1-1 was the result but our kids outplayed Millwall for most of the game. There were no team sheets on Saturday (part of the cutbacks?) and most of the team were first year scholars so unknown to me but they played some very nice, fast and neat football at times - typical of Damian Matthew's teams. Our goal was a peach - a fast run down the left wing by a kid called (I think) Callum Harry, then some very fancy C Ronaldo-style tricks and step-overs from him took him past a couple of defenders and along the goal line, into the box, where he squared a great pass to someone (name unknown) who smashed it into the net. He was the pick of the players but there was also a good performance from our number 5 in central defence and by the skipper, number three, at left back. From what I picked up, the various coaches reckon that this current crop of U18s are a good lot. So, a chink of light in the prevailing gloom.....?
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Number 5 might have been Jordan Cousins, what did he look like?
Good to hear they played well. There's been match reports on the OS for their last couple of friendlies, but for some reason they haven't named the lineups.
Is it not something to do with child protection laws? Or is that only applied to the U16 teams? As our U16 teams don't have any names published etc, perhaps it applies now to U18?
You need to hope you keep Academy status, we've let a lot of talent go at 17 due to becoming a School of Excellence again, something along the lines of being able to keep Academy players to an older age without a pro contract? Bit unsure of it myself.
If we have to rebuild from scratch like i think we do then Damien is my choice for coach his brand of football with the support that the young players will have from him puts him in pole position for me...
If damien goes IMO will be the worst decision made by the club in ages and thats saying something
It's probably just because it's a friendly.
Probably him then, although Harry Osbourne is another new 1st year centre back. Don't know what either of them look like.
If we have to rebuild from scratch like i think we do then Damien is my choice for coach his brand of football with the support that the young players will have from him puts him in pole position for me...
If damien goes IMO will be the worst decision made by the club in ages and thats saying something[/quote]
Agree with you 100% NLA. I know he loves the club - but I think other clubs have seen his talent and are sniffing around.
[/quote]
They used to name the u16 lineups, but yeah I think child protection rules changed that (similarly u16s are no longer allowed to be in the Football Manager games).
It's probably just because it's a friendly.
[quote][cite]Posted By: BigPaul[/cite]Think that the number 5 was Morgan Fox who is a 1st year scholar - Jordan Cousins was ill with flu![/quote]
Probably him then, although Harry Osbourne is another new 1st year centre back. Don't know what either of them look like.[/quote]
Might have been Harry Osbourne - seem to remember hearing someone call out 'Harry' at one point.
Would be good to have a regular, fuller reports from games and a player profile, perhaps once a month.
Scoham/Nadou how about it?
Harry Osbourne is mixed race - Morgan Fox is white.
But we don't want to put too much pressure on them to succeed. The last thing they want is to come on here and read that they are being lauded as the future of this club.
Need to be careful with that
I might go to a few before Charlton home games
also that may be why we dont give a team list now, i reckon its to stop people poaching our players at a young age as has been done a couple of times recently. I dont want there to be a feature because it may highlight a good prospect and put them on another clubs radar and we dont want to encourage that
Stick to how it is, keep them playing and dont give out the team list so its harder for clubs to see how our players are doing i'll say
Fixtures announced just now, all home and away are 11.30am on a Saturday.
I know what you mean, but I think the better players are known about. They're in the England youth sides, or turn pro early, might be noticed playing well against another club etc. Shelvey for example we couldn't have "hidden" him just by not handing out team sheets.
Would be good to have a regular, fuller reports from games and a player profile, perhaps once a month.
Stick to how it is, keep them playing and dont give out the team list so its harder for clubs to see how our players are doing i'll say[/quote]
Do you seriously think that not having a team sheet is going to stop someone finding out the name of a player if they are interested? The scouts are much too canny to be put off by something like that. Plus they usually know in advance who they want to look at - good players come onto scouts' radars very early on in their careers. And I don't for a moment think that having team sheets in the past has led to a single one of our players being poached more easily.
ball too much for my liking. When they got it on the floor they looked far better.
Good game for a pre season friendly mind.
I think the last thing they'd want would be to come on here and read that they're being slagged off as "useless" or worse. We really ought to bear in mind that players, coaches and managers are human beings with human feelings, you know: not avatars in some computer game. Not applicable to this thread, I know, but sometimes we do need reminding.
I think the last thing they'd want would be to come on here and read that they're being slagged off as "useless" or worse. We really ought to bear in mind that players, coaches and managers are human beings with human feelings, you know: not avatars in some computer game. Not applicable to this thread, I know, but sometimes we do need reminding.[/quote]
Thanks for reminding us.
Many thanks for the updates, even if there are gaps in the information. I know you have long taken an interest in the youth and in Damian Matthews approach to the development of our players. Given we haven't a pot so to speak, it is great to know to what degree there may be hope in the future.
I mentioned in another thread that folk who slag off the young players are damaging our club....I want to see an end to that, and an increase in support like yours.
Usually 11.0am. And I should add that the football is often much more fun to watch than the 1st team!
Report now on the OS, no line up unfortunately, but might be because it's pre-season.
It was striker Joe Pigott who Callum Harriott set up for the goal.
Few interesting quotes from Damian Matthew, as Nadou's first post says they do seem to rate this group.
I think the last thing they'd want would be to come on here and read that they're being slagged off as "useless" or worse. We really ought to bear in mind that players, coaches and managers are human beings with human feelings, you know: not avatars in some computer game. Not applicable to this thread, I know, but sometimes we do need reminding.[/quote]
Thanks for reminding us.[/quote]
Sorry. Sermon over.[/quote]
Actually, Gilbert, having seen the kind of negative things people are saying about the kids on the Bromley Match thread, I'm inclined to agree with you. Hardened pros might sometimes be fair game for criticism but some of the things people are saying about developing young players can't do anything positive. So, while I love going to Sparrows Lane and seeing the U18s and U16s play - especially in the morning before a home game at The Valley - and wanted to encourage more people to go along, I now hope they don't come because they'd only start slagging off the kids.
about 1 hour ago
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