EDS/Academy Games

[stevefromdonny]

and should of scored again

[CTID Hants]

Just tuned in on my phone but binned it off because of all the poxy emoji floating across the bastard screen....

[iwasthere2012]

Nmecha with his second and City's 5th.

[freshie]

Just tuned in on my phone but binned it off because of all the poxy emoji floating across the bastard screen....

There's no annoying emojis if you watch it on your PC

Edit: Bollocks - there are

[stevefromdonny]

now 5-0, the young uns showing 1st team how to score against stoke

[stevefromdonny]

Just tuned in on my phone but binned it off because of all the poxy emoji floating across the bastard screen....

There's no annoying emojis if you watch it on your PC

Edit: Bollocks - there are

you can turn them off you know

[iwasthere2012]

And Nmecha's hatrick.
This really is a dominant performance from the lads.
6-0

[freshie]

now 5-0, the young uns showing 1st team how to score against stoke

6-0 and turned the annoying emojis off

If only our first team could've done the same on Wednesday.....

[freshie]

Hat-trick from Nmecha

[freshie]

Just tuned in on my phone but binned it off because of all the poxy emoji floating across the bastard screen....

There's no annoying emojis if you watch it on your PC

Edit: Bollocks - there are

you can turn them off you know

Yeh just figured it out

[Beefymcfc]

Great game from the lads but had to turn off due to the non-stop buffering.

[freshie]

How far do you think Diaz is from the first team squad? Been excellent tonight

[freshie]

How did Nmecha miss his 4th?!

[iwasthere2012]

How far do you think Diaz is from the first team squad? Been excellent tonight

He is excellent but the standouts for me tonight were Smith before being subbed, Luke Bolton and one I think is every bit s easy on the eye as Diaz......Foden.
I think if Foden ends up with a physique that can take the rigours of the Premiership, then he even more than Diaz, strikes me as having the Silva football brain.

Great game to watch. A few I hadn't really seen before like Coveney. My first good look at Bolton....a great work rate from him.
Wilson also.

Strange thing to say after a dominant 6-0, but I am really liking what I see of Muric thd keeper. He oozes and inspires confidence.

I await Dougs thoughts.

[freshie]

How far do you think Diaz is from the first team squad? Been excellent tonight

He is excellent but the standouts for me tonight were Smith before being subbed, Luke Bolton and one I think is every bit s easy on the eye as Diaz......Foden.
I think if Foden ends up with a physique that can take the rigours of the Premiership, then he even more than Diaz, strikes me as having the Silva football brain.

Great game to watch. A few I hadn't really seen before like Coveney. My first good look at Bolton....a great work rate from him.
Wilson also.

Strange thing to say after a dominant 6-0, but I am really liking what I see of Muric thd keeper. He oozes and inspires confidence.

I await Dougs thoughts.

I agree with you about Foden. Seems the closest player we have to replacing Silva. Diaz reminds me more of a Kinkladze/Messi type of player, very direct, great with the ball at his feet and with an eye for goal - I am eagerly anticipating his development and hope that if he continues on this trajectory could be a world class player for us. There are so many great talents at this level with such outstanding potential. The future looks very bright for us, only tempered by the fact that not all youth players develop to the potential that we hope to see, however the academy we have now is so much more advanced than it was in the pre Sheikh Mansour era that I am hopeful that a few of these lads will become important first team players for us, a view that seems to be shared by Pep

[Douglas Higginbottom]

How far do you think Diaz is from the first team squad? Been excellent tonight

He is excellent but the standouts for me tonight were Smith before being subbed, Luke Bolton and one I think is every bit s easy on the eye as Diaz......Foden.
I think if Foden ends up with a physique that can take the rigours of the Premiership, then he even more than Diaz, strikes me as having the Silva football brain.

Great game to watch. A few I hadn't really seen before like Coveney. My first good look at Bolton....a great work rate from him.
Wilson also.

Strange thing to say after a dominant 6-0, but I am really liking what I see of Muric thd keeper. He oozes and inspires confidence.

I await Dougs thoughts.

What can I say! That is why I love watching the 18's play, it's just great to see the weay they go about the game.

I was happy tonight to see us start with a real center forward and allow Diaz to play from deeper. But just look at the team we sent out. Like the first team we had a front 5 in a way full of attacking intent. In theory a front 3 of Bolton,Sancho and Nmecha but the two wide players still put in a great shift gettinbg back into defensive positions and Luke especially get back to win plenty of the ball back.

Diaz and Foden also put a stint in but when these guys get on the ball they are a delight to watch. Some of the goals tonight were ridiculous in their quality but I have to say in also tells you something about the Stoke defensive quality..

Diaz and Foden do that sort of the thing a lot even if doesn't always result in a goal. Both can wrong foot a player so well and just travel with the ball sublimely. Sancho of course does the same and although not directly involved in a goal tonight which is unusual he was still a threat and worked hard for the team.

One of the best games I have seen for ages for Nmecha. 3 top goals ( one glaring miss ) and he keeps reminding me of Harry Kane in his desire to attack the defence and get shots away. He plays with a lot of aggression when he gets on the ball and can shoot with both feet as he showed tonight.

How about Matt Smith again tonight. Seriously good not just in mopping up and stopping attacks but his passing, short and long and his reading of the game. So impressed but he was still taken off to give last seasons player of the year a few more minutes playing time. Davenport also played very well I thought.

At the back I thought they all did well and although Stoke were a bit limited in their approach with the 2 big guys I thought we coped well. Two shots off the woodwork I know but over the 90 minutes a good job by the 2 center backs and I like the way Muric wants to come and claim crosses.

Duhaney showed there is plenty to his game defensively and attacking and his goal was just insane. Well done to Wilson on the left. A real competitor who gives everything and hepls Sancho with good support attacking.

Just couldnt find fault tonight. Sad that Lattibeaudierre was injured but it shows we have plenty of qualityin the squad. The bench considering the level we are playing at was awesome. Diallo,Dele Bashiru,Gonzalez,Davenport and no room for Frimpong, Poveda, Rosler,Pozo all of whom have been putting in top performances for the 18's this season.

What a pleasure to watch them play.

[iwasthere2012]

How far do you think Diaz is from the first team squad? Been excellent tonight

He is excellent but the standouts for me tonight were Smith before being subbed, Luke Bolton and one I think is every bit s easy on the eye as Diaz......Foden.
I think if Foden ends up with a physique that can take the rigours of the Premiership, then he even more than Diaz, strikes me as having the Silva football brain.

Great game to watch. A few I hadn't really seen before like Coveney. My first good look at Bolton....a great work rate from him.
Wilson also.

Strange thing to say after a dominant 6-0, but I am really liking what I see of Muric thd keeper. He oozes and inspires confidence.

I await Dougs thoughts.

What can I say! That is why I love watching the 18's play, it's just great to see the weay they go about the game.

I was happy tonight to see us start with a real center forward and allow Diaz to play from deeper. But just look at the team we sent out. Like the first team we had a front 5 in a way full of attacking intent. In theory a front 3 of Bolton,Sancho and Nmecha but the two wide players still put in a great shift gettinbg back into defensive positions and Luke especially get back to win plenty of the ball back.

Diaz and Foden also put a stint in but when these guys get on the ball they are a delight to watch. Some of the goals tonight were ridiculous in their quality but I have to say in also tells you something about the Stoke defensive quality..

Diaz and Foden do that sort of the thing a lot even if doesn't always result in a goal. Both can wrong foot a player so well and just travel with the ball sublimely. Sancho of course does the same and although not directly involved in a goal tonight which is unusual he was still a threat and worked hard for the team.

One of the best games I have seen for ages for Nmecha. 3 top goals ( one glaring miss ) and he keeps reminding me of Harry Kane in his desire to attack the defence and get shots away. He plays with a lot of aggression when he gets on the ball and can shoot with both feet as he showed tonight.

How about Matt Smith again tonight. Seriously good not just in mopping up and stopping attacks but his passing, short and long and his reading of the game. So impressed but he was still taken off to give last seasons player of the year a few more minutes playing time. Davenport also played very well I thought.

At the back I thought they all did well and although Stoke were a bit limited in their approach with the 2 big guys I thought we coped well. Two shots off the woodwork I know but over the 90 minutes a good job by the 2 center backs and I like the way Muric wants to come and claim crosses.

Duhaney showed there is plenty to his game defensively and attacking and his goal was just insane. Well done to Wilson on the left. A real competitor who gives everything and hepls Sancho with good support attacking.

Just couldnt find fault tonight. Sad that Lattibeaudierre was injured but it shows we have plenty of qualityin the squad. The bench considering the level we are playing at was awesome. Diallo,Dele Bashiru,Gonzalez,Davenport and no room for Frimpong, Poveda, Rosler,Pozo all of whom have been putting in top performances for the 18's this season.

What a pleasure to watch them play.

A good crowd at it Doug, but plenty of seats available. I saw that Twosips couldn't get a ticket because it was supposed to be a sellout. It would have been a great game to be at.
I thought Foden's goal was even better than Diaz's. The one he put through for Nmecha too, (should have been his 4th). The kid is so natural. If he ever translates that into premiership form then you're looking at Silva with goals.

[craigmcfc]

Great to see Joleon Lescott there with his 2 lads too. The second leg is live on ITV4

[Douglas Higginbottom]

I suppose it was a decent crowd but personally I think we should be getting at least 10,000 for a game like that and it should be played at the Etihad. It was a joke that City said it was sold out but I guess that there were plenty of morons who claimed up to 6 tickets and didn't use some or even all of them. It's really sad if that happened as I think it did.

Twosips did get a ticket in the end but plenty didn't.

I have just seen the goals again and would agree to Phil Foden's being the pick of the bunch.He took a strong pass with a great first touch, touched it sideways to beat the defender up his back and then just went straight for it. A couple of shimmies later and he scores. I agree if he carries this into his senior career he will be a star. He certainly is at this level and of course he will still be eligible for the 18's next season.

I look forward to seeing him with the first team on the pre season tour.

[nottsblue]

Under 23s 3-2 up at Arsenal.

Went 2-0 up with two from Ambrose. Arsenal got it back to 2-2 and Nmecha has put us 3-2 up.