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Author Topic: Reserves and Academy 2021/22  (Read 120621 times)

Offline Legion

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Offline OCD

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #76 on: July 26, 2021, 05:37:04 PM »
They have to get themselves into the top league.

Offline eamonn

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #77 on: July 26, 2021, 05:42:08 PM »
Maybe not. Using the U23s as a higher level of difficulty for a lot of our U18s arguably contributed massively to us winning the Youth Cup.

Offline OCD

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #78 on: July 26, 2021, 06:15:13 PM »
And they'll get better still if the U23's are at the next level up. With some of the talent we've been recruiting, it has to be a target.

Offline eamonn

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #79 on: July 26, 2021, 06:39:39 PM »
Maybe so, it's a balancing act. Could be that the second division is a sweet spot of being challenging enough for a talented 18 year-old and not too difficult which it might be a level higher (as you've got fringe first-team squad players from top clubs needing game-time and turning-out in U23s games).

I guess what I was trying to say was that I'd take a second division U23s side if the U18s win the Youth Cup. But I take your point. We're a big club, at all levels competing at the top tier should be a given. Just think the U23s is the one in-between area that maybe is not as important. The good players too old for the U18s are probably better served going on-loan to a lower league club than hanging around Bodymoor for a few more years.   

Online paul_e

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #80 on: July 26, 2021, 08:30:55 PM »
I think one of the things we've got wrong in the past is caring about how we do in the U23/U18/reserve leagues when results aren't really what matters at that level.


I'm with Eamonn, I think the U23 league should be used to keep players on the fringe of the first team squad match fit and to give gametime to players recovering from injuries. For example I'm happy with Sinisalo as 3rd choice next year but he also needs regular games so the U23s works for him.

Offline Rotterdam

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #81 on: July 26, 2021, 09:08:39 PM »
I think one of the things we've got wrong in the past is caring about how we do in the U23/U18/reserve leagues when results aren't really what matters at that level.


I'm with Eamonn, I think the U23 league should be used to keep players on the fringe of the first team squad match fit and to give gametime to players recovering from injuries. For example I'm happy with Sinisalo as 3rd choice next year but he also needs regular games so the U23s works for him.
e

Spot on Paul-e

Offline OCD

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #82 on: July 26, 2021, 09:16:33 PM »
My point really is about the kids being able to regularly compete against a higher standard of competition (first division versus second division).

Being obsessed with how well they were doing would be expecting them to be in contention to win the top league and holding onto players too long to do so, when they would be better off being loaned out to continue their development. That's the mistake we've made before.

Online paul_e

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #83 on: July 26, 2021, 09:52:13 PM »
My point really is about the kids being able to regularly compete against a higher standard of competition (first division versus second division).

Being obsessed with how well they were doing would be expecting them to be in contention to win the top league and holding onto players too long to do so, when they would be better off being loaned out to continue their development. That's the mistake we've made before.

I don't know how much difference in quality there really is though. The games we struggled in last season weren't against teams with great academies full of good players. It was against teams full of 21-23 year olds who were further along in their development. By not giving a shit about the results and instead exposing 17-18 year olds to those teams I think we're hoping to create a step between Academy/U18/Youth Cup and the loans market to make the steps to the first team shallower.

Offline Footy-Vill

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #84 on: July 27, 2021, 01:16:50 PM »
We have an under-23 side vs non-league Stafford Rangers on Saturday. Team to be made up of some under-18s and new signings

Online Border villan

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #85 on: July 27, 2021, 04:57:00 PM »
U23’s 8-1 Hendsford Town earlier this afternoon. Pravda gives the team but not the scorers. Can anyone help?

Offline Legion

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #86 on: July 27, 2021, 05:17:53 PM »
Cam got 2.

Offline Legion

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #87 on: July 27, 2021, 06:42:18 PM »
Wright
Young
Sewell
Barry
Goodridge

One other.

Offline Legion

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Offline Legion

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Re: Reserves and Academy 2021/22
« Reply #89 on: July 27, 2021, 06:52:28 PM »
U23’s 8-1 Hendsford Town earlier this afternoon. Pravda gives the team but not the scorers. Can anyone help?

It was yesterday.

 


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