EDS/Academy Games

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Fun to watch 3.3 draw away at the swamp for the 18's today. 4 penalties ( 2 each) and all 4 were pens as well which is probably unusual. The first for Utd to put them 1 up was the softest. The 2 City got were just wild desperate challenges. Utd's second was an Ederson moment for Molden.

Sadly Moulden then spilled an average shot for us to go 3.2 down. Great run from Fiorini to help make the goal for Cole Palmer which he took with great composure.

Overall not the greatest quality game despite the goals and entertainment. Jayden Braf got one of our penalties running onto a good through ball but I reckon if he had a great game today we would have won 6.3. Runs well with the ball till he has to do something with it!! Chances to shoot and score including a 1 on 1 but messed them all up. Also great chances for a key pass but just didn't make them.

I can't remember the details but I am sure he came to us with a big fanfare and another great prospect for the future. I am still waiting to see why!

[dazby]

I actually got to watch the second half of this match. The City number 10 Doug. Is he a year or two younger than the others?

[Douglas Higginbottom]

I actually got to watch the second half of this match. The City number 10 Doug. Is he a year or two younger than the others?

Was the 10 Cole Palmer? I think he is 16 so will be quite a bit younger than some.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

3.3 again today, this time at home v WBA. As we were 3.1 with maybe 15 to go it was a decent recovery and result. The problems are there to see in defence though. I would guess we had about 70% of the ball but just lacked a real killer finisher. To be fair to their keeper he did make some excellent saves and we did hit the post. 2 saves with his feet.

It was after one of those WBA broke away to score.I thought our centre back had forced his way to win a ball but it got through him. He chased back well got to the ball in our penalty area and then somehow lost it again and they scored to go 2.1 up

We had taken the lead through a sublime goal from Fiorini. He took a well hit ball brilliantly with his left and turned ito a defender who he nutmegged, ran towards the keeper and slid it under him

[Douglas Higginbottom]

What a fun way to spend a dark damp Tuesday afternoon. Watching City 18's play Middlesbrough. After the last 2 games produced 6 goals with 2 draws this one was slightly different. Still 6 goals but we won 6 nil.

How it was only 1 nil at half time was baffling. A sudden burst in the second half killed the game as a contest and it was a question of how many. It could have been 10!

Shout outs to Ben Knight who scored the first 2 and nearly got his hat trick before being taken off I think at 3 nil. For those who don't know the name he is very similar is physique and playing style to Bernado Silva. He is really good. His first today was a header!!

Jadon Braaf again terrorised their right back. Assisted one , scored another and was a massive threat all day. His final ball was still wasteful too often but if he really gets it right in a game he will score/assist loads. Just needs that final quality.

Cole Palmer who is a slip of a lad has a lovely touch and somehow managed to play as a center forward much of the game, coming of their defenders to receiev the ball and bring others into play. Scored a beauty too when he was playing from deeper.

Rowan McDonald played really well as holding midfield and basically ran the game from there. Dropped into centre half later on. I have been impressed by this lad for a while now. Just needs to be careful not to get too far forward at times and thus leaving the back 4 exposed.

[nottsblue]

Beat Barnsley away on penalties after drawing 3-3 in the 90 minutes.

Don’t know how many more games there are before the final but it would be good for the lads if they could make it

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Beat Barnsley away on penalties after drawing 3-3 in the 90 minutes.

Don’t know how many more games there are before the final but it would be good for the lads if they could make it

Would be brilliant. Sounds like they played without a recognised centre forward yesterday with the two wide players scoring the 3 goals. Matondo with his lightening pace sounded unplayable at times got one and 2 for Poveda. He is a clever player who I think has deserved to score in recent games without it quite happening.

It's quite scary in these games when you see how big , massive really, the opposition are compared to our kids who are mostly teenagers.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

Beat Barnsley away on penalties after drawing 3-3 in the 90 minutes.

Don’t know how many more games there are before the final but it would be good for the lads if they could make it

Would be brilliant. Sounds like they played without a recognised centre forward yesterday with the two wide players scoring the 3 goals. Matondo with his lightening pace sounded unplayable at times got one and 2 for Poveda. He is a clever player who I think has deserved to score in recent games without it quite happening.

It's quite scary in these games when you see how big , massive really, the opposition are compared to our kids who are mostly teenagers.

That was the round of 32, so 3 more rounds then the final. I was at Accrington Stanley vs Lincoln in the same competition last night, and everyone I spoke to hated it that U21 sides play in it and hoped they all went out ASAP!

The draw for the next round is on Saturday.

[Dipstick]

Can't see anything about coverage on the city web site but tonight's Premier League2 fixture against Derby U23s is being streamed for free on Derby's website. Kick off at 19:00

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2018/12/watch-derby-county-under-23s-take-on-man-city-for-free-on-ramstv

[Nigels Tackle]

Can't see anything about coverage on the city web site but tonight's Premier League2 fixture against Derby U23s is being streamed for free on Derby's website. Kick off at 19:00

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2018/12/watch-derby-county-under-23s-take-on-man-city-for-free-on-ramstv

shit. pretty much missed it. what a friday night that could have been!!!

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Can't see anything about coverage on the city web site but tonight's Premier League2 fixture against Derby U23s is being streamed for free on Derby's website. Kick off at 19:00

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2018/12/watch-derby-county-under-23s-take-on-man-city-for-free-on-ramstv

shit. pretty much missed it. what a friday night that could have been!!!

Really good result that as Derby are/were top of the league and also as we had played the Checkatrade game at Barnsly on Tuesday.

Watched the 18's this morning. A cup game against Blackburn and apparently we needed to win by 2 to progress. Some sort of group we had to qualify from and it's a very tight group. So it was good to win 3.1 with goals from Cole Palmer, Lewis Fiorini and Jadon Braaf.

Any thing but plain sailing even though we scored very early and dominated the early play. BBurn scored with their first real attack.. Knowing we needed to win by 2 it looked like we opened up more than usual to get the goals and it could have gone the other way as Moulden had to make a 1 on 1 save. Straight down the other end, a great ball inside the fullback from Corrigan first time cross from Braaf and a simple finish from Fiorini.

Blackburn then hit the underside of the bar but City broke and Braaf cut in from the left, dummied twice to shoot but then put it in the corner. We basically managed the game from there and it strangely seemed BBurn were also happy to see the game end. There were some iffy moments at both ends but a 3.1 win it was.

Great to see Tommy Doyle back on the pitch for just over 45 minutes. Good to see Glynn Pardoe there to watch him.

[blues2win]

What’s your about view about Diaz Doug? He seemed such a promising talent. Difficult not to be disappointed. How many minutes will he get at Real though? There again he’s a Latin player and it is Real.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

What’s your about view about Diaz Doug? He seemed such a promising talent. Difficult not to be disappointed. How many minutes will he get at Real though? There again he’s a Latin player and it is Real.

disappointed yes but not that much. I think the biggest disappointment is that he doesnt seem to have kicked on that much from when I first saw him at 16 when he looked special with amazing potential.

We have seen games where he has been given chances and his performances have been a bit mixed. Like others I would have preferred him to be given more chances rather than we spend £50/60 million on Mahrez. Then we could have seen for sure whether he has got what it takes. Now we have to watch his progress at Real. Hard to see whether he gets starts there. I doubt it this season but he will probably get more than he would have here.

I genuinely wish him well. He has done nothing wrong at City but it seems Pep ( I assume Pep) has decided he isnt quite good enough for what he wants at City.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

so amidst questions about which EDS players would be included by Pep in the 2 cup games this week I watched the EDS play today against West ham. Not playing today were Sandler, Poveda, Matondo and Bernabe so maybe they are with Pep but playing today were Garcia , Bolton , Gomes , Nmecha.

Anyway suffice to say the EDS were shocking today and lost 5.1. I actually wondered whether Carcia was a bit miffed to be playing today as he had a mare! Gave away a penalty after 40 seconds when he was little bit exposed lacking pace although I did think it was a very harsh decision.

We got back into the game with a Garre goal. Dele Bashiru should have scored as he was clean through but the blocked shot just fell for Garre to tap in. From there we kept gifting WHU with chances with some appaling passing in our own half. Some of it playing like the first team around the back but others just plain awful passing. I think in the game our keeper , Scott, must have passed it 3 or 4 times straight to a WHU forwar4d who was inside the box!!!

Twice they scored but had it disallowed for offside and once McDonald got in the way. Hard to believe some of the bad passes. Garcia guilty twice and one gave a goal away. Ogbeta , Taylor Richards, , Gomes they were all at it.

Having said all that we were 3.1 down at half time and we could have had 3 more. Twice they did the same giving the ball away and both times with one on ones we falied to score. Nmecha even went to the keeper , chipped it over him and running in to score allowed a WHU defender to beat him to it. Either didnt see him or didnt want it enough. The defender was stretchered off in the end as he might have collided with a post.

One of their goals came after Ogbeta was adjudged to have fouled a guy on the edge of the box. Clearly a good tackle and a corner but the ref thought different and booked him. Early 2nd half he booked him again and that was us down to 10 men..

We battled on but with little likelihood of scoring and two late goals , one a rotten deflection finished us off.

Individually and as a team we were crap. Tom Scott as a keeper had a mare and should not try to be Ederson but I can't actually name a player who had a decent game. Frimpong at left back was the closest for his continuous effort and some great driving runs. Bolton played center forward and although he showed plenty of effort he was totally ineffective.

[BlueinBosnia]

I was at Accrington Stanley vs Lincoln in the same competition last night, and everyone I spoke to hated it that U21 sides play in it and hoped they all went out ASAP!

That's the impression I get from clubs' forums in their match threads for these games. Attendances for the games against the U21 teams compared to other attendances for the competition in the group stages also suggest the same.

I've got mixed feelings about it: I see it as a way to hold off youth teams entering the league as 'B' teams (which I really oppose) as a kind of compromise, but, on the flip side, it could be a kind of backdoor attempt to normalize the idea of lower-level clubs facing second-string squads of Prem outfits. Having a quick look at attendances for the knockout rounds, it would seem as if they only garner about half the attendances of games in the early rounds of the League Cup, so it seems as if the competition isn't really taken seriously by fans of the clubs involved, anyway, up to the semis, at least.

[nottsblue]

Beat Barnsley away on penalties after drawing 3-3 in the 90 minutes.

Don’t know how many more games there are before the final but it would be good for the lads if they could make it

Would be brilliant. Sounds like they played without a recognised centre forward yesterday with the two wide players scoring the 3 goals. Matondo with his lightening pace sounded unplayable at times got one and 2 for Poveda. He is a clever player who I think has deserved to score in recent games without it quite happening.

It's quite scary in these games when you see how big , massive really, the opposition are compared to our kids who are mostly teenagers.

That was the round of 32, so 3 more rounds then the final. I was at Accrington Stanley vs Lincoln in the same competition last night, and everyone I spoke to hated it that U21 sides play in it and hoped they all went out ASAP!

The draw for the next round is on Saturday.

2-0 at Rochdale after half an hour. Looks like the lads aren’t going to Wembley

[Hutch's Shoulder]

Beat Barnsley away on penalties after drawing 3-3 in the 90 minutes.

Don’t know how many more games there are before the final but it would be good for the lads if they could make it

Would be brilliant. Sounds like they played without a recognised centre forward yesterday with the two wide players scoring the 3 goals. Matondo with his lightening pace sounded unplayable at times got one and 2 for Poveda. He is a clever player who I think has deserved to score in recent games without it quite happening.

It's quite scary in these games when you see how big , massive really, the opposition are compared to our kids who are mostly teenagers.

That was the round of 32, so 3 more rounds then the final. I was at Accrington Stanley vs Lincoln in the same competition last night, and everyone I spoke to hated it that U21 sides play in it and hoped they all went out ASAP!

The draw for the next round is on Saturday.

2-0 at Rochdale after half an hour. Looks like the lads aren’t going to Wembley

That's the HT score now, and we missed a penalty.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

50 mins, Bolton pulled one back

[Hutch's Shoulder]

2-2 now, Braaf

[nottsblue]

2-2 now, Braaf

Come on lads