Have we got the best youngsters in the League?

[N'ZMAV]

The best youngster we've produced in a while?.... Cahill.

[SirSteveUK]

My little game..

Without looking, place these 4 in order of age - oldest first

Herd
Albrighton
Bannan
Delfouneso

Herd, Bannan, Albrighton, Delfouneso?
I may have muddle the 1st two, but I believe the last two are right. They've all passed 20 though I'm sure.

Good  try. Actually, they were in age order anyway - the point I was making is that when I try that out on most people, they seem to think that Fonz is at least a year older than he actually is.

He seems to have been around for ever - but he has only just reached 21. What might he be able to do with a run in the firsat team - which I don't think he has ever had ?

[1_Pablo_Angel]

I can't believe people are writing off Bannan. He's clearly frustrated being stuck out on the right wing to rot. He needs to be playing little one twos, buzzng around off others good footballers and looking for kiiller passes in the final third. We are utterly and completely wasting his natural ability.

[Dante Lavelli]

I can't believe people are writing off Bannan. He's clearly frustrated being stuck out on the right wing to rot. He needs to be playing little one twos, buzzng around off others good footballers and looking for kiiller passes in the final third. We are utterly and completely wasting his natural ability.

I completely agree.  How far that natural ability will take him I have no idea but I am certain it will never materialise as a winger.

[Chipsticks]

I can't believe people are writing off Bannan. He's clearly frustrated being stuck out on the right wing to rot. He needs to be playing little one twos, buzzng around off others good footballers and looking for kiiller passes in the final third. We are utterly and completely wasting his natural ability.

I completely agree.  How far that natural ability will take him I have no idea but I am certain it will never materialise as a winger.

Kind of funny that the one manager who you'd think would see him as a 'favourite', with the Scottish connection, is the guy who seems to be draining away his talent. Still a decent player though.

[hawkeye]

It is a huge credit that our Accademy have produced so many players that have been able to survive playing in the PL. I doubt that any of them are any thing other than squad players if we had a proper PL level first 11.This is not a Scholes Giggs Beckham Neville situation.
i would also say that our predicament in terms of leadership, coaching, squad stength and league position is not the enviorenment that enables young talent to flourish.

[Terry Jones]

Chipsticks who Lambert  got to bring the mint sauce.

[Greg N'Ash]

at best we've probably got one star, 3 or 4  premiership journeymen and the rest will be binned to the lower leagues. Someone said on another thread that whittingham made the grade after we let him go but that was an awfully long time ago. Someone like Moore who's a reserves at Swansea,  similar time span - well thats gonna be a bit late for us unless we're looking for the kids to make the grade in 2020.


I have the utmost respect for people who watch the reserves but they're always hopelessly optimistic concerning the kids and while the jury's out on many of them, i'll eat my hat if someone like Bannon ever makes the grade.

[Matt C]

I dearly hope Bannan isn't sulking at playing wide, if he is then he can find another club for me - any young player should be doing everything they can to cement a place in the first team and helping the cause, not sulking because they can't have everything 100% their own way.

[Greg N'Ash]

I dearly hope Bannan isn't sulking at playing wide, if he is then he can find another club for me - any young player should be doing everything they can to cement a place in the first team and helping the cause, not sulking because they can't have everything 100% their own way.

He's what Stewart Hall would call a fanny merchant - thinks he can win a game with one pass. - makes Ireland seem hard working. If he's like that now, he's got no chance

[kipeye]

at best we've probably got one star, 3 or 4  premiership journeymen and the rest will be binned to the lower leagues. Someone said on another thread that whittingham made the grade after we let him go but that was an awfully long time ago. Someone like Moore who's a reserves at Swansea,  similar time span - well thats gonna be a bit late for us unless we're looking for the kids to make the grade in 2020.


I have the utmost respect for people who watch the reserves but they're always hopelessly optimistic concerning the kids and while the jury's out on many of them, i'll eat my hat if someone like Bannon ever makes the grade.

With respect Greg-you can't know this yet and perhaps forget we have developed talented players who are succesful elsewhere-Barry for one. I would also include Young and Milner although they are not Academy players (probably because the Academy has been itself developing). Young was unproven and Milner only came to anyone's attention after we had him on loan. Players develop at different speeds.
Go back further and you will find some fantastic players who other teams would have been proud to have.

[Big Dick Edwards]

37 pages, 3 until we get into a huge argument about Delfouneso, 5 until the subject of Bannan comes up and who knows how many until we get onto my favourite subject which is we produce loads of ok youngsters along the lines of Byfield, Lee, Carruthers (Martin), Kerr, Olney, the Moores x 2 et all but very few top notch ones

I agree with this. Compare with Southampton who produced Bale, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain within a decade.

[paul_e]

37 pages, 3 until we get into a huge argument about Delfouneso, 5 until the subject of Bannan comes up and who knows how many until we get onto my favourite subject which is we produce loads of ok youngsters along the lines of Byfield, Lee, Carruthers (Martin), Kerr, Olney, the Moores x 2 et all but very few top notch ones

I agree with this. Compare with Southampton who produced Bale, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain within a decade.

Only Bale deserves major credit (and even he was a poor premiership player until he reached his 20s), Walcott is, for me, very similar to Gabby and Oxlade-Chamberlain is still in his first season and it's a bit easier to look good in a side that play pass and move where you always have options .

The problem we've had for me is that only gabby has come through with a massive physical advantage (i.e. being fast as f**k), which enabled him to come in and look at home when he was younger.  Most of the other youngsters have physically developed at a normal rate and have only in their early 20s got to the point where they're able to hold their own in the premiership, this isn't unusual.

In the last 7-8 years the only youngsters I can think of to have come through as teenagers to great success in England based on skill/technique rather than physique are Fabregas and Wilshere, unsuprisingly both at the same club where the manager has put a bottom-up system in place where it's easier for players to come in and play their natural game.

[Nirog72]

Not particularly disagreeing paul_e but personally I'd swap Walcott for Agbonlahor any day. And who in our youth set up is as good as Oxlade Chamberlain? (and if they are why aren't they playing!)

[eamonn]

Of the current batch, the one I think possibly needs to move on and build his career elsewhere is Delfouneso, he's somewhat older than the rest and has never really impressed me.

It staggers me, though, to hear people writing off Gardner after a handful of appearances. Same with Bannan. They're kids, they need time.

The Fonz is 15-18 months younger than Bannan, Clark and Albrighton.
And you say not to write Bannan off after a handful of appearances yet you appear to do that with Delfouneso. Granted, he hasn't pulled up any trees during his loan spells but there is a technically gifted, athletic player in there that can still make it imo.

I mentioned this before but it bears repeating - the Birmingham derby last season; 1-1 at the Sty, the Fonz came off the bench and nearly won the game with a brilliant take, swivel and long-range screamer that rattled the bar with Foster well-beaten. I can't help thinking if that had gone in what it would have done for his career (and maybe Houllier's too).