Academy & U21s

[Commondore]

Are there any other under-21s apart from Gilsenan who might be close to a place in the first team? 

[KentExile]

15 minutes ago, Commondore said:

Are there any other under-21s apart from Gilsenan who might be close to a place in the first team? 

Atcheson (centre back) may get a few minutes next season, Batty (left back) was meant to be involved with the first team squad this season but didn't look ready (maybe next season, unless he is loaned out for game time). 

I cant imagine any others would be genuine first team contenders in the next 2-3 years, although a few may become squad players.  Duru (right back) looks better going forwards than back, James Edmondson has been absent from the U21s (maybe through injury) for a while but was looking good in early season.  Whitehall was very highly rated but missed the best part of 3 years with injury, so maybe at 21 it has passed him by now?

Finneran (midfield) and Tyjon (striker) are both 15, so assuming they sign scholarships rather than moving elsewhere in the summer, are 2 to keep an eye out for

[Rogerb]

5 hours ago, rigger said:

Probably because Gilseanan is another number ten, and we already have a few of those.

He did play on the left in the league cup games earlier in the season.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

5 minutes ago, Rogerb said:

He did play on the left in the league cup games earlier in the season.

I don’t think he’s  a natural winger though.

[KentExile]

17 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I don’t think he’s  a natural winger though.

Salah plays on the right for Liverpool, not a natural winger, but very effective at what he does. Brereton played on the left, certainly was not a winger. 

There are very few wingers these days.  Most who would in the past have been seen as "natural wingers", have recently been converted into full backs (and I do not mean just at Rovers), although the recent trend towards inverted full backs will presumably push them elsewhere on the field

Edited February 20 by KentExile

[bluebruce]

Wingers virtually don't exist these days anyway, in the traditional sense. It's all wide forwards, wide attackers or wide midfielders, and wing backs.

I'm not sure I can say our squad actually possesses a single 'winger'.

[KentExile]

Just now, bluebruce said:

Wingers virtually don't exist these days anyway, in the traditional sense. It's all wide forwards, wide attackers or wide midfielders, and wing backs.

I'm not sure I can say our squad actually possesses a single 'winger'.

Hedges probably the closest to it

[bluebruce]

41 minutes ago, KentExile said:

Hedges probably the closest to it

Nearly said that myself when I posted, funnily enough. Don't think he quite fits the bill either though, comes inside a lot, doesn't really run by the touchline much compared to an out and out winger.

[Tugayisgod]

3-1 , another for Gilsenan 😃. Seemed to be playing as a 10 looking at this

Highlights

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2024/02/u21-highlights-derby-county-1-3-blackburn-rovers-pl2-feb-24

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

11 minutes ago, Tugayisgod said:

3-1 , another for Gilsenan 😃. Seemed to be playing as a 10 looking at this

Highlights

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2024/02/u21-highlights-derby-county-1-3-blackburn-rovers-pl2-feb-24

Terrific free kick fro Gilsenan there.

[KentExile]

30 minutes ago, Tugayisgod said:

3-1 , another for Gilsenan 😃. Seemed to be playing as a 10 looking at this

Highlights

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2024/02/u21-highlights-derby-county-1-3-blackburn-rovers-pl2-feb-24

He was playing as one of 2 forwards (Biniek was the other) in the first half.  O'Grady Macken was the number 10 in the first half.  Does look like he was the number 10 in the second half with Nsangou (who replaced O'Grady-Macken) moving up top.

Similar to how Rovers played in that last season with Mowbray with Buckley as a10/false9 and Brereton and Khadra as forwards who would drift wide

Edited February 20 by KentExile

[Commondore]

10 hours ago, KentExile said:

Atcheson (centre back) may get a few minutes next season, Batty (left back) was meant to be involved with the first team squad this season but didn't look ready (maybe next season, unless he is loaned out for game time). 

I cant imagine any others would be genuine first team contenders in the next 2-3 years, although a few may become squad players.  Duru (right back) looks better going forwards than back, James Edmondson has been absent from the U21s (maybe through injury) for a while but was looking good in early season.  Whitehall was very highly rated but missed the best part of 3 years with injury, so maybe at 21 it has passed him by now?

Finneran (midfield) and Tyjon (striker) are both 15, so assuming they sign scholarships rather than moving elsewhere in the summer, are 2 to keep an eye out for

Thanks, that's very enlightening. Any hope for Bloxham or the two Polish lads?

[rigger]

12 hours ago, Commondore said:

Are there any other under-21s apart from Gilsenan who might be close to a place in the first team? 

Only because the standard to get in the first team squad has dropped, rather than the standard of the U21 players is good enough.

[philipl]

Great to see the under 21s putting such an impressive run together.

Finishing in the top 16 is important for Cup fixtures next season.

 

[Mattyblue]

‘Finish in the top 16!’ can be the new mantra throughout the club now they’ve quietly shelved the style of football one. 

[KentExile]

9 hours ago, Commondore said:

Thanks, that's very enlightening. Any hope for Bloxham or the two Polish lads?

Bloxham looks a hard working player, but has not played many minutes for Harrogate on loan in league 2 (Edit - Just checked, he has been brought on only once, when they were already 7-2 down away from home in a game they lost 9-2). That being said, he is only 18.  For me it seemed very odd to loan him out and not Gilsenan (unless there was a plan to play Gilsenan in our first team )

Nsangou looks more promising than Biniek (who is a year older than Nsangou) for me, but whilst Nsangou did look quite prolific at U18 level, he has not really brought that into the U21s yet.   That being said, he is only 18 so has time to adapt and step up

Edited February 21 by KentExile

[hollowsr]

Tyjon scores 2 for England u16s

Edited February 22 by hollowsr

[arbitro]

Some good things are still happening at the Academy.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

10 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Some good things are still happening at the Academy.

 

Then we give them away unfortunately.

[Paul Mellelieu]

4 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Then we give them away unfortunately.

We don't give them away; we have no choice with young players if they decide to go to bigger clubs.

[Lancaster Rover]

How's Weston doing? Always thought he looked a really tidy and composed player.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

We don't give them away; we have no choice with young players if they decide to go to bigger clubs.

You mean like Wharton ?

[joey_big_nose]

Igor Tyjon is a cracking name - sounds like he could be besieging somewhere in Game of Thrones. 

The one part of Rovers that continues to be excellent is the academy - I hope we do everything to protect it from the ongoing madness at the club.

[bluebruce]

3 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

You mean like Wharton ?

I'm not sure we can consider a club record 22 million fee to be giving away.

[KentExile]

Hilton gone on loan to Macclesfield for the rest of the season (Where Robbie Savage is their Director of Football)

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/february/23/joe-joins-macclesfield-on-loan/

Strangely they will be going head to head with Hyde (who have Eastham in goal for them for the rest of the season) for a play off spot/promotion, and Marine who had yet another of our keepers on loan earlier in the season (Goddard) before he was injured (Saadi also had a spell at Marine earlier this season)

https://www.thenpl.co.uk/match-info/tables

Former Rover Willem Tomlinson also in the promotion race there, he is currently at runaway leaders Radcliffe 

Edited February 23 by KentExile