johnny crossan wrote:iwasthere2012 wrote:johnny crossan wrote:Justified logic wrote:So what happens when a couple of them are injured/suspended? When all three are injured/suspended? Do we have any promising youths that we could call upon?
Those questions have such obvious answers as to be not worth asking.
I'm glad you asked that JL.
Apart from the obvious answers, I would love to here from the likes of Doug or maybe WW or any other match attendees, what their views on this are.
I'm not interested in a debate over whether we think Pep will play any or not.
What I'm particularly interested in is an honest assessment of what we have produced in this department, through the academy i the last few years.
I love watching the youth games and admire the principles we employ in schooling a way of playing, but I have been critical to a point,
over the lack of game management, risk assessment and ability to protect a win that I have quite often witnessed.
I would love the likes of Angelino and Maffeo to be the answer, but if we are being honest do they have what it takes to win at this level.
It's an honest question.
I have to say the defence is the one department where I see the same stupid mistakes happening that happened last year in our first team defence.
I would love to see that coached out of our academy and then possibly we would have a more robust youngster being produced, ready to enter the fray earlier.
You might try reading the EDS/Academy thread to see what those chaps and quite a few other match attenders think, the whole subject of likely progression is extensively discussed there and elsewhere on specific youth players.
One of my favourite threads Johnny.
I don't see what you have against discussing it here as the subject is simply 'Full Backs'
In essence I'm asking not about the individuals but the system.
Do those best placed/informed think we will ever produce what is necessary for the PL under the current academy system.
I read somewhere that Pep himself alluded to the fact that the winning mentality will have to be bred into the youth.
I took it to mean that a little more cynicism may be required in achieving our goals. I saw this in evidence mostly in our defensive play,
teaching players to play out from the back regardless of the pressure. It's all well and good but it also has the negative affect of our defence having in the back
of their minds that giving a goal away is not the end of the world. It's all part of the learning curve and all that.
Just my opinion and it's not only the defence. For all the flare on show in the U16's, quite often I saw the same lack of cover from the midfield being shown to the defence, with the same inevitable chaos ensuing between CB's and FB's.
In short I think we are producing excellent footballers but worry that our academic system is also breeding the same flaws that we give out about in our first team.
If this is the case, when will we ever see anyone come through.
I think it would be especially difficult for our academy defenders.