[KN22]

Never heard of him but just happy to see the sentence doesn’t end with “for Aston Villa.” 

My claim to fame is I’ve seen him play, in my street! His grandad lives 50 yards from me and, when a boy, he would spend hours playing on the small grassed island in our close. Delighted for him.

[SmethDan]

It’s my understanding that pro contracts have been offered to a number of the current U18 group - including Evan Humphries, Archie Kirton, Ben Cisse, Adriel Walker, Deago Nelson & Cole Deeming. That’s in addition to these two plus Harry Whitwell & Kev Mfuamba who were awarded theirs as you know a few months ago. I believe (but not 100% certain) that the two lads signed from Scotland (Mandey & Sule) were signed as pro’s anyway.

If they all accept the terms and sign I make that 12 new pro’s for next season.

Nice one  .

Hopefully a few more to follow  .

[BalisPen]

Good luck to all the "new" signings, may your stay with us be long and very, very successful.

[Albionic]

Nice one  .

Hopefully a few more to follow  .

12 new pro’s for next season.  Therein lies the age old dilemma with kids / academies, if every club signs 12 new pros a season the market is overflowing massively and many most of those kids will be have to be cast aside.

The art is recognising who will be late bloomers, develop continually and have good attitudes.

The bloated squads premier league clubs run with just exacerbates the problem as they keep the "kids" well into their twenties now.
Hopefully some of our brightest talent will come through and they have the additional opportunity of Bologna on the horizon now.

[BalisPen]

I don't know much about Jamal Mohammed, and he's been injured, but at 6ft 5 is it way too soon for him to replace KB, even though he hasn't been on loan so probably not, but any one rate him?

[Baggie79]

Does anyone know who the trialist was who played in the PL2 game last night?

[JMullen95]

Bostock is not a centre midfielder he’s a winger/10. Alongside Whitwell, Deeming and Cisse he’s got a chance of making it in the pro game. The rest, let’s just say they’ll have to improve a fair bit.

[gazberg]

Maja and Pipa start to fight for u23s. Cleary back in squad

[gazberg]

Maja starts for u23's tonight.

No Cleary in squad, wonder if he's injured again

[NJS]

Cleary, Maja, Dike:  had they been in deep space for several years before joining us and degraded their bone densities?

[baggie53]

Cleary, Maja, Dike:  had they been in deep space for several years before joining us and degraded their bone densities?

Bit unfair to include Maja - he has been the victim of borderline GBH challenges not once but twice

[Fritzl Palace]

Maja has two goals already tonight.

Good sign

[johnny Cash]

Maja has two goals already tonight.

Good sign

Played 80 mins. Two goals and an assist for the opener which heard scored. 

One trialist started, Ed Jones from Everton apparently, and a second came on for him at half time.

Seems like a good number of this bunch need loans next season, Whitwell, Heard, Hall and Higgins will all be 19 or over early in next season and they have to start playing men’s football.

[KN22]

Maja has two goals already tonight.

Good sign

Great sign. Hopefully ready to start for first team now?

[Albionfan1983]

Played 80 mins. Two goals and an assist for the opener which heard scored. 

One trialist started, Ed Jones from Everton apparently, and a second came on for him at half time.

Seems like a good number of this bunch need loans next season, Whitwell, Heard, Hall and Higgins will all be 19 or over early in next season and they have to start playing men’s football.

We should give a few a chance to play in the 1st team

[Hull Baggie]

Played 80 mins. Two goals and an assist for the opener which heard scored. 

One trialist started, Ed Jones from Everton apparently, and a second came on for him at half time.

Seems like a good number of this bunch need loans next season, Whitwell, Heard, Hall and Higgins will all be 19 or over early in next season and they have to start playing men’s football.

The other trialist was Mo Diomande from Wolves.
Good performance by all and great for Maja to score a brace and assist too.

[Atomic]

Whitwell is the one that stands out isn't he? Be interesting to see what we do with him next season.

I have my own personal rule - if they don't break through by the time they are 21 they're not going to make it.

It doesn't always apply, obviously, but as a general rule I'll stand by it.

[gazberg]

Just seen the goal Whitwell scored last night. Lovely stuff. Cool, calm and composed run and finish. Promising

[lewisant]

There may be nothing in this at all but both players on trial last night are centre backs. Well apparently the Wolves guy can play CB and RB. But with Bartley and Kipre out of contract I just found it interesting.

I can see us losing Kipre and saying bye bye to Bartley to go with Ajayi and Taylor. Hope we keep Kipre as I don’t trust Ajayi and I don’t think CC does either.

[BalisPen]

I know we have always taken on released youth players from other clubs, and the aforementioned 2 is part of the norm, and it's too early to impose changes after the takeover but maybe the influence of the bees b team model isn't being explored given how we lose our young ones.

I haven't really looked at recently, but I don't know how many are coming through at Brentford now they have a bigger budget.

Imo Sunderland are doing well recruitment wise and I really rate that Ekwah in mf.

I think FFP may see a few youth bargains around, unless they change the FFP rules again, and again, and again.

[MarkW]

Whitwell is the one that stands out isn't he? Be interesting to see what we do with him next season.

I have my own personal rule - if they don't break through by the time they are 21 they're not going to make it.

It doesn't always apply, obviously, but as a general rule I'll stand by it.

The issue with this is we have traditionally not had lots of managers who want to give youth a chance. We have tended to have had enough funds to have a squad full of known quantities, "solid professionals", whatever you want to call them.

Someone like Finn Azaz didn't make a single first team appearance for us (as far as I am aware without looking), yet he is doing well in the Championship. It's fine to say if they haven't broke into the team by 21 they won't make it, but they also need to be given chances to perform.

Edit:

And to add to this, there's a notion perhaps of kids needing to be ready "now". Take Tom Fellows - actually given a chance by Ismael, but deemed a bit lightweight, and some said he wouldn't make it. Went to a lower division, bided his time, and has looked great.

I read a really interesting article about the NFL draft not long ago that basically said talent evaluators - scouts, managers/coaches etc - consistently over-estimate their ability to judge ability and potential of players. In the NFL, it leads to the wrong players being drafted and bad draft strategy, but I wonder if in football it's more about the players we release at 18, and how we judge who will or won't make it. According to the article the better strategy was to try and gather as many picks as possible to improve the odds of one of them coming off - maybe the strategy formula should be to give more opportunities for players to stay longer, and with a better pathway to the first team.

[SmethDan]

Whitwell is the one that stands out isn't he? Be interesting to see what we do with him next season.

I have my own personal rule - if they don't break through by the time they are 21 they're not going to make it.

It doesn't always apply, obviously, but as a general rule I'll stand by it.

Good player from what I've seen and I'd like to see him involved with the first team. In fairness I'd have been looking to introduce him to Championship minutes this season. If results had gone our way over the last few weeks he may have got them (wild speculation on my part Gaz', I know you don't think Carlos likes the youth  ) .

Another one I'd like to see more of in and around the first team is Fenton Heard. Clever player with crisp technique and good movement in the attacking midfield role. Even if only from the bench we need to introduce these young lads to minutes in the first team to encourage them they have development opportunities with us over simply taking more short term money elsewhere.

[NJS]

...

And to add to this, there's a notion perhaps of kids needing to be ready "now". Take Tom Fellows - actually given a chance by Ismael, but deemed a bit lightweight, and some said he wouldn't make it. Went to a lower division, bided his time, and has looked great.

I read a really interesting article about the NFL draft not long ago that basically said talent evaluators - scouts, managers/coaches etc - consistently over-estimate their ability to judge ability and potential of players. In the NFL, it leads to the wrong players being drafted and bad draft strategy, but I wonder if in football it's more about the players we release at 18, and how we judge who will or won't make it. According to the article the better strategy was to try and gather as many picks as possible to improve the odds of one of them coming off - maybe the strategy formula should be to give more opportunities for players to stay longer, and with a better pathway to the first team.

With its analytics department, Brentford managed somehow to forensically pick late developers from other clubs' academies.  Maybe someone spotted Finn Azaz this way.
Must be better than a scout's gut feeling.

...
Another one I'd like to see more of in and around the first team is Fenton Heard. Clever player with crisp technique and good movement in the attacking midfield role. Even if only from the bench we need to introduce these young lads to minutes in the first team to encourage them they have development opportunities with us over simply taking more short term money elsewhere.

In the highlights clip, Heard shimmied though the Leeds PL2 defence to set up one goal.  He's in teh Xavi/Iniesta mould.

[MarkW]

With its analytics department, Brentford managed somehow to forensically pick late developers from other clubs' academies.  Maybe someone spotted Finn Azaz this way.
Must be better than a scout's gut feeling.

Brentford have the advantage of their owner owning a sports analytics company, and from what I gather, they create advanced metrics like xG for players direct from video rather than relying on stats companies like Opta, which gives them an advantage in that they have data others don't. I think we let a striker go (Marcus Forss maybe?) who turned up at Brentford and was serviceable at Championship level.

In terms of Azaz, I'd forgotten he went from us to Villa and then was loaned out to Cheltenham, then Newport County and finally Plymouth twice, before being bought by Middlesbrough.

[KYA]

Brentford have the advantage of their owner owning a sports analytics company, and from what I gather, they create advanced metrics like xG for players direct from video rather than relying on stats companies like Opta, which gives them an advantage in that they have data others don't. I think we let a striker go (Marcus Forss maybe?) who turned up at Brentford and was serviceable at Championship level.

In terms of Azaz, I'd forgotten he went from us to Villa and then was loaned out to Cheltenham, then Newport County and finally Plymouth twice, before being bought by Middlesbrough.

People say use the kids but look at Azaz for an example he played for three lower league clubs before a championship side paid money for him.
Very few can be thrown into the championship  straight from the stiffs and be expected to perform week in week out.