Rekik

[Slim]

We should recall him if we can from his loan because Nasty is injured and we may need him as back up

We can't recall him.

[Ted Hughes]

We should recall him if we can from his loan because Nasty is injured and we may need him as back up

We can't recall him.

He wouldn't be anywhere near it if we could. He isn't physically upto that job for this league at present. Even Garcia is way better in that position at this time. He could play fullback at a pinch & that's it.

[Slim]

We should recall him if we can from his loan because Nasty is injured and we may need him as back up

We can't recall him.

He wouldn't be anywhere near it if we could. He isn't physically upto that job for this league at present. Even Garcia is way better in that position at this time. He could play fullback at a pinch & that's it.

I suspect you and I have already had this exact discussion.

[clippo22]

Just watching him against Milan tonight, looks good so far. Big couple of years ahead of him development wise, seems comfortable on the ball in a passing team. Really hoping he will make it with us in the next year or two, new signings are exciting but you can't beat a home grown lad!

[bigblue]

Just watching him against Milan tonight, looks good so far. Big couple of years ahead of him development wise, seems comfortable on the ball in a passing team. Really hoping he will make it with us in the next year or two, new signings are exciting but you can't beat a home grown lad!

He shouldn't have turned his back on Boateng for the first goal, but is doing well physically vs Mario and on the ball as you said.

[Beefymcfc]

We should recall him if we can from his loan because Nasty is injured and we may need him as back up

We can't recall him.

He wouldn't be anywhere near it if we could. He isn't physically upto that job for this league at present. Even Garcia is way better in that position at this time. He could play fullback at a pinch & that's it.

I suspect you and I have already had this exact discussion.

What was the outcome?

There's no realistic data either way and personally I wouldn't like to try him but if he's there as an option, what's the problem?

[Ted Hughes]

Just watching him against Milan tonight, looks good so far. Big couple of years ahead of him development wise, seems comfortable on the ball in a passing team. Really hoping he will make it with us in the next year or two, new signings are exciting but you can't beat a home grown lad!

He shouldn't have turned his back on Boateng for the first goal, but is doing well physically vs Mario and on the ball as you said.

He's been fine on the ball but hasn't won one single challenge v Mario all night. He won one free header which he headed to a Milan player 10 yards away & once got the ball off ElSharawy in the left back position. Kicked Mario a few times but not won one single challenge at all v Mario, not one, zilch, sweet FA all night & keeps letting him turn & basically do whatever he likes. he was the bloke who Bruma was shouting at when Mario scored from the corner, suggesting it was his man. Just got fucking skinned alive by Mario for the 3rd goal.

If you put david Silva in his position, there would be no difference defensively. He has been an absolute waste of fucking space.

Garcia is currently a much better centre back than Rekik, as is Boyata.

[bigblue]

He has been an absolute waste of fucking space..

You are a miserable man.

[Ted Hughes]

He has been an absolute waste of fucking space..

You are a miserable man.

I'm being fucking honest.

We've got shedloads of young players, some will be fantastic, some will be very good, some will be good, some will be average, some will be below average, some will be poor & some will be shite.

Just because they are young, does not mean they automatically play well, or will get in our team.

If young players who aren't good enough get in our team, they may be blocking the development of someone who is.

Rekik was shite tonight. If he becomes brilliant next year, I will be on here singing his praises. I don't think he will make it at centre back. Perhaps another position.

[geepeetee]

I'm being fucking honest.

We've got shedloads of young players, some will be fantastic, some will be very good, some will be good, some will be average, some will be below average, some will be poor & some will be shite.

Just because they are young, does not mean they automatically play well, or will get in our team.

If young players who aren't good enough get in our team, they may be blocking the development of someone who is.

Rekik was shite tonight. If he becomes brilliant next year, I will be on here singing his praises. I don't think he will make it at centre back. Perhaps another position.

Ted Hughes are you the ted Hughes that's always moaning on the evening news pages

[Beefymcfc]

He has been an absolute waste of fucking space..

You are a miserable man.

I'm being fucking honest.

We've got shedloads of young players, some will be fantastic, some will be very good, some will be good, some will be average, some will be below average, some will be poor & some will be shite.

Just because they are young, does not mean they automatically play well, or will get in our team.

If young players who aren't good enough get in our team, they may be blocking the development of someone who is.

Rekik was shite tonight. If he becomes brilliant next year, I will be on here singing his praises. I don't think he will make it at centre back. Perhaps another position.

WTF! Are you beng for real or trying to prove a point?

He may not make it but you've written him off at 18 years old, quite unlike the 28 year old that our youth has put forward.

The whole system has failed, from Paddy to Txiki, how will we get by?

[Im_Spartacus]

WTF! Are you beng for real or trying to prove a point?

He may not make it but you've written him off at 18 years old, quite unlike the 28 year old that our youth has put forward.

The whole system has failed, from Paddy to Txiki, how will we get by?

Ted appears to simply be stating that the lad doesnt look at this moment in time, like he has the basic kit necessary to make it as a premier league centre half. From the glimpses i've seen, I would agree but certainly my judgement is flawed as its based on very few games I've seen him play.

If the lad was at fault for a couple of the goals, then you cant gloss over it and pretend it didnt happen. My take would be that i'm glad he is making them for another team and not for us, and that hopefully he will learn from those mistakes and grow into his position as the season and years progress.

But for a player to make it for city now, at this level, I think Ted is right, you should be able to show that you have some stuff in your locker to hold your own in the premier league for a few games or even a few cup games, even at 18 otherwise ultimately we are all kidding ourselves, and the player is likely to end up in the championship or lesser league abroad for the bulk of their career.

If you dont have the basics to mark you out as a special talent at 18 , i'd say its very rare that a player would then go on to become a regular for a premier league contender at 21/22. Perhaps someone could give me modern era examples to prove that theory of late developers wrong?

[Ted Hughes]

WTF! Are you beng for real or trying to prove a point?

He may not make it but you've written him off at 18 years old, quite unlike the 28 year old that our youth has put forward.

The whole system has failed, from Paddy to Txiki, how will we get by?

Ted appears to simply be stating that the lad doesnt look at this moment in time, like he has the basic kit necessary to make it as a premier league centre half. From the glimpses i've seen, I would agree but certainly my judgement is flawed as its based on very few games I've seen him play.

If the lad was at fault for a couple of the goals, then you cant gloss over it and pretend it didnt happen. My take would be that i'm glad he is making them for another team and not for us, and that hopefully he will learn from those mistakes and grow into his position as the season and years progress.

But for a player to make it for city now, at this level, I think Ted is right, you should be able to show that you have some stuff in your locker to hold your own in the premier league for a few games or even a few cup games, even at 18 otherwise ultimately we are all kidding ourselves, and the player is likely to end up in the championship or lesser league abroad for the bulk of their career.

If you dont have the basics to mark you out as a special talent at 18 , i'd say its very rare that a player would then go on to become a regular for a premier league contender at 21/22. Perhaps someone could give me modern era examples to prove that theory of late developers wrong?

Nedum Onuaha, was better at 16 than Rekik is at 18. At 14, he did 100 metres in 11.09 secs & holds the record for boys under 15 standing triple jump. He was playing in City's first team at 17. He's now playing for QPR.

Rekik is a nicer footballer; much better. Ned was better at everything else. It's not just about football ability. Rekik is not that big for a cb & has no pace. How many medium height centre backs with no pace have been a huge success in the Premier League ? i can only think of john Terry, but he has always been dominant in the air. Rekik isn't very good in the air.

All the cards are stacked against him. Maybe a fullback or defensive mid, but good enough for City, & better than the future youth team graduates & signings ?

Why the fuck I'm getting shit for giving an honest opinion on a player in whom I see no obvious potential as a cb, God only knows.

If I lied through my fucking teeth & then people saw him play for City & he was dogshit, some would value my opinion more perhaps ?

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

WTF! Are you beng for real or trying to prove a point?

He may not make it but you've written him off at 18 years old, quite unlike the 28 year old that our youth has put forward.

The whole system has failed, from Paddy to Txiki, how will we get by?

Ted appears to simply be stating that the lad doesnt look at this moment in time, like he has the basic kit necessary to make it as a premier league centre half. From the glimpses i've seen, I would agree but certainly my judgement is flawed as its based on very few games I've seen him play.

If the lad was at fault for a couple of the goals, then you cant gloss over it and pretend it didnt happen. My take would be that i'm glad he is making them for another team and not for us, and that hopefully he will learn from those mistakes and grow into his position as the season and years progress.

But for a player to make it for city now, at this level, I think Ted is right, you should be able to show that you have some stuff in your locker to hold your own in the premier league for a few games or even a few cup games, even at 18 otherwise ultimately we are all kidding ourselves, and the player is likely to end up in the championship or lesser league abroad for the bulk of their career.

If you dont have the basics to mark you out as a special talent at 18 , i'd say its very rare that a player would then go on to become a regular for a premier league contender at 21/22. Perhaps someone could give me modern era examples to prove that theory of late developers wrong?

Unfortunately that's the bottom line. Especially if you are aspiring to make it with top contender like we are.

I don't think people (and I'm not directing this at you Beefy!) in general understand how big of a difference there is between youth team and reserves football and Premier League football. Vast majority of future top players will stand out head and shoulders above everyone else at that level even at the age of 18. Maybe it sounds harsh and there are late bloomers every now and then but generally that's just the way it is.

Minimum you are looking for is the raw material. You need to have the pace needed, you need to have passing ability and vision. Those are skills that basically can not be improved much after the age of 18. Then there are certain mwasurements that need to be there as well.

[daveh1962]

So based on one performance in the CL people are writing this 18 year old. Yet they admit they have not watched his regular performances in the Dutch league. They are watching the thread about the watching lad in the Dutch league but have based there judgement and opinion solely based on the one game they have seen on TV. All I can suggest is some people don't ever become talent scouts for the club

Never ever make judgements of a player based on video or TV as you only get the view of the director. You have to watch a player live to see how commanding he is, his positioning when he doesn't have the ball etc.

Unless we have a Messi equivalent on our hands I doubt you will see many under 21's play for City as its not just about being a world class talent but to play for a top premiership side its also about physical and mental strength and not many youngsters have all that before that age.

So let the lad develop over the next few years, let our coaches watch him regularly in the flesh and then lets see if he is good enough BUT lets not rush to judge just yet

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

So based on one performance in the CL people are writing this 18 year old. Yet they admit they have not watched his regular performances in the Dutch league. They are watching the thread about the watching lad in the Dutch league but have based there judgement and opinion solely based on the one game they have seen on TV. All I can suggest is some people don't ever become talent scouts for the club

Never ever make judgements of a player based on video or TV as you only get the view of the director. You have to watch a player live to see how commanding he is, his positioning when he doesn't have the ball etc.

Unless we have a Messi equivalent on our hands I doubt you will see many under 21's play for City as its not just about being a world class talent but to play for a top premiership side its also about physical and mental strength and not many youngsters have all that before that age.

So let the lad develop over the next few years, let our coaches watch him regularly in the flesh and then lets see if he is good enough BUT lets not rush to judge just yet

I completely disagree with this. Completely.

Name top top player who wasn't at least part of the first team squad (not necesserily starter but at regular on the bench) somewhere at the age of 20.

[daveh1962]

So based on one performance in the CL people are writing this 18 year old. Yet they admit they have not watched his regular performances in the Dutch league. They are watching the thread about the watching lad in the Dutch league but have based there judgement and opinion solely based on the one game they have seen on TV. All I can suggest is some people don't ever become talent scouts for the club

Never ever make judgements of a player based on video or TV as you only get the view of the director. You have to watch a player live to see how commanding he is, his positioning when he doesn't have the ball etc.

Unless we have a Messi equivalent on our hands I doubt you will see many under 21's play for City as its not just about being a world class talent but to play for a top premiership side its also about physical and mental strength and not many youngsters have all that before that age.

So let the lad develop over the next few years, let our coaches watch him regularly in the flesh and then lets see if he is good enough BUT lets not rush to judge just yet

I completely disagree with this. Completely.

Name top top player who wasn't at least part of the first team squad (not necesserily starter but at regular on the bench) somewhere at the age of 20.

I could give you a list Terry, Cole, Ferdinand, Carrick none of them were playing for a top 4 side at under 21 or what do you class as a top top player?

Rekik is part of the squad but like many young players he is being sent out on loan to become a more experienced player and a better player. Yes there are players like Rooney and Ronaldo that were 1st team regulars for a top side younger than 21 but they tend to be the exception not the rule.

We know that this club aspires to be the best team in the world. So how many under 21 players are there of world class ability that could cope with the physical rigours of regular first team football in the premiership...not many. I maintain that you will not find many under 21s starting regularly for City.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

I can't believe some of the bollox I've read in this thread. Fair play Daveh for bringing some rational thinking to it.

There seems to be this feeling that he's either brilliant or bust, what a load of bollocks. Look at Wes Orange and O Shea at the Swamp, decent squad defenders for title challengers for a number of years. If Rekik becomes that I'd be more than happy. Look at Jamie Carragher at the Dippers, started to get his opportunity at 19 with appearances here and there and then established himself as a regular at RB in the next season before going on to be rated as one of the PL's best centre backs a number of years later. If Rekik becomes that I'll be delighted. But this bollox of if he hasn't shown something extraordinary at his age he's not going to make it is just ignorant.

[Cit.revenge]

WTF! Are you beng for real or trying to prove a point?

He may not make it but you've written him off at 18 years old, quite unlike the 28 year old that our youth has put forward.

The whole system has failed, from Paddy to Txiki, how will we get by?

Ted appears to simply be stating that the lad doesnt look at this moment in time, like he has the basic kit necessary to make it as a premier league centre half. From the glimpses i've seen, I would agree but certainly my judgement is flawed as its based on very few games I've seen him play.

If the lad was at fault for a couple of the goals, then you cant gloss over it and pretend it didnt happen. My take would be that i'm glad he is making them for another team and not for us, and that hopefully he will learn from those mistakes and grow into his position as the season and years progress.

But for a player to make it for city now, at this level, I think Ted is right, you should be able to show that you have some stuff in your locker to hold your own in the premier league for a few games or even a few cup games, even at 18 otherwise ultimately we are all kidding ourselves, and the player is likely to end up in the championship or lesser league abroad for the bulk of their career.

If you dont have the basics to mark you out as a special talent at 18 , i'd say its very rare that a player would then go on to become a regular for a premier league contender at 21/22. Perhaps someone could give me modern era examples to prove that theory of late developers wrong?

Nedum Onuaha, was better at 16 than Rekik is at 18. At 14, he did 100 metres in 11.09 secs & holds the record for boys under 15 standing triple jump. He was playing in City's first team at 17. He's now playing for QPR.

Rekik is a nicer footballer; much better. Ned was better at everything else. It's not just about football ability. Rekik is not that big for a cb & has no pace. How many medium height centre backs with no pace have been a huge success in the Premier League ? i can only think of john Terry, but he has always been dominant in the air. Rekik isn't very good in the air.

All the cards are stacked against him. Maybe a fullback or defensive mid, but good enough for City, & better than the future youth team graduates & signings ?

Why the fuck I'm getting shit for giving an honest opinion on a player in whom I see no obvious potential as a cb, God only knows.

If I lied through my fucking teeth & then people saw him play for City & he was dogshit, some would value my opinion more perhaps ?

I watch him against AC and one game more game . Against AC he was poor , first goal was hes slow to react on Prince to block and AC win that game 3 0 from 6 chances, to easy . I agree with Ted that he can be maybe great fullback but i can't see him turn this in to City material for CB position at this moment . U can never guess what future brings but think Ted say hes opinion on what he saw , i don't know what is wrong with that .Maybe hes wrong , there is players who turn around from solid to great .So only time can tell.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

So based on one performance in the CL people are writing this 18 year old. Yet they admit they have not watched his regular performances in the Dutch league. They are watching the thread about the watching lad in the Dutch league but have based there judgement and opinion solely based on the one game they have seen on TV. All I can suggest is some people don't ever become talent scouts for the club

Never ever make judgements of a player based on video or TV as you only get the view of the director. You have to watch a player live to see how commanding he is, his positioning when he doesn't have the ball etc.

Unless we have a Messi equivalent on our hands I doubt you will see many under 21's play for City as its not just about being a world class talent but to play for a top premiership side its also about physical and mental strength and not many youngsters have all that before that age.

So let the lad develop over the next few years, let our coaches watch him regularly in the flesh and then lets see if he is good enough BUT lets not rush to judge just yet

I completely disagree with this. Completely.

Name top top player who wasn't at least part of the first team squad (not necesserily starter but at regular on the bench) somewhere at the age of 20.

I could give you a list Terry, Cole, Ferdinand, Carrick none of them were playing for a top 4 side at under 21 or what do you class as a top top player?

Rekik is part of the squad but like many young players he is being sent out on loan to become a more experienced player and a better player. Yes there are players like Rooney and Ronaldo that were 1st team regulars for a top side younger than 21 but they tend to be the exception not the rule.

We know that this club aspires to be the best team in the world. So how many under 21 players are there of world class ability that could cope with the physical rigours of regular first team football in the premiership...not many. I maintain that you will not find many under 21s starting regularly for City.

Top 4 side? Where did I say top 4 side? I said SOMEWHERE, not in top 4 club. All of them were playing regular first team football at the age of 20. Terry was regular starter at the age of 20 and had already broken through to the squad at age of 18. Ashley Cole was regular in Arsenal squad at the age of 20 (one that finished 2nd by the way), Rio Ferdinand was West Ham's player of the year when he was 19, Carrick was part of the squad at 18 and starting every single game at the age of 19. Apart from Carrick they are all "top top players".

You just basically proved my point.