U21s v Liverpool U21s

[Borin' Baggie]

Won 5-0, Sule and Cleary both with braces.

[MrFizz]

Won 5-0, Sule and Cleary both with braces.

Dental issues?

[DemonicBaggie]

Won 5-0, Sule and Cleary both with braces.

Dental issues?

Phil McAvity was also on the scoresheet.

[SW4Baggie]

Not sure if it’s because it’s my club, and I pay more attention to it than others but it really does feel like we struggle with the final few yards of player development compared to other clubs. We have so many players that look great in the U23s, but they consistently fail to make the grade here, or even perform when out on loan. 

We seem to do a great job of developing players up to 15-16, we must have amongst the highest number of youth internationals and top kids poached of any club of our size and resources but it seems to go so wrong when they move to first team football. 

Even the players that do break through here seem to do so a few years later than other clubs - take Fellows for example, even he will be 22 this season.

[HawkingsHalfpint]

Won 5-0, Sule and Cleary both with braces.

Dental issues?

Phil McAvity was also on the scoresheet.

I had a funny filling he’d score today.

[MrFizz]

Not sure if it’s because it’s my club, and I pay more attention to it than others but it really does feel like we struggle with the final few yards of player development compared to other clubs. We have so many players that look great in the U23s, but they consistently fail to make the grade here, or even perform when out on loan. 

We seem to do a great job of developing players up to 15-16, we must have amongst the highest number of youth internationals and top kids poached of any club of our size and resources but it seems to go so wrong when they move to first team football. 

Even the players that do break through here seem to do so a few years later than other clubs - take Fellows for example, even he will be 22 this season.

I don't think we do too badly. We've got two first team shoo-ins that came through the academy, with another in the squad. With a bit of foresight we could have had a couple more recently (Azaz, Iroegbunam), but its not easy for a manager to play kids when they are under pressure to deliver promotion. 

I'm hoping that we'll see a bit more of Whitwell now Mogga is here.

[baggiebloke]

We should win a plaque for that performance.

[ElbowGrease1973 II]

Won 5-0, Sule and Cleary both with braces.

Dental issues?

Phil McAvity was also on the scoresheet.

I had a funny filling he’d score today.

So did I when I saw kick-off time was 2:30

[Pragmatist]

Not sure if it’s because it’s my club, and I pay more attention to it than others but it really does feel like we struggle with the final few yards of player development compared to other clubs. We have so many players that look great in the U23s, but they consistently fail to make the grade here, or even perform when out on loan. 

We seem to do a great job of developing players up to 15-16, we must have amongst the highest number of youth internationals and top kids poached of any club of our size and resources but it seems to go so wrong when they move to first team football. 

Even the players that do break through here seem to do so a few years later than other clubs - take Fellows for example, even he will be 22 this season.

I don't think we do too badly. We've got two first team shoo-ins that came through the academy, with another in the squad. With a bit of foresight we could have had a couple more recently (Azaz, Iroegbunam), but its not easy for a manager to play kids when they are under pressure to deliver promotion. 

I'm hoping that we'll see a bit more of Whitwell now Mogga is here.

Not more foresight re Iroegbunam.  It is not possible to sign a player on a pro contract before their 17th birthday.  The system leaves us wide open to 16 year olds being told “don’t sign a pro contract with Albion, sign for us at Villa/Chelsea and there’s a lot more money in it”.  Constantly happens when our best academy players get picked for England U15/16/17s and there’s sweet FA that we can do about.  The system is the problem.

[Gzbaggy]

TI was 18 (by a matter of days) when he signed for Villa born 30.6.2003, signed for Villa July 2021

I think we do very well with our young players (TI, Field, Wilson, Azaz, O'Shea, Fellows, Palmer, Wood etc) our problem is we do not give them a chance. We have had no debutants from our youth system in league games this season. Whitwell and Bostock would probably be advised to go elsewhere.