Wolves Academy Thread

[Prof Heinz Wolff]

Reading thrashed Watford a couple of days back. http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/10980094.Under_21s_crash_out_of_Premier_League_Cup/

Has the Quarter Final date been set for Premier League Cup ? Would like to go watch this.

[Edit : I see still TBC according to Premier League website]

Quarter-finals
27 January
Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal
31 January
Newcastle United v Manchester City, 7pm, Northumberland FA
4 February
Exeter City v Burnley, 7pm, St James Park
TBC
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Reading or Watford

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/...-league-cup-fixtures-and-results-2013-14.html

 

[Prof Heinz Wolff]

Interesting article :-

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...league-is-too-soft-and-sanitised-9100560.html

Young players at Premier League clubs must use the loan lottery if they want to make it – the Under-21 league is too soft and sanitised

The Under-21 league is regarded as good technically, but soft. Not enough is at stake, and it is not physical enough. In short, there is no hairy-arsed centre-back in the team who will grab a 20-year-old twinkletoes, shove him up against the dressing-room wall, and deliver an almighty bollocking for costing the centre-half the win-bonus he needs to pay the mortgage by playing around with the ball in the wrong goal area. As Joe Hart has said of his early years at Shrewsbury Town: “At that level you understood that people, their families and their jobs were on the line. If you didn’t perform, things could get nasty. That was the environment I grew up in and it served me well.”

Going on loan to the lower leagues also exposes those youngsters who have been molly-coddled from their early teens the reality of life outside the elite. Stevenage’s Jimmy Smith said last week of leaving Chelsea, where he had been a schoolboy starlet: “You’ve got your own locker. your own plug in your locker, and your name on your locker. Then you go somewhere else and you’ve just got a peg.”

Then there is the experience of playing in front of a crowd. Leroy Rosenior once told me most people had no idea of the courage it took just to go out and perform before spectators who could quickly turn on you. As Smith added: “You’re playing for points, you’ve got fans who work all week, come to the game on a Saturday, and it means so much to them. It’s not just about yourself.”

The problem for those charged with developing players is that they need to replicate playing “real” games while encouraging passing, possession-based football of the type that will incur the hairy-arsed centre-half’s wrath when it goes wrong.

So promotion and relegation are being been introduced in the Under-21 league to create result pressure. The cup ties must be played at a stadium rather than a training ground so players – many of whom have played all their formative football in that sanitised setting – experience playing in a big arena with noisy spectators (clubs are encouraged to attract fans). So far, however, it is not enough.

 

[big mean bunny]

That sounds incredibly short sighted to me. Sometimes catch Rotherham academy games and its always full of berating parents, scouts from other teams, and sidelines full of academy staff so they already play in front of bigger crowds than other players there age and from much younger age groups.

 

[Bulderdash]

There was a piece in the program from Weaver where he says that they hope to meet the winners of the tie next week, hopefully on Thursday, but it gives no information on whether that will be at Molineux, Telford or at the training ground, I'm keeping a check on both Readings and the premier leagues websites as ours still hasn't updated that the match away at Liverpool on Monday has been moved to a later date.

Hopefully the page you linked to will update when the date is set.

 

[lemonjelly]

I'm hoping the game will be at molineux, as I wouldn't mind going if/when it is announced.

 

[andyc225]

Jack Price is about to sign a new long term deal.

 

[Prof Heinz Wolff]

Oops just started a new thread about it...

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spo...rhampton-wanderers-wolves-boss-kenny-6668282?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'm hoping the game will be at molineux, as I wouldn't mind going if/when it is announced.

Confirmed as Thursday 7pm at Telford.

 

[lemonjelly]

wank! Unlikely to be able to go now.

 

[Prof Heinz Wolff]

No fair. They should have put this on at Molineux. It is a Quarter Final.

 

[Kenny]

Trying to protect the pitch I guess

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think we may have done had it not been for the recent weather plus having three of the last four Saturdays as home games - it's definitely affected the pitch.

 

[Penk Wolf]

Nothing like giving a bit of notice.

 

[Kenny]

Game off.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Team vs Norwich tonight:

Flatt, Doherty, Ebanks-Landell, Hause, Cranston, Eusebio, Whittall, Kostrna, Forde, Evans, McAlinden.

 

[LG Wolf]

Kostrna in midfield?

What's the latest on the boy Erdle? Is he still waiting for clearance?

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Wonder how that midfield would line up.

Kostrna Whittall

Eusebio Evans Forde​

or

Evans Whittall

Kostrna Forde Eusebio​

perhaps the most likely combinations?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Kostrna in midfield?

What's the latest on the boy Erdle? Is he still waiting for clearance?

I think Erdei has had clearance for a while, it was Torras who was having major issues. Both played against the Nike Academy and Port Vale in friendlies over the last month or so.

Mark: I would guess option A. Though Kostrna is highly likely to be leaving at the end of the season anyway. Also Forde was close to joining Hibs on deadline day but it fell through (don't know why).

 

[wanderer89]

I think Erdei has had clearance for a while, it was Torras who was having major issues. Both played against the Nike Academy and Port Vale in friendlies over the last month or so.

Mark: I would guess option A. Though Kostrna is highly likely to be leaving at the end of the season anyway. Also Forde was close to joining Hibs on deadline day but it fell through (don't know why).

He had an ankle injury, or that's what I read anyway.

 

[YoungWolf]

Kostrna highly rated by quite a few, so be a shame if he goes without getting an opportunity! But if Jackett has EEL, Doherty, Ricketts and even Stearman ahead of him at right back then he probably wasn't going to be good enough I guess