Luca Scapuzzi And Rest of the Kids

[Ted Hughes]

I don't agree that Suarez always took the easy option. Imo he was very 'Silva like' in his play & wouild have had an assist to his credit if AJ hadn't cocked it up. Whether he can be the same level as Silva is another matter but I recon he'll try to play the same way. I think he'll be very very very good.

Razak looks like he has the required physical & technical requirements. Now he has to show he has the intelligence to match; he was caught twice in possession near our box. If he could learn to defend & keep the ball like DeJong, he'd be a much better player than DeJong as he has much more in other areas.

Scapuzzi showed he was very neat, tidy & Sharp & had a few tricks but so would any Italian or Spanish U21forward. Whether he can be good enough to get a shirt in City's 1st team is another matter. For that he has to be special. Very good performance as a fill in though. Encouraging.

Rekik didn't get chance to show anything but he has something about him which makes me think he'll be a player.

[Slim]

I don't agree that Suarez always took the easy option. Imo he was very 'Silva like' in his play & wouild have had an assist to his credit if AJ hadn't cocked it up. Whether he can be the same level as Silva is another matter but I recon he'll try to play the same way. I think he'll be very very very good.

Razak looks like he has the required physical & technical requirements. Now he has to show he has the intelligence to match; he was caught twice in possession near our box. If he could learn to defend & keep the ball like DeJong, he'd be a much better player than DeJong as he has much more in other areas.

Scapuzzi showed he was very neat, tidy & Sharp & had a few tricks but so would any Italian or Spanish U21forward. Whether he can be good enough to get a shirt in City's 1st team is another matter. For that he has to be special. Very good performance as a fill in though. Encouraging.

Rekik didn't get chance to show anything but he has something about him which makes me think he'll be a player.

Find the word "always" in my post.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Suarez.I keep having to remind myself that he is only 17. Watching him play in the under 18's derby at the swamp recently was a pleasure.He wasnt brilliant but showed enough class in bits that showed fantastic quality. He runs really well with the ball and has that great ability to weight his passes,especially short ones which can kill defences.He does tend to have his head down a little too much and miss passes but that I am sure will come. The comparison with Silva might might be putting pressure on him unnecessarily but there are some siimilarities.Great that he was involved last night for a few minutes and more opportunities need to be found.He is only 17.

Actually that's one of thardest things to coach out of player even in his tender age. It's just so natural thing to look to your feet first and then look for openings. For that reason alone I would say he will struggle to make it in very very top.

Don't want to sound harsh but that's the way it is. Same thing with first touch. Just so instinctive thing that you can slightly improve it but player who has poor first touch, even in his teens, will struggle to make it to very top. It's possible but not very likely to overcome these problems.

[Ted Hughes]

I don't agree that Suarez always took the easy option. Imo he was very 'Silva like' in his play & wouild have had an assist to his credit if AJ hadn't cocked it up. Whether he can be the same level as Silva is another matter but I recon he'll try to play the same way. I think he'll be very very very good.

Razak looks like he has the required physical & technical requirements. Now he has to show he has the intelligence to match; he was caught twice in possession near our box. If he could learn to defend & keep the ball like DeJong, he'd be a much better player than DeJong as he has much more in other areas.

Scapuzzi showed he was very neat, tidy & Sharp & had a few tricks but so would any Italian or Spanish U21forward. Whether he can be good enough to get a shirt in City's 1st team is another matter. For that he has to be special. Very good performance as a fill in though. Encouraging.

Rekik didn't get chance to show anything but he has something about him which makes me think he'll be a player.

Find the word "always" in my post.

'...even when he had time he took the easy option too often of laying the ball back to de Jong or Razak.'


Presumably he was only adventurous when he didn't have the time ?

[Original Dub]

What do you mean "kids"??!

According to some, surrounded by that sheer quality, dzeko should have scored more. And darren bent definitely would.

For me, scapuzzi looked very good, if not obviously a bit raw.

Really liked the look of suarez for the time he was on. Definitely want to see more.

The others played fully like you'd expect from such inexperienced lads. They have quality but nerves and excitement took hold at times.

I thought every senior player on the pitch did very well to maintain balance.

Delighted over all and while every kid on the pitch last night might not make it as regular first teamers, there's enough to be excited about.

[shortagain]

Yes I did.

What's your answer now smartarse?

Did he play like he plays now or did he develop his skills as he got older. I'm sure you will be able to tell us having watched him as a youngster then

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Didn't see the game last night but how did Pantylimon (sp ??) get on.

Although we conceded two goals, did he look useful ??

[Ted Hughes]

Suarez.I keep having to remind myself that he is only 17. Watching him play in the under 18's derby at the swamp recently was a pleasure.He wasnt brilliant but showed enough class in bits that showed fantastic quality. He runs really well with the ball and has that great ability to weight his passes,especially short ones which can kill defences.He does tend to have his head down a little too much and miss passes but that I am sure will come. The comparison with Silva might might be putting pressure on him unnecessarily but there are some siimilarities.Great that he was involved last night for a few minutes and more opportunities need to be found.He is only 17.

Actually that's one of thardest things to coach out of player even in his tender age. It's just so natural thing to look to your feet first and then look for openings. For that reason alone I would say he will struggle to make it in very very top.

Don't want to sound harsh but that's the way it is. Same thing with first touch. Just so instinctive thing that you can slightly improve it but player who has poor first touch, even in his teens, will struggle to make it to very top. It's possible but not very likely to overcome these problems.

Even now there are rare occasions when Silva misses a simple pass or makes the odd wrong decision though. It's the number of right ones he makes that counts. He was missing quite a lot of them when he 1st came over.

[Avalon]

Suarez looked quite good and that dummy by Scapuzzi was quite nifty too and he is not afraid to take on his man.

I'm not sure about Rekik, the kid's only 16 and England has a legacy when it comes to hot prospects and them not making it. I still believe he would have been better off staying at Feyenoord. In two years time, he would have been a regular for them.

Yes but most 'hot prospects' are merely media myths, or at the least look out of place when first thrown into a first team match. This boy looks sheer, utter class and how you can doubt that is beyond me. He has the air of a 26-yr old player in the body of a 16 year old. And all the more unusual for being a CB as well. And a left CB at that.

If he had been left in the kids squad I would agree a little that he should stay in Holland, but Mancini knows what he has got here. By the time he is 18 he will have Jolene's spot.

Rekik has to hope he can get into the first squad by the time he has 18. It is two years from now. He might look good, but people thought the same about so many players.
Fact is, the Dutch youth system is miles ahead of ours. There is no argument. Another fact is, he was highly rated at Feyenoord and like his predecessors would quickly get his moments in the first team. I know that Wijnaldum bloke started when he was 16 and Fer when he was 17, or so. Both have now moved elsewhere and are still kids. Castaignos got in the team when he was 17, now he's 18 and at Inter Milan.

I also checked the history of the Dutch national team and all the big players in the Dutch national team were big players in the Dutch league before they moved off. Any player that left before that never made it, or never became a regular anf only got a handful of matches. Rekik might be an exception, but I have my doubts.

A lot of kids look the business. Bojan is one and so was Assulin. Bojan still hasn't made the first team as a regular and Assulin is not much heard about from either. Rekik has tons of potential, but I think he would have been better off in the Netherlands. They have a great youth setup and are miles ahead of us. Van der Vaart, Sneijder, Cruyff, Gullit, van Basten, Bergkamp. I can think of so many great players of that team and looking at their footballing history on wiki, it all concludes to them having been a prominent figure in the Dutch league.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Suarez.I keep having to remind myself that he is only 17. Watching him play in the under 18's derby at the swamp recently was a pleasure.He wasnt brilliant but showed enough class in bits that showed fantastic quality. He runs really well with the ball and has that great ability to weight his passes,especially short ones which can kill defences.He does tend to have his head down a little too much and miss passes but that I am sure will come. The comparison with Silva might might be putting pressure on him unnecessarily but there are some siimilarities.Great that he was involved last night for a few minutes and more opportunities need to be found.He is only 17.

Actually that's one of thardest things to coach out of player even in his tender age. It's just so natural thing to look to your feet first and then look for openings. For that reason alone I would say he will struggle to make it in very very top.

Don't want to sound harsh but that's the way it is. Same thing with first touch. Just so instinctive thing that you can slightly improve it but player who has poor first touch, even in his teens, will struggle to make it to very top. It's possible but not very likely to overcome these problems.

Even now there are rare occasions when Silva misses a simple pass or makes the odd wrong decision though. It's the number of right ones he makes that counts. He was missing quite a lot of them when he 1st came over.

I didn't mean decision making though. That will improve for most players all throughout their career. I meant habit of staring at your feet which accroding to Dougie who sees him train almost every day Suarez has. It's just something you do instinctively. Check that ball is really in your feet before scanning down the pitch. You tell player not to do it, player might know he shouldn't do it, yet in game situation he WILL do it and lose that precious extra half a second at which stage the gap in defence has already closed. You can't afford that in high paced league like Premier League.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Suarez.I keep having to remind myself that he is only 17. Watching him play in the under 18's derby at the swamp recently was a pleasure.He wasnt brilliant but showed enough class in bits that showed fantastic quality. He runs really well with the ball and has that great ability to weight his passes,especially short ones which can kill defences.He does tend to have his head down a little too much and miss passes but that I am sure will come. The comparison with Silva might might be putting pressure on him unnecessarily but there are some siimilarities.Great that he was involved last night for a few minutes and more opportunities need to be found.He is only 17.

Actually that's one of thardest things to coach out of player even in his tender age. It's just so natural thing to look to your feet first and then look for openings. For that reason alone I would say he will struggle to make it in very very top.

Don't want to sound harsh but that's the way it is. Same thing with first touch. Just so instinctive thing that you can slightly improve it but player who has poor first touch, even in his teens, will struggle to make it to very top. It's possible but not very likely to overcome these problems.

Even now there are rare occasions when Silva misses a simple pass or makes the odd wrong decision though. It's the number of right ones he makes that counts. He was missing quite a lot of them when he 1st came over.

I didn't mean decision making though. That will improve for most players all throughout their career. I meant habit of staring at your feet which accroding to Dougie who sees him train almost every day Suarez has. It's just something you do instinctively. Check that ball is really in your feet before scanning down the pitch. You tell player not to do it, player might know he shouldn't do it, yet in game situation he WILL do it and lose that precious extra half a second at which stage the gap in defence has already closed. You can't afford that in high paced league like Premier League.

I get your point but I am not sure I agree. As it happens I havent seen Suarez in training that much but my thoughts are based on watching him in academy EDS games and I do think he is getting better already.There was a quality moment in the under 18's derby at the swamp where he was moving with the ball near the half way like and 2 swamprats were closing around him. He found a nice gap between the 2 of them and played a lovely weighted ball to City player on the move which cut the scum apart. Rusnak I think it was who played Hiwula in to score.Just a short 10 yard pass but classy and exactly what Silva does all the time. It's in him and playing with better quality I think will bring it out of him more.

To be fair to Andy Welsh who gets some stick in forums,I hear him shouting all the time to the players to pass the ball and to do it quicker.He does want them to learn to pass and move which we know is what the first team is all about.I am convinced that Suarez has it in him to learn and become a very very good player.

[Slim]

Yes I did.

What's your answer now smartarse?

Did he play like he plays now or did he develop his skills as he got older. I'm sure you will be able to tell us having watched him as a youngster then

Well you missed the point completely.

It's not about skills, it's about mindset. David Silva no matter whether he plays the defence shredder or a simple lay off pass, he is always looking, Suarez wasn't taking a touch, having a look around and then deciding. A lot of the time he made the decision to lay the ball back before it even arrived.

I am not saying he won't develop that, and certainly with the players and staff around him he has every chance, but with the mental side of the game it's a brave prediction to say one way or the other.

[Ted Hughes]

Yes I did.

What's your answer now smartarse?

Did he play like he plays now or did he develop his skills as he got older. I'm sure you will be able to tell us having watched him as a youngster then

Well you missed the point completely.

It's not about skills, it's about mindset. David Silva no matter whether he plays the defence shredder or a simple lay off pass, he is always looking, Suarez wasn't taking a touch, having a look around and then deciding. A lot of the time he made the decision to lay the ball back before it even arrived.

I am not saying he won't develop that, and certainly with the players and staff around him he has every chance, but with the mental side of the game it's a brave prediction to say one way or the other.

If you come on as sub in the 1st team though, I think you want to get a few simple touches rather than give the ball away. I thought it was just the case of him getting a feel for it before trying anything. I would have liked to get him on earlier.

[brite blu sky]

I don't agree that Suarez always took the easy option. Imo he was very 'Silva like' in his play & wouild have had an assist to his credit if AJ hadn't cocked it up. Whether he can be the same level as Silva is another matter but I recon he'll try to play the same way. I think he'll be very very very good.

Razak looks like he has the required physical & technical requirements. Now he has to show he has the intelligence to match; he was caught twice in possession near our box. If he could learn to defend & keep the ball like DeJong, he'd be a much better player than DeJong as he has much more in other areas.

Scapuzzi showed he was very neat, tidy & Sharp & had a few tricks but so would any Italian or Spanish U21forward. Whether he can be good enough to get a shirt in City's 1st team is another matter. For that he has to be special. Very good performance as a fill in though. Encouraging.

Rekik didn't get chance to show anything but he has something about him which makes me think he'll be a player.

Find the word "always" in my post.

'...even when he had time he always took the easy option too often of laying the ball back to de Jong or Razak.'


Presumably he was only adventurous when he didn't have the time ?

had to fix that as it was one of the poorest posts I've read on here in a while, kind of thing waynesrightfoot would come out with after clearly not concentrating in watching a player in a game.

[Original Dub]

had to fix that as it was one of the poorest posts I've read on here in a while, kind of thing waynesrightfoot would come out with after clearly not concentrating in watching a player in a game.

Haha he's our resident clown alright.

[Slim]

Yes I did.

What's your answer now smartarse?

Did he play like he plays now or did he develop his skills as he got older. I'm sure you will be able to tell us having watched him as a youngster then

Well you missed the point completely.

It's not about skills, it's about mindset. David Silva no matter whether he plays the defence shredder or a simple lay off pass, he is always looking, Suarez wasn't taking a touch, having a look around and then deciding. A lot of the time he made the decision to lay the ball back before it even arrived.

I am not saying he won't develop that, and certainly with the players and staff around him he has every chance, but with the mental side of the game it's a brave prediction to say one way or the other.

If you come on as sub in the 1st team though, I think you want to get a few simple touches rather than give the ball away. I thought it was just the case of him getting a feel for it before trying anything. I would have liked to get him on earlier.

Well I missed your other post, but thankfully a moron decided to edit the quote and repost it(damning evidence as well you fucktard, you think I am posting like BRF? Well he'd pull that sort of fucking moronic stunt so which one of us is attempting to emulate him, and quick clue...if Ronan thinks you did good, you are probably in the wrong, that cunt can't get a fucked thing right), so I scrolled back. I assume you have downloaded the game or have it on Sky+ yes? Take a look at 74:48-75:12, four touches at least two of which it would actually have been easier for him to move forward(one layoff to the wing and one where he had space).

And no you dolt, I am not saying he should be adventurous when under pressure, I am saying that he should make a simple pass when under pressure, but when he isn't he should want that ball at his feet and be looking forward. I realise he may not have wanted to fuck up, but in that situation where we are coasting to victory, he had an opportunity to show what he can really do and I think he sold himself short.

[Blue Since 76]

A few players made first team debuts last night. I'd say that makes it too soon to declare them the next Pele or Barry Conlon.

For once we don't have to see a half decent kid and play him every week whilst hoping he's the next big thing (SWP, Johnson (both), Barton, Richards etc). I'd hope all the kids who played last night get some more reserve time before a loan to a decent standard team. Very few players look good in the top flight at 16/17 and still do at 22. Fibreglass and shrek are the only ones I can think of recently. I'd be happy if none of ours are regulars for another couple of seasons providing they ultimately make it.

[FA cup winners 2006]

think scapuzzi is getting a bit of a raw deal. thought he played well.
his running of the ball was excellent, especially for the own goal, he dragged the full back out to let kolorov down the line, then made the hard yards to get back into the box. he done alot of this running through out

[bigblue]

And no you dolt, I am not saying he should be adventurous when under pressure, I am saying that he should make a simple pass when under pressure, but when he isn't he should want that ball at his feet and be looking forward. I realise he may not have wanted to fuck up, but in that situation where we are coasting to victory, he had an opportunity to show what he can really do and I think he sold himself short.

Thats a bit harsh for a 17 yr old getting 20 mins in a game thats already won. Suarez played his part in the team and put in a good performance. May not have set the world on fire, but got some confidence and set the foundation for future appearances.

[bobby brows]

I think Doug's post hit the nail on the head really...

I think manager's instructions need to be considered too Suarez and Rekik were probably told too keep the ball and find a blue shirt, do the simple things.

I was pleased Scarpuzzi scored last night, at 1 nil down I thought he looked slow, week and completely one footed but as the goals went he seemed to find more space, an extra yard and blue shirts with the ball. I'm not going ape over any of their performances but I hope this isn't the last we see of any off them!

I thought Razzaq on the other hand had a look of Yaya Toure about him and every time I see him I'm more impressed, I would love to see him play 20 mins in a first team game but i suppose when De Jong & Nasri are on the bench and Johnson is in the stands were gonna struggle to get any other young players in midfield into the game.

Thought Savic had a suspect 20 mins and was at fault for the second goal (very similar to the one conceded at Bolton) but he setteld after that. I suspect that playing with Kolo didn't help too much as IMO I think he may be passed it. He was all over the place