms of PL appearances from home grown players. That’s out of 24 clubs, so that’s significant recognition of the productivity of the Academy in terms of producing players”.
Question is what does 'home grown players' mean, British ? or our own academy products. Can't be academy products can it ? Outside of Saido, George Thorne played a few before his first knee injury...other than that very brief appearances by Izzy Brown....stumped after that.
Berahino, Thorne, O'Neil, Brown, Luke Daniels got that half against Everton so that counts, Wood's beyond three years I think? Taking into account that Saido has 40/50-odd appearances to his his name and Harrison is not wrong, but is at the same time, as the others only amount to about 10 games. 5 for Thorne, 3-5 for O'Neil (guessing) and two halves for Daniels and Brown.
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superb performance tonight by Donnellan, ready for the first team NOW
squad at least
he should be playing in our league cup matches for sure
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http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/saido-berahino-proves-it-is-probably-better-not-to-move-to-a-big-club-academy-too-soon-10469982.html
When England Under-17s won the European Championship finals in May 2010, Sir Trevor Brooking, then the Football Association development director, proclaimed them “the best group we’ve had in six or seven years” and also wondered aloud when they would get a chance to play first-team football. On that score, Sir Trevor could hardly have been more prescient had he predicted last week that Callum Wilson was due a Premier League goal or three.
Today is a landmark for that winning team in that all bar one are no longer eligible for junior international football. Gareth Southgate will name his Under-21s squad today for the new Euro 2017 qualifying cycle and from the class of 2010 only Nathaniel Chalobah, the baby of that group then, will be young enough to continue playing at that level.
Apart from Chalobah, the boys of 2010 were all born in 1993 and to say that their fortunes have been mixed since then would be putting it mildly. Of course, every schoolboy team has its forgotten faces who never make the grade, but this was not just any schoolboy team. These were the champions of Europe, conquerors of Spain in the final and, as Sir Trevor said soon after, capable of producing more top players than the average junior squad.
So far this season only four of that squad – Saido Berahino, Ross Barkley, Jack Butland and Connor Wickham – have had any game time in the Premier League. The rest are spread over the leagues, forging their young careers with varying degrees of success; from Benik Afobe in the Championship with Wolves, to Bruno Pilatos, who played at Jarrow Roofing in the Northern League last season.
Ross Barkley’s recent displays will have impressed the England manager, Roy Hodgson Ross Barkley’s recent displays will have impressed the England manager, Roy Hodgson
It is worth noting that, beyond the four who have played in the Premier League this season, there are only a further three who are currently in the squads of top-flight clubs. They are Andre Wisdom (on loan at Norwich City from Liverpool); Luke Garbutt (Everton) and Sam Johnstone (Manchester United). Others, like Chalobah and Will Keane, still at least have Premier League parent clubs.
What is notable about the Under-17s of 2010 is that the four who have played Premier League football this season did not start out at the academies of the big four. They were given their chance early by the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Ipswich Town. By way of comparison, the three Manchester United players in the 2010 squad – Johnstone, Keane and Tom Thorpe – have made two Premier League substitute appearances for United between them.
Sir Trevor was right about that, too, asking at the time where “at Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool” young players would get first-team opportunities. “Every place in the league is worth £750,000,” he said, “so even at the end of a season you don’t get a chance to try out youngsters because you might lose three places and cost yourself £2m in the transfer budget.”
Five years on and the notion of a piffling £750,000 being a consideration to a Premier League club seems gloriously outdated. In the summer of 2010, the Premier League was about to embark upon a three-year television deal worth £1.77bn. It hardly needs pointing out that from next summer it will be dividing up £5.14bn.
Of course, if it was simple to develop teenage boys into elite footballers everyone would be doing it. Some from 2010 will simply not have been good enough. For others, injuries have intervened, like George Thorne, now at Derby County and recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture, or Keane, who suffered the same blow. Josh McEachran seemed to slip into the comfort zone of a huge contract at Chelsea. Luke Williams is now at Scunthorpe United. His former Middlesbrough academy team-mate Pilatos was last spotted on trial at Blyth Spartans.
This is not intended to mock or diminish young men who have given their lives to make it as professional footballers, but no one can have any hesitation in saying that four Premier League graduates by 2015 would have been considered a disappointment in 2010 and certainly feels that way five years on.
There are some, like Afobe and possibly Thorne and Keane, who could yet work their way back to the top flight but that will be a hard journey. English football has, it should be pointed out, yielded some late developers from the generation of 1993-born boys who were not considered good enough in 2010. Harry Kane and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have blossomed into top players and there is hope that Patrick Bamford, Alex Pritchard and Jon Flanagan might yet have good Premier League careers.
What is the lesson? In the case of Berahino it appears to be that it is better to play first-team games at your parent club. If he does move this week, to Tottenham Hotspur or elsewhere, it looks like he will do so as a £25m man with 72 Premier League appearances to his name, which is more than Kane and only eight fewer than Oxlade-Chamberlain.
One wonders whether Isaiah Brown, 18, another West Bromwich academy boy who signed for Chelsea’s academy in 2013, will have made the same number of first-team appearances by the time he reaches his 22nd birthday, as Berahino did earlier this month. The word is that West Bromwich’s academy in Sandwell has another fine crop of players on the way. Even if the club lose Berahino this summer, his will be a useful case study for staff to use with parents whose heads have been turned by an offer for their sons from a big club academy.
Last year, England were European champions at Under-17s level once again, with a squad that included the aforementioned Brown, Patrick Roberts, signed by Manchester City from Fulham this summer, and Joe Gomez, recently acquired by Liverpool from Charlton Athletic. The cycle begins anew this season and in October England’s latest generation will be one of 24 teams playing at the Under-17s World Cup in Chile.
As ever, any promising signs at that tournament will be seized on by the FA and the Premier League that the Elite Player Performance Plan is working – and perhaps it is. But the boys of 2010 will know that, despite their early promise, the clock is already ticking and much of what Sir Trevor feared five years ago has come to pass.
Interesting article from Sam Wallace in the Independent something that I think every fan knows and which is why my heart sinks a little when I see a promising youngster head to City or Chelsea and why I desperately want to see our youngsters given a chance.
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Interesting one...a quote from academy manager Mark Harrison on the official site...
“In the last three years, we are ranked fifth in terms of PL appearances from home grown players. That’s out of 24 clubs, so that’s significant recognition of the productivity of the Academy in terms of producing players”.
Question is what does 'home grown players' mean, British ? or our own academy products. Can't be academy products can it ? Outside of Saido, George Thorne played a few before his first knee injury...other than that very brief appearances by Izzy Brown....stumped after that.
If it's home grown in terms of the Premier League 25 man squad quota, then it will include all sorts of players. Any player who spent a certain amount of time at the academy of a club in England before a certain age counts as home grown in this scenario. It's a bit ridiculous as I remember reading that Clichy and Fabregas count as home grown because they spent a long period at Arsenal, despite being foreign and going on to represent their own countries.
Given we have a fairly big British make up to our squad, this isn't a surprise. In the last three years you could include Brunt, Morrison, Fletcher, Lescott, Gardner, Foster, Myhill, Daniels, Jones, Wisdom, Dawson, Berahino, O'Neil, Baird, Thorne, Reid, Sinclair, Ridgewell and maybe more as well as Chester and Lambert from this year.
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0-0 draw today away at Molineux
anything but a bore draw though
started off very brightly but faded, we really missed the two Kiddy loanees which left Tyler Roberts on his own up front, no end product when we were on top
backs to the wall in the second half when every ball we played forward kept coming back
Rose: Ezewele, Howkins (Barbir), Donnellan, McCourt: Elbouzedi, Cleet (Leko), Ward, Samir Nabi, Edwards: Roberts (Smith)
other sub Ross
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On the plus side, the U21's won 1-0 against a Villa team containing Jores Okore, Adama Traore and Libor Kozak.
Andre Wright (on loan at Kiddie) got the winner late into the game.
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Albion got through their first round of the Birmingham Senior Cup today at Tividale FC.
Not a great game. With the international break, Jonathan Leko, Danny Barbir, Rob McCourt and Tyler Roberts were all missing, while Tahvon Campbell, Andre Wright and Alex Palmer are still at Kidderminster so were unavailable for selection for this game. Also missing was first choice reserves goalkeeper Jack Rose.
We went head through man of the match Joe Ward, striking a long range effort. Ward is a small, dynamic central midfielder who was at the heart of everything we did. He seemed to be the main man doing all of the talking and organising the team, always urging them to move the ball quickly. Clearly the players felt comfortable moving the ball through him throughout the game.
Tividale scored direct from a free kick to equalise around half an hour in. The goalkeeping by Ethan Ross wasn't great if i'm honest, but I was disappointed by how many free kicks the defence gave away for having their arms all over the much smaller strikers. Fitzwater, Ezewele, Cleet, Donnelan and Howkins were the back 4/5 and although they cut off space and defender well, their distribution was awful, especially Cleet who had a bad night where nothing came off for him.
After a few changes in the second half, we eventually got the winner through Samir Nabi, thanks again to a great ball from Joe Ward.
As for my opinions on the players, Kyle Edwards on the wing was carrying a knock all game but seemed to be our biggest danger other than Ward, trying to beat the full back. Samir Nabi played almost as a deep lying midfielder and although he never gives the ball away, everything he did seemed too "safe" until the final 15 minutes where he finally started running at players. He seemed too happy to spread the ball and then admire his pass rather than getting into better positions that might harm defenders. Chay Scrivens looked good when he came on but he is very small and although we shouldn't judge a player on that, he will need to bulk up. Elbouzedi and Pierce both struggled to cause any problems up front which was disappointing.
Through the the second round, and hopefully next time we will have more of a full strength side out when facing a better level of opposition.
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Nice one Baggies, many thank’s for that.
What did you think of Ezwele and Donnelan in general play when they weren’t fondling :o the small opposition forwards?
I've been hearing good things about both, but never had the opportunity to see them beyond the odd video clip.
And no, they weren't fondling dwarves in said clips.
;).
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Strong u21 team tonight gamboa gnabry and berahino against west ham
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anyone know where the latest scores can be found.
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Finished 2-1 to West Ham so unbeaten run over, Saido scored our goal. By his Twitter it looks like he may have asked to played to get 90 minutes in. Fairplay to him.
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Finished 2-1 to West Ham so unbeaten run over, Saido scored our goal. By his Twitter it looks like he may have asked to played to get 90 minutes in. Fairplay to him.
thanks for that.
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Tonights game at Rushall in the Birmingham Senior Cup has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/birmingham-senior-cup-tie-at-rushall-postponed-2864541.aspx
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we have given a trial period to a 20 year old non league player and freestyler called Yasin Ben El-Mhanni. He will be placed in the U21's.
very little information as he's non-league, but he is predominantly a left midfielder who can play across the field in an attacking role and, naturally, he knows a trick or two.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3388662/Non-league-Riyad-Mahrez-Yasin-Ben-El-Mhanni-given-trial-West-Brom.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
Obligatory "Freestyle Tekkers" video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvDLRUZj1k
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we have given a trial period to a 20 year old non league player and freestyler called Yasin Ben El-Mhanni. He will be placed in the U21's.
very little information as he's non-league, but he is predominantly a left midfielder who can play across the field in an attacking role and, naturally, he knows a trick or two.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3388662/Non-league-Riyad-Mahrez-Yasin-Ben-El-Mhanni-given-trial-West-Brom.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
Obligatory "Freestyle Tekkers" video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvDLRUZj1k
Nice tricks son but can you track back and work aaarrrrrrrrddddddd!!!!??? ;D
All joking aside unopposed freestyle skills are a hundred miles away from doing anything at any level of professional football.
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Nice tricks son but can you track back and work aaarrrrrrrrddddddd!!!!??? ;D
All joking aside unopposed freestyle skills are a hundred miles away from doing anything at any level of professional football.
Doesn't quite seem like a Pulis type of player.....
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Doesn't quite seem like a Pulis type of player.....
We have a few players in our team who do the occasional unintended 'freestyle' kick with the ball, so he might fit in well!
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We have a few players in our team who do the occasional unintended 'freestyle' kick with the ball, so he might fit in well!
Indeed, Lamberts backheels against Bournemouth and Stoke were particularly good!
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;D ;D love that!!
Indeed, Lamberts backheels against Bournemouth and Stoke were particularly good!
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/swansea-city/12091793/Oxford-United-3-Swansea-City-2-match-report-Swans-dumped-out-of-FA-Cup-after-Kemar-Roofe-scores-twice.html
According to this premier league scouts are keeping an eye on Roofe at Oxford. Good to see a product of our academy doing well. But for me this is proof that we don't give our prospects a chance.
Roofe has claimed as much...
http://readwestbrom.com/2016/01/10/ex-albion-attacker-says-never-got-chance/?
Nabi is in a similar situation right now. We got to throw these kids in and see if they sink or swim. They do great for the u21's which is a lesser standard yes but you never truly know if they are going to make it until they are on a premier league pitch. Players raise their game.
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For me, with the likes of Vardy and Smalling doing well. And also Dawson to an extent. Delle Alli coming from league one. It goes to show that these players are being disregarded when in fact they do have something about them.
They might fail Test X and Test Y, or might not have the 'physique' or whatever tests the clubs use to assess these players, but these tests are failing and it means the above players, and possibly Roofe, and maybe soon to be Nabi slip through the net.
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For me, with the likes of Vardy and Smalling doing well. And also Dawson to an extent. Delle Alli coming from league one. It goes to show that these players are being disregarded when in fact they do have something about them.
They might fail Test X and Test Y, or might not have the 'physique' or whatever tests the clubs use to assess these players, but these tests are failing and it means the above players, and possibly Roofe, and maybe soon to be Nabi slip through the net.
would they offer anything less than what we've seen from lambert, what's the point of the academy if we have no intention of using what it produces or is just to benefit others.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/swansea-city/12091793/Oxford-United-3-Swansea-City-2-match-report-Swans-dumped-out-of-FA-Cup-after-Kemar-Roofe-scores-twice.html
According to this premier league scouts are keeping an eye on Roofe at Oxford. Good to see a product of our academy doing well. But for me this is proof that we don't give our prospects a chance.
Roofe has claimed as much...
http://readwestbrom.com/2016/01/10/ex-albion-attacker-says-never-got-chance/?
Nabi is in a similar situation right now. We got to throw these kids in and see if they sink or swim. They do great for the u21's which is a lesser standard yes but you never truly know if they are going to make it until they are on a premier league pitch. Players raise their game.
I get your sentiment but it's also incredibly hard for most teams in the top flight to break kids through in a successful manner. People have mentioned Jamie Vardy lately who we looked at and declined whilst he was at Fleetwood. The issue is that it took him a good 4 years to get to this level with Leicester, 2 of which were in the championship; and the first year especially he was quite poor and the Leicester fans admittedly didn't rate him.
It's fine to come up like this as a player but in our position, we don't have the time or gamble to predict he will fulfill his potential and make a good premiership player.
For instance, I was saddened when we sold Chris Wood a few years ago as he looked good. But he wasn't good enough, and the sale was ultimately justified as he's clearly a solid championship player but little more. In short, it's hindsight speaking; sometimes kids just slip through the net and go on to be amazing, but most of the time they don't and they're exclusions are justified.
Whilst Roofe may well go on to be great (and I really hope he does), there's a million James Hursts out there for every Berahino. Hurst played once in the premiership aged 18 too and sunk, so I think it's a very hindsight-based argument for keeping kids with a bit of potential.
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It's a sad fact that a) the gulf between U21 and the Premier League is too big, and b) Young players need game time to fully blossom.
Because of 'a', when many players get a shot at the first team, they aren't good enough, and so eventually get let go. It's only when they get a couple of full seasons that you see their full potential. But the Premier League is a cut throat business and you can't afford to give players a run in the team if they aren't yet good enough, or you risk having to carry a player in the team.
Now we seem to be getting better at loaning out our youngsters, even on 1 month youth loans, so hopefully we might see the likes of Leko, Campbell and Roberts scoring lower down the leagues, but I wouldn't be surprised if Adil Nabi is no longer with us at the beginning of next season (He'll be 22 so would take a squad place).
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A total waste of our money if the club isn't using them.
Perhaps we are just a feeder club for the big 4. >:(
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A total waste of our money if the club isn't using them.
Perhaps we are just a feeder club for the big 4. >:(
You can blame the poor rules when it comes to poaching for us losing our most promising youngsters to top clubs for peanuts. How many clubs have more than one or two every couple of seasons break through their youth ranks and into the first team at Premier League level?
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Tyler Roberts has signed a professional contract with the club:
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/albion-west-brom-tyler-roberts-professional-contract-2900604.aspx
Academy scholar has been with Baggies for 10 years
TYLER Roberts has taken the next step in his blossoming Albion career - signing his first-ever professional Baggies contract.
The Academy scholar, who celebrated his 17th birthday on Tuesday, has put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year deal, committing his future to The Hawthorns until summer 2018.
He has been with the Club since he was seven.
Roberts has twice been named in the matchday squad, for last season's fixture against Arsenal and the recent home clash with Stoke.
The youngster spoke of his delight, but was also quick to thank the staff who had nurtured and coached him during the last 10 years.
On signing the new deal, Roberts said: "It feels wonderful. It's something I've been working towards since I was seven. To have finally got here is an immense feeling.
"Finally having that sense of achievement is good and being on the bench a couple of times was a great experience for me too.
"We have some great coaches at Academy level. Whether it was doing individual work, advice, coaching...they've been amazing."
Roberts claims his best role is as a 'No.9' or as a wide player.
Asked about the advice he had been given by Academy staff, Roberts continued: "They told me to use this as a stepping stone. To not settle for this, but push myself on and become a regular in the first-team squad.
"I was told to keep doing what I'm doing. If I do then maybe the chances will come. I thank them and also my family."
Academy Manager Mark Harrison praised Roberts' achievement, before challenging him to continue his progress.
"It is a fantastic that we are able to reward a player who has been with us for so many years," he said. "He now becomes a role model for all the kids who start their journey with us.
"Tyler has done it through hard work, perseverance and with support from his family.
"But hopefully this is only a milestone in his journey - Tyler needs to see this as a platform to becoming a regular member of the first-team squad."
Tony Pulis also laid down his own challenges for the youngster, who trained with Wales' senior squad last summer.
"I'm delighted for the lad. He’s a wonderful player, a wonderful talent," said Pulis.
"But this is the first step. What he can't do now is relax or take any steps back. He has to keep striving to improve."
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Congratulations on your first pro' contract Tyler.
Genuinely hope you have a wonderful career and score plenty of goals for the Baggies.
8).
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Great, there does seem to more positivity around the club at the minute, hopefully he will get some minutes on the pitch before the end of the season.
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well done son, we need an example fro the academy for others to emulate,
(sadly someone else has not been the example we hoped for, learn from his mistakes and you will not be far off.)
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Great news, by all accounts he is very highly rated.
Whether its Roberts, Nabi or one of the younger lads can get some first team action this season it will be a huge boost for the academy as following from Berahino, if we have another youngster involved this season the top players in our younger age groups will see there is a path to the first team and although money talks, it may mean we dont lose players to the big boys.
Realistically we probably need 12 points to stay up and there are 17 games left, you would hope we would comfortable by March time so there will be no better time to blood some youngsters.
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Great news, by all accounts he is very highly rated.
Whether its Roberts, Nabi or one of the younger lads can get some first team action this season it will be a huge boost for the academy as following from Berahino, if we have another youngster involved this season the top players in our younger age groups will see there is a path to the first team and although money talks, it may mean we dont lose players to the big boys.
Realistically we probably need 12 points to stay up and there are 17 games left, you would hope we would comfortable by March time so there will be no better time to blood some youngsters.
Agreed, just looked at the fixtures and would like to think we would be safe by March with home games against Villa , Swansea and Palace, and some winnable aways. Soon as we hit that magical 40 , it's time to get Nabi and Roberts invo;ved
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Agreed, just looked at the fixtures and would like to think we would be safe by March with home games against Villa , Swansea and Palace, and some winnable aways. Soon as we hit that magical 40 , it's time to get Nabi and Roberts invo;ved
Through pure maths, I'm hoping we pass the 40 points mark after around 31/32 games, so that's gives us 6 or so games to A) Try to get as high up the table as possible, and b) Blood some of the youngsters into the team
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Agreed, just looked at the fixtures and would like to think we would be safe by March with home games against Villa , Swansea and Palace, and some winnable aways. Soon as we hit that magical 40 , it's time to get Nabi and Roberts invo;ved
Love the sentiment, but isn't every place in the table worth about £1,5m ??
Now put your JP / TP head on and think, +1.5M towards transfer budget or give the kid a run out ?
Answers on a postcard to
Give me the money Tony
c/o Jeremy Peace
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Love the sentiment, but isn't every place in the table worth about £1,5m ??
Now put your JP / TP head on and think, +1.5M towards transfer budget or give the kid a run out ?
Answers on a postcard to
Give me the money Tony
c/o Jeremy Peace
I don't think it needs to be so black and white. We can aim for higher places while still giving youngsters a taste of first team action. THey don't need to start, but just giving them 10 minutes is better than nothing.
In the case of Roberts, he says he's a no.9 or wide player. Is bringing him on when we are chasing a game really going to be detrimental? It's not like he has two left feet - he's clearly rated for a reason!
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In a team sport, with 11 players on the pitch, there should always be enough in the team to accommodate a developing player. The only position this may not be possible is GK.
These are professional footballers, its not like you chucking in a bloke from the pub. If it isn't working out on the pitch that day, then substitute him.
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If some posters are to be believed, we carry Lambert when he plays. How would Roberts be any different? :P
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If some posters are to be believed, we carry Lambert when he plays. How would Roberts be any different? :P
Roberts world be much easier to carry if it came to it, he weighs half as much!! :D
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Love the sentiment, but isn't every place in the table worth about £1,5m ??
Now put your JP / TP head on and think, +1.5M towards transfer budget or give the kid a run out ?
Answers on a postcard to
Give me the money Tony
c/o Jeremy Peace
If one of those kids prove they can hack it in the prem by getting playing time then one less transfer needed maybe. JP would like that
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Does anyone on here go watch the u21s regular?
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Does anyone on here go watch the u21s regular?
Do you still play for the under 11's? Mate? :D
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I'm surprised for such a talent he hasn't signed a much longer contract?
Has leko signed a contract yet?
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I'm surprised for such a talent he hasn't signed a much longer contract?
Has leko signed a contract yet?
don't think Leko is "of age" yet.
For Albion the deal allows them to review the situation when he's 19 or 20, if hes either failed to reach the expectation and released or matched/surpassed it and offered improved terms. I thinks its kind of a good move, shows the club feel he should be doing something by then.
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Love the sentiment, but isn't every place in the table worth about £1,5m ??
Now put your JP / TP head on and think, +1.5M towards transfer budget or give the kid a run out ?
Answers on a postcard to
Give me the money Tony
c/o Jeremy Peace
I would hope we could afford to give him a few ten minute cameo's here and there.
He'll learn a lot more in that ten minutes than he will faffing about in the under 21s league.
I would also hope we're looking to start blooding him in the lower leagues with a loan move. Playing in that sort of intensity will also be more beneficial than a non-competitive reserve league.
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is nabi back at the albion know ??
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is nabi back at the albion know ??
Yep, Adil is back and played last week in the U21's against Arsenal though never really shined. The guy that looked to have a bit of quality was Roberts - i'd be tempted to have him on the bench Tuesday. Leko showed some nice touched but no real end product.
Nabi also has two brothers with us - Samir, aged 18, and Rahis, 16 though not sure how highly they are rated.
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Yep, Adil is back and played last week in the U21's against Arsenal though never really shined. The guy that looked to have a bit of quality was Roberts - i'd be tempted to have him on the bench Tuesday. Leko showed some nice touched but no real end product.
Nabi also has two brothers with us - Samir, aged 18, and Rahis, 16 though not sure how highly they are rated.
I'm sure I read somewhere that Samir is the highly rated one out of them
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Adil Nabi just scored again for the under 21s against Hull in the PL cup , whats hd got to do to get a domestic loan ?!
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West Bromwich Albion @WBAFCofficial 22s23 seconds ago
GOAL. Albion U21 1 (A Nabi 48) Hull City U21 2 (Rodgers 58, Olley 68) in the @premierleague Cup #WBA
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I don't know why we're keeping Nabi, Pulis seems to have no interest in using him what with having a 16 year old Roberts on the bench ahead of him last season, and he's presumably not going to be playing in the FA cup game if he's playing tonight. Can't exactly play they youth card, he's 22 next month. Seems best for everyone to let him leave and maybe he can work his way back up like Roofe is doing. Otherwise we're keeping him essentially to be a professional reserve.
Though on a Nabi related note his youngest brother Rahis Nabi was named in the England under 17 squad last week along with Jonathan Leko. Considering Leko's not in the squad tonight I'm guessing he'll be on the bench tomorrow (unless he's injured).
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Adil Nabi just scored again for the under 21s against Hull in the PL cup , whats hd got to do to get a domestic loan ?!
lets put him on the bench and send lambert on loan.
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Adil Nabi just scored again for the under 21s against Hull in the PL cup , whats hd got to do to get a domestic loan ?!
I thought there was an interview with Nabi where basically no-one came in for him this summer on domestic loan, hence he went to India?
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I thought there was an interview with Nabi where basically no-one came in for him this summer on domestic loan, hence he went to India?
Yes there was with Garlick ,hard to believe it isnt it ?
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Re - Nabi. Is it coming to that point that no one came in for a loan because he is 'asian'. This shouldn't matter but is that a reason as he is a decent footballer and is gobsmacking to believe that he is not wanted even by a league 2 club?
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No.
Football is a fickle sport but it is a global sport and actually having an Asian player could unlock new markets for a club.
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No.
Football is a fickle sport but it is a global sport and actually having an Asian player could unlock new markets for a club.
Would be nice if all clubs saw it that positively but I suspect the truth may be otherwise...especially as far as short term loans go.
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Would be nice if all clubs saw it that positively but I suspect the truth may be otherwise...especially as far as short term loans go.
I get that, but it's far-fetched tl suggest the colour of his skin has anything to do with it!
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I get that, but it's far-fetched tl suggest the colour of his skin has anything to do with it!
Given the relative demographics of the UK population unless young Asian men have virtually zero interest in and participation in football you would expect more Asian professional footballers than ones with an Afro-Caribbean background. The fact there are very few and those that there are struggling to find a pathway into the game suggests that football might not have moved on entirely from its earlier preconceptions about racial stereotyping and might still be harbouring a few misguided notions about young Asian players.
I find it hard to believe a player with obvious quality cannot find even a League 2 club to take him for a loan spell.
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Given the relative demographics of the UK population unless young Asian men have virtually zero interest in and participation in football you would expect more Asian professional footballers than ones with an Afro-Caribbean background. The fact there are very few and those that there are struggling to find a pathway into the game suggests that football might not have moved on entirely from its earlier preconceptions about racial stereotyping and might still be harbouring a few misguided notions about young Asian players.
I find it hard to believe a player with obvious quality cannot find even a League 2 club to take him for a loan spell.
I find it hard to believe he wasnt even on the bench for the cup game yesterday. Disgraceful.
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I find it hard to believe he wasnt even on the bench for the cup game yesterday. Disgraceful.
He played in the U21s two days before
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He played in the U21s two days before
90% of the team had played on saturday. No excuse.
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90% of the team had played on saturday. No excuse.
It was actually the day before, can't expect him to feature again. Leko was however in the squad last night
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It was actually the day before, can't expect him to feature again. Leko was however in the squad last night
Thats fair then. Still, if i was Adil i would be thinking what do i need to do to get a game here.
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Thats fair then. Still, if i was Adil i would be thinking what do i need to do to get a game here.
Got to agree Adil is almost 6 months younger than Saido, Where SB could have been a 2 season regular, Adil is struggling for a loan yet alone match time, for his own good the lad needs to move on. (Sad to say it though)
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Not to rear its ugly head again but i honestly think some of it comes down to race.
Thats just my opinion though.
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Not to rear its ugly head again but i honestly think some of it comes down to race.
Thats just my opinion though.
Not one to put the race card forward, but Nabi has scored lots of goals in the U 21's and at the time he went to India on loan, it was said that no clubs from here were keen to loaning him either? I think there must be something missing from his game that deters League 1 or Championship clubs, as his goals at U21 level should at least warrant a loan spell in England.
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Genuinely don't think it's got anything to do with race.
How many foreign players have we got at the Albion and how many are in the game generally?
Don't see how there would be a problem with teams playing a British Muslim.
While I would like to see Nabi break through his progress was hampered by a serious knee injury.
It may just be that those within the game question his desire and ability to transfer those U21 goals into first team goals.
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I know that I will get slaughtered for this, but here goes.
I do believe that there are physiological differences in the different "races" (Caucasian / Afro-caribbean / mongol asian / Aboriginals) that give some groups advantages in certain sports,
How many Afro-caribbean swimming champions have there been?
How many Asian distance runners ?
Why do afro-caribbeans dominate in some sports such as basketball.
I accept this is a sweeping generalisation but I suspect there is hard scientific evidence to back it up, this could explain why there are so few Asians making it in football, there will always of course be exceptions but thats what they will be exceptions, particularly in UK as the game is geared so heavily towards "Big Strong lads who can run and tackle all day long".
Thoughts ?
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I know that I will get slaughtered for this, but here goes.
I do believe that there are physiological differences in the different "races" (Caucasian / Afro-caribbean / mongol asian / Aboriginals) that give some groups advantages in certain sports,
How many Afro-caribbean swimming champions have there been?
How many Asian distance runners ?
Why do afro-caribbeans dominate in some sports such as basketball.
I accept this is a sweeping generalisation but I suspect there is hard scientific evidence to back it up, this could explain why there are so few Asians making it in football, there will always of course be exceptions but thats what they will be exceptions, particularly in UK as the game is geared so heavily towards "Big Strong lads who can run and tackle all day long".
Thoughts ?
I think this sums up my view on the "race" issue.
This stereotyping for the lack of a better word could be argued is even more prevalent in a typical 'Tony Pulis' team. So while it may not be racism it certainly could be called racial profiling.
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I read an article about this in When Saturday Comes a few years ago. Apparently Asian families don't encourage their children into football because it isn't seen as a respectful profession (cricket is, rugby isn't, and so on). And despite the potential rewards, it's a big risk to go for football, and so the children are dissuaded from attempting.
That's why there are so few who come through the academy systems; Zesh Rehman, Michael Chopra, and the Nabi brothers pretty much the only exceptions.
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Personally i think we should we celebrate local talent and hes got to be better than lambert.
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Not to rear its ugly head again but i honestly think some of it comes down to race.
Thats just my opinion though.
Not good enough at the moment, otherwise would of made it, Been in the u21 doing alright but not high class... Needs to find his level lower down the leagues get some football under his belt and see where it takes him from there
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Found this clip on two of the academy prospects - Rahis Nabi (Brother of Adil and Samir) and Marcus Forss.
http://www.snappytv.com/tc/1297643
Thought some may enjoy
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Cheers for that Mark.
They seem a decent pair of lads although young Samir may wish to set his alarm clock a little earlier :).
Good to hear that Saido still stays back for extra training with the U21's from time to time.
;).
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Why is it that we only seem to hear about how good our young strikers are? Don't we have any attacking midfielders that are pushing for the first team?
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Why is it that we only seem to hear about how good our young strikers are? Don't we have any attacking midfielders that are pushing for the first team?
Youmean like Rahis Nabi who is in that video I posted, or Samir Nabi who is supposedly better than Adil was at his age?
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Race? How long was it before some do gooder hippy brought this up. Nabi wasn't good enough. If there was an Indian player good enough every club would want him. In a industry so heavily ruled by money, why would anyone care?
these posts are a classic example of how society has gone. Someone who isn't white fails in something and its a race inquest.
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Nabi is 21. You'd have started to see improvement by now. Plus Campbell scored a quality goal at the weekend, why wouldn't they keep him.
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Nabi was only on the bench for Peterboro, the lad they signed from Spurs started.
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How do we know Nabi hasn't improved ? He was probably a more consistent scorer through the age groups than Saido was which is why a lot are disappointed that he never got a chance. He certainly wasn't helped by last season being pretty much lost with an ACL injury.
It's irrelevant that he was sat on the bench on Saturday...often happens to new signings. Judge his Peterboro' career in 2 years time.
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Nabi is 21. You'd have started to see improvement by now. Plus Campbell scored a quality goal at the weekend, why wouldn't they keep him.
His knee injury that kept him out for a long time hampered him massively and he needed a loan move to a football league club long before he got the one to Delhi Dynamos. For what its worth I expect him to take a while to develop at Peterborough but just getting some game time will help him kick on but it was the right time to let him go to try and have a decent career in the football league somewhere.
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WBA 2-4 Newcastle United
twice came from behind and missed a penalty at 2-2 before conceding twice in last ten mins.
Inexperienced side with Roberts and Spence on the scoresheet for Albion.
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Currently drawing 0-0 vs Rushall Olympic in the last 16 of the Birmingham senior cup. You can get live updates at @ROFC_Matchday (Russell twitter account).
Very young and inexperienced team has started. A Palmer, Z Elbouzedi, S Field, J Smith, B Sweeney, S Nabi, S Donnelan, J Ezewele, D Barbir, G Cleet, R McCourt.
Subs: M Forss, M Hall, P Artymatas, C Scrivens
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Interesting to see the name of Panayiotis Artymatas on the bench. I've looked him up and he is the Cyprus under 17's captain and we signed him in the summer.
As for the rest, I think Leko, R Nabi and T Roberts are all on international duty. Probably also Dool.
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Leko was pulled back from international duty - probably to spend tomorrow night sat on the bench.
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This is worth listening to, a podcast from Richard Garlick talking about the academy.
https://audioboom.com/boos/4154475-albion-news-podcast-3-the-youth-of-today (https://audioboom.com/boos/4154475-albion-news-podcast-3-the-youth-of-today)
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Anyone going to tamworth tonight?
Is it right season ticket holders get in free?
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Anyone going to tamworth tonight?
Is it right season ticket holders get in free?
As long as you have your season ticket with you
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As long as you have your season ticket with you
Cheers Oldbury
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wba reserves playing man utd today and theres a live stream, losing 3-0 at the moment.
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play the wolves tonight, we've hit a bit of a slump after a great start.
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play the wolves tonight, we've hit a bit of a slump after a great start.
Anyone know how we're doing ?
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Anyone know how we're doing ?
0-0 at the moment. Looks a younger side than usual off the WBA twitter, Wolvo have had their keeper sent off on 56th minute and the replacement (whose a midfielder) apparently made a great save against A Samir Nabi free kick.
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0-0 at the moment. Looks a younger side than usual off the WBA twitter, Wolvo have had their keeper sent off on 56th minute and the replacement (whose a midfielder) apparently made a great save against A Samir Nabi free kick.
Thanks for the update
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ended goalless, Albion still in a playoff place still.
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Anyone going up tonight ?
It's at 7pm vs the Vile.
Free entry as per normal for ST holders, £5 adults and £1 kids otherwise, tempted to go as both McMananananannanaman and Pritchard are set to feature as well as Leko
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Anyone going up tonight ?
It's at 7pm vs the Vile.
Free entry as per normal for ST holders, £5 adults and £1 kids otherwise, tempted to go as both McMananananannanaman and Pritchard are set to feature as well as Leko
Yep, working till 6pm tonight so thought I'd take a stroll up to The Hawthorns and have a look.
Interesting to see just how bad their U21s are, if they can't break into their current first team?
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Yep, working till 6pm tonight so thought I'd take a stroll up to The Hawthorns and have a look.
Interesting to see just how bad their U21s are, if they can't break into their current first team?
especially after they beat the first team a while ago!
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winning 1-0 at ht
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Oh dear..Macmaman off for second yellow..simulation. .unfortunately not surprising..
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We just beat Villa 1-0
We had 9 men for a fair while (15 mins approx)
8) :P :-*
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Who scored ? Was someone else sent off as well as McManaman ?
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We just beat Villa 1-0
We had 9 men for a fair while (15 mins approx)
8) :P :-*
Brilliant ;D
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Who scored ? Was someone else sent off as well as McManaman ?
Samir Nabi scored and Callum Jones was sent off for a 2nd bookedable, as was McManaman
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9 men, we only need nine men :P
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Under the kosh for a lot of that game and sat quiet deep. That Traore looks a really good player, beats his man easily with pace and skill, end product not always the best but will only get better.
Pritchard was decent for us, as was Leko. Centre half Donnellan had a good game.
We did well to hang on with 9 men for 15 minutes after a stupid dive from Mcmanaman and a rash tackle when on a yellow from Jones.
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Under the kosh for a lot of that game and sat quiet deep. That Traore looks a really good player, beats his man easily with pace and skill, end product not always the best but will only get better.
Pritchard was decent for us, as was Leko. Centre half Donnellan had a good game.
We did well to hang on with 9 men for 15 minutes after a stupid dive from Mcmanaman and a rash tackle when on a yellow from Jones.
Pritchard show enough to be getting more game time than he currently is?
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Pritchard show enough to be getting more game time than he currently is?
I certainly think so, he looks very good on the ball. Positive, wants to drive it up the pitch, and given his size has a bit about him.
He got subbed off with 5 to go and was visibly angry, Big Dave had to calm him down.
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didnt realise the seals are second in the league, big scalpe then :)
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Samir Nabi sounds keen to get out on loan...lets hope that he gets some interest. As we know Adil didn't get a loan until the India move.
Might Samir get a taste of prem action before the end of the season as Pulis mentioned that one or two others would be getting a taste ?
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Samir Nabi sounds keen to get out on loan...lets hope that he gets some interest. As we know Adil didn't get a loan until the India move.
Might Samir get a taste of prem action before the end of the season as Pulis mentioned that one or two others would be getting a taste ?
Based on last night, I'm not sure.
Went to an evening hosted by Big Dave not so long back , and he was clear that there are 3 talented players that will come through, the rest, well, not sure at all. He mentioned Tyler Roberts and Leko, but said he was keeping the third one quiet. Could be Donnellan the centre half
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I certainly think so, he looks very good on the ball. Positive, wants to drive it up the pitch, and given his size has a bit about him.
He got subbed off with 5 to go and was visibly angry, Big Dave had to calm him down.
I thought he looked lively and technically good.
However, as I have stated on the C M'n thread, I don't think Pritchard releases the ball quick enough either.
Missed a great chance when he had time to pick his spot, and although it shouldn't be the be all and end all given his good technique, he even looked light weight amongst the U21's.
Still, could be worth a shout, especially given any potential fall outs with Sess' and C M'ns clear lack of fitness.
Leko looks good and tricky but currently over elaborates, I'd hope this will change a little with experience. Think he's got a decent future ahead of him though especially once he's filled out a bit. As for those jinking twists and turns, daft as it may sound he may benefit from slightly longer studs.
Agree regarding Traore for them, looks to be very decent.
Think their number 8 was very lucky to stay on the pitch and I also thought the ref' was inconsistent and generally rather sh!te.
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I thought he looked lively and technically good.
However, as I have stated on the C M'n thread, I don't think Pritchard releases the ball quick enough either.
Missed a great chance when he had time to pick his spot, and although it shouldn't be the be all and end all given his good technique, he even looked light weight amongst the U21's.
Still, could be worth a shout, especially given any potential fall outs with Sess' and C M'ns clear lack of fitness.
Leko looks good and tricky but currently over elaborates, I'd hope this will change a little with experience. Think he's got a decent future ahead of him though especially once he's filled out a bit. As for those jinking twists and turns, daft as it may sound he may benefit from slightly longer studs.
Agree regarding Traore for them, looks to be very decent.
Think their number 8 was very lucky to stay on the pitch and I also thought the ref' was inconsistent and generally rather sh!te.
Agreed, Villa were in his ear for most of the game
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I didn't realise this but Sam Field and Tyler Roberts were in the squad that was taken to Man City. We've heard a fair bit about Roberts but not Field. Is he a central midfielder? On mobile so can't link but there's an article about him on the official site
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beaten an Arsenal team containing Jack Wilshire and Serge Gnabry 2-1 with a young team, but have missed the play offs as Blackburn drew with Villa 2-2 to get the last spot.
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Sorry not sure where to post this but at last some good news :P
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/827362960?-11200:789:0
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The newsnow link directs to here, in case people wondered
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/04/24/chelsea-and-man-city-target-jonathan-leko-signs-new-west-brom-co/?
West Bromwich Albion have secured a major boost for the future by persuading England under-17 international Jonathan Leko to sign a new contract, in a blow to Chelsea and Manchester City.
Leko will officially sign his first professional deal in July, after turning 17 on Sunday, with West Brom determined to prevent another talented teenager from leaving the Hawthorns.
Albion have suffered huge frustration with Premier League clubs poaching their young talents in recent years, after the departure of Isaiah Brown to Chelsea and Jerome Sinclair to Liverpool.
But Leko has agreed a three-year deal and is being tipped to become a bigger star than Saido Berahino, with his reputation already known to the liks of Chelsea, City and Liverpool. Leko made his Premier League debut aged 16 years, 11 months and nine days old in the game at Sunderland earlier this month.
The teenager could even play some part against title-chasing Tottenham Hotspur on Monday evening, with head coach Tony Pulis predicting a bright future for the Congo-born forward.
Pulis, meanwhile, is stepping up his preparations for next season after holding talks with chairman Jeremy Peace.
As revealed by Telegraph Sport, West Brom plan to offer Pulis a new contract in the summer after he guided the club to survival two seasons running. Pulis will have 12 months left on his deal in July.
He said: “I have spoken to the chairman about certain things, about the football club, the training ground and other things.
“That’s what you have to do. You have to try to put foundations down to make the football club better and there are lots of things that we would like to put in place that would help the club push forward.
“The main thing is you need to win games. You need results to keep your job, and if you can do that and give yourself time then you can put things in place that will improve football clubs."
Probable team: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Chester; Sessegnon, Fletcher, Yacob, McClean; Rondon, Berahino
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The newsnow link directs to here, in case people wondered
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/04/24/chelsea-and-man-city-target-jonathan-leko-signs-new-west-brom-co/?
West Bromwich Albion have secured a major boost for the future by persuading England under-17 international Jonathan Leko to sign a new contract, in a blow to Chelsea and Manchester City.
Leko will officially sign his first professional deal in July, after turning 17 on Sunday, with West Brom determined to prevent another talented teenager from leaving the Hawthorns.
Albion have suffered huge frustration with Premier League clubs poaching their young talents in recent years, after the departure of Isaiah Brown to Chelsea and Jerome Sinclair to Liverpool.
But Leko has agreed a three-year deal and is being tipped to become a bigger star than Saido Berahino, with his reputation already known to the liks of Chelsea, City and Liverpool. Leko made his Premier League debut aged 16 years, 11 months and nine days old in the game at Sunderland earlier this month.
The teenager could even play some part against title-chasing Tottenham Hotspur on Monday evening, with head coach Tony Pulis predicting a bright future for the Congo-born forward.
Pulis, meanwhile, is stepping up his preparations for next season after holding talks with chairman Jeremy Peace.
As revealed by Telegraph Sport, West Brom plan to offer Pulis a new contract in the summer after he guided the club to survival two seasons running. Pulis will have 12 months left on his deal in July.
He said: “I have spoken to the chairman about certain things, about the football club, the training ground and other things.
“That’s what you have to do. You have to try to put foundations down to make the football club better and there are lots of things that we would like to put in place that would help the club push forward.
“The main thing is you need to win games. You need results to keep your job, and if you can do that and give yourself time then you can put things in place that will improve football clubs."
Probable team: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Chester; Sessegnon, Fletcher, Yacob, McClean; Rondon, Berahino
I did post a while ago that he had already agreed a pro contract, same with Tyler Roberts he has got a pro contract too ready to be confirmed.
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does anyone think its a mistake to release u21 top scorer Samir Nabi. 11 years at the club aged 19.
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does anyone think its a mistake to release u21 top scorer Samir Nabi. 11 years at the club aged 19.
Seems one of the better players?
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Seems one of the better players?
Is this confirmed ? If so it may be a side effect of Pulis wanting players to be pushing through younger and if they are not then off they go.
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Is this confirmed ? If so it may be a side effect of Pulis wanting players to be pushing through younger and if they are not then off they go.
yep
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/youngster-departs-the-hawthorns-3140518.aspx
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yep
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/youngster-departs-the-hawthorns-3140518.aspx
Thanks - the weird thing is that the name Nabi seems to have dominated the scoring for the age groups over the last 2 or 3 years and now 2 of them have gone without kicking a ball in the 1st team.
I sense a re-focus in the academy....which may be good as long as we continue to see the best getting their chance. We have to trust the judgement of those making decisions.
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jamie Smith has been promoted to replace Aaron Danks as under 18 coach.
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I see the FA have raided us again for Danks
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I see the FA have raided us again for Danks
Yeah, that's 3 now.... Ashworth was the biggest loss.
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http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/wba-goalkeeping-trio-sign-new-contracts-rose-ross-keranovic-3163120.aspx
Rose, Ross and Keranovic pen Hawthorns deals
YOUNG goalkeepers Jack Rose, Ethan Ross and Jasko Keranovic have all penned new professional contracts with Albion.
Rose, 21, named regularly as a Baggies substitute over the past 18 months, has signed a one-year deal at The Hawthorns.
The Club have also taken up a one-year option on 19-year-old Ross, who spent time on loan at Worcester City during the 2015/16 campaign.
Keranovic, 18, a Bosnia and Herzegovina youth international, has agreed a one-year deal with a further 12-month option in the Club’s favour.
Meanwhile, fellow young stopper Alex Palmer, who was on the bench for Albion’s 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in April, will enter the second season of his two-year deal upon his return to pre-season training.
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http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/wba-professional-contracts-youngsters-albion-baggies-pro-deals-3164350.aspx
EIGHT more of Albion’s promising youngsters have penned new professional deals at The Hawthorns.
Tahvon Campbell, Andre Wright, Shaun Donnellan, Joe Ward and Jack Fitzwater, who all had spells away from the Baggies on loan during the 2015/16 campaign, have signed one-year contracts with a further 12-month option in the Club’s favour.
Kyle Edwards has also agreed a new 12-month deal with a further year option in the Club’s favour, while Dara O’Shea has committed himself to Albion by signing a two-year professional contract.
The Baggies have taken up the one-year option on Kyle Howkins’ deal.
Albion’s Under-21 squad in full for the 2016/17 season:
Ethan Ross
Jasko Keranovic
Alex Palmer
Danny Barbir
Tahvon Campbell
Shaun Donnellan
Kyle Edwards
Zack Elbouzedi
Sam Field
Jack Fitzwater
Kyle Howkins
Callam Jones
Jonathan Leko
Robbie McCourt
Callum Pritchatt
Tyler Roberts
Chay Scrivens
James Smith
Brad Sweeney
Joe Ward
Andre Wright
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If Field & Roberts can get 3+ games each this season that'll be good. Obviously a loan to Good League 1 or Championship club would be good also.
Leko i suspect will be a regular 1st team sub player (without wanting to put too much pressure on him)
If one of the others can come through, I'm especially thinking of Danny Barbir then that would be ace. A match day 18 by the end of the season that has 4 of our accademy players in can only be good for everyone (assuming they are good enough obviously)
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great article as to what goes on at the academy.
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/2/838066224?-11200:789:0
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great article as to what goes on at the academy.
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/2/838066224?-11200:789:0
Placing players with similar attributes together seems quite similar to what Belgium did with their late developers programme.
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/29908/10328356/kevin-de-bruyne-developed-late-but-would-england-have-the-patience
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Dara O'Shea must be highly thought of to get a 2 year pro deal aged 17 without having set foot in the 1st team squad.
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You might be interested to know that the Academy 2005 Year Group (the younger U11s & the older U10s) have just finished 2nd out of 66 teams from a dozen different countries in a tournament in Monchengladbach over the weekend.
They lost to Borussia Dortmund in the final, their only loss in 13 games, having overcome Cologne, Stuttgart & Eintracht Frankfurt (on penalties) amongst others. Teams finishing below the Baggies include Liverpool (6th), Hertha Berlin, Celta Vigo, Sporting Lisbon, Hamburg & Besiktas.
Great experience for the lads, and to perform well in tournament football at that level in a foreign country speaks volumes for their character & ability.
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The kids to watch are next year's under 16s who will be given scholarship about Xmas. They are the best year group in the country and if we can keep them, will really set the Albion up...
Even their weakest players who gt released, get snapped up by other academies.
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I see we've earned a £1.5m bonus on Kemar Roofe being sold to Leeds.
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Alex Palmer is having a trial with Hibernian in a friendly on Sunday with the prospect of a loan move.
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http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/albion-west-brom-donnellan-palmer-stevenage-hibernian-3174273.aspx
Donnellan off to gain League experience
Promising defender Shaun Donnellan has secured more valuable first team experience with a half-season loan move to Stevenage.
The 19-year-old defender, who signed a new one-year deal with the Baggies this summer, will be at the League Two club until the turn of the year having spent much of the 2015-16 campaign on loan at Worcester City.
Head Coach Tony Pulis is keen for the Club to utilise the loan system in order for Albion's young players to gain as much experience as possible to bolster their first team prospects at The Hawthorns.
Meanwhile, Albion have agreed for 19-year-old keeper Alex Palmer to take part in a trial with Scottish Championship club Hibernian.
The youngster will be given a run-out against Motherwell in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.
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Can someone help me out?
Didn't we have a kid called Mo Sissoko a few years back in the Youth / Under 21 set up? I could swear we did but can find nowt on internet.
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Can someone help me out?
Didn't we have a kid called Mo Sissoko a few years back in the Youth / Under 21 set up? I could swear we did but can find nowt on internet.
Mohammed Saied I think is the player you were thinking of??
Went back to Sweden after us and now plays for Columbus Crew in OOSA
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Can someone help me out?
Didn't we have a kid called Mo Sissoko a few years back in the Youth / Under 21 set up? I could swear we did but can find nowt on internet.
We did indeed. Was highly rated but never managed to break through and moved on. Like most of our kids.
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Can someone help me out?
Didn't we have a kid called Mo Sissoko a few years back in the Youth / Under 21 set up? I could swear we did but can find nowt on internet.
Sure he ended up in Scotland somewhere for a little bit, could be a different one however
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We did indeed. Was highly rated but never managed to break through and moved on. Like most of our kids.
Cheers gents, glad I'm not going mad. I thought he was highly rated as well. Shows how easy it is to fall off the radar and how good you have to be to forge any sort of professional career.
The likes of Wood, Roofe, Mantom etc. are often regarded as failures, but I think any of our academy players who make a living from the game should be considered a success.
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Cheers gents, glad I'm not going mad. I thought he was highly rated as well. Shows how easy it is to fall off the radar and how good you have to be to forge any sort of professional career.
The likes of Wood, Roofe, Mantom etc. are often regarded as failures, but I think any of our academy players who make a living from the game should be considered a success.
to us they are failures because they don't make the first team, but then you realise teams can only have 25 senior players. There are only about 2500 job places in the PL. with less than half of those being first team players. They've done well to get what they have, even at a lower level.
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wasn't it Ibrahim Sissoko and he was related (younger brother I believe) with Mo Sissoko who was at Liverpool at the time.
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wasn't it Ibrahim Sissoko and he was related (younger brother I believe) with Mo Sissoko who was at Liverpool at the time.
Yes that's him. Mo was average at Liverpool then did well in Germany. Ibrahim never went anywhere really.
EDIT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_bromwich_albion/4190418.stm
There's the article when we signed him
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We played Birmingham City yesterday in an U21 friendly at the training ground
Score 1-1
We played well in the first half, had many good moves & shots on goal but Birmingham scored just before HT, Nabi equalised midway through the second half from the penalty spot.
Team
Palmer - Sweeney, Howkins, O'Shea, McCourt - Nabi, Ward, Scrivens - Smith, Wright, Campbell
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Video of highlights from the friendly against Blues
http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/2016-17/west-brom-birmingham-city-3207187.aspx
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Video of highlights from the friendly against Blues
http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/2016-17/west-brom-birmingham-city-3207187.aspx
Some poor defending at times but looked decent going forward. Cracking penalty too.
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I'm not sure how the clubs were allocated, but we've been placed in Division 2 of the new Premier League 2 U23 set-up. Clubs are allowed to field a goalkeeper + up to 3 outfield players who are over 23, but they must have been born on or after 1/1/1993. There are 12 teams in each league with a 2-up, 2-down promotion/relegation system between the 2 leagues (using play-offs for the second promotion spot). The 2 divisions are comprised as follows:
Division 1: Arsenal, Chelsea, Derby County, Everton, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Reading, Southampton, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur
Division 2: Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Swansea City, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Each club plays all of the others home and away, so there will be 22 league games. There are also new Premier League Cup and Premier League International Cup (which has a Champions League format) competitions, although only 12 of the U23 teams can take part in the latter, which won't include us at present. As people will be aware, the U23 teams from 16 clubs are now also able to take part in the Football League Trophy. As people will know, we've already accepted that invitation, although a number of Prem clubs have declined. I'm sure there will be a pretty close correlation between those clubs who declined the invitation for the Football League Trophy and those who are taking part in the Premier League International Cup!
With the number of competitive games being played by these new U23 teams being greater than the previous U21 set-up, it'll be interesting to see if clubs are less inclined to loan players out to lower league clubs.
Source: Sky Sports (http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11671/10513184/premier-league-2-new-youth-competition-explained)
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Thanks for the info. Bit confused about the 'must have been born on or after 1/1/1993'. I assume that's the cut-off for those players classing as under 23 .....whereas there is no restriction for the 'goal keeper and 3 outfield players who can be over 23 ?? Is that right ?
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Thanks for the info. Bit confused about the 'must have been born on or after 1/1/1993'. I assume that's the cut-off for those players classing as under 23 .....whereas there is no restriction for the 'goal keeper and 3 outfield players who can be over 23 ?? Is that right ?
It's not entirely obvious from the Sky webpage that I got the info from, but the way it's written seems to imply that applies to the keeper and 3 outfield players who can be over 23, i.e. they can't be much over 23. Someone born on 1/1/1993 is now 23 years and 7 months old. The Sky webpage doesn't say if it's a fixed date or if it increases by a year each season.
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It's not entirely obvious from the Sky webpage that I got the info from, but the way it's written seems to imply that applies to the keeper and 3 outfield players who can be over 23, i.e. they can't be me much over 23. Someone born on 1/1/1993 is now 23 years and 7 months old. The Sky webpage doesn't say if it's a fixed date or if it increases by a year each season.
Cheers, I'm assuming it's like the other age groups where players have to be born after a certain date to qualify as under the age whatever the age limit is - so in this case anyone born later than 1/1/93 qualifies as under 23 in this years competition and anyone born before that date is an over age player.
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Albion team v @SwansOfficial in #PL2: Myhill, Gamboa, Fitzwater, O'Shea, Pocognoli, Ward, Smith, Sweeney, McManaman, McCourt, Wright
Albion subs: Rose, Pritchatt, Nabi, Barbir, Elbouzedi
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This has to be good in that it gives game time to 'fringe' players ....how many games have Gamboa and Poc played in the last 2 years ?
Also it must be good that some of the younger lads get experience playing with senior players ....even if some of them are 'bomb squad' members.
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Neil Taylor playing for Swansea? Can only assume he's played few friendliest after Euro16.
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This has to be good in that it gives game time to 'fringe' players ....how many games have Gamboa and Poc played in the last 2 years ?
Also it must be good that some of the younger lads get experience playing with senior players ....even if some of them are 'bomb squad' members.
Apart from Myhill, they're all bomb squad members! If they weren't, some of them would have been on the bench on Saturday, rather than the teenagers Pulis put there in preference. The line-ups on Saturday and yesterday does show how little depth we have in our squad - we don't even have enough in favour senior players to populate a match day 18.
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Just took this off Matt Wison's twitter page, very interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gz0QXzWcm8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gz0QXzWcm8)
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Just took this off Matt Wison's twitter page, very interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gz0QXzWcm8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gz0QXzWcm8)
Nice one and a good idea.
Sam Field comes across as a level headed, confident and mature young man too.
Good to see.
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Apart from Myhill, they're all bomb squad members! If they weren't, some of them would have been on the bench on Saturday, rather than the teenagers Pulis put there in preference. The line-ups on Saturday and yesterday does show how little depth we have in our squad - we don't even have enough in favour senior players to populate a match day 18.
Lets not assume though that teenagers are not good enough to be on the bench on merit.
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Lets not assume though that teenagers are not good enough to be on the bench on merit.
Agreed, must move on from this same old, same old. Alan Hansen's retired, you can win things with kids. Be great if half the England team came from our academy, eh 'Arry?
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Just took this off Matt Wison's twitter page, very interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gz0QXzWcm8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gz0QXzWcm8)
Was just reading that on Express & Star
West Brom target late developers (http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2016/08/18/west-brom-target-late-developers/)
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Had a lad on trial for us from arsenal tonight?
https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/arsenal-youngster-tyrell-robinson-scores-while-on-trial-at-west-bromwich-albion/?
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Had a lad on trial for us from arsenal tonight?
https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/arsenal-youngster-tyrell-robinson-scores-while-on-trial-at-west-bromwich-albion/?
He's a left winger who they want to play left back. Sign him up!!
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Played 5 games for Arsenal u21 last season
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can anyone tell us how I can keep up to date with the scores tonight against the wolves.
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can anyone tell us how I can keep up to date with the scores tonight against the wolves.
Google the clubs twitter , 0-0 so far 2nd half
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winning 1-0
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We are losing 2-1
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3-1 now
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That's a team with no senior Pros in and several of our more talented players have progressed to the 1st team or are out on loan.
I was surprised we took the lead, losing is no shock.
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It was interesting that no members of the bomb squad were in the U23 side tonight. I guess the club didn't want to risk them getting injured in case someone does happen to come in for any of them at the end of the window.
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Sissoko, Chamakh, Morrison, Leko and Wilson all involved tonight.
Anyone going?
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Given the players involved, would expect a win tonight.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsKyMWwXYAAfH1T.jpg)
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Would have liked to have seen Robson Kanu get some minutes.
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Would have liked to have seen Robson Kanu get some minutes.
Pulis has said he's doing a mini pre season to make sure he's ready properly (or close to it) and less likely to get injured.
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What did I miss? Isn't Roberts at Oxford?
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What did I miss? Isn't Roberts at Oxford?
No he is playing tonight i am at the game,, we are 1-0 up Callam Wilson, a goal at the hawthorns!!
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What did I miss? Isn't Roberts at Oxford?
Nothing, Callum Jones is on loan too at Accrington Stanley. there must be clauses to allow them to participate in U23 games.
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Nothing, Callum Jones is on loan too at Accrington Stanley. there must be clauses to allow them to participate in U23 games.
Yeah, they can be temporarily recalled for U23 games.
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Was Robson-Kanu eligible to play tonight or had we used our full quota of senior players. He certainly needs some match practice
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Our side should be beating a very weak u23 Brighton side by more than 1
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Our side should be beating a very weak u23 Brighton side by more than 1
To be fair to our under 23 team, a lot of the players who played in it last year are now out on loan elsewhere or involved in the first team.
Leko
Field
Roberts
Nabi - gone
Few other lads out on loan at lower league teams.
I imagine our under 23 team is now made up of a lot of under 18s.
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To be fair to our under 23 team, a lot of the players who played in it last year are now out on loan elsewhere or involved in the first team.
Leko
Field
Roberts
Nabi - gone
Few other lads out on loan at lower league teams.
I imagine our under 23 team is now made up of a lot of under 18s.
Roberts and Leko played as did Morrison Sissoko and Chamakh.
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Roberts and Jones are out on what are called youth loans where we can call them back to play in reserves games as and when we want.
Also helps if they aren't getting much playing time where they are they get useful minutes with us.
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anybody know the team that's playing the vile tonight?
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anybody know the team that's playing the vile tonight?
Don't know the actual team but there are scheduled to be five first team squad members in the squad for tonight.
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/wba-albion-premier-league-2-villa-brunt-nyom-mcmanaman-3315562.aspx (http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/wba-albion-premier-league-2-villa-brunt-nyom-mcmanaman-3315562.aspx)
The Vile are starting with Tshibola, Green and Kozak in their 11.
https://www.avfc.co.uk/News/2016/09/19/u23-west-brom-team-news (https://www.avfc.co.uk/News/2016/09/19/u23-west-brom-team-news)
Went to the clash at the Hawthorns last season and Green looked pretty decent.
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Don't know the actual team but there are scheduled to be five first team squad members in the squad for tonight.
http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/wba-albion-premier-league-2-villa-brunt-nyom-mcmanaman-3315562.aspx (http://www.wba.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/wba-albion-premier-league-2-villa-brunt-nyom-mcmanaman-3315562.aspx)
The Vile are starting with Tshibola, Green and Kozak in their 11.
https://www.avfc.co.uk/News/2016/09/19/u23-west-brom-team-news (https://www.avfc.co.uk/News/2016/09/19/u23-west-brom-team-news)
Went to the clash at the Hawthorns last season and Green looked pretty decent.
cheers smethdan, didn't realise brunty was this far back to fitness, not bad at £3 to see this.
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cheers smethdan, didn't realise brunty was this far back to fitness, not bad at £3 to see this.
No worries chap, they should be announcing the teams soon.
WBA twitter account linked below.
https://twitter.com/wba?lang=en-gb&lang=en-gb&lang=en-gb (https://twitter.com/wba?lang=en-gb&lang=en-gb&lang=en-gb)
Would have liked to go to this one but events have conspired against me.
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One down supposedly against the run of play Brunt playing Centre Mid.
edit. 1-1
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Now 2-1 up McManaman from a Brunt corner.
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2-2 >:(
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3- 2 :D Wilson
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HT 3 - 2
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We even gave them a goal lead.
2 - 4 to us now.
I know it's only the subs, but it's still fun to beat them.
I'd take Brunt off now though, no need to rush his knee. I'd like him back to LB come October or so.
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We even gave them a goal lead.
2 - 4 to us now.
I know it's only the subs, but it's still fun to beat them.
I'd take Brunt off now though, no need to rush his knee. I'd like him back to LB come October or so.
Replaced by Smith ;) .
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2-5 now ;D
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Tahvon Campbell with his second.
SOTV 8) .
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Goals galore this week in planet Albion!!
Campbell is banging them in now and I wonder if McManaman will ever get another chance...?
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SOTV 8) . :D
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Replaced by Smith ;) .
I could do this management lark.... :P
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SOTV indeed
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Goals galore this week in planet Albion!!
Campbell is banging them in now and I wonder if McManaman will ever get another chance...?
Given how Stoke are conceding, we really should be attacking them next weekend.
I'm actually looking forward to a game. How odd is that?!
Brilliant for our under 23s to get a game like this under their belts.
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Boing Boing, good win and let's hope they can keep this form going
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Good to see Brunty get some game time.
Campbell seems to be banging in a few goals lately too which is always good.
Did anyone go watch the game? Be interesting to see how the 'senior' lads got on.
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Unreal WBA side tonight vs Stoke, If near the ground well worth a watch
Galloway, Morrison, Leko, Kanu, Saido, Brunt + they have 3 first playing
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Ended up winning 2-1. Saido scored our first to level the game and then Brunt with a free-kick for the winner with both goals coming within a couple of minutes of each other in the second half.
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Good to see brunt getting more action and a goal, might only be for the u23's but it will do him the world of good.
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Does anyone know what's become of McManaman? At what point should we consider looking under the patio?!
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Good win again but was expecting a more convincing scoreline given the respective starting line ups. Question marks over their keeper for both goals as well.
Brunt and Berahino both too good for the U23s.
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Does anyone know what's become of McManaman? At what point should we consider looking under the patio?!
He played last week against Villa U23's and actually scored (one of about ten shots). Not sure why he didn't play last night.
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He played last week against Villa U23's and actually scored (one of about ten shots). Not sure why he didn't play last night.
Only allowed a quota of over 23s. More important for lads involved with first XI to get match fit.
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U23 side have a German centre forward on trial tonight sounds a bit of a beast !!!
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U23 side have a German centre forward on trial tonight sounds a bit of a beast !!!
Guy called Ferdinand Takyi, 22 years old. Last team was FC Oberneuland in the German 5th division and waswith Spartaks in Latvia beforehand. Found this video and if it's the right guy (No. 20) then yeah, he's massive!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDeACGkmqzM
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There's also a vid of him playing for Farnborough! Big unit, be interesting to see how he gets on tonight.
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Under 18 side drawing 0-0 at half time in the Birmingham senior cup away at Sutton Coldfield. Interestingly Cameron Gayle is playing for Sutton, formerly of our academy
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Under 18 side drawing 0-0 at half time in the Birmingham senior cup away at Sutton Coldfield. Interestingly Cameron Gayle is playing for Sutton, formerly of our academy
Lost on penalties.
One of our lads scored a stunning volley - not sure if it was Nabi or Dool. I thought it was Nabi, my son thought it was Dool.
SUTTON out muscled us. WE got into good positions bu didt not pull the trigger.
Elbouzedi created some good opportunities but scorned them. No 17 Bradley came on and looked sharp.
Noone looked particularly destined for the first team but it's a marathon not a sprint.
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Was this played on that funny plastic pitch?
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Was this played on that funny plastic pitch?
3G pitch.
http://www.3gpitchsuttoncoldfield.co.uk/ (http://www.3gpitchsuttoncoldfield.co.uk/)
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Was this played on that funny plastic pitch?
Horrible pitch. Ball was bobbling. Shocking for a 3G. I know Sutton have had the pitch examined.
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I quite liked the pitch in fairness, played on it a good few times last year unless it has seriously deteriorated since then.
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My son played on the pitch at Sutton Town, said he thought it was fine but it was a while ago.
3G pitches in Europe have been linked to cancer (Hodgkin’s lymphoma) due (I believe) to low grade rubber fill ins on the synthetic surface.
I'm told that pitch providers in the UK use different rubber but I cannot comment one way or the other on that one.
My son played at a tournament in Holland earlier this year.
Interestingly, all of the pitches were grass.
There used to be lots of 3G pitches in Holland. :-X .
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/10/15/why-3g-pitches-are-being-ripped-up-in-holland-over-health-fears/ (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/10/15/why-3g-pitches-are-being-ripped-up-in-holland-over-health-fears/)
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Yes I remember seeing something on the news where the father of a young goalkeeper in this country who was terminally ill was trying to raise the awareness of the potential dangers in these pitches.
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I've installed equipment on these pitches as the crumb was being laid. It sits on the chest for days. I suppose they have to find a use for all the tyres somewhere...but nobody yet understands what side effects breathing in this material will have. Apparently the FA are considering going back to grass for kids. Going to be interesting to see how this pans out.
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I've installed equipment on these pitches as the crumb was being laid. It sits on the chest for days. I suppose they have to find a use for all the tyres somewhere...but nobody yet understands what side effects breathing in this material will have. Apparently the FA are considering going back to grass for kids. Going to be interesting to see how this pans out.
Interesting.. I heard an fa chief on the radio the other day talking about their new initiative to get youngsters playing the right way in England for the future. He said they are focusing on all weather 3g pitches as they improve technical skills and mean less matches are called off in the winter. Wanted pitches all over England in every major city to bring through the next generation of English talent
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losing 1-0 atm against wolves.
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What does anyone know about Harper who was on the bench for the senior team tonight?
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What does anyone know about Harper who was on the bench for the senior team tonight?
All I know is he has been training with the 1st team, has impressed Pulis and travelled with the team a few weeks ago. Is a box to box midfielder I think.
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Got injured in under 23 match couple of weeks ago don`t think to serious
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Got injured in under 23 match couple of weeks ago don`t think to serious
can't have been too serious as he was on our bench on Wednesday
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can't have been too serious as he was on our bench on Wednesday
Played for the U23's against Wolves on Monday night too.
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Sorry got the wrong player was thinking of Kane Wilson :-X
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Close mate of mine is a Mansfield season ticket holder and he is absolutely raving about Kyle Howkins. Says he is too good for them and looks like he should be playing at a higher level. Absolute rock in centre of defence. His words not mine.
http://www.stagsnet.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30610
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2-0 down to the Vile :o
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1-2 now
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3-2 us Berahino twice :o
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3-2 us Berahino twice :o
Sign him up..
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3-2 us Berahino twice :o
No chance there must be an error, he's too fat and can't score :-[ ::)
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3-2 us Berahino twice :o
It's only against championship reserves though ;)
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It's only against championship reserves though ;)
Couldn't beat championship reserves at the weekend to be fair
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latest anyone?
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latest anyone?
still 3-2
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-brom-vs-aston-villa-12428367
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still 3-2
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-brom-vs-aston-villa-12428367
thanks
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3-3
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2 for Saido I see
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2 for Saido I see
I bet billy big bollox is smirking tonight. ;D
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I bet billy big bollox is smirking tonight. ;D
Will probably post something on social media
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This is the B,ham mails timeline on Saidos performance tonight. they couldn't even get the result right.
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/866539944?-11200:789:0
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Close mate of mine is a Mansfield season ticket holder and he is absolutely raving about Kyle Howkins. Says he is too good for them and looks like he should be playing at a higher level. Absolute rock in centre of defence. His words not mine.
http://www.stagsnet.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30610
I've seen him play for the reserves a few times. A big unit a proper centre half and looks like he will have a decent future wether he reaches premier level is too early to say but a good prospect
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2 for Saido I see
Well done Saido.
Now #### off out of our club.
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No chance there must be an error, he's too fat and can't score :-[ ::)
He looked massive on the highlights
A first team player with tons of experience in the Premier League scoring twice against some u-23's...yes he must be back to his best :-X
He doesnt look in shape to me whatsoever
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He looked massive on the highlights
A first team player with tons of experience in the Premier League scoring twice against some u-23's...yes he must be back to his best :-X
He doesnt look in shape to me whatsoever
And what's that got to do with my comment just because saido played and your not happy about it? ::)
Does it really hurt you that much to see him in a baggie shirt? :o
He may not look in shape to you, but luckily we have professionals at the club judging the players on fitness and shape etc and not you.
He was called into the squad for that game, he played, ran his arse off for 90mins (according to atleast 2 people ive seen put on here), he got a couple goals... there's no negative there but there's still people like you that only has negative things to say? what a complete joke.
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He looked massive on the highlights
A first team player with tons of experience in the Premier League scoring twice against some u-23's...yes he must be back to his best :-X
He doesnt look in shape to me whatsoever
this was confirmed by somebody i know who went, his words.................he didnt look very f.......g slim to me !!!!
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He looked massive on the highlights
A first team player with tons of experience in the Premier League scoring twice against some u-23's...yes he must be back to his best :-X
He doesnt look in shape to me whatsoever
Where were the highlights out of interest?
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Under 23 highlights on the website now
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Where were the highlights out of interest?
You can see them on the official club website.
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Where were the highlights out of interest?
Here you go if you haven't seen them yet.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/villa-albion-hepburn-saido-berahino--12434206 (http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/villa-albion-hepburn-saido-berahino--12434206)
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http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2017/01/10/tony-pulis-turns-up-west-brom-heat-on-rekeem-harper/
"Tony Pulis has urged Albion’s promising youngster Rekeem Harper to take off his gloves and roll up his sleeves.
The Baggies boss has been hugely impressed with the talent he’s found being nurtured in the academy and has already given minutes on the pitch this season to Sam Field, 18, Jonathan Leko, 17, and Kane Wilson, 16.
He named Field, Wilson and 16-year-old Harper on the bench for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Derby County.
Although none of them were used, Pulis is eager for all three to taste men’s football this season and hopes to send them out on loan.
Harper is just the latest teenager to catch the eye in training.
He first travelled to an away game with the squad in November when the Baggies beat Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, and then he was named on the bench for December’s home win over Swansea.
A former striker, he has been converted to a dynamic box-to-box midfielder versatile enough to play a holding role or behind the striker if required.
Pulis believes Harper has the skill-set necessary to succeed, but now he’s challenged the young midfielder to show some grit and determination to match it.
“Rek has done fantastic,” said Pulis. “He’s a young midfield player who is only 16, but he’s got all the tools to be a player. He’s another one who’s got to take his gloves off and get his hands dirty. Find out what it’s all about.
“As I keep saying, academy football is not just about developing your skills, it’s about learning your trade.
“You don’t learn your trade by having your gloves on all the time and not going out and getting cold.”
Pulis reckons the best way to do that is to go out on loan to lower league clubs and taste men’s football in a pressurised environment.
He’s hoping the club will do enough business in January to allow him to send the youngsters out on loan.
“If we can bring players in then maybe (we can loan them out),” he said. “At the moment those players are training with us.
“We had three youngsters on the bench on Saturday. If we can get the group that we want, it gives us the option for us to get them out.
“I am really keen to get those kids playing; Sam, Kane and Rekeem.”
Albion have recalled forwards Tyler Roberts, 17, from Oxford United; Tahvon Campbell, 19, from Yeovil Town and Andre Wright, 20, from Coventry, and now plan to find them new clubs.
Defender Kyle Howkins, 20, has remained at League Two Mansfield Town and played 90 minutes in their 3-0 win over Crewe on Saturday.
Shaun Donnellan, 19, came off the bench for National League side Dagenham & Redbridge in the 89th minute."
Hadn't seen this posted. Would rather Leko stay and get game time but if it's sit on the bench or play in the Championship or League One, then I wouldn't mind them going out on loan.
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http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2017/01/10/tony-pulis-turns-up-west-brom-heat-on-rekeem-harper/
"Tony Pulis has urged Albion’s promising youngster Rekeem Harper to take off his gloves and roll up his sleeves.
The Baggies boss has been hugely impressed with the talent he’s found being nurtured in the academy and has already given minutes on the pitch this season to Sam Field, 18, Jonathan Leko, 17, and Kane Wilson, 16.
He named Field, Wilson and 16-year-old Harper on the bench for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Derby County.
Although none of them were used, Pulis is eager for all three to taste men’s football this season and hopes to send them out on loan.
Harper is just the latest teenager to catch the eye in training.
He first travelled to an away game with the squad in November when the Baggies beat Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, and then he was named on the bench for December’s home win over Swansea.
A former striker, he has been converted to a dynamic box-to-box midfielder versatile enough to play a holding role or behind the striker if required.
Pulis believes Harper has the skill-set necessary to succeed, but now he’s challenged the young midfielder to show some grit and determination to match it.
“Rek has done fantastic,” said Pulis. “He’s a young midfield player who is only 16, but he’s got all the tools to be a player. He’s another one who’s got to take his gloves off and get his hands dirty. Find out what it’s all about.
“As I keep saying, academy football is not just about developing your skills, it’s about learning your trade.
“You don’t learn your trade by having your gloves on all the time and not going out and getting cold.”
Pulis reckons the best way to do that is to go out on loan to lower league clubs and taste men’s football in a pressurised environment.
He’s hoping the club will do enough business in January to allow him to send the youngsters out on loan.
“If we can bring players in then maybe (we can loan them out),” he said. “At the moment those players are training with us.
“We had three youngsters on the bench on Saturday. If we can get the group that we want, it gives us the option for us to get them out.
“I am really keen to get those kids playing; Sam, Kane and Rekeem.”
Albion have recalled forwards Tyler Roberts, 17, from Oxford United; Tahvon Campbell, 19, from Yeovil Town and Andre Wright, 20, from Coventry, and now plan to find them new clubs.
Defender Kyle Howkins, 20, has remained at League Two Mansfield Town and played 90 minutes in their 3-0 win over Crewe on Saturday.
Shaun Donnellan, 19, came off the bench for National League side Dagenham & Redbridge in the 89th minute."
Hadn't seen this posted. Would rather Leko stay and get game time but if it's sit on the bench or play in the Championship or League One, then I wouldn't mind them going out on loan.
Would imagine Leko is the only one good enough for regular Championship football, League 2 is fine for the rest of them at 16 and 17.
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And what's that got to do with my comment just because saido played and your not happy about it? ::)
Does it really hurt you that much to see him in a baggie shirt? :o
He may not look in shape to you, but luckily we have professionals at the club judging the players on fitness and shape etc and not you.
He was called into the squad for that game, he played, ran his arse off for 90mins (according to atleast 2 people ive seen put on here), he got a couple goals... there's no negative there but there's still people like you that only has negative things to say? what a complete joke.
He is a horrible fat f--- who should never have been allowed to put the shirt on again. In my opinion by letting him do so the club are taking the mick out of the fans!
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Should not be allowed anywhere near the Hawthorns and no it doesn`t hurt
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He is a horrible fat f--- who should never have been allowed to put the shirt on again. In my opinion by letting him do so the club are taking the mick out of the fans!
I agree. He has absolutely no respect for West Bromwich Albion so why should we have any respect for him. As it seems we have a good crop of youngsters progressing nicely at the moment both in our under 23 set up and out on loan doing well, the last thing we need is for these youngsters to have their heads turned and be influenced by Berahino. He is no example to set, he should be nowhere near our under 23 side.
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Should not be allowed anywhere near the Hawthorns and no it doesn`t hurt
Sounds like it ;)
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And what's that got to do with my comment just because saido played and your not happy about it? ::)
Does it really hurt you that much to see him in a baggie shirt? :o
He may not look in shape to you, but luckily we have professionals at the club judging the players on fitness and shape etc and not you.
He was called into the squad for that game, he played, ran his arse off for 90mins (according to atleast 2 people ive seen put on here), he got a couple goals... there's no negative there but there's still people like you that only has negative things to say? what a complete joke.
You are right I can't stand him, can't stand seeing him in an Albion top absolutely not
Pulis also agrees he is not in shape so the club don't think he is fit either where have you been the last 6 months it's common knowledge
I'm an allowed an opinion so I'll state it, this is what the forum is for
Does it hurt you that much that I don't like him??
Your rolling eyes stating that it must be an error he's too fat and can't score has everything to do with my reply....
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You are right I can't stand him, can't stand seeing him in an Albion top absolutely not
Pulis also agrees he is not in shape so the club don't think he is fit either where have you been the last 6 months it's common knowledge
I'm an allowed an opinion so I'll state it, this is what the forum is for
Does it hurt you that much that I don't like him??
Your rolling eyes stating that it must be an error he's too fat and can't score has everything to do with my reply....
So your p*ssed off because he played and scored yet you say he can't play because he's too fat and can't score?
Cue the 'it's u21's he should score, he's fat, I hate him, I want him out our club...' comments... ;D
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So your p*ssed off because he played and scored yet you say he can't play because he's too fat and can't score?
Cue the 'it's u21's he should score, he's fat, I hate him, I want him out our club...' comments... ;D
Just a thought, how much money has TP knocked off the value Sadio by saying he's not fit against saying he's fit but i don't want to play him.
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To be honest I don`t care if he`s fit or not to me he will never be fit enough to wear a Baggies shirt again in my eye`s. Arn`t we the club who for 10 year`s got him to level of getting in the England squad and playing premier league football and what does he do throw`s is dummy out the pram because he can`t get his own way with a move that at the time was not right for club.
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Gents if you want to talk about Berahino in more depth there's a thread for him.
Let's keep this thread to the current batch of Academy players
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Stourbridge central defender Dan Scarr is training with West Brom’s U23s.
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why call them u23s. much prefer the central league
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Here you go if you haven't seen them yet.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/villa-albion-hepburn-saido-berahino--12434206 (http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/villa-albion-hepburn-saido-berahino--12434206)
The quality of football in that game was awful! They really need to sort out some proper competitive stuff for the youngsters to do, know wonder hardly any make it through in the premier league. Agree Saido looks huge, his first miss sums him up.
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The quality of football in that game was awful! They really need to sort out some proper competitive stuff for the youngsters to do, know wonder hardly any make it through in the premier league. Agree Saido looks huge, his first miss sums him up.
He does look big agreed but he takes his two goals well.
The goal keeping for Villas second is appalling too.
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actually two decent strikes, good composure. OK the standard isnt the same but the lad still has to put them in, and he does.
His first miss was shocking but testament to lack of confidence tbh
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Close mate of mine is a Mansfield season ticket holder and he is absolutely raving about Kyle Howkins. Says he is too good for them and looks like he should be playing at a higher level. Absolute rock in centre of defence. His words not mine.
http://www.stagsnet.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30610
Kyle Howkins has now signed a new two and a half year contract with us.
http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2017/01/12/young-defender-kyle-howkins-signs-new-west-brom-contract/ (http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2017/01/12/young-defender-kyle-howkins-signs-new-west-brom-contract/)
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Not sure if mentioned elsewhere, but Tyler Roberts has gone on loan to league 1 Shrewsbury until the end of the season. Hope he does well, I only hear good things about him.
http://www.skysports.com/transfer/news/12691/10732276/west-brom-striker-tyler-roberts-joins-shrewsbury-on-loan
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Andre Wright's loan move to Yeovil has been cancelled due to playing for two clubs already this season :
West Bromwich Albion have criticised "unclear" rules for the EFL Trophy after striker Andre Wright's loan move to Yeovil Town fell through.
The 20-year-old played for West Brom's Under-21 side in the EFL Trophy in August before a loan spell at Coventry.
His move to Yeovil for the rest of the season had been announced on Tuesday.
But players can only appear for two clubs in one season and West Brom say the EFL deems the Trophy game to be a first-team fixture.
"It's a great shame because it would have been another excellent development opportunity for Andre," Albion director of football administration Richard Garlick told the club website.
"At the time of Andre's Trophy appearance, the rules were unclear regarding whether this was designated a first-team or Under-23 match. We had not had the approach from Coventry at that point."
A statement from Yeovil said they were "disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to work with Wright but wish him all the best for the remainder of the season".
An EFL spokesman told BBC Sport that the Trophy has "always been" a first-team competition and therefore subject to Fifa regulations.
"Therefore, the EFL has no option but to reject the registration for non-compliance, but shares the frustration of both clubs," he added.
What do the Fifa rules say?
Section five, clause three of Fifa's regulation on status and transfer of players states: "Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs.
"As an exception to this rule, a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season, provided he has fully complied with his contractual obligations towards his previous clubs."
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Thought it was worth saying that Sam Field looked decent when he came on.
Put in a great tackle when called upon.
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Good to see him get some game time.
Hope TP gives the lads more time has the season rolls on.
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Youngster been talked about in the press, brought him from Yeovil, apparently very highly thought of in the youth. Anybody give me a run down of him, is he impressing in the youth set up. Rakheem Harper and Kane Wilson are others heard good things about, Tahvon Campbell as well. Obviously Tyler Roberts is impressing. Future is looking good with our youngsters. Credit to the youth set up of the club. ;)
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Tyler Roberts scored again today
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Tyler Roberts scored again today
Can we recall him?! May need some unpredictability up top!
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Can we recall him?! May need some unpredictability up top!
Could do with him as the expected striker problem comes home to roost now Rondons form as gone and we have no real quality options at this level.
No real surprise to most of us.
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Andre Wright having a trial at Brighton with hopes of a permanent move.
Good luck Andre!
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Goalkeeper Jack Rose has left the club. No mention of any club yet.
1/2 Big thank you to everyone @WBA for the last 12 years I've had some great experiences,memories and enjoyed every minute of it.. 2/2 but it's now time to start a new chapter for me and get first team football at another club ⚽️ #wba #newchapter
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Goalkeeper Jack Rose has left the club. No mention of any club yet.
1/2 Big thank you to everyone @WBA for the last 12 years I've had some great experiences,memories and enjoyed every minute of it.. 2/2 but it's now time to start a new chapter for me and get first team football at another club ⚽️ #wba #newchapter
Was supposed to be going to Peterborough up until last week , change at their end.
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Having looked at the team sheets on the new web site I noticed that Kane Wilson, Leko, Field and Harper all feature as members of the first team squad.
Just wondered if anyone knows what's happening/not happening regarding Danny Barbir, the American lad we signed from Manchester City. There was a bit of noise surrounding him at the time and just wondered whether anyone has any news of release/potential loan status.
He's 19 now, featured in ten EPL2 fixtures last season and to my knowledge has not been out on loan, something which TP is very keen on for all of our youngsters. His twitter account still lists him as being an Albion player but I have seen no mention of him anywhere of late.
Not stalking the lad but I'd be interested in any up to date news as he appeared to have everything going for him.
End note: 6ft 3+, left footed and decent on the ball.
Edit: he doesn't feature in the EPL2 squad either.
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Saw someone on twitter the other week say Barbir had been let go but not sure where they got the information from.
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Saw someone on twitter the other week say Barbir had been let go but not sure where they got the information from.
Cheers BH, I'll keep a look out 8) .
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Cheers BH, I'll keep a look out 8) .
Being reported in brum mail that 14 of our youngsters have been released, Barbir one of them
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Being reported in brum mail that 14 of our youngsters have been released, Barbir one of them
Yes mate, just read that.
Having a bit of a spring clean by the looks of things.
Be interesting to see what careers any of them go on to have.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/west-brom-release-14-part-13146658 (http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/west-brom-release-14-part-13146658)
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Barbir was highly-rated when he joined us, surprised that he was released by us so early.
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thought we had high hopes with Rose as a keeper who's also been released.
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it's getting really tough for these lads....seems they've got to be pretty near the squad / team at 18 or they'll be off
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From what i have, and reports read on them im not suprised by a single of them being released,
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thought we had high hopes with Rose as a keeper who's also been released.
I think it was more his decision so he could go and get some games under his belt
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I think there are a number of factors in play here. Firstly have a lot of talent in the younger age groups which we are keen to push through by playing up a level and to do this we have to free up spaces on those squads.
Secondly we are raising the standards and we expect players to be ready for Premier League football at the age of 20/21 I think in the past some of these lads would have got contracts until they were that age and then be moved on when they couldn't make the final step to 1st team football. We are now making that decision earlier in their career.
The only two names that are slightly surprising are Jack Rose and Danny Barbir. It seems that Rose wanted to leave in pursuit of better opportunities so maybe that isn't entirely our decision.
Danny Babir was seen as a bit of a coup when we picked him up from Man City. Quite what has happened here but for whatever reason he hasn't developed as we would have hoped, one factor is he has played a lot of US youth football which doesn't necessarily dovetail with the English season so he hasn't been available as much as he should have been.
Equally he was exceptionally tall for his age and as this physical advantaged has lessened as he has progressed through the age groups and maybe he has been exposed as a bit of a bully and hasn't been able to adjust to playing against players who aren't intimidated by his physique.
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0-0 for U23s v Stourbridge
http://www.stourbridgefc.com/news/wba-u23-0-stourbridge-0-1868273.html
https://mobile.twitter.com/StourbridgeFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
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All very good saying how bright our future youngsters are and mentioning the players who've come through the academy into the first team but how many are still here.
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/893133774?-11200:789:0
if we are going to nurture them into top players then use them or its a waste of resources.
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All very good saying how bright our future youngsters are and mentioning the players who've come through the academy into the first team but how many are still here.
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/893133774?-11200:789:0
if we are going to nurture them into top players then use them or its a waste of resources.
The cynic in me says that story has been released as a positive distraction by the club. E.g. don't worry about the lack of signings we'll be making or players falling out with the manager, we've got loads of good talent here already to use instead.
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The academy is becoming more important to the club I have seen another article which says that the new board is much more interested in the academy. With regard to article you have to remember who is being interviewed i.e Steve Hopcroft who is the guy who has to pitch our academy against all the other club's academies and from a parents point of view the fact that our academy graduates get pro contracts somewhere even if it isn't the Albion is vitally important.
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Anyone going to see the U23's v Rhyl tomorrow?
Well, pretty much the youth team squad probably :) .
Rhyl lost 1-2 v Liverpool U23's to a side featuring Yan Dhanda on Wednesday night.
http://www.rhylfc.co.uk/Matchreport.aspx?id=111404 (http://www.rhylfc.co.uk/Matchreport.aspx?id=111404)
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As an aside our U15's reportedly won a tournament over in Thailand yesterday.
Nothing on the O/S though.
If so then well done to the lads.
COYB 8) .
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We could have a special group of players coming through the under 14 15 16 youth teams hope we can keep hold of them as they are winning some seriously tournaments against top European teams
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Anyone going to see the U23's v Rhyl tomorrow?
Well, pretty much the youth team squad probably :) .
Rhyl lost 1-2 v Liverpool U23's to a side featuring Yan Dhanda on Wednesday night.
http://www.rhylfc.co.uk/Matchreport.aspx?id=111404 (http://www.rhylfc.co.uk/Matchreport.aspx?id=111404)
Is that a no then folks ;D ?
Can't make La Coruna, so Rhyl it is.
COYB 8) .
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Is that a no then folks ;D ?
Can't make La Coruna, so Rhyl it is.
COYB 8) .
I know your not a fair weather supporter Dan but its ****ing down in north wales and is likely all day. keep your shekels dry for a better day elsewhere.
or alternatively make sure you pack your yellow wellies. ;D
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A little bit late, but earlier in the week the U18s and 23s spent the day getting beasted in the name of teamwork (my mate was one of the instructors)
https://www.facebook.com/outdoortrainingcentre/posts/1878866552371044
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Just seen the youth team at Brum airport; any ideas where they are off?
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Marc Wilson is with them flying to Prague....
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Just seen the youth team at Brum airport; any ideas where they are off?
Oficial twitter says U23's are heading out to Czech Republic (Czechia I think it is now?).
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any links to watch today's game?
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Sorry only have this one from the E and S
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-u23-vs-west-13476692
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Birmingham Mail not E and S :/
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1-1 atm,we just equalised.
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Big Bo in goal. Stealing a living that bloke
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Lost 3-1 :'(
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Under 23's playing at home tonight with Gibbs set to be in the team. Does anyone know if the match is open to the public and if so how much it is?
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Under 23's playing at home tonight with Gibbs set to be in the team. Does anyone know if the match is open to the public and if so how much it is?
Free for season-ticket holders.
£5 adults and £1 concessions.
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G-Mac, Yacob, Burke and Field also supposedly involved.
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1-0 up half time v Walsall in cup
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1-0 up half time v Walsall in cup
1-1
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1-1
3-1 down now
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Walsall were being offered at 4/5 to win and once i saw the team we put out it was near certain.
Very easy money.
It's a shame for the guys left that all the good ones go out on loan. It must be very hard to motivate the left behind. No wonder they lose alot at the moment.
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I dont think it's a motivation issue, I think because we have so many out on loan, it means that players are having to play above their age group. We are putting very young sides out in the u23/u18s at the minute.
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I dont think it's a motivation issue, I think because we have so many out on loan, it means that players are having to play above their age group. We are putting very young sides out in the u23/u18s at the minute.
I agree with this, the XI today averaged just over 18 years of age with the GK being the only one over 20.
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Walsall were being offered at 4/5 to win and once i saw the team we put out it was near certain.
Very easy money.
It's a shame for the guys left that all the good ones go out on loan. It must be very hard to motivate the left behind. No wonder they lose alot at the moment.
Was 11/10 earlier in the day, Very easy mone :D
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Non of the unders doing anything special either
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today's lineup vs Wolves
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dk0SGyNXoAAbe5E.jpg:large)
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is there any point in throwing money into a scheme that delivers so little.
would you sign for Albion if you was a youngster? knowing there's little opportunity for 1st team outings.
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is there any point in throwing money into a scheme that delivers so little.
would you sign for Albion if you was a youngster? knowing there's little opportunity for 1st team outings.
The ones who are seen as promising enough have gotten loan deals. Fitzwater has played a lot for Walsall. Wilson has had a lot of game time for them also (albeit from the bench mostly). O'Shea has become an ever present in Exeters back line.
The youth have had more opportunities in the cup already then they would have had under any of the previous managers. Leko needs a loan to league one. Edwards also unless we are going to give him game time.
Field might/should get his chance now Livermore is suspended. However if Moore sees Harper as ahead of him. Then field also needs a loan.
Our under 23s is usually a very young team as the promising players leave on loan and we promote within.
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is there any point in throwing money into a scheme that delivers so little.
would you sign for Albion if you was a youngster? knowing there's little opportunity for 1st team outings.
Yes and No.
Granted there aren't many players who have made the step up from academy to first team regulars, but Leko, Field, Edwards, Harper are all on pro contracts (picking up decent money). Fitzwater, O'Shea, Wilson are getting game time.
If I was a youngster I would still be attracted by coming to our academy, if you look at it from the outside, there are 3/4 youngsters constantly in or around the first team squad (granted not getting minutes). Majority of our youth players do also leave to get a solid career playing in the lower leagues, i.e Mantom, Roofe left for lower leagues and proved himself, same with Wood.
Our academy is no worse than anyone elses. Look at Chelsea's academy, they send approx. 35-40 players out on loan every year and the likelihood is none of them will play for the first team. They are low on striker options yet Abraham is playing championship football. Hudson Odoi is one of the highly rated youngsters yet doesn't make the bench, you can even look as far as Loftus Cheek who isn't getting many starts.
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is there any point in throwing money into a scheme that delivers so little.
would you sign for Albion if you was a youngster? knowing there's little opportunity for 1st team outings.
Yes, we have a great reputation of turning out players to the lower leagues and the occasional gem gets produced.
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The one that confuses me the most is Kyle Edwards.
Was arguably our best player in pre season and looked ready to make the step up.
Looked tidy in the cup games, got himself some first team minutes at RWB and looked solid enough to help out as and when needed, doesn't seem to have featured even on the bench since then.
Seems a strange one.
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The one that confuses me the most is Kyle Edwards.
Was arguably our best player in pre season and looked ready to make the step up.
Looked tidy in the cup games, got himself some first team minutes at RWB and looked solid enough to help out as and when needed, doesn't seem to have featured even on the bench since then.
Seems a strange one.
Not strange mate, criminal. As supporters do you think that we should be given some explanation as to why he, and Harper, and Field have been overlooked, when so many senior players have offered nothing from the bench, and indeed when selected to start.
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I'd certainly rather see someone like Harper, Field or Edwards used from the bench than Wes Hoolahan. For me Hoolahan has offered absolutely nothing since he's been here, is past his best and isn't even our player really. He should be released.
With Livermore now suspended I'd like to see Harper replace him as he has the physicality we will lack without Livermore. Don't think it will happen though.
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I'd certainly rather see someone like Harper, Field or Edwards used from the bench than Wes Hoolahan. For me Hoolahan has offered absolutely nothing since he's been here, is past his best and isn't even our player really. He should be released.
With Livermore now suspended I'd like to see Harper replace him as he has the physicality we will lack without Livermore. Don't think it will happen though.
Perfect game for him to start is in the cup against Wigan, then give him the game that Livermore misses.
Wont happen though, I expect the midfield will be Morrison Barry Phillips when Livermore is missing.
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The club will keep the academy as the players who we sell on for small fees will no doubt have sell on clauses just in case they make it, those clauses will pay for the academy to keep going in the hope that we do find that gem somewhere.
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The club will keep the academy as the players who we sell on for small fees will no doubt have sell on clauses just in case they make it, those clauses will pay for the academy to keep going in the hope that we do find that gem somewhere.
100%.
You only have to look at a few names littered around the leagues to show that the academy is working and it is producing talented players. (whether they get game time with us is down to whoever is the head coach at the time).
Izzy Brown
Berahino - the fee we received has justified the use of the academy.
Yan Dhanda - Swansea
Kemar Roofe
Chris Wood.
Have all made a career from our academy, add to that Fitzwater whos now had two solid years in league 1, amongst other names all with successful loans (Edwards, O'Shea).
If they don't make it at the Albion, but get moved on for nominal fees, it keeps the academy a float and worthwhile.
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100%.
You only have to look at a few names littered around the leagues to show that the academy is working and it is producing talented players. (whether they get game time with us is down to whoever is the head coach at the time).
Izzy Brown
Berahino - the fee we received has justified the use of the academy.
Yan Dhanda - Swansea
Kemar Roofe
Chris Wood.
Have all made a career from our academy, add to that Fitzwater whos now had two solid years in league 1, amongst other names all with successful loans (Edwards, O'Shea).
If they don't make it at the Albion, but get moved on for nominal fees, it keeps the academy a float and worthwhile.
Plus Romaine Sawyers who we are now being linked with to resign and Tyler Roberts
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One thing i do think is a myth about Darren Moore is he wont use the young players, he will, Harvey Barnes and Tosin play pretty much every game and i am pretty sure Holgate will play most games too, they are all young players, so if your good enough, you will play.
I think that probably suggests that he doesnt think our own crop of youngsters are good enough or not better than the current first teams which is fair enough.
Moore would want our own youngsters in more than anybody, he is a local bloke, knows what it means to fans to have 'one of our own', he has worked with them at youth level, managed them into the senior setup, gave them preseason and has come to the conclusion that they arent upto standard (yet)
As fans we are desperate for our own youngsters to come through, but there is a big difference between signing your first couple of contracts to becoming a fully fledged footballer, its okay doing it in front of 50 people for the under 23's or now and again at Cradley Town in the Birmingham senior cup, the real challenge when you sign pro is in training everyday, competing with somebody for your shirt, having thousands of people pay hard earned money and giving their often unpleasant opinions on matchdays at you.
Joey Barton said when he was at QPR and they had a decent youth team, he went into them, asked who the centre midfielder was, he went upto him and said me and you are now competing for a shirt and that the lad had better be prepared to work harder, train harder and fight harder to get it off him because this was his living, the lad went on to do nothing in the game along with most of that highly rated youth team.
I was lucky enough many moons ago to be an apprentice footballer, i didnt ever really get that close to the first team (only by default on the odd occasion) but there were lads loads better than me, who you thought were guarenteed to 'make it', who did sign pro, who were in and around the first team but when push come to shove they just didnt have the mentality to go on and force their way in, the biggest step is from signing a professional contract to becoming a professional footballer. Through work i see plenty of young pro's at clubs all over the country and there are many who are just happy to say they are pro footballers without ever playing any games (not saying Albions youngsters are like that as i havent had anything to do with them)
Its ok saying give them a chance but if they arent upto standard then you can ruin their future careers and cost the team, as stated the reasons above, Moore knows more about our youngsters than anybody, I am sure he would rather of saved the wages on the likes of squad players like Hoolahan, Sako and Mears and used the funds elsewhere but he sees our youngsters everyday and has decided that right now they arent good enough.
I hope if nothing else they are loaned out this month, i will be critical of Moore if they arent as judging by his squad selections (Harper gets in but how much of that is he is highly rated or how much he fills the academy player quota we dont know, the fact he never gets on suggests its quota thing) Moore doesnt think they are good enough so dont keep them at the club with no intention of playing them.
I am not sure Leko will make it with us at all, he made his debut three seasons ago and hasnt kicked on, at the time he was exciting as he was tricky and skilful but had no end product, the fact he hasnt got near the team often since and also had his loan away cancelled early suggests he still hasnt added that end product.
Burke is similar, he burst onto the scene 3 or 4 years but has still yet to start more than 20 games in his whole career. I think like many youngsters over the years he burst on the scene and took everyone by surprise and did well and got a big money move. The germans are very much into tapping into British talent at the moment, the worry would be they cut their losses and gave up on him in less than a year. Since three Albion managers have chose not to use him, from what i have seen in his brief appearances there is nothing that has made me think he deserves a chance, he is quick and strong but not really seen much else. I think he needs to go on loan to a club where the team is setup to suit him, maybe even drop to league one, play reguarly, learn to play a role, get his confidence back, and see what happens.
Field i think could come into our team now and wouldnt look out of place but also wouldnt standout, i think he will have a good steady career as a championship player, maybe lower league premier at the best, i think with Livermore now banned for 4 games if Field cannot get any minutes then he needs to ask to leave for his own good.
I havent really seen enough of Harper, Fitzwater or Wilson to comment, but Edwards is the one who has stood out to me. I think all our younger players will have careers in football, they obviously are talented to get to where they are now but i have a feeling only one maybe two will have it at the Albion. Not many of our youngsters have gone onto better things, most have had to take a step or two down to come back and i think that will be the case with most of ours (would love to be proved wrong and they all become Albion legends!)
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One thing i do think is a myth about Darren Moore is he wont use the young players, he will, Harvey Barnes and Tosin play pretty much every game and i am pretty sure Holgate will play most games too, they are all young players, so if your good enough, you will play.
I think that probably suggests that he doesnt think our own crop of youngsters are good enough or not better than the current first teams which is fair enough.
Moore would want our own youngsters in more than anybody, he is a local bloke, knows what it means to fans to have 'one of our own', he has worked with them at youth level, managed them into the senior setup, gave them preseason and has come to the conclusion that they arent upto standard (yet)
As fans we are desperate for our own youngsters to come through, but there is a big difference between signing your first couple of contracts to becoming a fully fledged footballer, its okay doing it in front of 50 people for the under 23's or now and again at Cradley Town in the Birmingham senior cup, the real challenge when you sign pro is in training everyday, competing with somebody for your shirt, having thousands of people pay hard earned money and giving their often unpleasant opinions on matchdays at you.
Joey Barton said when he was at QPR and they had a decent youth team, he went into them, asked who the centre midfielder was, he went upto him and said me and you are now competing for a shirt and that the lad had better be prepared to work harder, train harder and fight harder to get it off him because this was his living, the lad went on to do nothing in the game along with most of that highly rated youth team.
I was lucky enough many moons ago to be an apprentice footballer, i didnt ever really get that close to the first team (only by default on the odd occasion) but there were lads loads better than me, who you thought were guarenteed to 'make it', who did sign pro, who were in and around the first team but when push come to shove they just didnt have the mentality to go on and force their way in, the biggest step is from signing a professional contract to becoming a professional footballer. Through work i see plenty of young pro's at clubs all over the country and there are many who are just happy to say they are pro footballers without ever playing any games (not saying Albions youngsters are like that as i havent had anything to do with them)
Its ok saying give them a chance but if they arent upto standard then you can ruin their future careers and cost the team, as stated the reasons above, Moore knows more about our youngsters than anybody, I am sure he would rather of saved the wages on the likes of squad players like Hoolahan, Sako and Mears and used the funds elsewhere but he sees our youngsters everyday and has decided that right now they arent good enough.
I hope if nothing else they are loaned out this month, i will be critical of Moore if they arent as judging by his squad selections (Harper gets in but how much of that is he is highly rated or how much he fills the academy player quota we dont know, the fact he never gets on suggests its quota thing) Moore doesnt think they are good enough so dont keep them at the club with no intention of playing them.
I am not sure Leko will make it with us at all, he made his debut three seasons ago and hasnt kicked on, at the time he was exciting as he was tricky and skilful but had no end product, the fact he hasnt got near the team often since and also had his loan away cancelled early suggests he still hasnt added that end product.
Burke is similar, he burst onto the scene 3 or 4 years but has still yet to start more than 20 games in his whole career. I think like many youngsters over the years he burst on the scene and took everyone by surprise and did well and got a big money move. The germans are very much into tapping into British talent at the moment, the worry would be they cut their losses and gave up on him in less than a year. Since three Albion managers have chose not to use him, from what i have seen in his brief appearances there is nothing that has made me think he deserves a chance, he is quick and strong but not really seen much else. I think he needs to go on loan to a club where the team is setup to suit him, maybe even drop to league one, play reguarly, learn to play a role, get his confidence back, and see what happens.
Field i think could come into our team now and wouldnt look out of place but also wouldnt standout, i think he will have a good steady career as a championship player, maybe lower league premier at the best, i think with Livermore now banned for 4 games if Field cannot get any minutes then he needs to ask to leave for his own good.
I havent really seen enough of Harper, Fitzwater or Wilson to comment, but Edwards is the one who has stood out to me. I think all our younger players will have careers in football, they obviously are talented to get to where they are now but i have a feeling only one maybe two will have it at the Albion. Not many of our youngsters have gone onto better things, most have had to take a step or two down to come back and i think that will be the case with most of ours (would love to be proved wrong and they all become Albion legends!)
Brilliant post and very true of our current situation.
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The treatment of Field is a bit puzzling. He keeps getting contract extensions which certainly suggests he's rated. He got more of a look-in under Pulis in the prem (think 3 games early in the season) and again under Megson ...and didn't look out of place.
This year he's had the misfortune of being plunged into the Derby game when we were still 3-5-2 and our two central midfielders were overrun by Derby.
I've also noticed he frequently appears in club promotional photos and videos as if to display that we have a young local lad on the scene. It's difficult to say whether if he'd appeared in half dozen or so games this year, he'd have done any better or worse than the others used but at least he'd have the experience under his belt.
Edwards did well against Reading and has since disappeared. I'd love to know what DMs thinking or plan is for these lads.
Also, I assume Harper still hasn't signed a new deal ?
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Moore clearly doesn't rate our youngsters so they should be put out on loan to get valuable experience. Field, Leko and Burke are capable of playing championship football and should only be allowed to leave for this league or in Ollys case Celtic who have top coach who would invest time with the player.
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The treatment of Field is a bit puzzling. He keeps getting contract extensions which certainly suggests he's rated. He got more of a look-in under Pulis in the prem (think 3 games early in the season) and again under Megson ...and didn't look out of place.
This year he's had the misfortune of being plunged into the Derby game when we were still 3-5-2 and our two central midfielders were overrun by Derby.
I've also noticed he frequently appears in club promotional photos and videos as if to display that we have a young local lad on the scene. It's difficult to say whether if he'd appeared in half dozen or so games this year, he'd have done any better or worse than the others used but at least he'd have the experience under his belt.
Edwards did well against Reading and has since disappeared. I'd love to know what DMs thinking or plan is for these lads.
Also, I assume Harper still hasn't signed a new deal ?
As 79 says, the Livermore ban will be the acid test. If neither he nor Harper get a look in, beyond the cup, then they may as well go out. Just hope it's not Brunt who is preferred in CM :(
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One thing i do think is a myth about Darren Moore is he wont use the young players, he will, Harvey Barnes and Tosin play pretty much every game and i am pretty sure Holgate will play most games too, they are all young players, so if your good enough, you will play.
I think that probably suggests that he doesnt think our own crop of youngsters are good enough or not better than the current first teams which is fair enough.
Moore would want our own youngsters in more than anybody, he is a local bloke, knows what it means to fans to have 'one of our own', he has worked with them at youth level, managed them into the senior setup, gave them preseason and has come to the conclusion that they arent upto standard (yet)
As fans we are desperate for our own youngsters to come through, but there is a big difference between signing your first couple of contracts to becoming a fully fledged footballer, its okay doing it in front of 50 people for the under 23's or now and again at Cradley Town in the Birmingham senior cup, the real challenge when you sign pro is in training everyday, competing with somebody for your shirt, having thousands of people pay hard earned money and giving their often unpleasant opinions on matchdays at you.
Joey Barton said when he was at QPR and they had a decent youth team, he went into them, asked who the centre midfielder was, he went upto him and said me and you are now competing for a shirt and that the lad had better be prepared to work harder, train harder and fight harder to get it off him because this was his living, the lad went on to do nothing in the game along with most of that highly rated youth team.
I was lucky enough many moons ago to be an apprentice footballer, i didnt ever really get that close to the first team (only by default on the odd occasion) but there were lads loads better than me, who you thought were guarenteed to 'make it', who did sign pro, who were in and around the first team but when push come to shove they just didnt have the mentality to go on and force their way in, the biggest step is from signing a professional contract to becoming a professional footballer. Through work i see plenty of young pro's at clubs all over the country and there are many who are just happy to say they are pro footballers without ever playing any games (not saying Albions youngsters are like that as i havent had anything to do with them)
Its ok saying give them a chance but if they arent upto standard then you can ruin their future careers and cost the team, as stated the reasons above, Moore knows more about our youngsters than anybody, I am sure he would rather of saved the wages on the likes of squad players like Hoolahan, Sako and Mears and used the funds elsewhere but he sees our youngsters everyday and has decided that right now they arent good enough.
I hope if nothing else they are loaned out this month, i will be critical of Moore if they arent as judging by his squad selections (Harper gets in but how much of that is he is highly rated or how much he fills the academy player quota we dont know, the fact he never gets on suggests its quota thing) Moore doesnt think they are good enough so dont keep them at the club with no intention of playing them.
I am not sure Leko will make it with us at all, he made his debut three seasons ago and hasnt kicked on, at the time he was exciting as he was tricky and skilful but had no end product, the fact he hasnt got near the team often since and also had his loan away cancelled early suggests he still hasnt added that end product.
Burke is similar, he burst onto the scene 3 or 4 years but has still yet to start more than 20 games in his whole career. I think like many youngsters over the years he burst on the scene and took everyone by surprise and did well and got a big money move. The germans are very much into tapping into British talent at the moment, the worry would be they cut their losses and gave up on him in less than a year. Since three Albion managers have chose not to use him, from what i have seen in his brief appearances there is nothing that has made me think he deserves a chance, he is quick and strong but not really seen much else. I think he needs to go on loan to a club where the team is setup to suit him, maybe even drop to league one, play reguarly, learn to play a role, get his confidence back, and see what happens.
Field i think could come into our team now and wouldnt look out of place but also wouldnt standout, i think he will have a good steady career as a championship player, maybe lower league premier at the best, i think with Livermore now banned for 4 games if Field cannot get any minutes then he needs to ask to leave for his own good.
I havent really seen enough of Harper, Fitzwater or Wilson to comment, but Edwards is the one who has stood out to me. I think all our younger players will have careers in football, they obviously are talented to get to where they are now but i have a feeling only one maybe two will have it at the Albion. Not many of our youngsters have gone onto better things, most have had to take a step or two down to come back and i think that will be the case with most of ours (would love to be proved wrong and they all become Albion legends!)
Good post ;D DM not using the youth talent pool is one of the main complaints leveled against him by those who are not convinced by his appointment. As you say he has been happy to use the youth talent bought into the club, but not our own products. However, this is not an unusual situation for the Albion as apart from Saido's brief flirtation with brilliance I'm struggling to think of any other recent success?
Following implementation of the academy we initially seemed to lose our best potential to bigger clubs for nothing with Brown, Sinclair and Dhanda but none have become established at a high level. As an established Premier league club we have then sold players who were not ready for the top division in Roofe who has since developed, Thorne and then Roberts. All would probably be around our first team now if fit, but they were a distance from first team regulars and the reasons for selling were sound as at that time as we were looking to buy experienced Premier League and established internationals (that went well!).
The best of the current crop? Field is the enigma. Under Meggo last year he looked erratic but created some excitement with his energetic displays only to be bombed out as soon as the deplorable Pardew came in. Would love to see him succeed but that is three managers out of four that haven't picked him. It does feel unfair to judge him on his performance against a very mobile Derby side, but he may just lack a yard of pace to replace the more experienced players? He is still young but needs to make the break through soon or move on as Roofe did.
The others; Leko couldn't get into an only half-decent Bristol City team last year which suggests a lot. Some good reports came in regarding Fitzwater at Walsall but he is part of a struggling team conceding goals and Wilson is not first choice. I haven't seen Harper play first hand so cannot comment but he impressed people with a good eye in the cup and is the one i would like to see given the opportunity. The only other player to be given any game time was Edwards, whose cameo was superb but then he did a vanishing act? This is the kind of thing that does nag away at us fans - it would be great for the management team to come out and explain why he hasn't featured more.
The fact is that although we are desperate for one of our kids to really come through and make it, in the 30 odd years (scary) i've been watching Albion the amount of players that have come through the youth/academy system and really made the grade can be counted on one hand? Carlton Palmer, David Burrows, Ugo Ehiogu? Surely there must be more? Time is blurry but it really seems to be one per generation at best. We thought that was Sadho, lets talk no more, so maybe we are due another from this batch? Can only hope.
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Sky Sports reporting that Wilson and Fitzwater have been recalled from Walsall.
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To specify, sounds like Wilson is recalled. Fitzwater will play for the FA cup game then go back to Walsall.
https://www.saddlers.co.uk/news/2019/january/loan-update-kane-wilson-and-jack-fitzwater/
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To specify, sounds like Wilson is recalled. Fitzwater will play for the FA cup game then go back to Walsall.
https://www.saddlers.co.uk/news/2019/january/loan-update-kane-wilson-and-jack-fitzwater/
it's on the O/S that Fitzwater will go back to Walsall but Wilson will look at other loan opportunities.
https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/january/duo-return-to-albion/
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Sensible to bring Wilson back. He needs to be loaned out either back to league 2, or to a league 1 side who are light at full back.
Unsure about the logic of bringing Fitzwater back as he could easily lose his place in the Walsall side if his replacement plays well. If he gets minutes on Saturday then maybe it is worth the progress check, but I would rather we had left him at Walsall for the whole season. Just personal preference really (I suppose it does keep him feeling part of our plans).
I don't particularly buy into the belief that our academy players aren't good enough. A number of players have left premier league sides to go to Germany in the last 2 years and have had instant success, suggesting it is an attitude problem with some clubs in England. Wolves, playing at a higher level than us have Morgan-Gibbs White getting plenty of first team opportunities, and Kourtney Hause and Dominic Iorfa being linked with moves to the championship. This is despite their academy not seemingly producing anything better than us at England age grade level (we are consistently one of the highest producers of England age level players, and it seems a decent indicator around producing top players, unless there is a bit of a bias towards selecting our players due to the Ashworth/Boothroyd/Downing link). Roofe and Sawyers are both proving to be solid championships players, having been written off here. Roberts also got no game time with us, while being able to get some minutes with the top of the table club in our league. Not all of Field, Harper, Leko, Edwards & (slightly different case but) Burke will end up being good enough for the top 2 divisions, but I would be surprised if none of them are, and they must be worth more opportunities from the subs bench than they are getting, Even in the prem Pulis found time to get Leko and Field on.
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Not sure what the point of recalling Fitzwater was just to stick him on the bench as an used sub, he would have been better off staying at Walsall and playing in their game at Bolton, better experience for him than watching two reserve sides
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Not sure what the point of recalling Fitzwater was just to stick him on the bench as an used sub, he would have been better off staying at Walsall and playing in their game at Bolton, better experience for him than watching two reserve sides
Not sure, the only thing I can think of is not wanting him cup tied in case we need to pull him back due to injuries.....and if he played for Walsall today he'd be tied and out
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Not sure, the only thing I can think of is not wanting him cup tied in case we need to pull him back due to injuries.....and if he played for Walsall today he'd be tied and out
If he wasn't going to play yesterday then I cannot see any chance he would play in the future cup games regardless of injuries etc
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All I can think of is that with Hegazi injured, DM didn't want Dawson to even have to sit on the bench ahead of the Norwich game.
Think DM also said something about getting some of the youngsters back to check on their fitness/progress....even if they are going straight back out it seems.
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I can't really speak with any authority as it could be a real positive for Moore to get to train with him for a few days, plus show Fitzwater that he is being considered and isn't forgotten (Tyler Roberts after all got fed up and decided to leave, and is now a first team option for table topping Leeds, having started again today).
As I said before though, i'm not convinced having him an an unused sub is that wise. Moore could have just gone to observe Fitzwater at a Walsall training session to show Fitzwater that he is valued. Would rather we had started him if we were going to call him back.
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Another loss for the under 23's - this time to Wolves. Set to be bottom of the table again - making us the worst placed academy in the EPPP A class for a second year on the trot I think?
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Another loss for the under 23's - this time to Wolves. Set to be bottom of the table again - making us the worst placed academy in the EPPP A class for a second year on the trot I think?
The club needs to sort it out with the academy above the age of 16, a tonne of recent England youth internationals around then and the academy rapidly declines.
The club defends this by saying we play younger players at these academy age groups, but clearly the lack of development suggests this is not a good tactic. The academy has got neither results or development right above scholboy ages.
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I fully accept that our U23 side is very young and that we're going to lose a lot of games playing mostly against older sides. I also understand that we let a number of the more established players go out on loan (Fitzwater, Wilson, O'Shea) and those that don't appear good enough are let go early enough to forge a career in the lower leagues (Mantom, Garmston, Donnellan).
The issue I have is that we have a group of our most promising academy players (Field, Harper, Leko, Edwards) (+ Tyler Roberts last season) who train and are heavily involved with the first team yet never get a chance to play, not even off the bench. We appear reluctant to loan them out. And they rarely even play for the U23s incase they are needed in the first team squad, Edwards was the only one involved tonight and he bagged a brace. They don't seem to be getting any game time at either level, except when they are wheeled out for the early rounds of the cup where their performances seem to have no bearing on whether they are picked again.
I'd have all of them out on loan tomorrow, except Harper, who should be starting in Livermore's absence.
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I think there is more to it with young players than just saying give them a chance, they have to be in a position to be good enough to be given that chance and as much as i want them to be, i am not sure some of our youngsters are.
We do play young players, we needed a attack minded player, if Leko was better than Barnes, we wouldnt of signed Barnes, we needed a defender, if Fitzwater was better than Tosin, we wouldnt of signed Tosin, reality is right now our own players arent good enough for us, they may or may not be in the future.
Players develop at different stages, when we see them for the first time as its somebody new its exciting, Oliver Burke is a great example, three years ago he made 10 starts for Forest, burst onto the scene, since then he has moved for £25m in transfer fees, played under at least 6 different managers (including Salzburg and availability for Scotland national team, a nation not exactly blessed with a large pool of players let alone young ones)
In the two and half years since his initial impact, Burke made less than 10 starts, Are all 6 managers wrong or has he maybe just not developed from his initial impact? Same applies to Leko and Field for us, they burst onto the scene a few years ago but a number of managers have since decided that they arent good enough right now.
And thats the key, you can be the best at youth / academy level, you can stand out a mile, you can have that initial impact when you move up but when it comes to the day to day battle for a shirt to make yourself a regular, maintaining your initial standards, competing against seasoned pro's, when its dog eat dog, thats when the best players shine through and continue, football has thousands of players who have burst onto the scene who stood out a mile but after a while faded into oblivion or dropped down the leagues.
Field is a interesting one as when Big Dave took over he had a free hit, we were going to be relegated, we had a centre midfielder injured - Barry, another who was booed Livermore (taxi gate) and another who was bang out of form (Greg). Moore had worked with Field at every level from youth, to academy, to pro, we were crying out for a centre midfielder, we had a young one (Field) who would of got the fans onside, the manager knew him better than anyone, it was a no risk option, yet Mooro decided to instead convert a left sided player into that role.
That maybe suggests that Field just isnt good enough, whatever the rights or wrongs, Moore went with Brunt and he was part of a team that nearly pulled off the greatest of great escapes which shows that Moore was right. The issue Field has got is that he currently plays in a position we arent desperate for - a sitting midfielder. We have an inform Barry, Brunt (though i dont think he should be there) and even Livermore can play there, Harper on the other hand is a box to box energetic midfielder, exactly what we have needed so the way he plays is what we need. If we had a midfield full of Mulumbu types and needed 'a sitter' then Harper wouldnt be as in demand as he is now and Field would be the one getting the attention for the role.
Its not just Albion, Villa have Grealish a regular, they have a few others who are fringe players, Wolves have Gibbs-White, again they have others who are squad players, they are exactly the same as us, the best players will make it, lots of players will be talked up and hyped but managers and coaches see them every day and only the odd one makes it as a regular.
I know people keep saying about Tyler Roberts but he has been left a year now and at the time of writing he hasnt done anything of note at Leeds, of course that may well change but its too early to say we should of done more to keep him or it was a mistake as there is nothing yet to suggest thats the case.
The young lads who went to bigger clubs - Izzy Brown - had success in the champ when we were in the prem, Dhanda is now at Swansea and i think played one or two games, Sinclair is at Sunderland in league one.
You get the odd ones who come and bounce back, Roofe at Leeds and Wood at Burnley but both those had to drop down a league or two then work there way back which against suggests where Albion were at the time, they werent good enough, and i bet for every Roofe / Wood there is 5 or 6 players of that time who were highly rated who have dropped down the leagues (Nabi, Daniels, Manton, Garmston all spring to mind straight away) and the same may apply to our current crop in the future too.
Now and again you get a crop of youngsters at the top level (and until last season thats where we were and where we are high in the league pushing towards going again) but most clubs get the odd youngster every season or two who make it, our last was Berahino, the next looks like being Harper, in a season or two's time we will probably have another group who come through where only one, maybe two will make it with us, the rest will drop down, its just how youth and football work.
Look at the likes of Kane Wilson, two seasons ago he was on the bench for premier league games, came close to being our youngest player, now he has been recalled from Walsall and last season he wasnt a regular in a league two side. That would suggest that at the moment his development has stalled, its not the club or the players fault, its just human nature, players just develop at different times and most of the time dont fulfill their promise they show at 16 or 17, Wilson may kick on again or he may of found he isnt upto top level football despite the early promise, its not their fault, its just the way it is.
Personally i dont like the under 23's, i preferred the old pontins league but i suppose as the national teams are doing well at all levels, the system would appear to be working on that score.
However that is the elite level, what i dont like about the under 23's is you get players signing scholarships and pro contracts very young and on big money when they often have just burst on the scene and not really proven much, the club wants to protect their asset and the player isnt going to turn down a load of money!
Again using Burke as an example, he is probably on at least £20k a week with Albion, if your moving for £15m then your entitled to say i am worth x amount. There will be loads of young pros in the top two leagues especially who have signed pro at 17 or 18 and are now 20 / 21 and have hardly played any senior football in the two or three years previous, just under 23's, some will of burst on the scene and for whatever reason not kicked on, others will be happy saying they are a footballer and all the attention and perks that goes with without hardly kicking a ball competitively.
So your are a young bloke earning more money than makes sense and not really ever playing football, you have a lot of spare time, few commitments and more money than you could ever dream of, its what happens then decides if your good enough, the players who go on to play top level are the ones who see past the distractions and still make sure football comes first, some realise eventually after a few years, others just never realise at all and end up dropping down the leagues.
Out our current crop of youngters (Harper, Field, Leko, Edwards Wilson, Fitzwater, O Shea, Howkins, Palmer (i wont include Burke) my guess would be one maybe two will make it at the Albion, one will drop down and then get back to a similar level as Albion (based on where we are now - premier / championship) and the rest will play lower league football or abroad at a lower standard and as a approximate numbers guide thats how most academies will work in the top two leagues, not just Albion.
If there is hope that these players can go on and play regularly at champ level at least (not just the odd cup game every few months) then they have to be loaned out, except for possibly Harper who seems to be close to actually playing. They have to have the weekly pressure where results count and the intensity of the training, matchdays, etc that all that brings.
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If they merely aren't anywhere near good enough as you summise then why are they being kept around in the first place? Moore even said he doesn't trust players till they have 75 appearances. Barnes managed to get most of that on loans elsewhere. Field and Harper won't get that because he never plays them, nor will he loan them out.
I find it difficult to believe that some of these players are considered among the best of their age group by England - namely Harper and Field, yet can't get any minutes in a distinctly average central midfield. The managers we've had have all been of a very safety first mentality. It's ok if Brunt has 10 bad games in central midfield, but God forbid one of the youth players have one there. We can't even risk that happening.
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I didnt say they wasnt anywhere near good enough, but there are loads of posts about moore wont play youth, will only pick his mates, etc when there is the option that they just arent good enough based on the reasons given, ie - he does pick youth - barnes and tosin and that he has worked with our own youth players at every level so knows more about them than pretty much any manager we could have, yet still doesnt pick them.
I think he actually said along the lines of your classed as a footballer when you have played 75 times which is a fair point, there are thousands of players who burst on the scene at loads of clubs, play a few games then are never heard of again, i interepeted his comments as when you have played 75 games you will of gained experience, made mistakes, found a position (most likely) but you are still playing football.
For what its worth as a fan i would love Harper to start saturday and given a run of games, i would also like to of seen Field played instead of Brunt but i also dont know them or see them but the person who does, may just think they arent good enough and there isnt some conspiracy againsts our own youth players.
Maybe the last few months he has been assessing them but i completely agree that if it is the case he doesnt think they are good enough then he should loan or sell them for their own benefit, not just keep them hanging around incase.
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You do make some great points albion79, but there are still some counter arguments, as Dan says. If we don't think they are good enough yet, get them out on loan (although from your post, it seems you don't disagree with that).
The arguments here aren't just about "giving them a chance ", they are about the clubs approach to developing players. Since it started around 15 years ago, we have still only brought through 1 player through our first team - Saido Berahino. Despite that, there is a realistic possibility of 4 Albion academy graduates playing premier league football next season (Wood, Roofe, Roberts - still only 19 and just off the back of a MoTM performance for them in the cup, plus Izzy Brown if he can get over his injury problems and have a good second half of the season at Leeds).
That is the first alarm bell - the ratios seem a bit out.
The 2nd as Dan has aluded to is that at under 20 level and below, Albion are still producing more England youth internationals than near enough any team our size. Only the big guns and Everton have more. Despite this, our teams at under 23 level are consistently beaten, we have never threatened to win the FA Youth cup, and we have cycled through around 3-4 different groups of academy players in 10 years who have all alarmingly dropped off after emerging into our 16-21 development phase (this includes a number of England youth internationals like the Nabi brothers, Amenku, Thorne, Hurst, Alliyu, Garmston from top of head, plus a number of Gk's like Rose who had caps). It's possible that there is a pro Albion bias in the youth selection set up which skews the numbers - Ashworth, Downing and Boothroyd all had a big hand in developing our academy and are now all in positions of power.
It might just be however that at schoolboy level, our sides are the best around and the decline happens once they reach our full time academy - a second alarm bell.
Clubs like Blues, Norwich, Palace and Villa are all getting more kids through their first teams, despite having less youth internationals. Dowling, as technical director, needs to get a handle on why we are stalling. I don't know if it means loaning players out earlier, changing our culture by getting managers to give more opportunities, improving the structure at 16-21 level, or maybe even looking at the schoolboy level (are we falling into a trap of signing those who have jst developed physically quicker). After 15 years though, I was hoping for us to develop at least 1 premier league quality kid every few years and a few championship quality ones as well.
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It's also worth pointing out that we've given just 192 minutes in the league to academy products this season. For academy players 21 or unde, this is the second lowest in the top half of the league (it may well be the second lowest in the league, I haven't checked the bottom half).
Every other team aside from Sheffield United in the top 12 has an academy product regularly starting, so we cannot use the excuse that its the pressure of promotion. In which case, the options are we have either one of the worst academies in the league, or else its a problem with the clubs mentality on handling and playing youth players.
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Yeah i agree with you both (baggies and dan) on a number of points, i was just adding about this current crop not playing and maybe not been good enough yet.
I said in a post months ago i didnt like our under 23’s approach, losing every week is no good for anybody (saying that i think we won about 5 games on the trot after that!) if the likes of field, leko, etc are still here they should be playing every week for the under 23’s along with the better players from younger groups (who also have their own age groups, under 18’s)
I have never understood the clubs logic of playing the really young ones and watching them lose every week, you do it too often it becomes a habit and as you rightly point out only 1 player in years (big fat saido) has actually become a albion regular.
We do seem good at schoolboy level and we do produce a number of players who play national youth level and who then go on to make careers mainly at lower level, but with Darren Moore having worked at that level and now possibly not thinking the current group are good enough to be picked reguarly i would be reviewing our academy setup a bit and how its benefitting albion in creating first team players for us.
What worries me is that if one manager came in and had no interest in youth then fair enough but i cant remember one albion manager since the academy thing was created playing youngsters reguarly except for a few seasons with berahino and i dont think all those managers can be wrong including the current one who knows them better than most.
I would hope as stated above that Dowling is looking at this and find out why we get fewer players than most other clubs who are deemed good enough to play regularly.
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If they merely aren't anywhere near good enough as you summise then why are they being kept around in the first place? Moore even said he doesn't trust players till they have 75 appearances. Barnes managed to get most of that on loans elsewhere. Field and Harper won't get that because he never plays them, nor will he loan them out.
I find it difficult to believe that some of these players are considered among the best of their age group by England - namely Harper and Field, yet can't get any minutes in a distinctly average central midfield. The managers we've had have all been of a very safety first mentality. It's ok if Brunt has 10 bad games in central midfield, but God forbid one of the youth players have one there. We can't even risk that happening.
This is the bit that annoys me also....the seeming lack of trust in younger players as though we can't possibly risk giving one of them a couple of games unless we absolutely have to. It does seem to be a mindset of our managers and I'm afraid, although I like DM, he has so far been the worst at this especially given that we've dropped down a level. Field didn't look out of place in the prem (he had a niggling calf injury at the end of last season by the way, which may have ruined his immediate chances with Moore). Harper is a slightly different case as he's gone through a positional change converting from striker to CM/AM in the last 2 or 3 years but he really needs to be given more game time now. Leko or Edwards should have been on the bench (and on the pitch during 2nd half) against Brentford but we preferred to load the bench with ageing midfielders, Mears and Harper who was never going to get on.
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What we forget, at times, is that we are doing very well. I don't think we've been outside the top 7 all season, other than day 1.
Yes, pretty much all of us could see that Brunt in CM and Bartley on the left of a back 3 was not ideal, but, like it or not, we were still getting results and our league position held up. Once we hit the skids and results started to suffer Moore reacted and changed both of the above along with the formation. Again, we could argue that Field should have replaced Brunt a this point, but he didn't, Barry did and did exceptionally well and, again, results backed it up and we moved up the league.
The point I'm making is that Moore only seems to react when results or circumstances dictate. To this end Harper may well get his chance in Livermore's absence and, I truly believe that, if he does well and we get results, he will hold onto the shirt. If, however, Morrison comes in and we get results, the same will apply.
Personally, I think we've seen all we're going to see from Mozza and his M.O of 1 good game in 4 is more evident than ever, so would like Harper to get the nod but, whatever Moore decides, as long as we get results he'll get my support.
I have no answer to the lack of opportunity from the bench though. There are times when Edwards, Leko, Harper and even Burke, would have been a far more logical option and i hope this is something we address in the 2nd half of the season. If not, then yes, they should go out on loan.
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http://sportwitness.co.uk/youngster-snubs-west-brom-stoke-city-deal-agreed-father-tells-reason-behind-potters-move/
Young keeper has rejected us for Stoke as he feels as an Academy player his development will be better as Stoke also promote from within more
At the age of 15, Maksymilian Boruc made his senior team debut for lower league Swedish club IFK Värnamo.
According to Polish newspaper Przeglad Sportowy, the goalkeeper caught the attention of clubs from England, Germany and Italy and had trials with Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Schalke and Torino.
Now 16, Boruc has snubbed the Baggies and other clubs in order to join the Potters, with whom he has signed a two-and-a-half year deal, and this decision was taken after the teenager consulted with his family.
It is explained the youngster’s family believes a club like Stoke would be an ideal place for the development of the player, and his father explains in detail that the Championship side’s transfer policy was a factor in his son’s decision to join them.
“From the point of view of a keeper, it’s an ideal situation, because there will be a lot of work. Stoke focuses on young players, the U23 goalkeepers train every day with the first team,” Paul Boruc stressed.
“There is a prospect that if everything goes in the right direction, Stoke is not a club that would suddenly buy a goalkeeper for several million pounds, but would prefer to promote players from the academy.”
An interesting fact mentioned in the report is that Maksymilian is a distant cousin of Bournemouth shot stopper Artur Boruc, but the two have not spoken to each other as they’ve had an opportunity to meet so far.
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I’d also argue we’re pretty stocked on keepers, what with Alex Palmer, Jasko Keranovic, Adam Przybek, Ethan Ross, Brad House and Ben Pierce as well as Ted Cann and Josh Griffiths all in and around the u23’s and U18’s.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/bundesliga-jadon-sancho-callum-hudson-odoi-premier-league-transfer-news-epl-a8729736.html
Article in today's independant by their chief footvall writer Miguel Delaney about how the Bundesliga getting Sancho and now chasing Hudson-Odoi is just the start. He has listed 14 players Bundesliga scouts are taking a particular interest in.
16 year old Morgan Rodgers and 15 year old Louie Barry from our academy are 2 of those 14.
We need to prove soon that qe are a good "finishing school" as we do seem to be producing a type of player that is highly sought after.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/bundesliga-jadon-sancho-callum-hudson-odoi-premier-league-transfer-news-epl-a8729736.html
Article in today's independant by their chief footvall writer Miguel Delaney about how the Bundesliga getting Sancho and now chasing Hudson-Odoi is just the start. He has listed 14 players Bundesliga scouts are taking a particular interest in.
16 year old Morgan Rodgers and 15 year old Louie Barry from our academy are 2 of those 14.
We need to prove soon that qe are a good "finishing school" as we do seem to be producing a type of player that is highly sought after.
I'm a hypocrite, so if it didn't suggest a negative effect on us I would say brilliant! It would be great to see more young English players at the top levels around the world and it has to benefit the national team. Good luck to the young lads who choose to take the move.
I'm sure it will push English clubs in to giving them more opportunities too (and probably fatter contracts). The players should have little bit of caution as well, Sancho cost £8m and went virtually straight in so is clearly an exceptional talent. I am sure even at 95% of English clubs he would have been braking through now.
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I'm a hypocrite, so if it didn't suggest a negative effect on us I would say brilliant! It would be great to see more young English players at the top levels around the world and it has to benefit the national team. Good luck to the young lads who choose to take the move.
I'm sure it will push English clubs in to giving them more opportunities too (and probably fatter contracts). The players should have little bit of caution as well, Sancho cost £8m and went virtually straight in so is clearly an exceptional talent. I am sure even at 95% of English clubs he would have been braking through now.
Its 100% a route the young generation should be looking at. Fair play to Reece Oxford, Nelson and Sancho for moving over to Germany to get some game time.
Sancho's progression may benefit the English national squad in the long run, for younger age groups (i.e the 21's,19's,18's) are all progressing in major tournaments and winning trophies. There has to be a route to first team football for them to succeed. Sancho has built a platform now and proved that there are clubs willing to give you game time (it would have been easy for him to stay at City and get the odd cup appearance).
The likes of Brewster at Liverpool, Smith-Rowe at Arsenal etc will be the next batch of youngsters who must make the decision to go and get first team football and show their talent.
EDIT: I had a quick google of 'promising young English footballers' and was surprised to see that there are some youngsters have moved abroad already that I hadn't heard of:
Reo Griffiths - Lyon (left Spurs academy)
Keanen Bennetts - Borrusia Monchengladbach (left Spurs)
Ronaldo Vieira - Sampdoria
Marcus McGuane - Barcelona
Jonathan Panzo - Monaco
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https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/bundesliga-jadon-sancho-callum-hudson-odoi-premier-league-transfer-news-epl-a8729736.html
Article in today's independant by their chief footvall writer Miguel Delaney about how the Bundesliga getting Sancho and now chasing Hudson-Odoi is just the start. He has listed 14 players Bundesliga scouts are taking a particular interest in.
16 year old Morgan Rodgers and 15 year old Louie Barry from our academy are 2 of those 14.
We need to prove soon that qe are a good "finishing school" as we do seem to be producing a type of player that is highly sought after.
Interesting piece from the BBC regarding Brentford and academies if you've got a couple of minutes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46864784
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https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/bundesliga-jadon-sancho-callum-hudson-odoi-premier-league-transfer-news-epl-a8729736.html
Article in today's independant by their chief footvall writer Miguel Delaney about how the Bundesliga getting Sancho and now chasing Hudson-Odoi is just the start. He has listed 14 players Bundesliga scouts are taking a particular interest in.
16 year old Morgan Rodgers and 15 year old Louie Barry from our academy are 2 of those 14.
We need to prove soon that qe are a good "finishing school" as we do seem to be producing a type of player that is highly sought after.
Great article. I think the following quote sums up the biggest problem that has faced the English national team for the past few years: Many who work on the continent simply can’t believe how wedded English clubs are to a hierarchical system regarding age. It is like they get hung up on it, and won’t trust an 18-year-old if they can bring in a 21-year-old. The director of football at a Ligue 1 club confided that, “we can’t believe some of the quality English clubs have and don’t use. Age doesn’t come into it with us, it’s just about level of quality.
We're seeing exactly the same at Albion this window, Rekeem Harper has a high ceiling of potential yet we're interested in signing Isaac Hayden from Newcastle. Thankfully European clubs are willing to give English players a chance, it will pay off for the England team over the next few years.
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Interesting piece from the BBC regarding Brentford and academies if you've got a couple of minutes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46864784
Fascinating. So much to read in to that story, but the overwhelming one is that Brentford are the best run club in England. 2 directors of football, innovative data crunching and a different view to academy football. Worth noting Forss, the youth striker who played for the first team in the cup this year is ex Albion.
It also shows the effects of EPPP. Smaller clubs will see less worth in keeping a youth team structure and will instead scrap them and simply focus on becoming "finishing schools" for those who get released from the top academies. That could become a positive in some ways - less players would end up wasting time in youth football only to fall onto the scrapheap at 19 or 20 without much idea of what to do next, while the top youngsters benefit from the best youth coaching and then get a second chance at the clubs outside the "elite plan". Most countries don't have as many individual clubs as us so it could be the way to go.
I just wish we could be as innovative. I don't think we should scrap our academy as we have gone too far down the EPPP now so we will hopefully produce more players from a younger age, but it shows there are lots of different ideas out there if you are prepared to try. Brentford have hired coaches from abroad, while we have had a stream of English coaches. Foreign doesn't = better all of the time, but it does sometimes show a club has gone out and headhunted somebody with different ideas rather than just looking at what is available locally.
We could learn a lot from Brentford.
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Great article. I think the following quote sums up the biggest problem that has faced the English national team for the past few years: Many who work on the continent simply can’t believe how wedded English clubs are to a hierarchical system regarding age. It is like they get hung up on it, and won’t trust an 18-year-old if they can bring in a 21-year-old. The director of football at a Ligue 1 club confided that, “we can’t believe some of the quality English clubs have and don’t use. Age doesn’t come into it with us, it’s just about level of quality.
We're seeing exactly the same at Albion this window, Rekeem Harper has a high ceiling of potential yet we're interested in signing Isaac Hayden from Newcastle. Thankfully European clubs are willing to give English players a chance, it will pay off for the England team over the next few years.
I would say this has also held back the national side. Too much reliance on "experience" and top 6 bias.
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Albion through to 5th round of FA Youth cup after beating QPR 5-1. Soule with 2, Tulloch with 2 and Rodgers with 1 from outside box (Rodgers also hit bar from outside box in first half).
With Soule, Tulloch, Rodgers and Barry all getting game time yesterday, it looks like we are continuingto produce a consistent number if top young English strikers.
As is typical, despite their being a number of smaller sides left in the competition, we have drawn Arsenal at the emirates.
Likely there will be a live stream link for the game.
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Everton ready to approach Steve Hopcroft, our Head of Academy
https://thisisfutbol.com/2019/01/blogs/everton-approach-west-brom-over-hopcroft/
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Everton ready to approach Steve Hopcroft, our Head of Academy
https://thisisfutbol.com/2019/01/blogs/everton-approach-west-brom-over-hopcroft/
This would be a massive blow. He is the jewel in our crown when discussing our academy.
He was approached and turned down Man Utd so I'm hoping he'll do the same if approached.
You only have to watch is recent in-depth interviews he's done on YouTube to see what a class operator he is.
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In light of today's Sako news coupled with Jrods niggle, Phillips injury and the departures of Barnes and Burke I'd suggest that we will be seeing Rayhaan Tulloch and/or Mogan Rogers on the bench tomorrow.
I personally think Rogers, even at 16, looks like he could handle it. Physically a good build and lightening fast feet and skill.
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Yep, seems likely given Edwards and Leko are almost certain to be involved, it still leaves an option on the bench. I'd expect Myhill / Bond, Townsend, Mears, Adarabioyo, Fitzwater to be on the bench if none of the guys with knocks are risked at all. We are lacking in forward areas so it's the ideal opportunity to get someone like Rogers on the bench. Louie Barry is only 15 (how ridiculous is that), if he were a bit older it'd be ideal for him as well.
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I said previous as another side to the argument, maybe the players werent good enough or ready yet and thats why they wasnt playing (not saying that was the case but could of been an option)
We have been doing well so its not like it was costing us them not playing, but its great to see them involved now, maybe Mooro wanted to work with them for six months since pre-season as part of his playing style overhaul, see where they are at, etc before giving them a chance, i have said previous there are loads of kids who are highly rated who play a few games never to be heard of again so perhaps he is making sure they were ready.
Even though its been brought on by injury, it was great to see 2 x academy players in the midfield on Monday, sometimes a suspension or injury is the only way you get chance to grab a place.
Hopefully Edwards and Leko get to start tomorrow too, we are down on numbers so this could be the chance they are waiting for.
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Injury crisis survived using the kids. There is a collective confidence to them- probably helps one of the group harper has started 4 back to back games.
Field was steady again today his best position is the Barry role (which is why he's down the pecking order) but looks good for future.
Harper all round best of bunch needs tying down to a new long term deal. Edwards had a quiet game but he was out of position All game.
Leko has something about him he's exciting and he commits players. End product not there but I would advocate better to play him as a wide forward than HRK. young tulloch also looked promising when he came on.
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I thought Edwards showed a few glimpses that he is quite direct and has a bit about him.
Leko still excites me but frustrates me at the same time. It’s easy to forget that he’s still very young. I really think he can give us something off the bench for 20 mins each game, he commits players just lacks that end product at times.
Our future certainly looks bright. I think today has shown they can be trusted when needed.
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We aren’t going to win the cup. So big question for these lads, is it worth costing them half a season of football for one FA cup game?
Personally It would be great for them all to go out, including Harper and Field but I imagine those two are likely to stay because of how light we are. Shame as those two would probably benefit from 15 games more than most.
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We aren’t going to win the cup. So big question for these lads, is it worth costing them half a season of football for one FA cup game?
Personally It would be great for them all to go out, including Harper and Field but I imagine those two are likely to stay because of how light we are. Shame as those two would probably benefit from 15 games more than most.
Of course we are huge odds against but there aren't many Premier League team left. Unlikely, but we've had worse chances.
I would expect Wolves to really fancy their chances.
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Prem team's are falling by the wayside, got a good chance of knocking out another team from the greed league. I'd play same side with exception of HRK being replaced by Gayle could have good Cup run for a change.
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We aren’t going to win the cup. So big question for these lads, is it worth costing them half a season of football for one FA cup game?
Personally It would be great for them all to go out, including Harper and Field but I imagine those two are likely to stay because of how light we are. Shame as those two would probably benefit from 15 games more than most.
Spurs are as good as out. Sheffield Wednesday might knock Chelsea out yet. Wolves and Brighton both have replays. Could only be 4/16 teams come round 5. Be 6 if we do our part.
We have a better chance of winning the cup competition than we will ever have at winning the premier league.
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I love some of the optimism but it’s not going to happen. One of the Manchester’s will win it.
History tends to show when it falls like this it just makes an easier route for big remaining clubs. Since 1995 one of the current ‘top 6’ hasn’t won it only twice. The league cup gets a better spread.
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I love some of the optimism but it’s not going to happen. One of the Manchester’s will win it.
History tends to show when it falls like this it just makes an easier route for big remaining clubs. Since 1995 one of the current ‘top 6’ hasn’t won it only twice. The league cup gets a better spread.
Come on Johnny if you don't dream in football that we could be the best or we could win something it's a pointless venture. You saw how things were in 2008 when Portsmouth won it.
You're probably right it would be one of the Manchester sides but the beauty of the cup is anything can happen over one game. Be nice to appear in another semi or even a final. Never say never Wigan won the thing and they weren't supposed too
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Come on Johnny if you don't dream in football that we could be the best or we could win something it's a pointless venture. You saw how things were in 2008 when Portsmouth won it.
You're probably right it would be one of the Manchester sides but the beauty of the cup is anything can happen over one game. Be nice to appear in another semi or even a final. Never say never Wigan won the thing and they weren't supposed too
I would love us to win something, but sadly I think the past few years have been a far better chance for us than this one.
Would love to get back up and win a cup with a couple or more academy players in the side, and to get back on topic I think those players will develop more of they get games.
I heard on a podcast the other day that 17 players in the one of the England youth sides, can’t remember which age but it was either the World Cup or euro championship group had EFL experience already. Some of our lads are nearly 20 and have nearly any experience. Sat on the bench or in our reserve they’ll get left behind and overtaken.
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That same podcast also said pound for pound we have the beat academy in the EFL.
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That same podcast also said pound for pound we have the beat academy in the EFL.
is that the English beat :P
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Will Fitzwater be going back out. Or are we literally waiting to the last hour to make sure man city don't recall tosin so we can send him back to the saddlers.
Leko or Edwards going out?
That tulloch looked lively the other day be good if we could get him a slot in league 2 until the end of the season
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Albion 3-0 up at half time vs Norwich in the under 23's. Yet another goal for Jamie Soule (must be loaned out un the summer, seems to have found his mojo again after dropping out of the England picture 2 years ago). The bigger story though, 2 more for Morgan Rodgers. Only 16 years of age, and yet he is really having a huge impact on under 18 and under 23 football.
People in the know about youth football reckon he is the real deal and one of the top youngsters of a very good bunch of England teenagers.
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Update, currently 6-2 with 20 mins left.
Soule has 2
16 year old Rodgers has 4
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Update, currently 6-2 with 20 mins left.
Soule has 2
16 year old Rodgers has 4
According to Norwich Twitter Lamy a trialist got the first
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Albion's twitter thought Rodgers scored, he must have been close or putting defender under pressure and our lot got it wrong.
Still a hat trick, and hit bar with a free kick.
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Albion's twitter thought Rodgers scored, he must have been close or putting defender under pressure and our lot got it wrong.
Still a hat trick, and hit bar with a free kick.
No idea who got it then :D
This is Julien Lamy the trialist details
https://us.soccerway.com/players/julien-lamy/478133/
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I'd be very surprised if the club holds onto Rodgers, he's probably the highest rated prospect we've ever produced and arguably the star player of the current England under 17 team. No doubt he'll have top teams here and abroad offering him contracts.
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I'd be very surprised if the club holds onto Rodgers, he's probably the highest rated prospect we've ever produced and arguably the star player of the current England under 17 team. No doubt he'll have top teams here and abroad offering him contracts.
apparently already has and said no at least once or twice now.
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He is reported to be on German clubs radars.
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I don't like to get carried away with young players and some of the hype that goes on but do follow the under 23's online and the odd game I see .
Tonight against Brighton was a huge step up from the Under 23's and these lads have really shown something , there's some serious potential there in 3 or 4 of them .
I know ( and agree in some respects ) many are annoyed with DM for using both Cups as a testing ground for the youngsters but overall our main aim doesn't involve those competitions .
Not saying I'd want this every season but it's done a lot of good this year.
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Nice to see Rogers come on but was there any gain - as in it makes it more difficult / expensive for another club to pinch him now that he's played for the senior team ?
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Nice to see Rogers come on but was there any gain - as in it makes it more difficult / expensive for another club to pinch him now that he's played for the senior team ?
If I remember right, I think if he was to get poached, his value would increase now he has played for the first team as opposed to if he was still playing academy football, as he's seen as being part of the senior set up.
Could be wrong though.
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If I remember right, I think if he was to get poached, his value would increase now he has played for the first team as opposed to if he was still playing academy football, as he's seen as being part of the senior set up.
Could be wrong though.
Yes i think that's right, there was some benefit in just getting him on the pitch. Although he's obviously a prospect I'm not sure he would have been pushed ahead of Edwards and Leko at this stage otherwise.
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We do look as though we have a very talented group of players but the problem is we probably wont see Leko, Edwards, Tulloch or Rogers involved in a competitive game now for another six months when the first round of the carabao cups start, so the momentum of the last 10 days will of gone.
The likes of Edwards and Leko very rarely got near the first team for league games the first five months of the season, i cannot see that changing now we have signed another three players.
I believe they were both carrying knocks last night but they should of been loaned out and probably Tulloch too (Rogers at 16 is a bit too young), keeping them here for cup fixtures is pointless when we are now out by early February.
The only way these lads will have chance to fulfill their potential is by playing reguarly which they wont do with us, i think Sam Field has suffered massively due to not going out and playing on loan, i am desperate for him to do well, he seems a nice lad, Albion fan, but he is 21 in May and is no closer to being a regular than he was when he broke on the scene three years ago, Leko the same.
Our whole loan system has to be reviewed because training every day and playing for the under 23's a couple of times a month is not fair to these lads careers whether it be with Albion or elsewhere.
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We do look as though we have a very talented group of players but the problem is we probably wont see Leko, Edwards, Tulloch or Rogers involved in a competitive game now for another six months when the first round of the carabao cups start, so the momentum of the last 10 days will of gone.
The likes of Edwards and Leko very rarely got near the first team for league games the first five months of the season, i cannot see that changing now we have signed another three players.
I believe they were both carrying knocks last night but they should of been loaned out and probably Tulloch too (Rogers at 16 is a bit too young), keeping them here for cup fixtures is pointless when we are now out by early February.
The only way these lads will have chance to fulfill their potential is by playing reguarly which they wont do with us, i think Sam Field has suffered massively due to not going out and playing on loan, i am desperate for him to do well, he seems a nice lad, Albion fan, but he is 21 in May and is no closer to being a regular than he was when he broke on the scene three years ago, Leko the same.
Our whole loan system has to be reviewed because training every day and playing for the under 23's a couple of times a month is not fair to these lads careers whether it be with Albion or elsewhere.
Mostly fair points. I do though think Sam Field after the last 3 weeks is closer to being a regular than he's ever been. He could have been left out on Saturday but Moore seems to be applying the 'the shirt is yours to lose' principle to him and Harper which is good to see (whether they play Saturday after last night's exertions is another matter). Also Edwards - it sounded like there was a loan to Coventry setup but given Barnes and Sako had gone and Phillips injured, we couldn't really let him go until the 3 deadline day signings were finally done which was very late in the day - too late to get Edwards out it seems.
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I don't like to get carried away with young players and some of the hype that goes on but do follow the under 23's online and the odd game I see .
Tonight against Brighton was a huge step up from the Under 23's and these lads have really shown something , there's some serious potential there in 3 or 4 of them .
I know ( and agree in some respects ) many are annoyed with DM for using both Cups as a testing ground for the youngsters but overall our main aim doesn't involve those competitions .
Not saying I'd want this every season but it's done a lot of good this year.
I agree entirely, I think it has also benefitted Field massively, so hard to give the youngsters game time when you are fighting relegation from the Premier League or fighting for promotion.
I think the recent history of our young players leaving for the top teams and their relative failure having done so will hopefully encourage them to stick with us and hopefully benefit both us and them.
George Thorne has slipped to much lower level and Izzy Brown is continually injured (like Thorne) and hardly pulling up any trees in the Championship.
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Youth side have knocked Arsenal out of the FA Youth Cup on their own pitch !
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Youth side have knocked Arsenal out of the FA Youth Cup on their own pitch !
Not sure if this justifies Wednesday but it's an achievement nonetheless.
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Not sure if this justifies Wednesday but it's an achievement nonetheless.
Haven't seen the line up yet , better idea then .
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Massive achievement!
E&S saying the quarter final is likely at the Hawthorns against Everton or Brighton.
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Huge achievement, Arsenal were MASSIVE favourites to win the entire tournament. Their team is top to bottom England youth stars.
First time we've made the quarter final in decades, and with the team we have we have a shot of winning it. Hopefully they get a decent attendance at the Hawthorns for the quarter final.
Jamie Soule (who seems to be really stepping up this year and may well be the next player we see getting his chance in the first team) and Finn Azaz with the goals.
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Huge achievement, Arsenal were MASSIVE favourites to win the entire tournament. Their team is top to bottom England youth stars.
First time we've made the quarter final in decades, and with the team we have we have a shot of winning it. Hopefully they get a decent attendance at the Hawthorns for the quarter final.
Jamie Soule (who seems to be really stepping up this year and may well be the next player we see getting his chance in the first team) and Finn Azaz with the goals.
What brilliant news, well done lads
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This was our under 18's team that beat, favorites for the competition, Arsenal
ALBION: Griffiths, White (Gardner-Hickman 62), Martinez, Ferguson, Harmon; Brown, Solanke; Tulloch (Asomugha 82), Azaz, Rogers, Soule.
Goal Scores: Goals Jamie Soule and Finn Azaz
Substitutes: Cann, Delaney, Taylor.
Well done lads, you make us proud!
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Well done lads great achievement
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3-1 win over Sunderland tonight
Two from Jamie Soule and one from Rayhaan Tulloch, Morgan Rogers missing a penalty, good to see him having the confidence to take them, all good players miss one at times.
https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/february/albion-u23s-3-sunderland-u23s-1/
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Anyone heading to the hawthorns tonight to watch the u18s in the FA Youth Cup against Everton (7pm Kick Off)
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Yes i am going but understand HSTH still have to pay £5 which i think is poor to be honest.
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I might go. I have work at 11pm and it depends on what time I wake up, going to bed in a minute.
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Where can you park tonight thinking of going.
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Anyone got any updates?
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Anyone got any updates?
losing 2-0 according to Twitter
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1-2 now
Tulloch '36
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Cheers lads
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At the game, its a good match, nice to see young lads playing with freedom.
Albion better side first 10 mins and last 10 mins, everton better side inbetween.
We were on top, we play out from the back but the centre half got caught (sound familiar!) their lad nicked it and buried it and their 2nd seemed to deflect and loop over the keeper.
We got back into it, couple of nice moves and then scored a really well worked goal through tulloch.
Morgan rogers is head and shoulders best player on the pitch, he really does look special, thought he was a striker but he is playing wide right. You can tell tulloch has something but he is trying to take everyone on and doesnt pass enough. The albion number 4 in centre midfield looks a good olayer, not sure his name though!
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2 - 2
Solanke '48
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2-2
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Losing 3-2 :-[
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3-3 - Morgan Rogers
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3 - 3
Rogers '76
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4 - 3
Gardner-Hickman '79
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Everton down to ten men
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Won 4-3 ;D
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Great result lads well done BOING BOING :D
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Well done the young ‘uns!
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Bodes well for the future.
btw..What a strange word..."bodes" ???
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Just back from the game.
Pity they have the same tendency to give away silly goals as their elders. ::)
Great fighting spirit.
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Pat Frost on Twitter:
10 of the starting 11 tonight are from within a 10 mile radius of the hawthorns....without doubt our academy is flourishing
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Hope none of these exceptional prospects get lured away from Hawthorns.
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I wonder when the last time we got to thr youth cup semi's were? Certainly a first in my lifetime.
If you look at the recent finalists, it is nearly always Chelsea and another team from the big 6.
If we can get past Man City next round, we will be the first team from outside the cartel since Fulham in 2014.
This group certainly looks special, going forwars at least. Lets hope thise Bayern scouts who were in the crowd don't take the likes of Rodgers away from us.
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I wonder when the last time we got to thr youth cup semi's were? Certainly a first in my lifetime.
If you look at the recent finalists, it is nearly always Chelsea and another team from the big 6.
If we can get past Man City next round, we will be the first team from outside the cartel since Fulham in 2014.
This group certainly looks special, going forwars at least. Lets hope thise Bayern scouts who were in the crowd don't take the likes of Rodgers away from us.
Don't know but the only time we've won it was 1976. Derek Statham was the star of that team, Mark Grew, Steve Lynex, Wayne Hughes and Kevin Summerfield also went onto represent the Albion at first team level.
We beat Wolves (some things never change) 5-0 in the Final over two legs.
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Ended up going on the off chance as something else got cancelled and really glad i did.
One of the most enjoyable games i have watched in a long time, the young lads were a credit to the club.
Aside from a 20 minute spell middle of the first half we outplayed Everton and 2 of their goals came from an Albion player error, the football we play is brilliant, they pass the ball with purpose and pace and the skill and technique of the players is brilliant.
Two blokes who were sat by me (think they were with the FA by how they were talking) were saying before that Everton are of the top youth academies and i think they thought they would win comfortably, i think we lost 10-0 to them earlier this season, but last night we were a different level to them.
In the end Everton just lost their rag and were quite cynical, some bad tackles, couple of off the ball incidents (including a forearm smash!) but Albion just kept playing the football.
Stand out players were the Albion number 6 who played left centre half, think he was the captain (might be name Harmon) very good player and organiser. The right back was a good player, Solanke who played centre midfield was quality (he gave first goal away but other than that) and second half Tulloch was brilliant, he played more as a team player and it showed, Everton were scared stiff. The sub who came on Gardner Hickman, scored the 4th goal but also looked a very good player.
However the standout player is Morgan Rogers, if last night is anything to go by, we have something very special. He is a big lad but very quick, brilliant feet, he glides past people and his first touch is top draw, the two blokes i mentioned above both said that pretty much every top team in europe, not just England want him, but the big plus for Albion is apparently he is a big Albion fan and can see a pathway into the first team under Moore.
Its obviously a big step from youth to first team but watching it last night was a pleasure and i will certainly be making an effort to go the semi final.
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Anyone got a link to last nights highlights 😋
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Its an excitime time at youth level for Albion
We have a fantastic academy and hope to see some of these progress into our first team and become regulars
Morgan Rogers is going to be star I think....at his age already and made his first team debut and playing at an age group far higher than he should....
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Ended up going on the off chance as something else got cancelled and really glad i did.
One of the most enjoyable games i have watched in a long time, the young lads were a credit to the club.
Aside from a 20 minute spell middle of the first half we outplayed Everton and 2 of their goals came from an Albion player error, the football we play is brilliant, they pass the ball with purpose and pace and the skill and technique of the players is brilliant.
Two blokes who were sat by me (think they were with the FA by how they were talking) were saying before that Everton are of the top youth academies and i think they thought they would win comfortably, i think we lost 10-0 to them earlier this season, but last night we were a different level to them.
In the end Everton just lost their rag and were quite cynical, some bad tackles, couple of off the ball incidents (including a forearm smash!) but Albion just kept playing the football.
Stand out players were the Albion number 6 who played left centre half, think he was the captain (might be name Harmon) very good player and organiser. The right back was a good player, Solanke who played centre midfield was quality (he gave first goal away but other than that) and second half Tulloch was brilliant, he played more as a team player and it showed, Everton were scared stiff. The sub who came on Gardner Hickman, scored the 4th goal but also looked a very good player.
However the standout player is Morgan Rogers, if last night is anything to go by, we have something very special. He is a big lad but very quick, brilliant feet, he glides past people and his first touch is top draw, the two blokes i mentioned above both said that pretty much every top team in europe, not just England want him, but the big plus for Albion is apparently he is a big Albion fan and can see a pathway into the first team under Moore.
Its obviously a big step from youth to first team but watching it last night was a pleasure and i will certainly be making an effort to go the semi final.
The line I have bolded both excites me and makes me nervous.
He might be an Albion fan, but I imagine if some of the bigger clubs in Europe coming asking to speak to him, it would be incredibly hard for him to turn that down.
If we manage to keep him in to his early 20's and get a good few seasons out of him in the first team before he goes on to become a star then so be it.
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Ended up going on the off chance as something else got cancelled and really glad i did.
One of the most enjoyable games i have watched in a long time, the young lads were a credit to the club.
Aside from a 20 minute spell middle of the first half we outplayed Everton and 2 of their goals came from an Albion player error, the football we play is brilliant, they pass the ball with purpose and pace and the skill and technique of the players is brilliant.
Two blokes who were sat by me (think they were with the FA by how they were talking) were saying before that Everton are of the top youth academies and i think they thought they would win comfortably, i think we lost 10-0 to them earlier this season, but last night we were a different level to them.
In the end Everton just lost their rag and were quite cynical, some bad tackles, couple of off the ball incidents (including a forearm smash!) but Albion just kept playing the football.
Stand out players were the Albion number 6 who played left centre half, think he was the captain (might be name Harmon) very good player and organiser. The right back was a good player, Solanke who played centre midfield was quality (he gave first goal away but other than that) and second half Tulloch was brilliant, he played more as a team player and it showed, Everton were scared stiff. The sub who came on Gardner Hickman, scored the 4th goal but also looked a very good player.
However the standout player is Morgan Rogers, if last night is anything to go by, we have something very special. He is a big lad but very quick, brilliant feet, he glides past people and his first touch is top draw, the two blokes i mentioned above both said that pretty much every top team in europe, not just England want him, but the big plus for Albion is apparently he is a big Albion fan and can see a pathway into the first team under Moore.
Its obviously a big step from youth to first team but watching it last night was a pleasure and i will certainly be making an effort to go the semi final.
Agree wholeheartedly with your comments.
My wife said it must have been the best pound that I've spent this season, judging by my demeanor when I got home.
My only gripe? The club did not produce enough team sheets for the attending fans. I guess you were in the same position of not being able to easily identify all of our players, given your questioning of Harmon's identity in your report.
Comedy moment? The Everton goalie claiming serious injury from the slightest contact, and miraculously recovering once the crowd poured scorn on his playacting.
Maybe some of DM's critics should bear in mind his attachment to, and his knowledge of these kids, and his part in their undisputed development.
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What a great achievement by these young lads and also very positive news for the future. Darren Moore has been very influential in the development of many of these lads so well done to him too.
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What was very noticeable was the style we tried to play, playing out from the back and a consistent passing game (if i recall, the 4th goal was not only a brilliant finish but had numerous passes in the buildup)
These lads have obviously been coached this way, not all of them will even get a chance let alone make it at Albion but those that do are at least know the style, system, etc for if / when they do step up.
As per my previous posts, lots of players make debuts and burst on the scene but dont go any further, however at the Albion right now there does seem to be some special groups.
We have the lads who are now involved with the first team reguarly - Harper and Field, and two who seem on the fringes - Edwards and Leko, its catch 22 as if we dont go up then the risk is we will lose Harper to a premier league team, the positive if we dont go up is that the likes of Field, Edwards and Leko (Harper if he stays) are more likely to be given the chance to become regulars.
Behind those there is the age group down with Rogers, Tulloch and a few others last night were very impressive and from Big Daves comments, the age group below them are very special too (i think thats the one that includes Louis Barry)
That to me is one of the reasons why even if we dont go up i want Darren Moore to stay as coach, certainly for the first half of next season and assess it then. Mooro has a ethos and style which is filtering down to the youth section, that was evident last night, everyone knows and plays the same way. Not only that he has worked with all these young lads, he knows them better than anyone, if they are good enough it seems nowadays at the Albion, they will get a chance which is how it should be.
We keep saying we want to look more long term and i think right now we have the best chance to stick to that, we have very talented groups of youngsters and a coach who knows them well. If we sack Moore then whoever comes in will most likely have a different approach and we start again with the new person then being under pressure and if he fails after a year, they get sacked and then so on and repeat.
I have said previous that as a fan i am not the slightest bit bothered about us getting promoted again, i understand the club needs too but as a fan i want to enjoy going to matches, watch us compete, experience highs and lows of emotions, all which stopped in the premier league.
In an ideal world you want to be doing all the above things at the highest level but the premier league is quite unique in sporting terms in that its a closed shop and there are only certain teams who will be successful, thats why i would be quite happy to stay down, bring young lads through and rough diamonds from lower leagues and overseas and enjoy football that way.
The clubs ultimate aim is to get back to the premier league and back on the 40 points survival train but i would much rather take the risk (knowing it may not work out) of seeing the young lads learn, express themselves, play football and develop, trying to (a) get promoted and (b) if we do try to compete in the premier league.
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Fully agree regarding no swift exit for Moore and co. if we don't go up. We have a manager and coaching setup that want to play football. To my knowledge there's been no sniff of any controversy or players falling out with anyone. An exciting crop of youngsters coming through. Let's give it chance to develop and not have hasty reactions to short term dips in 1st team form, or failure to get promoted.
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Has a date been announced for the semi final ?
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Seen a few people asking if the semi final is one or two legs, well last years were two legs so I guess this year will be the same
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017%E2%80%9318_FA_Youth_Cup#Semi-Finals
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I wonder when the last time we got to thr youth cup semi's were? Certainly a first in my lifetime.
If you look at the recent finalists, it is nearly always Chelsea and another team from the big 6.
If we can get past Man City next round, we will be the first team from outside the cartel since Fulham in 2014.
This group certainly looks special, going forwars at least. Lets hope thise Bayern scouts who were in the crowd don't take the likes of Rodgers away from us.
believe it was 1978 having won it in 1976
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FA Youth Cup Semi Final. Man City v WBA. Monday 1 April at 7pm. Baggies Travel WILL be running a coach, travel information to follow next week.
COYB!!!!
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FA Youth Cup Semi Final. Man City v WBA. Monday 1 April at 7pm. Baggies Travel WILL be running a coach, travel information to follow next week.
COYB!!!!
Is it two-legged?
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Is it two-legged?
I’m not 100% certain, but I would suspect so
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Is it two-legged?
Was last year and i'm sure was live on something like ITV4
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I read it is one legged only this year. Changed this year.
FA probably changed it two weeks ago under pressure from Chelsea and man city as they are running scared.
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Morgan Rogers scored twice for England under 17s today in a 5-2 win over Switzerland. He remains the star player in a very, very good team.
If we manage to keep hold of him I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot of him next season. He looks as good at this level as the likes of Hudson-Odoi did.
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According to this website our game on Monday against Man City is on BT Sport, but its not showing on my tv guide (Virgin Media)
Does anybody know if it is on or not?
Thanks
https://www.live-footballontv.com/live-english-football-on-tv.html
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FA site says it’s on BT too.
http://www.thefa.com/competitions/youth-football/fa-youth-cup/fixtures
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Is it two legs ? I’m sure I read that it’s two legs but haven’t seen any date for it?
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Is it two legs ? I’m sure I read that it’s two legs but haven’t seen any date for it?
No it is only one leg - it used to be two.
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Any more news on tv rights for this game? BT website still showing live French football, Tennis and Baseball. BT sports clesrly have the rights but are choosing not to show it as it not a big enough crowd puller (Sky do the same with Rugby league, having rights to the championship games but only broadcasting 1 or 2 per season). Was hoping it might be online?
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Bit disappointing but doesn't seem to be on. It might seem strange thinking that this game would be competing with Newcastle v Arsenal on Sky but I think there might be an agreement for certain nights that you won't show anything else on the night a rival channel is showing a match. Bit like when Champions league is on BT, Sky have championship games on the red button but not the full blown Sky live match treatment. May or may not be something like that , with some network rivalry tit for tat playing it's part.
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I was under the impression it would be on BT Sport?
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It says on the FA website that it is on BT Sport, there will still be streams knocking about even if it is not
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http://www.thefa.com/news/2019/apr/01/fa-youth-cup-semi-final-man-city-west-brom-live-010419 (http://www.thefa.com/news/2019/apr/01/fa-youth-cup-semi-final-man-city-west-brom-live-010419)
There's a place in the FA Youth Cup Final up for grabs on Monday evening, as Manchester City host West Bromwich Albion in the first of this season's semi-finals.
The game kicks-off at 7pm at City's Academy Stadium and will be shown live on the official Emirates FA Cup YouTube channel.
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Being streamed on the FA YouTube chanel KO 7pm fill yeah boots lads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSj8dn0rAu0&feature=youtu.be
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1-0 down, they look very comfortable against us at the moment. Rogers and Tulloch hardly touched it
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Being streamed on the FA YouTube chanel KO 7pm fill yeah boots lads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSj8dn0rAu0&feature=youtu.be
As much as I would like too fill my boots, this is not available in the US. I’d very much appreciate a few updates, please.
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1-1
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would equaliser on 34 minutes, we've got a hold on the game last 10 minutes
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Good finish for the equaliser. Pep watching on
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Rodgers missed a great chance to put us in front
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City mistake and Rogers does well to get a shot in but off the line. The kids on both sides look very good on the ball, very composed
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Come on lads the prize of a Final at home against Liverpool awaits, what a great night that could be.
The commentator said left back and skipper George Harmon has a season ticket on the Smethwick.- love it
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With the way football is now, I don’t think I could be happier than seeing us do well consistently in the premiership and finishing mid table with 4-5 home grown players.
I wouldn’t even care if they left as I know they have a duty to do the best they can for themselves, as long as they conduct themselves in the right way with us. It would be great to see them go on and win things and play for England, while we get a decent fee
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2-1 city now. The lads are doing well but City look like they mean business. We're struggling to keep the ball. And City just hit the crossbar.
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City are a much better side, hopefully they tire like Everton did.
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3-1 now
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3-1 OG.
2nd City goal was a dreadful GK error.
Typical Albion ;D
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3-2 Tulloch
Awful mistake from the City player. Game on.
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4-2, these lads defend worse than the seniors...
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Went tonight, thought we had little belief and gave them too much respect. When we equalised it seemed to give us a lift and then Morgan missed a great chance. Second half they took over and it was men against boys.
Fantastic achievement to even reach the semi final, when City have players they have brought in from Barcelona and god knows where else for our local lads to give them a game and put them under pressure at times was nice to see but they had the class that mattered and thats not knocking our lads at all. The Academy stadium is impressive and shows what money can buy you.
Find it strange that it was only over one leg and the final the same when in past years both have been two legged games, maybe over two legs we might have done it with a decent crowd at home as tonight there was more Albion there albeit made up by it seemed almost all the full time academy lads and staff there.
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Great achievement by a talented group of youngsters, no shame in losing to a team that can buy kids parents to play for them.
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Can anyone enlighten me as to how the choice of venue was decided? If the FA was going to change from the the two-legged format, surely a neutral venue like St George’s would have been fairer.
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Shame as I'd have fancied us to overturn that if it was over two legs.
The futures bright if we are clever and hang on to these lads.
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I thought Nathan Ferguson was our best player on the night. Hard to judge our forward players as they had so little of the ball.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47766043
In an era when big clubs recruit teenagers from overseas and claim them as academy products, a true grow-your-own plan conceived by Dan Ashworth over a decade ago looks set to bear fruit just in time to breathe fresh life into West Bromwich Albion.
The Baggies reported a pre-tax loss of £7.5m on Monday and confirmed they had "exhausted our funds" by spending almost £60m on new players and increased wages last season, a campaign which still ended in relegation from the Premier League.
A few hours after that financial announcement, the Championship club played in their first FA Youth Cup semi-final for 41 years.
West Brom did not make it to the final, but they pushed Manchester City all the way before eventually losing 4-2.
That they went as close as they did was a remarkable achievement. City, who have raised £153m from sales of young players including Jadon Sancho and Brahim Diaz to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid respectively, were watched by Pep Guardiola and played three former Barcelona youngsters and two other overseas recruits in their starting line-up.
In contrast, West Brom's included just one player who comes from outside the West Midlands: Oxford-born defender Pablo Martinez. Most of their team joined the club when they were still in primary school.
The brainchild is Ashworth's.
He spent eight years with the Baggies, the last five as technical director, before joining the Football Association in 2012 where he masterminded the phenomenal success of England's age-group teams, including World Cup success at under-17 and under-20 level in 2017.
Ashworth was the man who opted against operating a scouting network at West Brom because he "wanted to get things right locally" and made the changes that got the club their Category One academy status in 2012.
Spending the millions required is not an insignificant undertaking.
At the time West Brom needed coaching, medical, sports science and recruitment staff. They also had to lay a new Uefa standard pitch next to the club's indoor training area.
Some clubs, Huddersfield for instance, have decided the expense is not worth the reward.
When West Brom lost excellent prospects in the form of striker Izzy Brown to Chelsea as a 16-year-old in 2013 after one senior appearance, former England Under-17 international Jerome Sinclair to Liverpool in 2011 when he was 14 and Wales forward Matt Smith to Manchester City at the same age in 2013, they might have concluded the same thing.
Jerome Sinclair played in a League Cup tie for Liverpool against West Brom in 2012 aged 16 after leaving the Baggies
Jerome Sinclair (left) played in a League Cup tie for Liverpool against West Brom in 2012 aged 16 and six days after leaving the Baggies
However, even though Ashworth had moved on, West Brom kept faith with his plan.
"We stick with what we believe in," said academy manager Mark Harrison.
"I am an ex-professional but I also worked as a teacher. Governments brought in initiatives but they would change the strategy every three or four years. It always struck me that if you changed things so often, how would it ever work?
"Dan was our first academy manager. He put down almost all the foundations we have in place.
"It takes time, as you saw with England. But the work we have done over the past 10 years is what led us to this situation."
The current group won Premier League tournaments for under-12s and under-15s. Plenty of scouts have seen them do it. This time, West Brom have been able to keep them.
"The pathway is the critical thing," said Harrison.
"We have a plan for every player when they come into the building at 16. Also, we have a lot of staff who have been around the club for a long time who know and understand the younger players who are coming through. That benefits everyone. We are a small club compared to Manchester City but everyone knows each other. You can't underestimate the value of that.
"Obviously you can never tell for certain but I would argue if those lads who left had stayed with us, they would have made more first-team appearances than they actually have."
In the squads selected for the four England age-group teams from under-20s to under-17s last month, West Brom had four representatives - the same as Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham. Only four clubs had more; none come from the Championship.
Two of their semi-final team have already made their senior debuts. Another academy product, 20-year-old midfielder Sam Field, has made 38 first-team appearances. Yet another, 21-year-old Kyle Edwards, scored the winner at Brentford on 16 March.
In releasing details of West Brom's finances, chief executive Mark Jenkins said there are 'extreme differences' between being in the Championship and Premier League next season.
Whoever ends up replacing Darren Moore as first-team manager could find Ashworth's vision very helpful indeed.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47766043
In an era when big clubs recruit teenagers from overseas and claim them as academy products, a true grow-your-own plan conceived by Dan Ashworth over a decade ago looks set to bear fruit just in time to breathe fresh life into West Bromwich Albion.
The Baggies reported a pre-tax loss of £7.5m on Monday and confirmed they had "exhausted our funds" by spending almost £60m on new players and increased wages last season, a campaign which still ended in relegation from the Premier League.
A few hours after that financial announcement, the Championship club played in their first FA Youth Cup semi-final for 41 years.
West Brom did not make it to the final, but they pushed Manchester City all the way before eventually losing 4-2.
That they went as close as they did was a remarkable achievement. City, who have raised £153m from sales of young players including Jadon Sancho and Brahim Diaz to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid respectively, were watched by Pep Guardiola and played three former Barcelona youngsters and two other overseas recruits in their starting line-up.
In contrast, West Brom's included just one player who comes from outside the West Midlands: Oxford-born defender Pablo Martinez. Most of their team joined the club when they were still in primary school.
The brainchild is Ashworth's.
He spent eight years with the Baggies, the last five as technical director, before joining the Football Association in 2012 where he masterminded the phenomenal success of England's age-group teams, including World Cup success at under-17 and under-20 level in 2017.
Ashworth was the man who opted against operating a scouting network at West Brom because he "wanted to get things right locally" and made the changes that got the club their Category One academy status in 2012.
Spending the millions required is not an insignificant undertaking.
At the time West Brom needed coaching, medical, sports science and recruitment staff. They also had to lay a new Uefa standard pitch next to the club's indoor training area.
Some clubs, Huddersfield for instance, have decided the expense is not worth the reward.
When West Brom lost excellent prospects in the form of striker Izzy Brown to Chelsea as a 16-year-old in 2013 after one senior appearance, former England Under-17 international Jerome Sinclair to Liverpool in 2011 when he was 14 and Wales forward Matt Smith to Manchester City at the same age in 2013, they might have concluded the same thing.
Jerome Sinclair played in a League Cup tie for Liverpool against West Brom in 2012 aged 16 after leaving the Baggies
Jerome Sinclair (left) played in a League Cup tie for Liverpool against West Brom in 2012 aged 16 and six days after leaving the Baggies
However, even though Ashworth had moved on, West Brom kept faith with his plan.
"We stick with what we believe in," said academy manager Mark Harrison.
"I am an ex-professional but I also worked as a teacher. Governments brought in initiatives but they would change the strategy every three or four years. It always struck me that if you changed things so often, how would it ever work?
"Dan was our first academy manager. He put down almost all the foundations we have in place.
"It takes time, as you saw with England. But the work we have done over the past 10 years is what led us to this situation."
The current group won Premier League tournaments for under-12s and under-15s. Plenty of scouts have seen them do it. This time, West Brom have been able to keep them.
"The pathway is the critical thing," said Harrison.
"We have a plan for every player when they come into the building at 16. Also, we have a lot of staff who have been around the club for a long time who know and understand the younger players who are coming through. That benefits everyone. We are a small club compared to Manchester City but everyone knows each other. You can't underestimate the value of that.
"Obviously you can never tell for certain but I would argue if those lads who left had stayed with us, they would have made more first-team appearances than they actually have."
In the squads selected for the four England age-group teams from under-20s to under-17s last month, West Brom had four representatives - the same as Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham. Only four clubs had more; none come from the Championship.
Two of their semi-final team have already made their senior debuts. Another academy product, 20-year-old midfielder Sam Field, has made 38 first-team appearances. Yet another, 21-year-old Kyle Edwards, scored the winner at Brentford on 16 March.
In releasing details of West Brom's finances, chief executive Mark Jenkins said there are 'extreme differences' between being in the Championship and Premier League next season.
Whoever ends up replacing Darren Moore as first-team manager could find Ashworth's vision very helpful indeed.
interesting article, I have always believed Dan Ashworth's legacy was the Academy, & it was his achievements there that got him the England job.
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Managed to watch around 60 minutes of the game.
Thought Ferguson looked tidy defensively, not sure he's ready for involvement with the first team yet but could definitely do a job on loan somewhere for a few months.
Our front line were fairly quite which was expected, although Tulloch did grab a goal, Rogers had a good chance just before half time, could have been a different game if that had gone in.
The lad who grabbed the firs goal - Soule? looks a tidy player as does the centre midfielder, think his names Aziz.
Some of Man City's players looked a class above which was expected, the lad in the middle Doyle looks like he will make a decent career, as does the centre back who I think was signed from Barca.
Good experience for the lads and one which should do them no harm going forward.
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Even though defeated, the lads gave a very good account of themselves and the quality of the clubs Academy. Well done lads!
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Managed to watch around 60 minutes of the game.
Thought Ferguson looked tidy defensively, not sure he's ready for involvement with the first team yet but could definitely do a job on loan somewhere for a few months.
Our front line were fairly quite which was expected, although Tulloch did grab a goal, Rogers had a good chance just before half time, could have been a different game if that had gone in.
The lad who grabbed the firs goal - Soule? looks a tidy player as does the centre midfielder, think his names Aziz.
Some of Man City's players looked a class above which was expected, the lad in the middle Doyle looks like he will make a decent career, as does the centre back who I think was signed from Barca.
Good experience for the lads and one which should do them no harm going forward.
Ferguson is decent as you say but I worry about his height, he looks about 5’ 10” which is tiny for a CB. His career may be more suited coming forward into CDM and playing the Makelele role?
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Perhaps the posters who repeatedly call the hierarchy of the club a joke and a shambles should bear in mind that this aspect of WBAFC is far from deficient. The club could have scrapped the project at any time, and I am surprised and gratified that it survived the Pulis era.
Congratulations to the young guys and the dedicated coaches!
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I found that a really interesting article and possibly the most positive things I have heard about our club in a long time. Maybe the future is bright after all?
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I found that a really interesting article and possibly the most positive things I have heard about our club in a long time. Maybe the future is bright after all?
i would be seriously considering bringing the staff through with the kids, get a conveyor belt of success underway, interesting Dan Ashworths methods / philosiphies seems to be bearing fruit for the national team as well.
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Was told last night that the lad who came on as a late sub Louie Barry is one of the best finishers the Academy staff have seen come through so one to watch.
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Went tonight, thought we had little belief and gave them too much respect. When we equalised it seemed to give us a lift and then Morgan missed a great chance. Second half they took over and it was men against boys.
Fantastic achievement to even reach the semi final, when City have players they have brought in from Barcelona and god knows where else for our local lads to give them a game and put them under pressure at times was nice to see but they had the class that mattered and thats not knocking our lads at all. The Academy stadium is impressive and shows what money can buy you.
Find it strange that it was only over one leg and the final the same when in past years both have been two legged games, maybe over two legs we might have done it with a decent crowd at home as tonight there was more Albion there albeit made up by it seemed almost all the full time academy lads and staff there.
Tend to agree, there was an air of confidence from Man City, their body language showed there determination to win, they expected it. Baggies looked a little like rabbits in the headlights, blinking and mesmerised, that's not to say we don't have skill or ability, just lower expectations.
They played like a team we didn't :(
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Was told last night that the lad who came on as a late sub Louie Barry is one of the best finishers the Academy staff have seen come through so one to watch.
Everybody wants to sign him, including from abroad. I will be amazed if he is here at the end of the season
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Everybody wants to sign him, including from abroad. I will be amazed if he is here at the end of the season
This is the problem we have and if we either don't start paying money to compete with the other offers (within reason) or start giving youth a chance in the first team then we can have no complaints if they all start going elsewhere
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One of the things which I can't understand is that DM had a lot to do with bringing them through, but didn't really give them a chance when he was head coach.
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Everybody wants to sign him, including from abroad. I will be amazed if he is here at the end of the season
Isn't this the lad who have Bayern and Madrid scouts watching him recently?
Seems to score goals for fun, just a shame for us as a club that he's getting so much interested at such a young age.
Will be surprised if we ever see him in the first team if he continues at this rate of progression.
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A massively changed Albion U18’s side held Liverpool to a 3-3 draw while fielding mostly first year scholars (15/16 year olds) just two days after losing in the youth cup to Man City. Came from behind twice and lead into injury time. Scorers were Stanley Asomugha, Harry Williams and Louie Barry.
https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/april/albion-u18s-3-liverpool-u18s-3/
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Isn't this the lad who have Bayern and Madrid scouts watching him recently?
Seems to score goals for fun, just a shame for us as a club that he's getting so much interested at such a young age.
Will be surprised if we ever see him in the first team if he continues at this rate of progression.
according to an E&S article, under 18’s are not allowed to move to foreign clubs but can move at 16 if within the European Economic area. He’s 16 in June... A no deal brexit would pull us out of the EEA and we can hold him from foreign teams for another two years! ;D
https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/west-bromwich-albion/2019/04/04/west-brom-keen-to-keep-teenager-amid-barcelona-interest/
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https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/april/burton-looks-ahead-to-old-trafford-experience-for-pl2-side/ (https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/april/burton-looks-ahead-to-old-trafford-experience-for-pl2-side/)
U23 team are at Old Trafford Friday night. Free entry if anyone is in the area.
https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/under-23s-free-entry-at-old-trafford-v-west-brom-5-april-2019 (https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/under-23s-free-entry-at-old-trafford-v-west-brom-5-april-2019)
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Feel sorry for our youngsters when I saw the performance from those so-called experienced players this season.
Harper, Field and Edwards deserve more chances definitely.
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You'd think under 23 manager in charge he'd be more inclined to pick from the academy but field has been bombed out the squad entirely, Harper hasn't played a minute since his first game, and Edwards was removed as quick as he came in.
Either he doesn't rate them at all or it makes life far easier to keep the senior pros happy and playing. We've been atrocious in midfield every game under Shan so it's hard to believe Harper has dropped out of contention entirely by merit.
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You'd think under 23 manager in charge he'd be more inclined to pick from the academy but field has been bombed out the squad entirely, Harper hasn't played a minute since his first game, and Edwards was removed as quick as he came in.
Either he doesn't rate them at all or it makes life far easier to keep the senior pros happy and playing. We've been atrocious in midfield every game under Shan so it's hard to believe Harper has dropped out of contention entirely by merit.
Shan can't pick field/Harper
Where do they play, who would miss out .....who's actually picking the team ?
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Shan can't pick field/Harper
Where do they play, who would miss out .....who's actually picking the team ?
No one picks Field except Megson he's not good enough . Harper is rightly out of the side until he signs a deal.
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No one picks Field except Megson he's not good enough . Harper is rightly out of the side until he signs a deal.
For the sake of the same old circle i'll bite :D
Proved he's good enough in a higher league, can tackle, can pass the ball which are two things lacking from our midfield at this time.
As for Harper I personally do not care about his contract at the moment, we cannot afford to leave players out over contract issues. Would we be doing the same with a more experienced player ? Not a chance, if he improves the side which he will be doing then he should be starting.
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No one picks Field except Megson he's not good enough . Harper is rightly out of the side until he signs a deal.
Field not better than any of the clowns who played today? Why is Harper out until he signs a deal? are you suggesting seriously that he is less committed than our loan signings who will all walk away at the end of the season ?
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No one picks Field except Megson he's not good enough . Harper is rightly out of the side until he signs a deal.
Right now I'd rather megson than Shan and suggest megson has way more experience .
Not picking a good player whilst paying him is stupidity, we both know that your mate brunt is having too much influence
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Been very disappointed with Darren and Jimmy for not getting more youngsters in the match day squad and first eleven this season. Totally frustrated that youth has been stiffeld by these coaches for what ever reason.
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No one picks Field except Megson he's not good enough . Harper is rightly out of the side until he signs a deal.
And why would Harper sign for a team which doesn't play him? Especially when that team is under-performing? Not to mention that it's not his fault we didn't recognise his talent earlier and reward him with a contract at the start of the season - which would have avoided being in this situation altogether.
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No one picks Field except Megson he's not good enough . Harper is rightly out of the side until he signs a deal.
So, we alienate him, making his departure even more likely, brilliant strategy
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So, we alienate him, making his departure even more likely, brilliant strategy
There is a deal on the table if he was going to sign it he would have. There is no need for a strategy, he's leaving so why waste anymore time on him?
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There is a deal on the table if he was going to sign it he would have. There is no need for a strategy, he's leaving so why waste anymore time on him?
Purely because the midfield is lacking what he offers.
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Purely because the midfield is lacking what he offers.
Agreed, Livermore should never play for us again while Rekeem is on the books but I understand why they're doing it.
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Agreed, Livermore should never play for us again while Rekeem is on the books but I understand why they're doing it.
:D :D When fit Barry and Harper should be starters but the other is tough between our central midfielders Johansen, Morrison, Field, Livermore and Hoolahan. I'd give Hoolahan a go, offers more creativity than the rest.
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:D :D When fit Barry and Harper should be starters but the other is tough between our central midfielders Johansen, Morrison, Field, Livermore and Hoolahan. I'd give Hoolahan a go, offers more creativity than the rest.
Can't see Barry playing for us again. Brunt must play even if it is only for the marginal gains in key moments from set pieces (in your mind; as you know I think his general play merits a shirt).
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Can't see Barry playing for us again. Brunt must play even if it is only for the marginal gains in key moments from set pieces (in your mind; as you know I think his general play merits a shirt).
Last I heard Barry is injured and he does want to play next season although it won't be for us as we need to get wages down.
Brunt is not a central midfielder hence I didn't mention him, its more than just in my mind, he cannot tackle, he gives away stupid free kicks in dangerous places and in the middle we need youth and players who can get around the pitch. We're not the sort of team that can carry a luxury player just for set pieces, he offers nothing else so for us to move on he has to be a bench warmer or next season at left back if Gibbs moves on in the Summer. By putting him in the middle you take away his crossing which is the best asset he has.
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Last I heard Barry is injured and he does want to play next season although it won't be for us as we need to get wages down.
Brunt is not a central midfielder hence I didn't mention him, its more than just in my mind, he cannot tackle, he gives away stupid free kicks in dangerous places and in the middle we need youth and players who can get around the pitch. We're not the sort of team that can carry a luxury player just for set pieces, he offers nothing else so for us to move on he has to be a bench warmer or next season at left back if Gibbs moves on in the Summer. By putting him in the middle you take away his crossing which is the best asset he has.
Shan would have no points from 4 games or very close to it, if it wasn't for Brunt. Best of the centre mids again today... as ever, agree to disagree. ;D
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Shan would have no points from 4 games or very close to it, if it wasn't for Brunt. Best of the centre mids again today... as ever, agree to disagree. ;D
Purely hypothetical to say, without Brunt we may not have needed set pieces plus there are also others in the squad capable but then they hardly ever get chance to take one.
As for today thats scraping the barrel after a performance like that.
We've needed a freshness to the midfield for the past few years, we have youth coming through capable but are again getting overlooked here but getting recognition elsewhere. Players get old and no matter who they are, how long they have been here they have to be moved on whether thats on the bench or out the club altogether.
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Whether people like it or not, we are going to have to rely on our academy graduates next year if we don't get promoted (as is looking increasingly likely).
Our loan signings will depart, as will a considerable number of the first-team squad - most likely those who are good and in their prime (for example Gibbs, Phillips, Hegazi etc.). That's going to leave us with a pretty thin squad and I know that I'd much rather we turn to the likes of Edwards, Burke, Leko and Rogers than fall back on ageing free-transfer pros looking for a final paycheque. Sadly I doubt we'll have the money to go out and buy proven players in their prime.
It's such a shame we continue to mismanage youth players as we are currently doing with Harper. Only have to look at how well Tyler Roberts is doing over at promotion rivals Leeds. Then again, if he was still here he probably would barely have played outside of a league cup appearance or two.
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There is a deal on the table if he was going to sign it he would have. There is no need for a strategy, he's leaving so why waste anymore time on him?
All football contracts are a negotiation, especially with how detailed they are now. It's not like we make an offer, and he takes it or leaves it, they'll be constantly talking about giving a little here, taking a little there.
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U18's beat Man City 3-1 over the weekend and have finished 9th in the Premier League North division.
https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/april/albion-u18s-3-man-city-u18s-1/
Another goal from Morgan Rogers.
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palace and Bournemouth interested in o'shea.
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At least as O'Shea is 20 and under contract we would get some money for him. If we don't go up though, we could in theory lose Hegazi and Dawson, Toisin is on loan so 2 or 3 gaps at CB are likely. Will O'Shea and/or Fitzwater be given the chance ?
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At least as O'Shea is 20 and under contract we would get some money for him. If we don't go up though, we could in theory lose Hegazi and Dawson, Toisin is on loan so 2 or 3 gaps at CB are likely. Will O'Shea and/or Fitzwater be given the chance ?
Haven't seen too much of O'Shea so cant comment on him, but Fitzwater was told he would be 4th choice at the start of the season wasn't he? He chose to go back out on loan to get more games under his belt, granted Walsall have been pretty poor this season so I'm guessing his reviews wont be as good as they were last year.
As you said though, with Tosin going back and potentially losing Dawson/Hegazi, they could find themselves as the top couple of centre backs at the club at least until replacments have been found.
Would be a good chance for them to stake a claim to become first choice for next season (more likely if we are to remain in the championship).
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At least as O'Shea is 20 and under contract we would get some money for him. If we don't go up though, we could in theory lose Hegazi and Dawson, Toisin is on loan so 2 or 3 gaps at CB are likely. Will O'Shea and/or Fitzwater be given the chance ?
Unless I've missed something regarding a twelve month option, Dara O'Shea's contract expires at the end of May.
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Unless I've missed something regarding a twelve month option, Dara O'Shea's contract expires at the end of May.
Assume he was referring more to the fact he's over 18 so wont just go for the token Academy payment. That said can't see a tribunal giving us much for him either.
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Jamie Soule linked with Dortmund now. Would be a shame if we never see the likes of him and Rogers in the first team.
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Jamie Soule linked with Dortmund now. Would be a shame if we never see the likes of him and Rogers in the first team.
still under contract signed two and half year deal, just hope we get a coach who will blood some of these exceptional talents that our on clubs books. That's the biggest issue I had with Darren he didn't trust these kids even though he'd been around them for four or five years.
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I'd like to think that our prospective new manager will be considered on the basis that he can develop talent from the Academy.
We can see some of this years crop already being courted by some of the big name clubs.
It was sad to see last week end that in the Leeds squad were 3 of our ex-Academy lads.
Roberts, Roofe and Brown.
If only...............
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Unless I've missed something regarding a twelve month option, Dara O'Shea's contract expires at the end of May.
I thought he was contracted beyond this year but you seem to be right it's to the end of May. Begs the question, are we on the ball enough with contract extensions ? Maybe we tried to extend or maybe we have doubts about him...but if we actually rate players (and there's no reason to suspect we don't rate O'Shea) then sort out the contract before sending them out somewhere on loan.
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Just been reading one or two reports about our academy and it makes me think what's the point?
We're spending all this money developing new talent for other clubs to come in and take off us,it can't be cost effective.
We either have to tie them up in golden handcuffs or make the club more attractive for them to stay here.
We need to be seen as a team that has ambition. At the minute that's a difficult selling point to get over
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Just been reading one or two reports about our academy and it makes me think what's the point?
We're spending all this money developing new talent for other clubs to come in and take off us,it can't be cost effective.
We either have to tie them up in golden handcuffs or make the club more attractive for them to stay here.
We need to be seen as a team that has ambition. At the minute that's a difficult selling point to get over
There has been no-one with any real ambition at the Albion since Paul Thompson and herein lies one huge, huge problem.
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Just been reading one or two reports about our academy and it makes me think what's the point?
We're spending all this money developing new talent for other clubs to come in and take off us,it can't be cost effective.
We either have to tie them up in golden handcuffs or make the club more attractive for them to stay here.
We need to be seen as a team that has ambition. At the minute that's a difficult selling point to get over
Have more kids left under the raider? I’ve not seen anything.
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Just been reading one or two reports about our academy and it makes me think what's the point?
We're spending all this money developing new talent for other clubs to come in and take off us,it can't be cost effective.
We either have to tie them up in golden handcuffs or make the club more attractive for them to stay here.
We need to be seen as a team that has ambition. At the minute that's a difficult selling point to get over
It probably has been cost effective over the last 4 or 5 years. That said I agree to an extent. We need to commit to a high energy attacking style, using a lot of younger players. Show them that's what we are about as a club. We can still bring in a few from outside but if we continue to be so slow in bringing our own players through then the better ones like Rogers and Barry will be moving on without us ever seeing them.
I think a lot of the best young players, not just at our club, may hope to play a year or two for their home clubs but they will have dreams of top 6 prem clubs or top European sides in the future. If we get them to stay for that year or two then at least we get to see them play and hopefully cash in more money if/when they leave.
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Players (24 and under)
Retained:
Oliver Burke, Kyle Edwards, Nathan Ferguson, Sam Field, Jack Fitzwater, Kevin Healy, Jonathan Leko, Max Melbourne, Tom Solanke, Jamie Soule, Rayhaan Tulloch, Kane Wilson; Zak Delaney, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Alex Gilbert, Josh Griffiths, Carrick Hill, Toby King, Morgan Rogers, Lewis Smith, Finley Thorndike, Jacob Wakeling, Remarl Williams, Harry Williams.
Extended contract:
Dara O'Shea, Alex Palmer; Eoin Ashton, Stanley Asomugha, Zak Brown, Ted Cann, Tyrese Dyce, Pablo Martinez, Yusuff Ojebode, Tom Sharpe, Peter Taylor, Aksum White.
Offered new contract:
Rekeem Harper, Bradley House, Callum Morton; Finn Azaz, George Harmon; Jack Chambers, Nick Clayton-Phillips, Sam Wilding.
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A large number of academy players retained, and yet very few of them seem genuinely close to getting an extended run in our first team.
We need to make up for our errors next season, and get Leko, Edwards and potentially Field out on loan ready for the start of next season. They need time in league 1 (or maybe lower Championship in Field’s case) to get more minutes under their belts, as this year was a wasted season for all 3 given their ages.
I’m surprised to see us extend Fitzwater’s contract as he seems to have found his level at league 1.
Biggest hopes have to be Tulloch, Soule, Rogers and Ferguson. It would be nice if Ferguson went out on loan this year, same goes for Soule.
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We need to make up for our errors next season, and get Leko, Edwards and potentially Field out on loan ready for the start of next season. They need time in league 1 (or maybe lower Championship in Field’s case) to get more minutes under their belts, as this year was a wasted season for all 3 given their ages.
All three will be part of the first team squad here next season, no point sending them on loan.
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All three will be part of the first team squad here next season, no point sending them on loan.
Agree - especially seeing as our budget has seemingly shrunk considerably.
From the limited game time I've seen Field and Edwards are good enough for this division, whereas I don't think Leko is as good.
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Agree - especially seeing as our budget has seemingly shrunk considerably.
From the limited game time I've seen Field and Edwards are good enough for this division, whereas I don't think Leko is as good.
Agree. Field and Edwards should be included in the match-day squad regularly next season.
Also I think we should keep Kane Wilson and one of the Fitzwater/O'shea for right back and CB rotation.
But Leko is still too raw and need more game time in other team or lower division urgently.
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"The truth about that shock West Brom transfer rumour"
We need to hang on to our youngsters, we should be the ones making decisions on their futures
Source: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/west-brom-soule-dortmund-transfer-16326428
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So, we could lose Jamie Soule, Louie Barry and Rekeem Harper all in the space of a season for minimal compensation as they are all going abroad.
Three England internationals, the jewels in our academy...
You have to ask the question, what is the point?
Might as well close the academy down.
Matt Smith, Yan Dhanda, Izzy Brown, Jerome Sinclair all poached. Three more to add to the list.
7 academy stars nicked in 4ish years...
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Yes it's pretty depressing really.
So Soule is 18 with one more year left on his deal. We don't know the level of Dortmund's interest but if they want him now, we'd get some money and presumably a sell-on clause.
If we keep him for the final year of his contract we'd almost be in a Harper situation....try and extend his contract now, give him games, show him there's a future here....then he'll probably go for peanuts next summer.
Re the academy generally, we are going to find it hard to hang on to the very best products but we have to hope the next level to that, the likes of Edwards, Field and some others, we can hang on to and get value from....there are quite a few other names emerging also.
I'm fairly sure we won't have lost money on the academy over the past 5 years, taking Wood, Thorne, Roofe, Berahino, Roberts into account.
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Someone posted a couple of weeks ago that he suspects the Albion coaches aren’t very good. I’m starting to think myself that is true. It’s probably the case at other English clubs too.
We have past their best experienced players dictating to the club over contracts instead of the club demanding they leave. The culture is too soft.
We could have blooded several players and with the right coaching could’ve dramatically improved over a season or 2. Where the hell is Kyle Edwards since Brentford away?
Indeed what is the point of the academy if prospects leave after a few appearances?
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Soule seems a strange one. He’s nearly 19 so I can’t see Dortmund having too much of a genuine interest next season if he’s not got some minutes in the championship.
You’d imagine the club will be nervous to put him in or even loan him given Harper and Roberts situations though. It may seem cruel to a kid but I’d consider sidelining him until he signs a new contract if he’s a genuine prospect.
Roberts and Harper both appear to have gone badly because we lacked that little bit of faith, and by the time they ‘prove’ enough other clubs are prepared to pay more.
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Someone posted a couple of weeks ago that he suspects the Albion coaches aren’t very good. I’m starting to think myself that is true. It’s probably the case at other English clubs too.
We have past their best experienced players dictating to the club over contracts instead of the club demanding they leave. The culture is too soft.
We could have blooded several players and with the right coaching could’ve dramatically improved over a season or 2. Where the hell is Kyle Edwards since Brentford away?
Indeed what is the point of the academy if prospects leave after a few appearances?
Good question - it's the type of thing that tends to happen to our young players. He played a loose pass at Bristol City which ended with their 2nd goal, was taken off when we changed shape for 2nd half. He looks a decent player to me though. Just wonder a couple of things - presumably we paid a loan fee for Murphy so there's always a tendency to want to get some value from signings. Also, we don't know, but there could have been one of these clauses for Murphy stating that he has to play a certain number of games or we pay more.
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https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/may/young-lions-honour-for-baggies-pair/
Field and Edwards selected for the Toulon Tournament in France this Summer
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I wonder if it will be televised, hope so.
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I wonder if it will be televised, hope so.
Usually on Eurosport I think
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https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/june/duo-start-in-toulon-tournament-opener/
Field played full game, Edwards played 75 mins. Forgot it was on to be honest so no idea how either played.
Next game is tomorrow but team is usually rotated if I remember from other years.
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England 1 - Japan 2, dour uninspiring performance by all accounts.
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Dara O’Shea about to play for Ireland against China. also playing is former youth player Zach Elbouzedi.
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U-23’s Pre season game against Leamington confirmed for the 27th July at 3:00pm
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Bit of a blow for the baggies
Percy reporting that Mark Harrison is leaving us after 13 years to join Villa in a similar role.
Has played a huge part in building our academy. I did hear a whisper that he has had a falling out with Jenkins but not sure on how much truth there is with that.
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That is an enormous blow if Harrison is leaving to become head of Villa Academy. The Academy is one of the great success stories at the club, producing more England iinternationals than Man U and L'pool. If that means less quality players being produced within the club, that makes us even more dependant on what we can find in the transfer market, with reduced funds available.
The club must try to find the best possible replacement for Harrison. This is an important position.
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Another blow to the Academy - Sky Sports Is reporting that Barcelona are interested in signing talented 15 year old striker Louie Barry who has been at the club since he was six. Bloody daylight robbery!
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Another blow to the Academy - Sky Sports Is reporting that Barcelona are interested in signing talented 15 year old striker Louie Barry who has been at the club since he was six. Bloody daylight robbery!
Whilst you can see the attraction of Barca for a young kid, his parents ought to be thinking about what taking him away from his school might do to his overall education.
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As I said in another thread, there is a possibility we could loose some of our better younger players to Vile if Harrison goes there
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To be honest, our academy is great but we've not had a structure which has enabled us to get the best out of it (financially by selling on talent or by fast tracking into the first team). It's too simple to say we've had Pulis who didn't trust kids but instead, the way our club has been run for 10 years on a very short term basis has nullified any positive effects the academy could've had.
You use it or loose it!
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As I said in another thread, there is a possibility we could loose some of our better younger players to Vile if Harrison goes there
Have to say, I doubt that for two reasons:
He is almost certain to have a clause in his contract where he is prohibited to poach any of our players or disclose any of our plans for a period of time.
As GM, Mark Harrison would have a strategic position within the academy & it's unlikely that any of the scholars would have any direct contact with him.
I believe Villa want him for his expertise in developing their academy.
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Have to say, I doubt that for two reasons:
He is almost certain to have a clause in his contract where he is prohibited to poach any of our players or disclose any of our plans for a period of time.
As GM, Mark Harrison would have a strategic position within the academy & it's unlikely that any of the scholars would have any direct contact with him.
I believe Villa want him for his expertise in developing their academy.
I do hope you are right baggiejohn, but in my experience contract clauses like those you refer to are not always adhered to, ways can be found round them
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Howkins has joined Newport county.
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Jenkins cutting cost no doubt, haven't got a first team coach so why bother with academy manager. Best crop of youngsters coming through since 75 and clowns in charge are doing their best to f it up. Lai and Jenkins do one.
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Disappointing news re Harrison. He's always sounded like someone who is dedicated and knows what they are doing in any stuff I've read about him.
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Whilst you can see the attraction of Barca for a young kid, his parents ought to be thinking about what taking him away from his school might do to his overall education.
I should imagine an education would take second place to a career in football. Especially when it’s with one of the worlds top clubs. He can always catch up on algebra at a later date. :D
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I should imagine an education would take second place to a career in football. Especially when it’s with one of the worlds top clubs. He can always catch up on algebra at a later date. :D
I would suggest he will probably receive as good as if not better education in Spain, whilst becoming bilingual
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Have to say, I doubt that for two reasons:
He is almost certain to have a clause in his contract where he is prohibited to poach any of our players or disclose any of our plans for a period of time.
As GM, Mark Harrison would have a strategic position within the academy & it's unlikely that any of the scholars would have any direct contact with him.
I believe Villa want him for his expertise in developing their academy.
No idea about the contract clause thing, but take it from me, Mark Harrison knows every academy player from U9 to U23. Every single one.
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I would suggest he will probably receive as good as if not better education in Spain, whilst becoming bilingual
He’ll have to learn Catalan then. Which will come in useful in Barcelona and Mallorca. ;D
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How good is this kid of ours?
Does Bilic have a track record of bringing young lads through to the first team?
How old is the kid,16?
Is he as good as Trevor Francis or Rooney at 16?
Surely Bilic would want to see all our players before letting him go and we wouldn't be so stupid to let him go before appointing a new HC would we?
If he is good enough play him,keep him in the first team squad it'd be great to see him succeed with us.
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How good is this kid of ours?
Does Bilic have a track record of bringing young lads through to the first team?
How old is the kid,16?
Is he as good as Trevor Francis or Rooney at 16?
Surely Bilic would want to see all our players before letting him go and we wouldn't be so stupid to let him go before appointing a new HC would we?
If he is good enough play him,keep him in the first team squad it'd be great to see him succeed with us.
Think he's 15, hence why we can't sign him to a contract. It's not about us "letting him go", it's about us being unable to stop him if he wanted to move.
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He’ll have to learn Catalan then. Which will come in useful in Barcelona and Mallorca. ;D
He could end up being trilingual then, as most people in Barcelona are bilingual speaking Catalan and Spanish ;)
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How good is this kid of ours?
Does Bilic have a track record of bringing young lads through to the first team?
How old is the kid,16?
Is he as good as Trevor Francis or Rooney at 16?
Surely Bilic would want to see all our players before letting him go and we wouldn't be so stupid to let him go before appointing a new HC would we?
If he is good enough play him,keep him in the first team squad it'd be great to see him succeed with us.
He's 15.
The one good factor is he's been at us from a very young age and is meant to be a big baggies fan, the downside is its arguably one of the biggest clubs in the world wanting him and there isn't really too much we can do about it.
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He's 15.
The one good factor is he's been at us from a very young age and is meant to be a big baggies fan, the downside is its arguably one of the biggest clubs in the world wanting him and there isn't really too much we can do about it.
It's the biggest attraction in the world surely? Put yourself in Barry's shoes. Personally as an Albion fan I'd turn down the Liverpool's and Manchester's but Barcelona? To learn off Lionel Messi or Jake Livermore? Sometimes the opportunity is just impossible to refuse.
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Might not be Barcelona who get him, but it will be a major European team from a capital city. If he was going for football reasons, you would go to Barcelona I think?. If you go for money reasons, there are a few others...
Read a report saying since a recent European tournament where he scored loads of goals, he has been offered around Europe's top clubs by his agent. Albion are so out of this race...
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It's the biggest attraction in the world surely? Put yourself in Barry's shoes. Personally as an Albion fan I'd turn down the Liverpool's and Manchester's but Barcelona? To learn off Lionel Messi or Jake Livermore? Sometimes the opportunity is just impossible to refuse.
Yeah 100%, I said one of the biggest as I was considering Real Madrid, Juventus and then the likes of Man City (his generation will probably be all City fans now).
I think its very fair to say we wont ever see him in the WBA first team.
I would put my house on Morgan Rogers being the next one to be cherry picked.
That's the problem with the academy I guess, if a player of that age is performing exceptionally, then its likely on of the bigger clubs will take them before they get chance to be in our first team.
The best we can hope for is a couple of 'late bloomers' like Field etc,
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Morgan Rogers is an Albion fan though - I don't think Barry is. They might make a difference for Rogers.
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Not sure anyone can criticise Louie Barry if he did go to Barcelona, one look at their academy compared to ours and its a no brainer, even if he doesn't make it with them the coaching he will receive will be second to none and thats no disrespect to anyone at our club.
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Not sure anyone can criticise Louie Barry if he did go to Barcelona, one look at their academy compared to ours and its a no brainer, even if he doesn't make it with them the coaching he will receive will be second to none and thats no disrespect to anyone at our club.
I don't think anyone is criticising Louie, think its more a case of being annoyed at the system, one where we are starting to produce players who are doing well for the academy and national sides, and then they're being cherry picked by the big clubs.
For what it's worth if I was in Barry's situation, I would be jumping at the chance of signing for Barca.
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I don't think anyone is criticising Louie, think its more a case of being annoyed at the system, one where we are starting to produce players who are doing well for the academy and national sides, and then they're being cherry picked by the big clubs.
For what it's worth if I was in Barry's situation, I would be jumping at the chance of signing for Barca.
Don't get me wrong, I haven't seen any criticism on here, just making the point. I guess the vast majority of clubs are in this situation now and I can only see it getting worse.
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If Barcelona do really come in for Barry then I think its very likely he will go there. The only thing about Barcelona's academy is I believe they run it a little different to academies here as they have over 300 youth players in their academy spread over a few teams. I hope the fact he might be just another number they put in the mixer trying to reproduce Xavi, Iniesta, Messi etc. and that he would have to completely change his environment at such a young age might put him off? Probably not, but here's hoping
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Does anyone know whether Dara O'Shea will feature this season/is he good enough yet? He's 20 but played 27 games for Exeter in League 2 last season who finished 9th.
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Does anyone know whether Dara O'Shea will feature this season/is he good enough yet? He's 20 but played 27 games for Exeter in League 2 last season who finished 9th.
Well he had a solid season with Exeter in league 2, his contract had a year in our favour which we used. We should look to tie him down for abit longer and see if we can get him a loan in league 1 to continue his development.
The likes of leko also needs a season at league one possibly Wilson again.
I would say Kyle Edwards but the squad is quite thin and he looked handy when he was used so deserves a go imo
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Does anyone know whether Dara O'Shea will feature this season/is he good enough yet? He's 20 but played 27 games for Exeter in League 2 last season who finished 9th.
maybe, I don’t know if Fitzwater is still ahead though. Didn’t have a great season at Walsall but looking at the results they struggled much more without him playing after January. Also had a strong loan the season before with both seasons in league 1. Jack tends to be forgotten with all the attention Dara gets.
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Well he had a solid season with Exeter in league 2, his contract had a year in our favour which we used. We should look to tie him down for abit longer and see if we can get him a loan in league 1 to continue his development.
The likes of leko also needs a season at league one possibly Wilson again.
I would say Kyle Edwards but the squad is quite thin and he looked handy when he was used so deserves a go imo
He looked great in the few games he played and I'd put him ahead of Leko - hopefully he can be a regular from the bench. Agree with Leko and league 1.
Also I have to admit I'd forgotten about Fitzwater.
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Lots of talk of Louie Barry, but has anyone seen or heard if the other 'big name' Morgan Rogers signed a deal yet?
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I think it's a MASSIVE (hope that emphasises it enough) season for Field, Edwards, Burke, Leko, Fitzwater and Max Melbourne. If they don't properly break through this season I don't think they will be here the following season.
O'Shea is only just 20, that's very young for a centre back so I'd give him a years grace despite him doing really well at Exeter.
The likes of Tulloch, Wilson, Rogers are still in their teens so still early for them. Louie Barry is barely sixteen so he's a baby.
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I think it's a MASSIVE (hope that emphasises it enough) season for Field, Edwards, Burke, Leko, Fitzwater and Max Melbourne. If they don't properly break through this season I don't think they will be here the following season.
O'Shea is only just 20, that's very young for a centre back so I'd give him a years grace despite him doing really well at Exeter.
The likes of Tulloch, Wilson, Rogers are still in their teens so still early for them. Louie Barry is barely sixteen so he's a baby.
Melbourne won’t make it and I’d guess be replaced by George Harmon or Zak Delaney as the academy left back option next season
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Melbourne won’t make it and I’d guess be replaced by George Harmon or Zak Delaney as the academy left back option next season
I don't think Leko or Fitzwater will either.
I do think if there is one man that can get a tune out of Leko though it's Bilic.
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I don't think Leko or Fitzwater will either.
I do think if there is one man that can get a tune out of Leko though it's Bilic.
the problem with Leko is that he doesn't have a brain. unfortunately you can't teach that.
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the problem with Leko is that he doesn't have a brain. unfortunately you can't teach that.
I do tend to agree. He doesn't have the on the ball quality either. He's a trickster rather than a footballer.
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I don't think Melbourne will make it as a professional either. Fitzwater will probably be a steady player at a lower level, while Leko depends on his attitude - but after his display against Villa, I don't think he will.
Edwards looks like a player who will blow hot and cold. Probably Field is the best bet for a steady squad presence over the next few years.
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Matt Wilson Twitter Account
George Harmon, captain of the FA Youth Cup team that reached the semi-finals, has signed his first professional contract at #wba. Two-year deal for the 18-year-old left-back. Others from that team also due to sign pro contracts
Good news keeps coming
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Louie Barry has rejected our offer and left the club.
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Louie Barry has rejected our offer and left the club.
thats a shame, oh well we may never hear his name again or he may become the best player ever, out of our hands now.
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Very annoying but absolutely nothing the club could do.
Until the laws are changed this sort of thing will continue to happen.
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Louie Barry has rejected our offer and left the club.
Cant blame the kid, the weekly wage he is set to pick up at PSG for the length of his career will set him up financially even if he doesn't make a success out of his footballing career.
There was no way the club could compete with the PSG offer.
All the best kid.
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Where does it say that? And if true why are the club wasting their time with academy these kids don't give a crap about who spotted them and who developed them.
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There should be a rule that means any player developed for so long at a club is subject to a % of future transfers up to a certain age. It's the only fair way I can think of doing it. Clubs get paid based on how the player develops. Something along those lines
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They should close down this academy. All we are doing is developing kids for other teams to come and sign them up.
The best kids move on to bigger and better teams, not always the right move ( Izzy Brown ). Others move on to teams where they are getting game time like the ones who went to Leeds.
If we see any type of potential we don't do anything to develop it. Last season Edwards should have been given more game time. Its probably only a matter of time until someone comes in for him because we didn't play him enough. Harper is another one who will be gone.
I can't remember the last time we gained anything from having this academy
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Every time we lose a kid out of the academy, the call is to close it down. We shouldn't do that.
What we need to do is convince the kids that there is a path to the first team at our place. If we did that, they might work harder, and be less likely to leave.
That said, the system is broken, so we're losing players to Liverpool, Chelsea, etc., for peanuts.
We don't need to scrap our academy; we need to campaign for an overhaul of the system.
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They should close down this academy. All we are doing is developaaing kids for other teams to come and sign them up.
The best kids move on to bigger and better teams, not always the right move ( Izzy Brown ). Others move on to teams where they are getting game time like the ones who went to Leeds.
If we see any type of potential we don't do anything to develop it. Last season Edwards should have been given more game time. Its probably only a matter of time until someone comes in for him because we didn't play him enough. Harper is another one who will be gone.
I can't remember the last time we gained anything from having this academy
any chance it can be taken up next time fans group talk to Jenkins and Co. The two million running costs could come in handy for transfers
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There should be a rule that means any player developed for so long at a club is subject to a % of future transfers up to a certain age. It's the only fair way I can think of doing it. Clubs get paid based on how the player develops. Something along those lines
Great idea that is , yes its PSG or whoever but what a waste of time for little return for us.
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They should close down this academy. All we are doing is developing kids for other teams to come and sign them up.
The best kids move on to bigger and better teams, not always the right move ( Izzy Brown ). Others move on to teams where they are getting game time like the ones who went to Leeds.
If we see any type of potential we don't do anything to develop it. Last season Edwards should have been given more game time. Its probably only a matter of time until someone comes in for him because we didn't play him enough. Harper is another one who will be gone.
I can't remember the last time we gained anything from having this academy
I have no idea what funding / staffing / maintaining the Academy costs the club, but its not looking as if its contributing to the future of the club at present, may look very different at the end of next season though
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Every time we lose a kid out of the academy, the call is to close it down. We shouldn't do that.
What we need to do is convince the kids that there is a path to the first team at our place. If we did that, they might work harder, and be less likely to leave.
That said, the system is broken, so we're losing players to Liverpool, Chelsea, etc., for peanuts.
We don't need to scrap our academy; we need to campaign for an overhaul of the system.
that's why we should close it down bec time after time any talent we have jumps ship at the first offer from who ever.
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I have no idea what funding / staffing / maintaining the Academy costs the club, but its not looking as if its contributing to the future of the club at present, may look very different at the end of next season though
2 million a year I believe, might be better spent on transfers
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It's funny it's always us though isn't it? You never hear of Wolves or Villa kids going elsewhere.
When Peace was here both Odem and Bera both publicly criticised him, the fault has always been with the incentive those who run us give to the young players.
Oh by the way, the academy coach who developed Barry has buggered off to the Villa.
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If the academy still costs 2m per year to run and in the past few years we sold Berahino for 12m and a few others we recouped say 500k in total we're still doing ok overall financiall. It's a hug pain in the butt to lose these prospects for pittances but if one or two stick and they play regularly or we sell then it works........in theory.
You've got to blame the system really - I guess Barry's mom and dad have been got to by agents promising big things and ultimately they went after cash and the promise of huge stardom. Whether all the stars align in his favour remains to be seen so he could just end up another talented kid who didn't quite make it. All the furore about him suggests he has more going for him though? Good luck to him, it's football that's broken at the moment not the kid's fault..........
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Was it the academy or the training ground in general that we cancelled the planned investment for last summer?
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If the academy still costs 2m per year to run and in the past few years we sold Berahino for 12m and a few others we recouped say 500k in total we're still doing ok overall financiall. It's a hug pain in the butt to lose these prospects for pittances but if one or two stick and they play regularly or we sell then it works........in theory.
You've got to blame the system really - I guess Barry's mom and dad have been got to by agents promising big things and ultimately they went after cash and the promise of huge stardom. Whether all the stars align in his favour remains to be seen so he could just end up another talented kid who didn't quite make it. All the furore about him suggests he has more going for him though? Good luck to him, it's football that's broken at the moment not the kid's fault..........
I think we got £2.5m for Tyler Roberts and wasted it on Sturridge.
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The whole system needs an overhaul in the way of compensation.
However, we arent losing kids to rivals, ie they arent going to a Villa, or a Sheffield Wednesday, etc the ones we are losing are going to elite world renowned clubs - Chelsea (Brown), Liverpool (Dhanda and Sinclair), PSG or Barca (Barry).
Not all the clubs are known for great youth development but they are world class clubs and whatever level, youth or first team, if a Liverpool or PSG come calling it turns your head. With the exception of Brown none of these players were with the first team, the clubs are signing potential, signing them at 14, 15 or 16 and there arent many lads of that age playing first team football so i dont think we can be too criticial of the Albion here.
They offered Barry a three year contract, apparently on very good terms but as others have said financially going to PSG / Barca he will be setup very well for his future and the coaches and standards they have you can only learn from if you apply yourself, if he doesnt make it there he can step down to an Albion, etc.
Our best potential players are likely to get picked off, thats just football in general at all levels, so we have the next level down, the likes of Field, Harper, Edwards. What the club have to do for those players, and something they do have to improve, is show them if they are good enough there is a pathway for them to the first team, but if not ready they go out on loan, not playing under 23's football for seasons at a time.
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Cannot really blame him.
if its true PSG have offered him a 5 year deal why wouldnt you take it? like Izzy Brown, Chelsea offered him more money and brought his family a house allegedly.
he could sign for albion and then not get chances or not fulfil potential then slowly drift down the leagues and not make a living from football.
the reality is that money talks and if the psg offer is true then he signs that and has other incentives that affect his family then he is made for life.
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It's funny it's always us though isn't it? You never hear of Wolves or Villa kids going elsewhere.
When Peace was here both Odem and Bera both publicly criticised him, the fault has always been with the incentive those who run us give to the young players.
Oh by the way, the academy coach who developed Barry has buggered off to the Villa.
1. Villa and Wolves do lose players. Even Man City lost players to Dortmund
2. Barry was always leaving for a top European club. Not an English top 6 but one of the biggest world clubs. Just what could we offer to compete?
Money talks and if money clubs City lose out, well....
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It's funny it's always us though isn't it? You never hear of Wolves or Villa kids going elsewhere.
When Peace was here both Odem and Bera both publicly criticised him, the fault has always been with the incentive those who run us give to the young players.
Oh by the way, the academy coach who developed Barry has buggered off to the Villa.
weren't they criticising him for transfer dealings though, nothing to do with the academy?
Also under Peace didn't Berahino get a pay rise from something like £850 pw to £14,000 pw?
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Money has ruined the game, it won't ruin us though because we don't have any. We can't even pay off our own debts.
This club is in terminal decline.
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Real shame to lose Barry, I was hoping he could at least 'do a rooney' and break into a first team at 16/17, the get bought a couple of years later by one of the elite
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weren't they criticising him for transfer dealings though, nothing to do with the academy?
Also under Peace didn't Berahino get a pay rise from something like £850 pw to £14,000 pw?
Yes, but Peace said he wouldn't pay him anymore because he didn't trust him with it. What a pathetic purile excuse from the tight fisted bald one.
At the time Bera was one of Englands brightest prospects. Spurs were willing to buy him to play alongside Kane, but as we know, old Jeremiah doesn't do instalments, unles he's the one who is buying.
You can chart Bera's rapid decline from that moment.
£14,000 pw for Englands most up and coming striker FFS.
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I think we got £2.5m for Tyler Roberts and wasted it on Sturridge.
4 million for Roberts which went on sicknotes wages, couldn't even compete with Leeds who were in a league below us and didn't have prem money behind them. This club has and will be mickey mouse as Jose stated.
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4 million for Roberts which went on sicknotes wages, couldn't even compete with Leeds who were in a league below us and didn't have prem money behind them. This club has and will be mickey mouse as Jose stated.
And people will still keep making excuses for the owners. They are businessmen,why should they spend their money on a football club they will say.
Well why buy a feckin football club in the first place?
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Yes, but Peace said he wouldn't pay him anymore because he didn't trust him with it. What a pathetic purile excuse from the tight fisted bald one.
At the time Bera was one of Englands brightest prospects. Spurs were willing to buy him to play alongside Kane, but as we know, old Jeremiah doesn't do instalments, unles he's the one who is buying.
You can chart Bera's rapid decline from that moment.
£14,000 pw for Englands most up and coming striker FFS.
If memory serves me correctly didn't Spurs want to pay £5m up front and the rest in installments on pretty much the last day of the transfer window, meaning we would have struggled to have got anyone remotely decent in for that money?
Also £14,000pw was hardly peanuts.
Berahino's decline was all his own doing, he was the one who decided that he would sulk like a baby rather than knuckling down and making himself more appealing in future windows. Englands most up and coming striker or a one season flash in the pan...he's hardly gone on to set the world alight has he?
BUT my main point is that the issues with Odemwingie and Berahino had nothing to do with the U23's or the academy which is what this thread is about.
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So we offered Lourie Barry a 3 year deal and PSG offered him a 5 year deal. :o For god sake why didn't we at least offer 5 years as well with lots of clauses and incentives to ratchet up his wages for appearances and goals? It's a shocking state of affairs when we can't even put together a quality package for 16 year old "wonderkid" when we have income of £50m and barely 20 first team players on the books. This just smacks as another example of the club being mismanaged.
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They should close down this academy. All we are doing is developing kids for other teams to come and sign them up.
The best kids move on to bigger and better teams, not always the right move ( Izzy Brown ). Others move on to teams where they are getting game time like the ones who went to Leeds.
If we see any type of potential we don't do anything to develop it. Last season Edwards should have been given more game time. Its probably only a matter of time until someone comes in for him because we didn't play him enough. Harper is another one who will be gone.
I can't remember the last time we gained anything from having this academy
I still feel that he is better off now than if he'd have stayed here. He's played over 80 games since leaving despite having a lengthy spell out injured. Compare that to the game time Field has had here for example (very little) plus the fact he's earned a lot more money in the meantime. Had he stayed here he'd have most likely been sat on the sidelines watching has beens like Livermore and Brunt.
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So we offered Lourie Barry a 3 year deal and PSG offered him a 5 year deal. :o For god sake why didn't we at least offer 5 years as well with lots of clauses and incentives to ratchet up his wages for appearances and goals? It's a shocking state of affairs when we can't even put together a quality package for 16 year old "wonderkid" when we have income of £50m and barely 20 first team players on the books. This just smacks as another example of the club being mismanaged.
For me a 5 year contract to a kid who cant even buy a lottery ticket isn't the way to go, regardless of how good he might become. I don't know what the offers elsewhere will be financially but if were to offer him say 5k per week for 5 years (a guess at what the PSG offer might look like) then not only is that a large financial commitment to a player of that age, but what stops Morgan Rogers, Jamie Soule etc. asking for similar or walk. At some point you have to draw the line at what you are prepared to pay such a young player. If reports are right, a 3 year contract including a year on a pro contract is a very good offer and one I doubt we have ever offered a youth player before
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I still feel that he is better off now than if he'd have stayed here. He's played over 80 games since leaving despite having a lengthy spell out injured. Compare that to the game time Field has had here for example (very little) plus the fact he's earned a lot more money in the meantime. Had he stayed here he'd have most likely been sat on the sidelines watching has beens like Livermore and Brunt.
we were in the Premier league when Brown left since then he has only made 15 appearances in the Premier league out of his 73 league appearances (1 for us and Chelsea and 13 for Brighton), he's mostly played in the Championship or The Dutch top flight which is more akin to the Championship in standard.
It seems that both us and Chelsea didn't think he was quite ready for the EPL at the times we had him.
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Every time we lose a kid out of the academy, the call is to close it down. We shouldn't do that.
What we need to do is convince the kids that there is a path to the first team at our place. If we did that, they might work harder, and be less likely to leave.
That said, the system is broken, so we're losing players to Liverpool, Chelsea, etc., for peanuts.
We don't need to scrap our academy; we need to campaign for an overhaul of the system.
Agree. Southampton and Crystal Palace have shown that how to run a academy.
They sold Targett and Wan-Bissaka for £15m & £50m respectively.
Just give more chances to the youngsters in first team, the club may receive good offer for them after that.
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I am no lover of Peace, but when Chelsea snatched Izzy Brown off us Peace himself questioned the point of having an academy.
I am not for closing it, i want it to benefit not just the club but the national side as well. OK maybe Barry was always going to be hard to hold onto, but it will be interesting to see where he goes, and i am still not sure our hierarchy do everything they can to hold onto our best prospects.
Also the coach responsible for bringing him on as left the club, was Barry leaving the cause of that or was it the other way round?
I hope Barry goes abroad and doesn't follow the coach to Villa Park.
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It's the level of compensation that grates most. Should be more like 2 million. The system should come close to properly compensating the club that has produced the player and encourage the buying club to at least think twice about how many 16 year olds they are going to hoover up from the minnow clubs around the world.
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Did a bit of googling and found this article from 1999... some very familiar names in the piece but this kind of thing will always go on whilst the big hitters have such a massive say in things: https://www.theguardian.com/football/1999/jan/08/newsstory.sport4
(the irony of Big Sam moaning made me chuckle.)
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Matt Wilson retwitted this from a guy called Jason Kumar, it sounds like a good idea, but will it ever come to fruition? I like the idea personally.
Won’t happen of course but a good way to encourage clubs at all levels to develop young players and academies would be for FIFA to say that for every year the kid is at your club you get 2% of all future transfer fees.
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Was it the academy or the training ground in general that we cancelled the planned investment for last summer?
It was the training ground and sports science department. The planned investment of £250,000 was put on hold due to relegation. Performance Director Mark Gillett left prior to the announcement and headed to Forest. I've no idea whether the two instances are linked. By the time we redevelop the costs will only have increased and I'd imagine that would be dependent on promotion.
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Whatever happens , I'm a strong supporter of keeping the academy. If as estimated it takes £2million a year to run, that's worth far more than the same sum in the transfer market. You could blow that on an Anichebe or an Allan Nyom.
It's ironic that the team has produced some decent quality in recent years, England internationals etc. If it maintains a good reputation it will attract kids who might have otehrwise been snapped up by Villa or Wolves. But we have to try and increase their market value whilst they are with us, like Southampton have done.
One thing I don't understand is how kids of 15 or 16 are ready to uproot from their homes and even move abroad. When I was 15, don't think my parents would have been too impressed with me abandoning getting any school qualifications.
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Southampton are a good example but even they have lost their potential 'stars' at 14, 15, 16.
What they do well is when the rest of their players get to 18/19, if they are good enough they are given a proper chance, thats what Albion dont do very well. Wan Bissaka is now 21, but up until a couple of years ago Palace were playing him as a winger and had real doubts if he was going to make it there, he moved to full back and two and half years later is moving for £50m quid.
The big boys buying players at 14, 15, 16 are just buying potential, say Louis Barry goes to PSG, there will be another 4 or 5 like him in that squad, 1 of them will probably make it as a top top player but for the sake of a few million investment now with compensation, wages, etc for 4 or 5 potential stars, the 1 player who does make it as a top player saves them millions and millions down the line, all they are doing is having a safety net, the big clubs sign the top potential youngsters working roughly on the ratio above.
There is a big difference in physicality and mentality between 16 and 18, i think the ratio of lads who get taken on full time scholarships to those making a career out of professional football is still in the single percentage, yet everyone of those lads who are taken on have something or some potential at that age, the two years between 16 and 18 is massive though.
You now and again get a lad who just seems to be almost a man in a boys body and is ready to play first team at 16/17, from the academy games i have seen Morgan Rogers looks the one who could do that.
As said previous what we have to do is when these lads sign professional after their scholarships, is have a clear plan, like Southampton do, if your good enough you get the chance, if your not you go out on loan, instead at Albion we have players like Leko and Field who broke through three seasons ago and are not really much further along in their personal careers as they were then, they havent played regular for us, not been out on loan (Leko had a few months somewhere but thats it) thats what has to change, if you dont think they are good enough, then sell them for our sakes and theirs.
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That's the mystery with Field really. He's had his contract extended fairly generously time-wise twice, does not look out of his depth when he plays yet we don't seem prepared to back him and give him the run of games to develop.
We also have to brace ourselves for the Morgan Rogers contract situation next. Matt Wilson's words were 'will be offered his first pro contract when he turns 17 next month'.
He's an albion fan but we shall see how this goes.
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PSG have apparently offered 20k/week over 5 years. That’s insanity ??? If I was in his position I’d do the same, doubt we’re even offering 1k and the kids family is set up for life with that PSG contract
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Can't really blame Barry if he is being offered a guaranteed 3-5 million. Madness not to take it when you could easily stall.
Problem is that we just arent benefitting from the academy in the way that Palace, Norwich and Saints are. We have lost so much talent for peanuts in recent years, while others make £50 milli9n for 1 player.
We have lost Dhanda, Sinclair, Brown and Barry (plus the other kid to Man City) for around 3 million in total. Even losing Tyler Roberts prove we gave a serious issue retaining youth prospects.
Need to provide an environment where players want to stay veey quickly.
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The FA need to tighten up the rules on compansation for the club along the lines of a percentage of a future transfer.
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So... If it's £12m for Berahino and £4m for Roberts that's £16m the Academy has bought in in 2 years. There's the reason to keep running it.
I would rather see players coming through to the first team myself. But from every managers' perspective it will be why will I risk my job (and it's a volitile position) on that kid who may/may not work out and will be inconsistent; when I can play that experienced player who will be more consistent and not get me the sack.
What I doin't think is right is that we have invested 10 years in this kid, longer in Harper, and they are free to walk away and some other club will benefit from them and we will get very little recognition. Fair enough for players like Roofe, we chose not to offer them a contract, but if we offer them a contract we should be entitled to some of the ongoing transfer revenue.
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There should be a rule that means any player developed for so long at a club is subject to a % of future transfers up to a certain age. It's the only fair way I can think of doing it. Clubs get paid based on how the player develops. Something along those lines
Personally I don’t think players should be able to move before the age of 18 anyway
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I do wonder how many of our promising youngsters have been swayed also by the recent history of finding it really difficult to get first team chances under the last few managers.
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I do wonder how many of our promising youngsters have been swayed also by the recent history of finding it really difficult to get first team chances under the last few managers.
No idea, but I still expect the majority of calls to be down to money. In the case of Barry in particular, I can’t imagine for the life of me that the route to the first team is more attainable to him at PSG or Barcelona.
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I cannot believe the club is getting criticised.
Barry cannot sign a contract until the year he turns 17. Albion cannot pin him down and make him sign.
In all likelihood, he was going to stay until a few months ago when Barry was superb for England jn a European tournament and everyone wanted him. When Barcelona or PSG knock on the door what would you do.
We are talking astronomical contracts and signing on fees here. Albion simply cannot compete. Nor can our top six in this country - they all wanted him.
If your son could move to one of the top clubs in the world, be set financially for life, sort the family financially for life, what would you say to him?
The criticism of the club and Barry is just ridiculous because we would all do the same.
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Morgan Rogers is going to Man City, just while we are on the topic of academy. Almost done deal.
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Morgan Rogers is going to Man City, just while we are on the topic of academy. Almost done deal.
Where's that from mate ?
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Jenkins should be penning a carefully worded letter to the FA and UEFA right now about the levels of compensation being paid here.
Wouldn't be surprised if we've lost Rogers and Soule as well as Barry by the time the season kicks off.
Soule being a bit older is under contract until 2020 so I assume we can get it a bit more for him and negotiate a sell on clause.
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We are getting good money for Rogers, don’t know about the others though
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We are getting good money for Rogers, don’t know about the others though
What do you class as good money and if he hasn't yet signed his first pro contract why would we get good money for him ?
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So... If it's £12m for Berahino and £4m for Roberts that's £16m the Academy has bought in in 2 years. There's the reason to keep running it.
I would rather see players coming through to the first team myself. But from every managers' perspective it will be why will I risk my job (and it's a volitile position) on that kid who may/may not work out and will be inconsistent; when I can play that experienced player who will be more consistent and not get me the sack.
What I doin't think is right is that we have invested 10 years in this kid, longer in Harper, and they are free to walk away and some other club will benefit from them and we will get very little recognition. Fair enough for players like Roofe, we chose not to offer them a contract, but if we offer them a contract we should be entitled to some of the ongoing transfer revenue.
Roberts fee went on sicknotes wages another great bit of business done by the powers rhat be.
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Close the f ing thing down waste of time and money
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Morgan Rogers is going to Man City, just while we are on the topic of academy. Almost done deal.
Not saying it means much in this day and age, but Rogers is a WBA fan. He’d have more reason to stay than say another player from the Academy. I’m sure he’s had reported interest before in him. He turns 17 soon so I’m sure we will find out. Genuinely believe Rogers, Soule and Tulloch can have an impact this season. (If management team puts trust in them). We need to start showing a genuine pathway to our elite talent.
As an aside, Chelsea also lost two Academy players to Bayern Munich. So it’s not just WBA who can have players poached. Chelsea even lost Rhian Brewster when he was 14 I believe.
The fact we have Soule and Tulloch on professional contracts helps. But we need to be brave and play them in league games.
Yes we drip fed Edwards, Leko and Field in the Cup games but the acid test for them will be this season. Huge for all three.
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Morgan Rogers is going to Man City, just while we are on the topic of academy. Almost done deal.
Depressing to hear if that happens. Thought as wba fan he would stay but again money talks. System is a farce.
However, if it is a big fee there is the justification for the academy. Berahino's fee paid for seven years worth of the academy alone. Rodgers may well do the same.
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I don't know how the system works and what you can enforce as a contract on an academy player but there should be a better way of compensating the club who have invested in their development. In Wales, the NHS pays tuition fees for nurses who train at a Welsh university as long as they agree to practice in the country for at least three years after graduation. Accountancy firms used to pay training costs and exam fees for a similar deal. Perhaps academy players should be tied to the club that invests in them for so many seasons after they turn professional or a club wishing to poach them should have to pay a negotiated release fee?
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I don't know how the system works and what you can enforce as a contract on an academy player but there should be a better way of compensating the club who have invested in their development. In Wales, the NHS pays tuition fees for nurses who train at a Welsh university as long as they agree to practice in the country for at least three years after graduation. Accountancy firms used to pay training costs and exam fees for a similar deal. Perhaps academy players should be tied to the club that invests in them for so many seasons after they turn professional or a club wishing to poach them should have to pay a negotiated release fee?
In my opinion the system needs overhauling when it comes to compensation. The flat £235k or whatever it is isn't right. I personally think a fee for a youngster should be determined by a few factors with one of them being the contract they get at their new club. I saw a rumour yesterday that the young lad Barry has been offered £20k a week for five years by a club so IF that is true and he joined them then the compensation should reflect how highly his potential is clearly rated by that club given he's been nurtured from such a young age.
You can certainly see why some clubs have decided to downgrade their Academy.
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I think we'd get more than £235k if Rogers went to Man City as it's a sale to a British club. I'm not sure what the figure is but it certainly wouldn't class as good money for someone of his potential.
I don't think anything is going to change as far as some sort of enforcing academy players to stay and play a year or so for the club that's produced them.
Throughout sport now there's a general acceptance that the best talent needs to be hot-housed i.e. the best players need to train, develop and play with the best day in day out in the best facilities with the best coaching and sports science behind them. This is why it would be a brave move if someone like Barry or Rogers actually signed to stay with us for a couple of years.
The thing that can change is that the compensation levels need to generously reflect the investment in time and money that the academy club has made.
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The problem is complex.
Most academies recruit from the age of 8 but the youngsters can't sign a contract until they are 16 and even here there are restrictions as to the length of contract. Other professions have training contract provisions but typically these are only signed by people who are 18 plus and these contracts have been successfully challenged where the terms have been deemed as being onerous e.g. the cost of release being greater than the cost of the training provided.
In terms of cost the academy is reported at costing £2m a year, which in the wacky world of football is relatively small beer. The cost per year of each scholar is roughly £35k, the flat rate compensation of about £220k is probably about right in that it covers off the cost of the individual youngster. However what it doesn't cover is the much bigger cost of all the academy players who drop out or are kicked out before they get a professional contract.
As ever the football authorities have to be mindful that the whole transfer fee system is built on sand. If a player was ever to challenge it in court then there is every chance that they would win and the whole thing would come crashing down. Hence they are reluctant to intervene and saddle a player with a contract clause at the age of 16 which might trigger such a challenge. Particularly as there is no existing contract between club and player.
None of this particularly helpful for us as a club.
My view is that the FA should take Youth Development away from the clubs. They should run and pay for the system even if the academies are hosted by the clubs. At that point players just go to their local academies there are no financial inducements there is no stockpiling of players as there is no advantage to be gained from moving from one academy to another. Youth football at club level starts at 16 and is governed by contract.
They could fund this either through the compensation that is currently levied when a player signs at 16 of through a levy on transfer fees. If they want to distribute talent evenly they could introduce a draft system like the NFL.
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The answer surely is to stop them leaving for another academy until they have signed their first pro contract(minimum 2years)
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Some excellent posts here.
In a way, we are victims of our own success. We are producing top quality players who other clubs now covet.
Not easy to swallow when we lose the top top players like Barry and Rogers), but it shows the quality of the academy.
We should celebrate that we are producing the talent but know we will lose the top ones. Fulham are about to lose a top 16 year old to Liverpool by the way so it affects all of us, even Man City, who lose out to German clubs.
We could this year have Harper, Field, Edwards and Soule in our first team squad and all could play. To have potentially 20% of our first team generated by the academy is a huge money saving, even despite losing our two jewels.
As another positive, if lads can see that they could go to Man City or Barcelona from little old WBA, isn't that a positive to join us in the first place. Personally feel that this fact is a major advert and reason to join our academy.
For every diamond we lose cheaply: Matt Smith, Dhanda, Brown, Barry, Rogers
We make or save money on: Berahino, Roberts, Edwards, Field, Harper, Tulloch, Roofe, Sawyers.
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The answer surely is to stop them leaving for another academy until they have signed their first pro contract(minimum 2years)
I think that would be considered a restraint of trade and illegal.
But something has to be done, otherwise academies won’t be financial viable and all but the richest clubs academies will disappear to the detriment of young footballers and football in general.
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Some excellent posts here.
In a way, we are victims of our own success. We are producing top quality players who other clubs now covet.
Not easy to swallow when we lose the top top players like Barry and Rogers), but it shows the quality of the academy.
We should celebrate that we are producing the talent but know we will lose the top ones. Fulham are about to lose a top 16 year old to Liverpool by the way so it affects all of us, even Man City, who lose out to German clubs.
We could this year have Harper, Field, Edwards and Soule in our first team squad and all could play. To have potentially 20% of our first team generated by the academy is a huge money saving, even despite losing our two jewels.
As another positive, if lads can see that they could go to Man City or Barcelona from little old WBA, isn't that a positive to join us in the first place. Personally feel that this fact is a major advert and reason to join our academy.
For every diamond we lose cheaply: Matt Smith, Dhanda, Brown, Barry, Rogers
We make or save money on: Berahino, Roberts, Edwards, Field, Harper, Tulloch, Roofe, Sawyers.
For me this is an important point - attracting top local talent is a big plus for the club and will bring other players on. Too many often quite talented players get 'swallowed up' by the big teams at an early age and subsequently disappear from the game. More clubs need academies which are better without too many players in them.
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Quick question is there any link to a report that confirms we are about to lose Rogers to Man City ?
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Quick question is there any link to a report that confirms we are about to lose Rogers to Man City ?
No , I asked the poster and looked myself .
Nothing.
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I can understand kids having heads turned given we aren't a top flight club and the likes of Man City, Barca and PSG knocking at the door.
What I can't stomach is having these kids from 6 / 7 years old , investing 10 years in them and then they do a runner . That simply isn't right whichever way you look at it and the peanuts we get in return . I'd be very tempted to scrap the academy for what it costs per year in all honesty unless the rules change .
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I can understand kids having heads turned given we aren't a top flight club and the likes of Man City, Barca and PSG knocking at the door.
What I can't stomach is having these kids from 6 / 7 years old , investing 10 years in them and then they do a runner . That simply isn't right whichever way you look at it and the peanuts we get in return . I'd be very tempted to scrap the academy for what it costs per year in all honesty unless the rules change .
I have had my son go through academy systems and believe me it is even more cut throat than your worst thoughts. There is no hesitation to get rid of a young player no matter how long they have been with you for - why should the kids owe anything to the club? They are one tackle away from their career being over.
If the chance comes to sort your family for life it would be impossible to turn down.
To describe it as then doing a runner is hard on the kids.
One of my lad's teammates did his ACL while under a two year scholarship at the same academy as my son. The club involved would not pay his wages while he went through the year of operation and rehab. They have started paying him again now he is fit - but what is the lad supposed to live on while in rehab?
There is no loyalty from the clubs - the lads are purely £ signs. I am disappointed Barry has gone but I don't blame him.
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Absolutely correct, the coaches and managers change on a regular basis, your kid stays or goes on a personal opinion: one son at an academy considered too small at 13 after 6 years at club at 21 was 6ft and 80kgs, other son was expected to go training 3 times a week with a Manchester club prohibited from playing with his own club - eventually he decided not to go anymore as the joy of playing was being eroded by being taught off ball tactics (basically how to cheat) was told he was too nice ;D
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The system is rubbish in terms of compensation but it wont change unless the power clubs in this country tried to push for it happen.
They wont do that as it stands because the system benefits them, they get to hoover up the best players from clubs across the country for very small fees (in football terms) they pick the best and cast off the rest.
Its not unlike first team football, the best players end up getting signed by the best clubs for transfer fees, with academy football its the same but just from a younger age and the transfer fee is classed as compensation and its minimal.
The only way i can see things changing is if large groups of 14,15 and 16 year olds start to leave the big clubs in this country in the same way Louis Barry seems to be, ie - going abroad and the big clubs only get £235k compensation.
I am sure it happens from time to time now but if it started happening a lot, then i think the big clubs would start to question the system because teams from abroad would be doing to them what they are doing to clubs over here, picking off the best players and potential multi millionaire assets to their clubs for tiny fees.
Until that happens (and i am not sure it even will) then i think the system is here to stay, there may be some complaints and grumbles, the fees may be upped from £235k to say £500k, but unless the big boys in this country get involved then nothing major will change.
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An automatic 50% sell on clause could work. If a young player leave an academy for a big club, the sell on clause would benefit all.
Player gets the contract
New club get the best price (they are forced to as they know they have to pay 50% out)
Academy club get the 50% of the price covering costs from the academy
everyones a winner!
I personally feel if a young lad comes through the Albion academy why wouldnt you want to put on a first team shirt for the club? If it were me I would look at getting a 5 year deal at the age of 16. 3 years for you and 2 years for the club so as at the age of 19 if a big club swoops you wouldnt leave for free as you are under contract. The sell on clause would be the answer for me though.
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I have had my son go through academy systems and believe me it is even more cut throat than your worst thoughts. There is no hesitation to get rid of a young player no matter how long they have been with you for - why should the kids owe anything to the club? They are one tackle away from their career being over.
If the chance comes to sort your family for life it would be impossible to turn down.
To describe it as then doing a runner is hard on the kids.
One of my lad's teammates did his ACL while under a two year scholarship at the same academy as my son. The club involved would not pay his wages while he went through the year of operation and rehab. They have started paying him again now he is fit - but what is the lad supposed to live on while in rehab?
There is no loyalty from the clubs - the lads are purely £ signs. I am disappointed Barry has gone but I don't blame him.
Doing a runner maybe wasn't the best way of making my point , my real issue is growing these kids for other clubs if you like as I posted elsewhere .
These kids have benefited from Albion training then we get our pockets picked as the works starts to blossom , again I posted understanding the offers/money but for clubs like Albion its fast becoming a pointless task .
Whats that 5 now ?
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An automatic 50% sell on clause could work. If a young player leave an academy for a big club, the sell on clause would benefit all.
Player gets the contract
New club get the best price (they are forced to as they know they have to pay 50% out)
Academy club get the 50% of the price covering costs from the academy
everyones a winner!
I personally feel if a young lad comes through the Albion academy why wouldnt you want to put on a first team shirt for the club? If it were me I would look at getting a 5 year deal at the age of 16. 3 years for you and 2 years for the club so as at the age of 19 if a big club swoops you wouldnt leave for free as you are under contract. The sell on clause would be the answer for me though.
bet their parents were delighted when Albion came calling to train them when they were 6 7.
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bet their parents were delighted when Albion came calling to train them when they were 6 7.
Mate Im sorry but I dont get your point?
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Mate Im sorry but I dont get your point?
ops wrong post to reply to sorry for the confusion.
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I would like us to get O'Shea on a long term deal then get him out on loan in league one.
Jon leko needs a season playing games so he should also be out in league 1 or 2.
I think Oliver Burke and Edwards will be in and around the first team. We could probably get one of the 2 out on loan for half a season too depending on additions.
If Sam field isn't starting weekly he needs a season long loan so he doesn't regress.
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I would like us to get O'Shea on a long term deal then get him out on loan in league one.
Jon leko needs a season playing games so he should also be out in league 1 or 2.
I think Oliver Burke and Edwards will be in and around the first team. We could probably get one of the 2 out on loan for half a season too depending on additions.
If Sam field isn't starting weekly he needs a season long loan so he doesn't regress.
I'd like to see O'Shea used as third or forth choice centre back here next season, (the Adarabioyo role last season if you like).
I'm hoping Slaven does trust our youngsters more next season. I think last season the club very much saw it as one crack at going straight back up so put more of an emphasis on going with experience whereas now they are talking in terms of changing our philosophy and getting promotion within two years (obviously go up this season if we can). This is an ideal time to integrate the youngsters, in the knowledge that we will be financially living more within our means and an extra season in the Championship will make no real difference to us in that regard.
I'd like to see more of Harper and Field in the middle of the park and Edwards and Burke used more amongst the front three. These players need to be given priority over the likes of Livermore and Robson-Kanu in particular.
I believe the club need to make a decision on the likes of Leko, Wilson, Fitzwater. Do they loan them out again or do they look to release them? I don't see any of them making the grade. Just my opinion, of course.
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I am not convinced by the process of sending out youngsters to league 1 or 2 clubs. Plainly it provides valuable experience but I am not sure that extended exposure to the generally lower standards of the lower leagues does enough to push the players to the level they need to get to for the Championship let alone the Premier League.
The only way to achieve this is get them into the squad and get them on the pitch when opportunities arise. From that point of view I agree with Atomic in that we must be getting close to decision time on Leko and Fitzwater either in the squad or out the door I can't see the point of another loan. Wilson being slightly younger might benefit from another loan but I would prefer him to be pushed into the squad.
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I am not convinced by the process of sending out youngsters to league 1 or 2 clubs. Plainly it provides valuable experience but I am not sure that extended exposure to the generally lower standards of the lower leagues does enough to push the players to the level they need to get to for the Championship let alone the Premier League.
The only way to achieve this is get them into the squad and get them on the pitch when opportunities arise. From that point of view I agree with Atomic in that we must be getting close to decision time on Leko and Fitzwater either in the squad or out the door I can't see the point of another loan. Wilson being slightly younger might benefit from another loan but I would prefer him to be pushed into the squad.
Agree.
Wilson could be our 2nd choice right back and the coaching staff can monitoring his progress closely.
It would be good news for both sides if he can step up, if not then we can loan him back to lower league in 2nd half season.
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Morgan Rogers scored yesterday against Telford. Apparently it was a stunner.
Be good if he can be involved this year at some point. Seems some talent.
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Issue we've got with the likes of Fitzwater and Wilson is they haven't had an extended period of games where they have stood out on loan. However, Edwards barely got a kick at Exeter then scored a screamer for them in the Play Offs and looked decent in his limited chances for Albion.
If they aren't obviously head and shoulders above when on loan, like Berahino was, then it's a difficult call to make. Wilson could be capable back-up next season, or he could be completely out of his depth. That's where a decent manager either brings through a young talent, or makes the call to get experienced cover. From the little I've seen, I'd be worried if Fitzwater or Wilson were in our back 4 for any extended period.
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Problem we have is the depth of our squad so youngsters have to be kept around just in case of injuries etc.
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The three players who could go to the very top are/were Barry, Rogers and one a year younger called Rico Richards. Hopefully Rogers stays as genuinely think he could be a decent bench option even this season.
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The three players who could go to the very top are/were Barry, Rogers and one a year younger called Rico Richards. Hopefully Rogers stays as genuinely think he could be a decent bench option even this season.
I think Bilic might have the balls to play a few youngsters this season
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I think Bilic might have the balls to play a few youngsters this season
Hope so. We’ve got players who can go onto become decent standard, ie harper, field, O’Shea, tulloch, Edwards etc. These are all obviously older so should be closer to the team. O’Shea in particular has had rave reviews from Exeter fans. Kane Wilson is a strange one, he was massively rated a couple of years ago, suppose he’s still only 19 but hasn’t really kicked on.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7225029/Manchester-City-swoop-highly-rated-West-Brom-England-17-starlet-Morgan-Rogers.html
We’re being torn apart
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7225029/Manchester-City-swoop-highly-rated-West-Brom-England-17-starlet-Morgan-Rogers.html
We’re being torn apart
wonder what we are likely to receive by way of compensation/fee.
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FFS this is getting ridiculous.
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It's disgusting that this can happen. Really have to start questioning whether it's actually worth having an academy if our best kids keep getting pinched.
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It’s a food chain and begs the question of why we aren’t doing similar to smaller clubs than us?
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I think a better route for us would be Brentford's B team where its basically just a bunch of very cheap signings, kind of Mowbray's underbelly idea on a bigger scale. We had some dreadful players from that but the likes of Dorrans and Mulumbu made it more than worth it. Seems far more profitable and if we do get anyone decent from it they're under contract.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7225029/Manchester-City-swoop-highly-rated-West-Brom-England-17-starlet-Morgan-Rogers.html
We’re being torn apart
If this goes through it rips the absolute piss out of the academy and compensation system.
Vexed.
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Didn't Peace try and stop this thing happening during a Premiership meeting and was voted down by the top six clubs.
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This truly is a proper blow. Was looking forward to seem him come into the squad this year. I am at a loss to see how this is fair. Fulham lost one to Liverpool. It seems clubs are stockpiling as someone said. There’s a decent chance Rogers will go nowhere with his career but when they can pay whatever the player is made. I’m kinda getting done with football
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As i said before, why is it always us they come for. You can add England pinching Hodgson and Ashworth as well.
Nobody comes for Nuno or Neves at the Wolves. If they had been ours they would be at United or somewhere now.
This club is going down the drain and i think it is deliberate neglect.
We are just a nursery club. The owner is an assett stripper.
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No money to buy players, and having our youngsters stolen after years of coaching. What is the point of being a football club?
So peed off with the game now, waste of time and effort bothering.
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Jamie Soule would be the next one if he can't break into 1st team this season.
The club have to convince the youngsters that their future is here, there would be chances to play if they stay.
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As somebody said above, we should be doing the same to smaller clubs than us.
There will be championship, league one and league two clubs with a standout player or two in their academy who maybe arent quite ready for Liverpool or Man City (yet) we should be going in and getting them.
Its depressing but thats football, there is a food chain, there is no point the club crying and feeling sorry about players who have gone or are going, they arent ours anymore so move on and do the same to others as whats happened to us.
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I still think £2 million a year, if that figure is correct, represents good value for the Academy. That money nowadays would only get you a run-of-the mill defender in the transfer market. But we must keep blooding youngsters in the first team. Otherwise we are completly dependant on what we can afford in the transfer market.
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We have to ask why this keeps happening to us with such frequency, and not to clubs like Southampton, Palace and Norwich.
I think there are 2 things the club needs to do.
One is provide an environment which the players trust is the best possible place for them to be. So far our failure to develop a player from an 8 year old into a first teamer who then goes on to bigger and better things is a black mark (Field, Leko, Edwards all examples of this).
The second, and i've said this before, is for a long term strategic rethink at the academy. We are a striker specialist academy. Brown, Sinclair, Roberts, Barry and Rogers have all been nicked, with Dhanda being an attacking midfielder. Even those we kept, Berahino, Wood, Nabi, Sawyers, Roofe and promising kids Soule and Tulloch - these players blossom earlier than any other position, meaning they can show potential at 16 and start to look like they are worth a punt. Problem then is that we can't tie them down until they are 17 so they are easy pickings.
The clubs making big money out of their academies develop players who take longer to shine. Wing backs, wide men, defenders and midfielders.
I think we need to work harder to identify players in these positions and ease off having so many strikers. We just don't get any value from the strikers, as seen by this weekends double hammer blow.
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There is something deeply wrong with our academy, the amount of players we are losing is abysmal. Rogers is a huge wba fan and so are his family, he is on the cusp of the first team. Why does he want to leave? No point producing players for someone else.
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There is something deeply wrong with our academy, the amount of players we are losing is abysmal. Rogers is a huge wba fan and so are his family, he is on the cusp of the first team. Why does he want to leave? No point producing players for someone else.
Well some of it is just the clubs coming in for them but the clubs plans for players above 18 is extremely poor really. It seems an endemic thing as well, Jimmy Shan was a full on youth coach and still gave very little in the way of opportunity. Including playing Murphy who did nothing and barely tried consistently ahead of Edwards.
I imagine if you were a young player coming through you'd look at the likes of Field, Edwards and Leko with a lot of concern. Not going on loan, not getting game time, there just doesn't seem a development plan in place for them. We keep youth players in the squad as back ups who have no realistic chance of playing. Then every summer sign a bunch of players in front of them, because they can't be trusted because they haven't played. Then you've got people like Tyler Roberts who never got a chance here, probably friends with some of these players telling them how much better it is when they leave.
Aside from the absolute elite tier of player all young players are going to be relatively inconsistent and need time to grow, but the rewards can be huge if given. This club never gives that opportunity. The fans also are not used to it and extremely impatient with players, look how many were willing to write Harper off already.
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A lot of people saying there's something wrong with our academy but we aren't alone in this happening sadly https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48913138 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48913138)
For that youngster, Liverpool does seem a better shout than Man City/Chelsea mind.
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One of the problems with our academy is that in the past the structure/coaches had been there for a long time, and were well trusted, so could give genuine advice on whether a player was ready for the step-up. By going cheap on the first team management, the club has lost Darren Moore and Jimmy Shan from the setup completely, leaving it with less experienced coaches, and removing some of the clear pathways that previously existed.
I wouldnt be surprised if we were very tight when it comes to wages of the young players, relying heavily on appearance/performance bonuses rather than wages, whilst also being very negative towards players' agents. All this is bound to push the players' representatives to recommend them move elsewhere, which will generate the agent more cash in the short term, with little regard to the player's ongoing development.
Why should a player be loyal if the club doesn't show they respect their talent?
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It’s a food chain and begs the question of why we aren’t doing similar to smaller clubs than us?
We are. But because it's us and a smaller club, it isn't really newsworthy. We've done it as far back as George Thorne.
Also the sums involved might be smaller, but they mean more to the clubs involved because they aren't earning premier league money.
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One of the problems with our academy is that in the past the structure/coaches had been there for a long time, and were well trusted, so could give genuine advice on whether a player was ready for the step-up. By going cheap on the first team management, the club has lost Darren Moore and Jimmy Shan from the setup completely, leaving it with less experienced coaches, and removing some of the clear pathways that previously existed.
I wouldnt be surprised if we were very tight when it comes to wages of the young players, relying heavily on appearance/performance bonuses rather than wages, whilst also being very negative towards players' agents. All this is bound to push the players' representatives to recommend them move elsewhere, which will generate the agent more cash in the short term, with little regard to the player's ongoing development.
Why should a player be loyal if the club doesn't show they respect their talent?
What clear pathways to the first team have there been for youth players? The last one to break through on a consistent basis was Berahino. Before that, probably the Chambers twins and Lloyd Dyer.
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With the £8 Million (hopefully with a sell on clause of some sort) being touted for Rogers, just like that the Academy's existence is re-validated.
Yes it's frustrating to lose players to a foreign club for a nominal fee (something you would hope FIFA address at some point), but selling domestically whenever we uncover a gem is financially worth it for us.
I would reject earlier calls for the academy to be canned on this basis alone, but then there is always the chance these players can also burst onto the scene for our own team too.
Not to mention the potential impact of Brexit (no political debates please) on player transfers in and out of this country - British based players will be at a further premium (already are to an extent) and we must think long term with how we treat the academy with this in mind as well.
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We are just part of the food chain unfortunately.
We are entering the next few years were some of the better products of the academy are starting to come through.
A lot of work has been put in over the years for us to build good age groups, we are now getting to the stage were the age categories are starting to perform well in tournaments, win competitions and for several of them to be representing their country.
The best of the crop will always be cherry picked by the bigger clubs - Barry and Rogers being a couple, but we still have players that look capable of breaking into the first team set up. The likes of Tulloch, Ferguson, Soule all have high reputations within the academy, then the under 18's squad is littered with talent, some of which may make it, some who may not.
The academy is defiantly worth it, especially if we don't return to the premier league anytime soon. This summer we will already see a lot of Field, Harper, Leko, Edwards in pre season - alongside possibly Fitzwater, Wilson, O'Shea and the others, the academy has produced some good players.
Granted the compensation system does need to be looked at in regards to the Barry deal, but overall how anyone can suggest we scrap the academy baffles me.
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Over the last 3/4 years the academy has been brilliant, producing a string of talented youngsters.
To have young players being pursued by Man City and Barca would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Who can blame those people for taking that chance, our issue should be in the compensation paid for developing players and add on for future sales.
The money involved at first team levels with promotion or relegation means it will always hard to make the breakthrough for younger players.
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FA are helping top six clubs run a monopoly and eufa are doing the same, anyone with a bit of education willing to pen letter to local politicians regarding underage players.
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Reports on Twitter that U18's boss Mike Scott is leaving to go to Derby County as Head of Academy Coaching
https://twitter.com/mattwilson_star/status/1148574479125307395
I think what's worse than us being unable to stop youth players leaving to other clubs, is allowing the people that run this successful academy to leave. Why are we allowing people so important to our youth system to leave, this is surely something that we can prevent?
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Reports on Twitter that U18's boss Mike Scott is leaving to go to Derby County as Head of Academy Coaching
https://twitter.com/mattwilson_star/status/1148574479125307395
I think what's worse than us being unable to stop youth players leaving to other clubs, is allowing the people that run this successful academy to leave. Why are we allowing people so important to our youth system to leave, this is surely something that we can prevent?
There must be more to this whole scenario than what we are aware of.
Harrison leaving
Shan leaving ( granted this one may be for a challenge as a manager somewhere)
Scott leaving
Along with Barry and Rogers moving on.
Seems a bit bizarre they all seem to be jumping ship of what's considered a good academy.
Only reason I can see behind Scott leaving is perhaps he hasn't been considered here for Harrison's position and is choosing to have a 'better' job at another academy?
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Maybe the talent our Academy is producing is too good publicity for it. Can imagine quite a few envious eyes being cast towards it.
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One of the problems with our academy is that in the past the structure/coaches had been there for a long time, and were well trusted, so could give genuine advice on whether a player was ready for the step-up. By going cheap on the first team management, the club has lost Darren Moore and Jimmy Shan from the setup completely, leaving it with less experienced coaches, and removing some of the clear pathways that previously existed.
I wouldnt be surprised if we were very tight when it comes to wages of the young players, relying heavily on appearance/performance bonuses rather than wages, whilst also being very negative towards players' agents. All this is bound to push the players' representatives to recommend them move elsewhere, which will generate the agent more cash in the short term, with little regard to the player's ongoing development.
Why should a player be loyal if the club doesn't show they respect their talent?
Neither of whom particularly used the academy for anything important. Moore did eventually use Harper in league games but that was about it, Shan used Edwards for 3 games then permanently dropped him and was less inclined to use youth players than even Moore.
They might have come from the youth teams but neither were good for their pathways. Farke at Norwich was 1000 times better and he was from outside the club. Lampard and Bielsa were also much better at using their academy players than either Moore or particularly Shan.
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Well looking at the talent from our academy being scouted & brought by the top teams in the WORLD i'd say our academy staff are doing a great job,Thanks guys.
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Time to just shut it down. We’re getting absolutely nothing from it and any player with a single ounce of talent is simply being hoovered up. It flat out stinks.
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Time to just shut it down. We’re getting absolutely nothing from it and any player with a single ounce of talent is simply being hoovered up. It flat out stinks.
Except giving local kids the opportunity to become footballers. Not everything is about ROI.
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Time to just shut it down. We’re getting absolutely nothing from it and any player with a single ounce of talent is simply being hoovered up. It flat out stinks.
Our academy is in profit! And we should champion something that gives a chance to kids whether we get a benefit or not. It’s hardly a kings ransome in today’s footballing terms - certainly not for a premiership or higher championship team
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48926872 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48926872)
Exeter City fans have funded the signing of former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Noah Smerdon for an undisclosed fee.
Exeter's 1931 Fund comprises around 60 supporters who each donate £19 per month to help pay for a new member of the League Two club's squad.
Smerdon, 18, began his career as a youth with Albion before joining non-league side Gloucester City in 2017.
The Baggies are entitled to a fee for Smerdon's development.
"I'm delighted to have joined Exeter City, I know about the history of the club and the players that have come through here. It's a really good opportunity," Smerdon said.
The fund has previously helped pay wages of players including James Norwood, Graham Cummins, Pierce Sweeney and Jack Sparkes.
Yet more money to put into the coffers - I'm sure it will be a nominally small fee, but better than nothing, keep the coins rolling in.
Time to just shut it down. We’re getting absolutely nothing from it and any player with a single ounce of talent is simply being hoovered up. It flat out stinks.
Makes further mockery of comments like this ;)
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Something more to consider regarding the academy is Brexit. Sometime in the next 2years the employment laws affecting EU passport holders will change and they will not have automatic right to work here making young British talent even more valuable and expensive.
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Darren Moore getting the Doncaster job is beneficial or could be for us as a club.
Good opportunity for us to get Leko and Wilson on season long loans there for game time, perhaps even O'shea if we want to continue his development.
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Darren Moore getting the Doncaster job is beneficial or could be for us as a club.
Good opportunity for us to get Leko and Wilson on season long loans there for game time, perhaps even O'shea if we want to continue his development.
No he wouldn't pick them mate
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Under 23 beat Alvechurch today 4-1.
Owen Windsor scored. Interesting that Jamie Soule wasn’t in the match day squad.
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Under 23 beat Alvechurch today 4-1.
Owen Windsor scored. Interesting that Jamie Soule wasn’t in the match day squad.
Interesting or worrying?
There were rumours he was the next one to be picked off.
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Worrying I'd say. He's got a year left on his contract so unless he's going to sign an extension we may as well get some sort of money while we can.
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https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/july/eight-youngsters-sign-pro-deals/ (https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/july/eight-youngsters-sign-pro-deals/)
A talented pool of Albion youngsters have committed their futures to The Hawthorns with eight signing professional contracts.
Six Academy graduates have agreed one-year contracts with a further 12-month option in the Club’s favour, while goalkeeper Brad House has negotiated a new one-year contract at The Hawthorns.
Two of Albion’s FA Youth Cup semi-finalists, Finn Azaz and George Harmon, have penned new deals, while Jack Chambers, Nick Clayton-Phillips, Dan Meredith and Sam Wilding have all pledged their futures to the Club.
Meanwhile, Albion fought off fierce competition to secure the signature of highly-rated forward Owen Windsor from Cirencester Town earlier in the summer.
The 17-year-old, who signed a two-year deal with a further 12-month option in the Club’s favour, became one of non-league football’s most coveted youngsters after netting six goals in seven starts for the Southern League Division One South side in their last campaign.
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https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/july/eight-youngsters-sign-pro-deals/ (https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2019/july/eight-youngsters-sign-pro-deals/)
A talented pool of Albion youngsters have committed their futures to The Hawthorns with eight signing professional contracts.
Six Academy graduates have agreed one-year contracts with a further 12-month option in the Club’s favour, while goalkeeper Brad House has negotiated a new one-year contract at The Hawthorns.
Two of Albion’s FA Youth Cup semi-finalists, Finn Azaz and George Harmon, have penned new deals, while Jack Chambers, Nick Clayton-Phillips, Dan Meredith and Sam Wilding have all pledged their futures to the Club.
Meanwhile, Albion fought off fierce competition to secure the signature of highly-rated forward Owen Windsor from Cirencester Town earlier in the summer.
The 17-year-old, who signed a two-year deal with a further 12-month option in the Club’s favour, became one of non-league football’s most coveted youngsters after netting six goals in seven starts for the Southern League Division One South side in their last campaign.
Glad we have tied Clayton Phillips down, he looks like he could be the next one to get near the first team, looks tidy on the ball and chips in with his fair share of goals.
Worryingly, Soule isn't named on that list. The club will be trying to get him to sign a deal, finished top scorer last year and had some big clubs monitoring him in semi final. Be interested to see what happens with him over the next few weeks/months.
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Glad we have tied Clayton Phillips down, he looks like he could be the next one to get near the first team, looks tidy on the ball and chips in with his fair share of goals.
Worryingly, Soule isn't named on that list. The club will be trying to get him to sign a deal, finished top scorer last year and had some big clubs monitoring him in semi final. Be interested to see what happens with him over the next few weeks/months.
Yes Clayton Phillips has often shown up well on highlights clips I've caught. Soule has one year left on his existing deal which might be why he's not mentioned here. I'd assume we are trying to get him to sign an extension and if he doesn't we'll no doubt look to sell and recoup some money as he's got that one year left.
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Glad we have tied Clayton Phillips down, he looks like he could be the next one to get near the first team, looks tidy on the ball and chips in with his fair share of goals.
Worryingly, Soule isn't named on that list. The club will be trying to get him to sign a deal, finished top scorer last year and had some big clubs monitoring him in semi final. Be interested to see what happens with him over the next few weeks/months.
Hasn't Soule already signed a contract as he is older and it runs out next season. So more like the Harper situation rather than Barry.
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Really hope that we right the wrongs of last summer and find a way of managing the 18-21 years olds better in the next 6 months.
It was obvious last summer that Field, Leko, Harper, Edwards and Burke were not part of Moore's immediate plans, and yet all of them stayed here for 5 months in the reserves. In January we sent Burke away, but kept the rest, and while that was right for Harper, Edwards and Field still only had limited time and Leko did not feature.
We must make an accurate assessment of these players this summer, as Leko has had 2 wasted years now where he hasn't developed. He probably never will, but i'd like to see him on loan at an attacking league 1 side. It is jarder to judge what to do with Edwards, Field, Fitzwater and O Shea, but i'd hope atleast 1 of them goes out on loan, else we should be using them regularly in the 1st team. The same goes for the likes of Tulloch and Soule (if we aren't going to use then), Clayton-Phillips, Ferguson and Azaz.
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Really hope that we right the wrongs of last summer and find a way of managing the 18-21 years olds better in the next 6 months.
It was obvious last summer that Field, Leko, Harper, Edwards and Burke were not part of Moore's immediate plans, and yet all of them stayed here for 5 months in the reserves. In January we sent Burke away, but kept the rest, and while that was right for Harper, Edwards and Field still only had limited time and Leko did not feature.
We must make an accurate assessment of these players this summer, as Leko has had 2 wasted years now where he hasn't developed. He probably never will, but i'd like to see him on loan at an attacking league 1 side. It is jarder to judge what to do with Edwards, Field, Fitzwater and O Shea, but i'd hope atleast 1 of them goes out on loan, else we should be using them regularly in the 1st team. The same goes for the likes of Tulloch and Soule (if we aren't going to use then), Clayton-Phillips, Ferguson and Azaz.
Think that's the key, we need to use them in the 1st team at every opportunity unless there's a really strong case for putting someone else in (which hasn't tended to be the case, certainly in midfield). We have to stop treating them as a last resort and then casting them to one side if they make a mistake.
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The club don't have a plan for the young players development after they were promoted to the first team.
Most of them couldn't get game time here but didn't go out on loan.
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The club don't have a plan for the young players development after they were promoted to the first team.
Most of them couldn't get game time here but didn't go out on loan.
Think there's this situation where a certain number of them provide important cover in the squad and in terms of numerical cover the club needs them to stay with us. This is what we are saying, if they are in that situation and stay with us they need proper chances to play in the 1st team or they'll just stagnate.
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100% itk post.... Nick Clayton Phillips is going out on loan after pre-season. Club hasn't been finalised yet but this is great news. We need to get our talent out playing against men, and I'm really looking forward to how this new crop do.
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One things thats not the clubs fault is the shambolic rule of shutting the loan window , we could have sent a few out for a couple of months but instead they sit here playing the odd U23 game or bench warm.
No wonder a lot of kids don't make it .
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I know and understand why the much maligned Tony Pulis received so much flak, but wasn’t he the one that initially promoted the idea of getting our kids out playing against men?
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100% itk post.... Nick Clayton Phillips is going out on loan after pre-season. Club hasn't been finalised yet but this is great news. We need to get our talent out playing against men, and I'm really looking forward to how this new crop do.
I like the look of this lad, good vision and clever with the ball.
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Looks like our young lads have come home fresh from a tournament win in Czech Republic
https://twitter.com/wbalatest/status/1153369760320630785 (https://twitter.com/wbalatest/status/1153369760320630785)
WBA Latest
@wbalatest
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15h
WBA U19s won the FC Victoria Plzsen Tournament in Czech Republic at the weekend. They beat MTK Budapest 0-4 in the final. Jamie Soule scoring 2, Asomugha and Gardner-Hickman scoring 1 each.
Jamie Soule also won Player of the Tournament! Well in boys 👍🏻
#wba #westbrom #wbau19
https://twitter.com/jaysoule9/status/1153377546299420672 (https://twitter.com/jaysoule9/status/1153377546299420672)
Jamie Soule
@jaysoule9
Tournament winners 🥇4 goals ⚽️ & a great feeling to win player of the tournament ⚽️🏆 All thanks to my team ❤️
@WBA
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I like the look of this lad, good vision and clever with the ball.
Clayton Phillips and Soule seem to be the pick of the 'next batch' of youngsters.
Really surprised they haven't been taken on the pre season tour to be honest as they both seem to have a bit about them.
A loan will do Clayton Phillips the world of good, he seems a massive baggies fan too.
Soule is an interesting one, last year of his contract, has had reported interest from some big clubs, seems to be scoring for fun and winning a lot of accolades, really thought he would have been taken with the first team especially as our attacking numbers are/were low. Be interested to see how it develops with him and if he stays here.
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Clayton Phillips and Soule seem to be the pick of the 'next batch' of youngsters.
Really surprised they haven't been taken on the pre season tour to be honest as they both seem to have a bit about them.
A loan will do Clayton Phillips the world of good, he seems a massive baggies fan too.
Soule is an interesting one, last year of his contract, has had reported interest from some big clubs, seems to be scoring for fun and winning a lot of accolades, really thought he would have been taken with the first team especially as our attacking numbers a