Konsa and Aribo are comparable with Cousins, indeed I think Konsa is a bit better than Cousins was at a similar age. The troubling aspect is how much we are all guilty of commodifying young players. These guys are young, not all develop at the same rate, some are consistent, some take two steps forward and one back frequently, some respond to brutal challenge, some to careful nurture. To my mind, when it comes to Aribo and Konsa, they need benevolent understanding as much as anything and they will develop further, but football can be a brutal industry as Poyet and Piggott have found out.
Aribo struggled to get into our starting 11 at the end of last season having broken into it in Jan I think. His competition was Crofts, Ulvestad, Jackson etc. I don't see him as a big sale any time soon from what I have seen. KR just talked him up too much. Konsa, maybe £1-2M tops.
I disagree, @seth plum - Cousins was a regular man of the match within a few months of debut.
Fair point, and we voted Poyet as a player of the season. Yet to my mind Aribo and Konsa are both better than Poyet. My overall point however is that the development of young players is one requiring thoughtful and skilled supervision, and we must be cautious when judging them.
Context comes into this. In the ramshackle 2016/2017 squad, under two head coaches and Gawd knows how many other coaches, and after an unforeseen relegation, a lot was expected of young players making their way in a notably physical league. Plus all the off-field issues. A rookie has to find a valid career path through this combination of quicksand and minefield ? I admire all our young 'uns so much but I'm relieved that none of them is a son of mine (well, as far as I know). One of the more detestable aspects of this heinous regime.
Someone remind me what we sold Cousins for? Way better than either Konsa or Aribo on what I have seen.
Bit unfair to compare Cousins, a box to box midfielder to Konsa, a centre half.
I'm just talking about youth potential. Fairly direct comparison with Aribo, in any case? And hasn't Karl played Konsa in midfield half the time?
I think Konsa is class. Very composed CB. Not quite Gomez level but still decent. I'm not convinced by Aribo yet but I'm not writing anyone one off, especially a young player, after one season.
Given that we are down to discussing the relative merits of our sellable youth products because there isn't the slightest sniff of a rumour or any gossip which suggests that a sale process is even possible, let alone imminent, it appears that my estrangement from my football club is likely to continue for the foreseeable future....
It feels strange. Normally, I would be eagerly poring through any possible transfer rumours in eager anticipation of a squad being assembled with the potential to bring us glory next season....but this summer, I haven't even looked at the transfer thread once, and I can't see myself doing so, either. I'm just not interested in the machinations being orchestrated (or not) by a manager and administration that I feel no affinity or affection for and I just wish would disappear and never come back.
As it stands, this is not my club anymore....it's like watching a horror movie where a familiar old friend has been transformed into a slavering, mindless zombie. As a diseased and decaying CAFC limply staggers along in search of brains (which would be profits for RD if I'm going to pursue this tortured analogy) I simply cannot recognise it as my dear, cherished, contented and proud friend that was once so full of life....not least because it stinks pretty badly - a rather off-putting, foetid stench of rot, misery and death which I (and many others it seems) find utterly repellent. Quite simply, I don't recognise it anymore.
I look forward to the day when the curse is lifted and I get my beloved friend back . Sadly, it doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon...
Given that we are down to discussing the relative merits of our sellable youth products because there isn't the slightest sniff of a rumour or any gossip which suggests that a sale process is even possible, let alone imminent, it appears that my estrangement from my football club is likely to continue for the foreseeable future....
It feels strange. Normally, I would be eagerly poring through any possible transfer rumours in eager anticipation of a squad being assembled with the potential to bring us glory next season....but this summer, I haven't even looked at the transfer thread once, and I can't see myself doing so, either. I'm just not interested in the machinations being orchestrated (or not) by a manager and administration that I feel no affinity or affection for and I just wish would disappear and never come back.
As it stands, this is not my club anymore....it's like watching a horror movie where a familiar old friend has been transformed into a slavering, mindless zombie. As a diseased and decaying CAFC limply staggers along in search of brains (which would be profits for RD if I'm going to pursue this tortured analogy) I simply cannot recognise it as my dear, cherished, contented and proud friend that was once so full of life....not least because it stinks pretty badly - a rather off-putting, foetid stench of rot, misery and death which I (and many others it seems) find utterly repellent. Quite simply, I don't recognise it anymore.
I look forward to the day when the curse is lifted and I get my beloved friend back . Sadly, it doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon...
Given that we are down to discussing the relative merits of our sellable youth products because there isn't the slightest sniff of a rumour or any gossip which suggests that a sale process is even possible, let alone imminent, it appears that my estrangement from my football club is likely to continue for the foreseeable future....
It feels strange. Normally, I would be eagerly poring through any possible transfer rumours in eager anticipation of a squad being assembled with the potential to bring us glory next season....but this summer, I haven't even looked at the transfer thread once, and I can't see myself doing so, either. I'm just not interested in the machinations being orchestrated (or not) by a manager and administration that I feel no affinity or affection for and I just wish would disappear and never come back.
As it stands, this is not my club anymore....it's like watching a horror movie where a familiar old friend has been transformed into a slavering, mindless zombie. As a diseased and decaying CAFC limply staggers along in search of brains (which would be profits for RD if I'm going to pursue this tortured analogy) I simply cannot recognise it as my dear, cherished, contented and proud friend that was once so full of life....not least because it stinks pretty badly - a rather off-putting, foetid stench of rot, misery and death which I (and many others it seems) find utterly repellent. Quite simply, I don't recognise it anymore.
I look forward to the day when the curse is lifted and I get my beloved friend back . Sadly, it doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon...
Given that we are down to discussing the relative merits of our sellable youth products because there isn't the slightest sniff of a rumour or any gossip which suggests that a sale process is even possible, let alone imminent, it appears that my estrangement from my football club is likely to continue for the foreseeable future....
It feels strange. Normally, I would be eagerly poring through any possible transfer rumours in eager anticipation of a squad being assembled with the potential to bring us glory next season....but this summer, I haven't even looked at the transfer thread once, and I can't see myself doing so, either. I'm just not interested in the machinations being orchestrated (or not) by a manager and administration that I feel no affinity or affection for and I just wish would disappear and never come back.
As it stands, this is not my club anymore....it's like watching a horror movie where a familiar old friend has been transformed into a slavering, mindless zombie. As a diseased and decaying CAFC limply staggers along in search of brains (which would be profits for RD if I'm going to pursue this tortured analogy) I simply cannot recognise it as my dear, cherished, contented and proud friend that was once so full of life....not least because it stinks pretty badly - a rather off-putting, foetid stench of rot, misery and death which I (and many others it seems) find utterly repellent. Quite simply, I don't recognise it anymore.
I look forward to the day when the curse is lifted and I get my beloved friend back . Sadly, it doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon...
Comments
The troubling aspect is how much we are all guilty of commodifying young players.
These guys are young, not all develop at the same rate, some are consistent, some take two steps forward and one back frequently, some respond to brutal challenge, some to careful nurture.
To my mind, when it comes to Aribo and Konsa, they need benevolent understanding as much as anything and they will develop further, but football can be a brutal industry as Poyet and Piggott have found out.
My overall point however is that the development of young players is one requiring thoughtful and skilled supervision, and we must be cautious when judging them.
Context comes into this. In the ramshackle 2016/2017 squad, under two head coaches and Gawd knows how many other coaches, and after an unforeseen relegation, a lot was expected of young players making their way in a notably physical league. Plus all the off-field issues. A rookie has to find a valid career path through this combination of quicksand and minefield ? I admire all our young 'uns so much but I'm relieved that none of them is a son of mine (well, as far as I know). One of the more detestable aspects of this heinous regime.
What a shame.
Given that we are down to discussing the relative merits of our sellable youth products because there isn't the slightest sniff of a rumour or any gossip which suggests that a sale process is even possible, let alone imminent, it appears that my estrangement from my football club is likely to continue for the foreseeable future....
It feels strange. Normally, I would be eagerly poring through any possible transfer rumours in eager anticipation of a squad being assembled with the potential to bring us glory next season....but this summer, I haven't even looked at the transfer thread once, and I can't see myself doing so, either. I'm just not interested in the machinations being orchestrated (or not) by a manager and administration that I feel no affinity or affection for and I just wish would disappear and never come back.
As it stands, this is not my club anymore....it's like watching a horror movie where a familiar old friend has been transformed into a slavering, mindless zombie. As a diseased and decaying CAFC limply staggers along in search of brains (which would be profits for RD if I'm going to pursue this tortured analogy) I simply cannot recognise it as my dear, cherished, contented and proud friend that was once so full of life....not least because it stinks pretty badly - a rather off-putting, foetid stench of rot, misery and death which I (and many others it seems) find utterly repellent. Quite simply, I don't recognise it anymore.
I look forward to the day when the curse is lifted and I get my beloved friend back . Sadly, it doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon...
And thank God for the cricket, is all I can say!*
*Apart from come on Kent and come on England, obviously!
http://m.kentlive.news/charlton-athletic-takeover-australian-consortium-losing-interest-in-buying-from-roland-duchatelet/story-30356478-detail/story.html
Sad really, we are in desperate need of a rescue buyer.
Website seems to have disappeared.