thejoker Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Bit of an anti climax to the defence of our trophy. A much changed team to last year though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 I know it's greedy, but I feel sad about that, I really think even though the team is significantly changed, that we have the quality to have gone further. Bogarde, Feeney and Chrisene is particular stood out, and Shakpoke looked really good when he came on, shame he wasn't either given, or able to play, more minutes. Slightly disappointed that Reddin and Sewell didn't look very sharp. Anyway, onwards and upwards. Look forward to another try next season, and in the meantime we need to keep up the excellent recruitment that has made these expectations plausible. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWARLEY2 Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 We had a mega team last year with quality in maybe 8 positions. This year theres quality in 4 positions . Feeney and Bogarde where the 2 best Villa players . They have a real chance . Kind of Rolls Royces as they never look hurried. And the little Cameo from Shakpoke showed theres a player there. He has been devastated by injuries this past 18 months but he is far more skillful than i imagined he would be . Lovely balance and awareness. Overall the better team did win. We just did not have enough quality to go with our pressure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Follyfoot Posted December 7, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted December 7, 2021 The first 20 minutes I thought we were absolutely stunning. That number 10 teddy was everywhere. As his influence lessened So did our penetration. Still a good watch and deserved least extra time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 That's a real shame. I know we've lost all the quality from last year but I thought we'd signed highly rated replacements. Not a great defence of the trophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 (edited) Disappointing to lose and we actually played better than I expected, on another day the game could have gone a different way, we just lacked the final ball in the final third, but truth be told we were never going to win the whole thing again... outside of the back four and Bogarde, the rest of today's team were all second year scholars who we still haven't promoted to the U23s when usually when we rate players we promote them the U23s when they're still first year scholars, see most of the FA Youth Cup winning team, and Feeney this season, Patterson and Kadan Young already played for the U23s as fifteen year olds, not even old enough for a scholarship yet. I guess what I'm trying to say is as good as our academy has become and we have many good players, we also have a group that we probably don't rate as highly, to be fair a number of them have had very bad luck with injuries, so I think we'll give them more time, and who knows maybe some of them can become late bloomers like Raikhy and Brad Young. Pretty much impossible to have a team as good as last season's every season, no academy brings through that many good players and has them play so well as a team every year. I think the good news is that we seem to have a number of highly rated players in our lower age groups, a number of them getting recognition at international level which is always a good sign, and of course we will continue to sign players, so I think in another season or so we will have a stronger team to play in this competition. Edited December 7, 2021 by useless 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 One big plus was seeing Shakpoke return from injury and how good he looked as a player, I'm guessing he wasn't ready to do so, but if had have played from the start it might have been a different result, if he can stay fit I don't think it will be long before we see him playing for the U23s. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted December 7, 2021 Moderator Share Posted December 7, 2021 Did anyone see what Shakpoke was sent off for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 (edited) Just looked it up and he received a second yellow card on the final whistle for his protestations to the referee. Presumably he gets a one game suspension as a result, so in theory would miss the small heat game on the 18th, but if the suspension only applies to U18 games he could potentially be involved for the U23s against Sunderland on the 17th, or on the othe hand if the suspension applies to all levels of academy football, he can serve it when the U23s play on the 17th, and still be available to play small heath on the 18th. Edited December 7, 2021 by useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted December 8, 2021 Moderator Share Posted December 8, 2021 I have a feeling he might get more than that for refusing to leave the field - he was certainly really fired up at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 i didn't see the very end as I turned off after Leicester scored their second goal. Will be a shame for him to now miss more games through suspension after only just coming back from six months out injured. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted December 8, 2021 Moderator Share Posted December 8, 2021 10 hours ago, useless said: i didn't see the very end as I turned off after Leicester scored their second goal. Will be a shame for him to now miss more games through suspension after only just coming back from six months out injured. Absolutely agree, I'd hope circumstance is taken into account, these are young footballers and young men and they don't need excessive formal disciplinary punishments - a one match ban and and a very firm word from some of the academy staff will more than do the trick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 U15s beat small heath 3-0 in the Floodlit cup, top of the group, having beat small heath twice, Albion once, and drawn with Leicester. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted December 9, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted December 9, 2021 28 minutes ago, useless said: U15s beat small heath 3-0 in the Floodlit cup, top of the group, having beat small heath twice, Albion once, and drawn with Leicester. Don't know much about the u15s. You were saying a few were getting international games, any of particular interest even at this early age? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWARLEY2 Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 2 hours ago, Nigel said: Don't know much about the u15s. You were saying a few were getting international games, any of particular interest even at this early age? Is this Cole Ramseys age group ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 When saying we've got younger players getting international recognition I was really referring to the likes of, Sam Lewis, Jayden Barber, Kadan Young, Travis Patterson, rather than U15s, but they will all be elligible for the FA Youth Cup for another another couple of years, even Josh Feeney can still play next season, as will Burchall, who when he came on the other day was making his first appearance after being out for ten weeks, so we probably didn't get to see anywhere near the best of him. U16s and anything below I don't know much about, other than sometimes seeing the resuts, I know the U15s are doing well in the Floodlit Cup which is like that age group's version of the FA Youth Cup. Players from lower age groups getting international call ups are never officially confirmed, but I know the likes of Proctor, Hammond, Triston Rowe, Ashton McWilliams, have all been with England U15s recently, and apparently a player called Max Lott, and there are few others that are being talked about as being on the periphery of a call up, Cole Ramsey being one of them, but I've no idea how good he actually is. I think the club are putting in place a lot of things to makes sure we start bringing in through better youngsters, better scouting, making the academy more attractive so that players and their parents want to come to us, initiatives with local schools, satalite academies around the country, the inner city academy, and so on. As well as all that we will continue to sign players that we rate from other clubs, I know the athletic said we've got ambitious plans in that regard when they reported the Thierry Katsukunya signing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted December 9, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted December 9, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, MWARLEY2 said: Is this Cole Ramseys age group ? I have no idea...i wast on about the u15s specifically but rather the next generation. Useless answered the question I was getting at below it. Always good to hear of the younger kids although I realise its much more hit and miss. Edited December 9, 2021 by Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 Good Finley Munroe goal from the weekend, not sure who we played or the score, I think it was friendly organized because of there being no league or cup games for the U18s or U23s. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted December 18, 2021 Moderator Share Posted December 18, 2021 1-0 up against small heath at half time in the U18 derby game, Reddin with the goal. Amazingly five or six of the players who were in Sunderland last night have got back and played this morning - that's a decent effort by the club - they'll not have got back to Bodymoor until about midnight, then they'd have to get home, sleep, get up and be back at Bodymoor for about 10:30 this morning at the very latest. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted December 18, 2021 Moderator Share Posted December 18, 2021 Finished 1-1, not sure what happened in the second half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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