Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.

Do we miss having a reserve team?

simonmatthewssimonmatthews
in General Charlton
Throwing this out there for general comment.

Until a few years back we had a reserve team, composed roughly of 50% first team regulars, 25% first team squad players and 25% youth players.

Now we have a first team (through which about 20 players are rotated on a reasonably frequent basis) and an U21 side, most of whom are 17, 18, 19 years old.

We seem to have drifted into a position whereby some players on full time professional contracts aren't in the first team and are either a bit too old for the U21 side (though they could play as overage players) or don't want to/expect to be playing with a group of teenagers. Hence....after being signed they get fed up and lose interest in the club, and then get quickly loaned out. We in turn have no real way of telling whether they might have been good - or at least acceptable - squad players, as they barely ever play a competitive match.

Back in 1999-2000 we had Steven Barbe - he clocked up 15 reserve games + a first team friendly (coming on as substitute for Nicola Berti!) + 3 outings as an unused substitute in the first team. These days he would barely feature at all and would be one of the (many) people we have on our books (Ansah? Obileye?) who seems to fall between two stools and just drift away from the club.

Do we need a reserve team back?

Comments

  • Todds_right_hookTodds_right_hook
    Yes. Let's get one back and they can play in a league with????? We are in the same boat as everyone else by having an under 21 team where over age players can play, we can also play behind closed doors friendlies.
  • Covered EndCovered End
    Todds_right_hook said:

    Yes. Let's get one back and they can play in a league with????? We are in the same boat as everyone else by having an under 21 team where over age players can play, we can also play behind closed doors friendlies.

    Quite. Let's have a reserve team who can play ?
  • uie2uie2
    Yes very much! Lee Bowyer, Scotty Parker to mention but two played against men in those Reserve games back in there youth days, with Bowyer benefiting from it!
  • BubbleBubble
    We've got one - it's called our first team
  • angrybirdangrybird
    Yes i do ! Down to Stonebridge Road on a Tuesday night bit of footie..pot of homemade curry..and the announcer introducing No 7 Terry Raccoon...proper entertainment !
  • simonmatthewssimonmatthews
    The point I'm making I guess is that taking the reserve side in1999-2000 as an example, they finished higher than Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham reserves. Apart from Barbe regulars in the side included Paul Konchevsky, Kevin Lisbie, Charlie MacDonald, Scott Parker, John Salako and Danny Shittu with Anthony Barness, Sasa Illic, Keith Jones, Martin Pringle, Simon Royce and Carl Tiler all dropping in from time to time.

    There was a way of being able to tell if some of the minor squad players were actually any good.

    We don't seem to have that anymore.
  • Covered EndCovered End
    We've got an easier way of telling. If they were recommended by Belgians on laptops, then they are generally no good. :smile:
  • dizzeedizzee
    We do have a reserve team - it's managed by Riga.
  • killer kishkiller kish
    Lets get a first team sorted first
  • alan dugdalealan dugdale
    I miss having a first team.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Roland Out Forever!