Wolves Academy Thread

[ROVERT47]

I suppose it just proves that Man U have an Academy that is the envy of most other Clubs.

 

[andyc225]

I imagine we've already started recruiting to replace the lads who will leave at the end of the season. The likes of Tank and Forde have no future here unfortunately. Kostrna was very highly rated but hasn't been the same since his leg break. It's a shame Aljaz Cotman chose to leave us for the bright lights of NK Maribor, he'd be ahead of Flatt in my opinion.

Weaver needs to follow some of these lads out of the door. I keep banging on this drum, but it's clearly time for a more effective coach. Results haven't been good enough this season from his point of view. We'll be starting next season in the second tier of the U21 league unfortunately.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I suppose it just proves that Man U have an Academy that is the envy of most other Clubs.

Meh, not really. Their production rate has been pretty ordinary since the class of 92. Off the top of my head, Brown, O'Shea, Gibson, Fletcher, Richardson, Evans, Cleverley, Januzaj and Welbeck are the only ones to make any prolonged first team impact at Old Trafford since that intake. So getting on for 20 years since Fergie brought Beckham/Neville x 2/Butt/Scholes etc into the first team and they haven't had another 10 come through since then - even if you're being generous and including the likes of Gibson and Richardson who were shifted on while in their apparent prime. The odd Shawcross/Morrison here and there who they've let go and they've turned out good. The rest are just Championship players like SEB, Drinkwater, Simpson, Eagles etc (ie - never anything like good enough for United) and a load that just drift away from the game.

I didn't think there were too many out there tonight who looked the business. Steady enough footballers across the park, but Wilson was really the only one who you'd mark out as top drawer on that showing and Amos is a decent keeper from when I've seen him in loan spells elsewhere.

 

[Interesting Dave]

What you need is someone who can recognise who will make it from these young players. For example, no one on this forum has a good word to say about Mark Davies, yet he has performed fairly well at a level above Wolves for several seasons now. No doubt Ismail would have made a decent player, if he hadn't had to contend with dinosaurs like McCarthy stalling his progress.

 

[ROVERT47]

I didn't see the game and the only players I've seen play are Forde and O'Hara, having said that, I'm sure we'd be happy to have most of Man U's Academy lads over ours.

 

[Interesting Dave]

I didn't see the game and the only players I've seen play are Forde and O'Hara, having said that, I'm sure we'd be happy to have most of Man U's Academy lads over ours.

TBH Trev, if players like Welbeck are the best they can do, any League 1 club would be happy to have their players. If that's the best England can do, they are the equivalent of League 1 at international level.

 

[ROVERT47]

TBH Trev, if players like Welbeck are the best they can do, any League 1 club would be happy to have their players. If that's the best England can do, they are the equivalent of League 1 at international level.

I understand that but we are where we are and I don't think we should be too harsh on our Academy for losing to the Academy of Team that is still regarded as a major power in World football.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The thing is a lot of the faults I've marked out (and I realise it's only my opinion) weren't, at least to my eyes, shown up because they were against inestimably better players. They're just noticeable basic issues that will prevent some of them from even getting near making a career with Wolves. Yeah, Wilson looks a good player and he took his goals brilliantly - but Tank, for instance, will always look slow, clunky, limited on the ball, no matter who he's up against. Not every U21s striker will make him look a charlie like he did for the second - but most professional strikers in the Football League will take him to the cleaners as he is because of his inherent limitations.

Whittall and Kostrna are two others who I don't think were affected by the opposition. They just look like a pair of midfielders who don't excel at anything technically and have no outstanding physical attributes. Imagine Dave Edwards without the engine or Carl Robinson without his knack of nicking a goal.

And yeah, it's only one game, and there was very little in the way of senior involvement there to help the kids through (JOH as we know has fuck all influence anyway), and you don't necessarily want to go writing kids off after a bad game. But I can only call it as I see it.

 

[andyc225]

The Academy setup needs a similar attitude shift to the one that's taken place in the first team. Morgan's vision centres on the Academy and the players it can produce, so we need to drive up standards in every corner of it. It's good to see that the youngsters are playing similar football to the first team but there are visible problems. We defended effectively as a unit until the first goal went in, at which point we went to pieces. There are a few good players and a few others who are simply not pulling their weight. This points to problems that need to be tackled, preferably as soon as possible but definitely in time for next season.

Expectations on players and coaches need to be on a par with those of the first team. Again, it's good to see that the youngsters are playing similar football to the first team but that doesn't go far enough. Scudamore wants to give the U21 Premier League as much meaning as possible by televising more games and making us play more fixtures at the Molineux and the other grounds. The only way we're going to create players who are skilled and competitive is to embrace that idea and treat each games as a serious matter that has significance for the lads. If we're not going to do that, we may as well resign our Category A status and arrange a reserve friendly every week.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It looked to me like we fell into a very similar trap tactically as many teams do when playing away at a Man City, Chelsea etc. Setting the team up purely to contain. It all looks great when it's 0-0, but a moment of magic (as is always prone to happen when you're up against good players), you go 1-0 down and it all falls to pieces.

You always have to be providing a threat of your own to keep the opposition honest, parking the bus works very, very rarely in practice. I can accept conservatism but it was a bit one dimensional on Weaver's part. I'm a bit loath to have too much of a go though as he's obviously restricted with who he can pick given our first team fixture congestion this month. They might have no first team future here but I think either Elokobi or Foley in that team would have helped (and been no worse than what was on show alongside Hause at CB or pick any of the central midfielders to get Foley in there). Just to add a bit of nous. But obviously it's more important that Foley gets first team football elsewhere and lines up a potential move than playing in our U21s, and we need George to be available if we need him at short notice. Also no Eusebio who is clearly the shining light at that level at the moment - no news on an injury so I would think travelling to Swindon tomorrow, covering us in case one of the attacking midfielders drops ill in the morning or gets an injury in the warm up or whatever.

 

[exton101]

Entertaining game, shame we had no cutting edge. O'Hara I fear will never fully recover.

I met Lee Evans, Zeli Ismail, Aaron McCarey and Eusabio in the crowd.

Lee is hoping to make the team tomorrow, Zeli is enjoying is loan spell and cant wait to come back, says the guys here are buzzing. McCarey wasnt bothered by the trouble at the Bescott and Eusabio, as expected, didnt speak English and looked quite isolated from the rest of the lads. Nice chaps though

 

[exton101]

double post

 

[andyc225]

It looked to me like we fell into a very similar trap tactically as many teams do when playing away at a Man City, Chelsea etc. Setting the team up purely to contain. It all looks great when it's 0-0, but a moment of magic (as is always prone to happen when you're up against good players), you go 1-0 down and it all falls to pieces.

You always have to be providing a threat of your own to keep the opposition honest, parking the bus works very, very rarely in practice. I can accept conservatism but it was a bit one dimensional on Weaver's part. I'm a bit loath to have too much of a go though as he's obviously restricted with who he can pick given our first team fixture congestion this month. They might have no first team future here but I think either Elokobi or Foley in that team would have helped (and been no worse than what was on show alongside Hause at CB or pick any of the central midfielders to get Foley in there). Just to add a bit of nous. But obviously it's more important that Foley gets first team football elsewhere and lines up a potential move than playing in our U21s, and we need George to be available if we need him at short notice. Also no Eusebio who is clearly the shining light at that level at the moment - no news on an injury so I would think travelling to Swindon tomorrow, covering us in case one of the attacking midfielders drops ill in the morning or gets an injury in the warm up or whatever.

Bancessi has a groin injury according to someone on Facebook.

 

[Alan]

Tank I thought was very highly rated just last season?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Depends who's doing the rating, I suppose. Though I don't recall him getting any particularly rave reviews.

I think I'd seen him twice before tonight. Nothing in this game changed my mind about him. He wasn't horrible, Wilson did him for the second goal but it was as much good forward play as poor defending. He didn't fall over the ball, didn't get himself in Demichelis type awful positions, looked like he has at least seen a football before. Just everything about him screams "limited" though. He is absolutely light years away from Batth who is hardly the world's most refined player. When Batth was the same age as Tank, he went out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday and played regularly in League One. A year prior to that he'd had a semi-successful loan at the same level at Colchester. Tank is nowhere near that, not a chance you would put him anywhere near our team and not a chance anyone even down the bottom of this league (or, I'd wager, anywhere in League Two) would ask to loan him. If you're 20, nowhere near a League One team (albeit a top end one) and no-one anywhere else in the pyramid is interested in taking you on loan then the odds are strongly loaded that you will never make it.

 

[Alan]

True enough. Keeping track of the youth team is depressing.

 

[andyc225]

2-0 down to Southampton. Getting beyond a joke now Steve I'm afraid.

 

[YoungWolf]

:icon_lol:

 

[Johnny75]

2-0 down to Southampton. Getting beyond a joke now Steve I'm afraid.

I'm not sure you understand anything about youth football or player development. But if results are important to you without knowing anything about the game then fill your boots and keep whining.

 

[andyc225]

I'm not sure you understand anything about youth football or player development. But if results are important to you without knowing anything about the game then fill your boots and keep whining.

Oh I understand fully. How long can they keep on losing without affecting the mentality amongst the squad? We're not looking to produce losers. They need to win at some point. The youth policy is central to the club's future plans; I'm afraid Weaver is not delivering. 1 win in their last 6 or whatever it is? Unacceptable as far as I'm concerned. I'd be amazed if his contract is renewed at the end of the season after the dismal results he's been getting.

You can laugh or say that it's "not about results", but it is as far as Morgan is concerned. I'm afraid Stweave is on borrowed time as U21s head coach.