Academy & U21s

[bluebruce]

Well we're 2-0 down so it's not going well.

[bluebruce]

A real shame to be pretty much battering all comers of all levels in preseason, then the first league game is going like this. Stats look similarly one sided, but hopefully second half we get back into it. Probably missing Tyjon.

[Oldgregg86]

Anywhere I can catch the second half

[rigger]

23 minutes ago, philipl said:

U 21 Adam Wharton playing for Palace?

 

Shit-stirrer

[bluebruce]

Stritch puts us back in it, 1-2 now.

We have a stunningly low 18% possession.

[bluebruce]

Well, got spanked 7-2.

[unleaded]

We looked so poor full of midgets running around after palaces giants … should have been double figures .. new goalkeeper from Everton is so poor …Hilton also was casted off from the same club … Ben Benson needs replacing cause he keeps buying crap & coaching even worse …..

French lad must be thinking what he’s walked into ….. Powers that be need to look into the youth Setup cause this year is going to be a long one from the first 2 games …. 

 

[Forever Blue]

 Not a great result but Palace scored 3 of their goals in injury time. 
 

Palace will also have vastly superior resources even at that level. 
 

The ambition for our U21s is to produce players for the  Championship. 

[arbitro]

Palace were just too good for us all over the pitch. They were bigger, stronger and quicker and this was the main difference I thought. Aside from a 15 minute spell at the start of the second half we were never in it. I fully concur with unleaded about the new keeper. In my opinion he is a downgrade on anything we have, whoever decided to give him a contract needs to look at himself. He is a liability. Mafoumbi just didn't get into the game and it was no surprise when he was substituted at half time. The three half time changes gave us a glimmer of hope and we scored soon after half time but Palace rode our pressure and assumed control and were comfortable winners in the end.

It's going be a long season I fear for us at this level. There are quite a few of last seasons under 18's in the squad but they will have to learn quickly if we are to compete.

[KentExile]

4 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Palace were just too good for us all over the pitch. They were bigger, stronger and quicker and this was the main difference I thought. Aside from a 15 minute spell at the start of the second half we were never in it. I fully concur with unleaded about the new keeper. In my opinion he is a downgrade on anything we have, whoever decided to give him a contract needs to look at himself. He is a liability. Mafoumbi just didn't get into the game and it was no surprise when he was substituted at half time. The three half time changes gave us a glimmer of hope and we scored soon after half time but Palace rode our pressure and assumed control and were comfortable winners in the end.

It's going be a long season I fear for us at this level. There are quite a few of last seasons under 18's in the squad but they will have to learn quickly if we are to compete.

It was fairly similar the last 2 seasons too, 18 year olds promoted to U21s (possibly even more this season given the number of outgoing loans) at the beginning of the season, who struggled up until xmas, but then did fairly well for the second half of the season

[bluebruce]

Anybody got a good explanation (apart from it being preseason) of why we were annihilating everybody in preseason and now it's reversed? Are we now putting more u18s in the u21s now, or are other teams putting players they used for first team preseason back into their kids teams?

[bigsigarner]

15 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Palace were just too good for us all over the pitch. They were bigger, stronger and quicker and this was the main difference I thought. Aside from a 15 minute spell at the start of the second half we were never in it. I fully concur with unleaded about the new keeper. In my opinion he is a downgrade on anything we have, whoever decided to give him a contract needs to look at himself. He is a liability. Mafoumbi just didn't get into the game and it was no surprise when he was substituted at half time. The three half time changes gave us a glimmer of hope and we scored soon after half time but Palace rode our pressure and assumed control and were comfortable winners in the end.

It's going be a long season I fear for us at this level. There are quite a few of last seasons under 18's in the squad but they will have to learn quickly if we are to compete.

Ben Benson is a liability. With us being away i went to Clitheroe last Saturday in the FA cup and there was a young lad on loan from us who played brilliant. Was about 6ft 5 and 18 yet we are playing older keepers like Eastham and this new lad in the u21s. Surely you should be playing mens football at 22/23? 

[rigger]

5 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Anybody got a good explanation (apart from it being preseason) of why we were annihilating everybody in preseason and now it's reversed? Are we now putting more u18s in the u21s now, or are other teams putting players they used for first team preseason back into their kids teams?

Nine subs for the first team

[Parsonblue]

Totally outclassed today by a Palace outfit that was so much better in every department.  Palace had lads who were big, strong but also technically good.  Worryingly, the three players brought in over the summer failed to make any impression.  Mafoumbi, in fairness, had no service and was unable to get into the game against a strong Palace defence.  Doherty, made no impression on the wing but it's early days for both and hopefully they'll settle in time - but today will have done little in terms of building their confidence.  Barrett looks very poor indeed.  Eastham looks a far superior 'keeper and yet he seems to be the one on the way out.  I really don't understand that one.

Once again, Jake Batty had a really indifferent game and I'd be concerned if was regarded as back up to Pickering.  Jake would be better going out on loan and try to find the form his showed a couple of years ago.

On the plus side, Stritch scored a cracking goal and Bloxham looks to have a bit about him.  

As others have said, it looks like it's going to be a long, hard season for the Under-21's on the evidence of the first two League games. 

[KentExile]

22 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Anybody got a good explanation (apart from it being preseason) of why we were annihilating everybody in preseason and now it's reversed? Are we now putting more u18s in the u21s now, or are other teams putting players they used for first team preseason back into their kids teams?

Most of the pre season team is away on loan (Acheson, Michalski, Wood, Montgomery) or injured (Olsen, Tijon)

I am sure I am probably missing one or 2 (edit - Boggan)

Edited August 23 by KentExile

[bluebruce]

44 minutes ago, rigger said:

Nine subs for the first team

Could be. But weren't there even more than that during preseason?

[bluebruce]

31 minutes ago, KentExile said:

Most of the pre season team is away on loan (Acheson, Michalski, Wood, Montgomery) or injured (Olsen, Tijon)

I am sure I am probably missing one or 2 (edit - Boggan)

We did batter a side about a week ago too didn't we, after most of them were on loan? Guess that can just happen though.

[KentExile]

8 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

We did batter a side about a week ago too didn't we, after most of them were on loan? Guess that can just happen though.

Rangers last weekend

On 19/08/2024 at 19:16, arbitro said:

The scoreline doesn't really reflect the game and in truth there is a case for making Jordan Eastham the man of the match as he made several excellent saves. We were clinical in our finishing though which was the most pleasing aspect of the game. Iannis Hagi looked a class act and I asked one of the Rangers backroom staff why he wasn't in the first team. He told me that there was a fall out with the manager and also a rumour that playing one more game entitles him to a hefty pay increase. He is the type of creative player I would like to see here but Rangers would want a decent few for him. It might be worth a cheeky loan deal 😄😄.

 

[rigger]

10 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Could be. But weren't there even more than that during preseason?

During preseason, if you didn't get a game for the first eleven, you played for the U21s. today the U21s have  played first, so tomorrows bench fillers cannot play. I don't know if this is the reason, but it may be.If the first team win tomorrow I don't give a damn. 

[KentExile]

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/august/23/report--rovers-under-21s-2-7-crystal-palace-under-21s/

[riverholmes]

17 hours ago, KentExile said:

Most of the pre season team is away on loan (Acheson, Michalski, Wood, Montgomery) or injured (Olsen, Tijon)

I am sure I am probably missing one or 2 (edit - Boggan)

Have the management overstretched with these non-league loans? Time will no doubt tell but it’s seems an early concern to me as even if there is no relegation in U21s (I think), you want a competitive side for players to develop in. For one, I thought, from the outside, it was a season too early to send out Boggan, the striker. Let him prove himself at U21s, and then move out.

Edit; Not heard anything of defender, Max Davies, for a long time. Another long-term injury?

Edited August 24 by riverholmes

[KentExile]

1 hour ago, riverholmes said:

Have the management overstretched with these non-league loans? Time will no doubt tell but it’s seems an early concern to me as even if there is no relegation in U21s (I think), you want a competitive side for players to develop in. For one, I thought, from the outside, it was a season too early to send out Boggan, the striker. Let him prove himself at U21s, and then move out.

 

It could be argued that Boggan is already at/past U18 level,  he scored at hat trick v Wolves U21 in pre season, and a months loan (its a youth loan which is closer to work experience than a long term loan) away will give him a proper look at men's football so that he can look at how and what he has to work on to further develop his game

Both the U18 and U21 leagues have no relegation, so being in an environment where results matter, and spots in the team are won based on performance rather than with the aim of developing players will be a useful experience for all of these players out on loan

Edit - In fact it appears Boggan can also play for our youth teams, Davies also starting today

 

Edited August 24 by KentExile

[arbitro]

28 minutes ago, riverholmes said:

Have the management overstretched with these non-league loans? Time will no doubt tell but it’s seems an early concern to me as even if there is no relegation in U21s (I think), you want a competitive side for players to develop in. For one, I thought, from the outside, it was a season too early to send out Boggan, the striker. Let him prove himself at U21s, and then move out.

Edit; Not heard anything of defender, Max Davies, for a long time. Another long-term injury?

Max Davies played against Rangers last Monday.

[arbitro]

Our under 18's lost 5-2 at Wolves yesterday. It's been a bad couple of days for the under 23's and 18's. 

 

[KentExile]

George Pratt close to fitness and has signed a new contract

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/august/25/pratt-targets-playing-return/

 

And the U21s play Man Utd at Ewood Park on Friday for anyone interested

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2024/august/25/ticket-news--rovers-under-21s-v-manchester-united-under-21s/

Edited August 25 by KentExile