Carruthers

[levico]

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I've just read that Samir is off to MK Dons on loan.

Whereas this is often a positive step for young players I'm just a little disappointed that this promising player can't get his experience from the Villa bench. Surely there will be opportunities for him to get on the pitch for us over the coming seasons.

What do others think?

[PeterWithesShin]

He's made 3 league appearances for us so far, I think he'll improve as a player with more game time at MK than he will making the very occasional sub appearance for us.

[cdbearsfan]

He'll learn more on loan there than he will playing for our reserves. It's a good move, so long as he plays.

[RussellC]

I've never been able to work-out where he should play. Not quick enough to be a winger, not physical enough to be a CM. I think this will eventually be his downfall as a top-class player. Can see him being a decent bet for someone in the Championship though.

[sirlordbaltimore]

Should do him the world of good. Haven't really seen anything from him thus far to see why he'd be anywhere near our first team

[richardhubbard]

6 month at that level will bring him rather than knocking around our squad.

[fredm]

Also takes him (and the others out on loan) out of their comfort zone and gets them involved in the muck and bullets of fighting for points in the lower leagues where, maybe, facilities etc are not as plush as they have become used to.

[Percy McCarthy]

The thing to do is spot the promise as they win the NextGen/FA Youth Cup, loan them out for a good spell to let them establish themselves somewhere, then scout them as you would any other transfer target and make a judgement on whether you would buy them if they weren't our player. If not, get rid.

[Hookeysmith]

PL made a great comment at the forum about youngsters. ITs ok being around the first team in the premiership with thoroughbred players but it is a really tough league. Young players can learn the skills and fitness of games but not the toughness. In the lower leagues they will come across journeymen who to play and win means bonuses and bonuses feed their families - thats how they get toughened up

[Dante Lavelli]

PL made a great comment at the forum about youngsters. ITs ok being around the first team in the premiership with thoroughbred players but it is a really tough league. Young players can learn the skills and fitness of games but not the toughness. In the lower leagues they will come across journeymen who to play and win means bonuses and bonuses feed their families - thats how they get toughened up

Cowans was saying how loans are better than sparse sub appearances and development football too. There seems to have been a bit of a shift in policy within the club which will hopefully improve our graduates.

[OCD]

Cowans has also mentioned the size of opponents in the pre-season friendlies of the development squad. Looks like we've purposely put them up against big, physically strong teams. You used to get that in reserve games but at some point teams just starting using their kids in the reserves and that was formalised last year with the U21 development league.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I'm all in favour of sending out our kids on loan providing they go to a team that play in a similar way to us, otherwise it makes no sense. I know nothing about the lower leagues but I'd hope there are sufficient teams down there that like to play football.

[Dante Lavelli]

I'm all in favour of sending out our kids on loan providing they go to a team that play in a similar way to us, otherwise it makes no sense. I know nothing about the lower leagues but I'd hope there are sufficient teams down there that like to play football.

That's one reason why I'd like to see us start some sort of strategic allegiance with a smaller (localish) club.
We could also use it to allow young coaches to get experience etc.  If we got it right the two clubs to slowly grow together.   

[PeterWithesShin]

Albion would be ideal. Local, small club and they play like Brazil '70. Plus, when they are in the Championship next season they'll need a few Premier League quality players.

[SoccerHQ]

I am really pleased the club are going down this route.

Yeah winning at reserve league regularly is all well and good but it didn't really do the class of 2002 or the finalists of 2008 much good in become regular premier league players for us for more than a year/18 months.

This route just might for them.