cl last 16

[Nigels Tackle]

rodgers motm for villa
alvarez and diaz with great goals in the madrid derby

[Mase]

Proof that this new format is a joke. PSV getting pumped 7-1 by fuckin Arsenal Villa likely going through to the quarter finals - Aston Villa ffs a club that’s 10th in the league at the moment.

[Mase]

rodgers motm for villa
alvarez and diaz with great goals in the madrid derby

Rogers is still the biggest fuck up - forget Palmer. Villa bought him the window after we sold him, 6 months at Boro where he barely did anything. They’d obviously scouted him from our academy and wanted him for a while. Crazy they could see his potential but we couldn’t…

[nottsblue]

rodgers motm for villa
alvarez and diaz with great goals in the madrid derby

Rogers is still the biggest fuck up - forget Palmer. Villa bought him the window after we sold him, 6 months at Boro where he barely did anything. They’d obviously scouted him from our academy and wanted him for a while. Crazy they could see his potential but we couldn’t…

Two years ago, who did Rogers replace in our Treble winning season?

[Scatman]

rodgers motm for villa
alvarez and diaz with great goals in the madrid derby

Rogers is still the biggest fuck up - forget Palmer. Villa bought him the window after we sold him, 6 months at Boro where he barely did anything. They’d obviously scouted him from our academy and wanted him for a while. Crazy they could see his potential but we couldn’t…

Two years ago, who did Rogers replace in our Treble winning season?

It's not a choice between replacing somebody in the first team and being sold, there are plenty of options in between those two.

[Mase]

rodgers motm for villa
alvarez and diaz with great goals in the madrid derby

Rogers is still the biggest fuck up - forget Palmer. Villa bought him the window after we sold him, 6 months at Boro where he barely did anything. They’d obviously scouted him from our academy and wanted him for a while. Crazy they could see his potential but we couldn’t…

Two years ago, who did Rogers replace in our Treble winning season?

Is it about him replacing someone then and there? Or seeing the potential and saying to him “you’ll make it here - trust us”

It’s not hard is it? He’s already said he’d have been happy to go out on loan. WE chose to sell him.

[Mase]

rodgers motm for villa
alvarez and diaz with great goals in the madrid derby

Rogers is still the biggest fuck up - forget Palmer. Villa bought him the window after we sold him, 6 months at Boro where he barely did anything. They’d obviously scouted him from our academy and wanted him for a while. Crazy they could see his potential but we couldn’t…

Two years ago, who did Rogers replace in our Treble winning season?

It's not a choice between replacing somebody in the first team and being sold, there are plenty of options in between those two.

Spot on. We need to get better at showing the ones that will make it there is a pathway. Lewis was in and around the first team at the point we sold Rogers. Rogers could have had that role but wasn’t given the chance.

[PeterParker]

What would you chose? Play out of position under Pep and maybe never reach your potential or try your luck elsewhere even if you love the club?

[Nigels Tackle]

palmer is the exception as we kept him at the club but rogers and delap were sent out on loan and didn’t rip up any trees…

[nottsblue]

rodgers motm for villa
alvarez and diaz with great goals in the madrid derby

Rogers is still the biggest fuck up - forget Palmer. Villa bought him the window after we sold him, 6 months at Boro where he barely did anything. They’d obviously scouted him from our academy and wanted him for a while. Crazy they could see his potential but we couldn’t…

Two years ago, who did Rogers replace in our Treble winning season?

It's not a choice between replacing somebody in the first team and being sold, there are plenty of options in between those two.

Spot on. We need to get better at showing the ones that will make it there is a pathway. Lewis was in and around the first team at the point we sold Rogers. Rogers could have had that role but wasn’t given the chance.

Of course there's a flip side.

Back in 2023 we had won the PL EDS and under 18s leagues for three consecutive seasons. An unprecedented achievement probably never to be equalled. So the talent pool in our Academy was off the charts. We had, and are still likely to have as it goes, quality players in a lot of positions aged 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. I'd imagine most of the players aged 21 or over were either in our squad or had been sold.

And here is the flip side.

If you have a talented 19 year old and the 20 year old is showing a bit of promise bit not yet fulfilling it then the 20 year old will be shipped out to allow for progress of the talented guy in the year below. It's harsh and very cut throat but it is what it is. We simply can't keep them all in the hope they make it.

The Academy sales last summer took our overall haul since it's inception a decade or so ago to over £500M. That is the purpose of the Academy. To fund the purchase of first team players. And of course we will sell some that go onto be great players elsewhere. That's to be expected. But whilst the number of these players is relatively small to how many don't become great then that will be considered an acceptable outcome. If in a few years the situation is reversed then the system has gone wrong.

Rogers as the example, did as Mase suggested, nothing in 6 months at Middlesbrough. Delap before he went to Ipswich did nothing in a couple of loan seasons in the championship. We are the reigning PL champions and have been for six of the last seven seasons. We are the dominant force on the country. Now I know that's now come to an end this season but there are a myriad of reasons for that. Letting a few Academy boys go who well at other clubs is very low on that list.

The likes of Lewis and O'Reilly have broken into our squad. Bobb last season. The young forward Mubama has had a taste this season. It's now up to them in a relatively short window to show they are good enough to play for the best side in the country. Because if they don't then there will be a guy in their position a year or so younger that will be knocking on the door. As it goes I think Lewis and Bobb have already proved this. O'Reilly has a big job because there are already established top quality players ahead of him. Same for Mubama. Is he really going to dislodge Haaland and Marmoush, both of whom could be with us for a long time?

And if the latter two players as an example move on and do well elsewhere it is just circumstances that precipitated it rather than a fuvk up in letting them go

[Mase]

palmer is the exception as we kept him at the club but rogers and delap were sent out on loan and didn’t rip up any trees…

Ripped them up enough in 6 months at Boro that Villa bought him straight away in the next window…

[Mase]

Just on the “they did nothing on loan” argument - neither did Harry Kane at Norwich or Leicester. Should Spurs have sold him before giving him a chance?

Nonsense argument when our club has watched these kids grow and develop and should know the ones that will make it.

[sheblue]

Bit odd not being involved in the last 16. But I dont really care too much, we were never winning it anyway. Shit competition, shit format.
Come on PSG

[nottsblue]

Just on the “they did nothing on loan” argument - neither did Harry Kane at Norwich or Leicester. Should Spurs have sold him before giving him a chance?

Nonsense argument when our club has watched these kids grow and develop and should know the ones that will make it.

Don’t recall Spurs being the pre-eminent team in the league at the time. When you are fighting for the Wenger trophy rather than the actual PL trophy it is a very different situation

Maybe they didn’t have anyone in the youth set up behind him? Maybe the forwards in the first team at the time were coming to the end of their contracts? Maybe they were coming to the end of their usefulness with Spurs at the time? Maybe the chairman (Levy) was tight with the purse strings and there wasn’t money for a first teamer? Maybe they wanted a player but he didn’t want to go there?

Who knows. It’s mere speculation. But comparing our situation with another clubs and within that, individual players situations, is futile as it’s apples and oranges

They are not the same thing

[Mase]

Just on the “they did nothing on loan” argument - neither did Harry Kane at Norwich or Leicester. Should Spurs have sold him before giving him a chance?

Nonsense argument when our club has watched these kids grow and develop and should know the ones that will make it.

Don’t recall Spurs being the pre-eminent team in the league at the time. When you are fighting for the Wenger trophy rather than the actual PL trophy it is a very different situation

Maybe they didn’t have anyone in the youth set up behind him? Maybe the forwards in the first team at the time were coming to the end of their contracts? Maybe they were coming to the end of their usefulness with Spurs at the time? Maybe the chairman (Levy) was tight with the purse strings and there wasn’t money for a first teamer? Maybe they wanted a player but he didn’t want to go there?

Who knows. It’s mere speculation. But comparing our situation with another clubs and within that, individual players situations, is futile as it’s apples and oranges

They are not the same thing

Doesn’t matter where spurs were in the league, they identified he’d likely make it.

[nottsblue]

Just on the “they did nothing on loan” argument - neither did Harry Kane at Norwich or Leicester. Should Spurs have sold him before giving him a chance?

Nonsense argument when our club has watched these kids grow and develop and should know the ones that will make it.

Don’t recall Spurs being the pre-eminent team in the league at the time. When you are fighting for the Wenger trophy rather than the actual PL trophy it is a very different situation

Maybe they didn’t have anyone in the youth set up behind him? Maybe the forwards in the first team at the time were coming to the end of their contracts? Maybe they were coming to the end of their usefulness with Spurs at the time? Maybe the chairman (Levy) was tight with the purse strings and there wasn’t money for a first teamer? Maybe they wanted a player but he didn’t want to go there?

Who knows. It’s mere speculation. But comparing our situation with another clubs and within that, individual players situations, is futile as it’s apples and oranges

They are not the same thing

Doesn’t matter where spurs were in the league, they identified he’d likely make it.

Where clubs are is entirely relevant. Theirs ambitions etc

[Mase]

Our ambition isn’t to bring through players that will eventually replace the likes of Gundo, Bernardo, etc and save us money?

[PeterParker]

Our ambition isn’t to bring through players that will eventually replace the likes of Gundo, Bernardo, etc and save us money?

Agree 100%.
Both Doyls would had been interesting to have this season. I am not saying they good enough, but give them a chance to see how they perform when we have so many injury prone players.

But this comes down to the staff, to Pep. He decides that and so far he decided that Bobb, Rico and Foden are the only ones who deserve a proper chance.

[nottsblue]

Our ambition isn’t to bring through players that will eventually replace the likes of Gundo, Bernardo, etc and save us money?

Yes I’m sure that’s one part of the equation. Undoubtedly

But a revenue raiser is another

If we were a Spurs or a Utd or a West Ham or a Villa whose realistic achievements amount to scraping a CL place, then more of the Academy graduates would make the first team. Completely different to a club whose ambitions are winning trophies on a regular basis.

Maybe if we are found guilty on some of the 115 charges and we have a points deduction meaning no CL or even a relegation and our budgeting is downsized accordingly, then we may see more players graduating from the academy. And as it goes I would be totally fine and happy with that.

And who knows. The next guy to follow Pep may have a different opinion and approach

[Kippax Sean]

It's a massive step up from EDS to first team football at our level. Lewis O'Reilly Mcatee Bobb and even Foden to some extent need to impress more than some established players as they're being scrutinised under a microscope. Even established players can be discarded at the drop of a hat if they don't perform. Look at Philips Nunes and Grealish and there's others that haven't lived up to their billing. It's hard for anyone to make it at the top clubs in Europe.