Zatman Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 1 hour ago, mikeyp102 said: Saw a stat yesterday that Wolves have played the most u21 players in the first team, taking up 16% of their premier league minutes. Villa lie 13th with 1.4% of minutes. Think they had a few injuries and started Silva a lot when Jimenez got injured Ramsey I think is the only player we have used Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallett Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 I watched the Leeds game yesterday on their youtube channel (is it even sadder to watch U23 games you know the result of?). What struck me is that as a club we need to learn from Leeds. On this thread we have talked a lot about Leeds using first team players for their U23 games but the stats don't really bear that out. The core of their group are around 18-19, if you look at the players who have played nearly every game. They have mainly used first teamers who are coming back from injury or need minutes e.g. Forshaw in the match with Villa. However, their first teamers have taken the U23 games seriously, setting a good example to the youngsters of the sort of drive which is needed if you are to become a premier league player. Some of our senior players have made gaffs in our U23 games e.g Hause with the penalty (I thought he improved as the game went on) or the soft goals Heaton let in earlier in the season. We might complain about Leeds being dirty but they showed a lot more desire to press, close down, harry and intimidate than we did. Just having talent isn't enough you have to be competitive. The gap between our U23 team and the level the player need to be at to be effective in the first team is enormous. Some of their best U23 players, Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Joe Gelhardt were brought in for large undisclosed fees (thought to be between £1m and 1.5m) last summer. We brought in players who were younger e.g. Barry, Chrisene, Bogarde and Swinkels which I think was good however as we have often discussed we are trying to make up for previous years of neglect and one of the main things is to change the existing culture where we are willing to settle for not being the best. The intensity of the Leeds U23 play was on another level from Villa's and I think that is a better learning environment for their young players than the sometimes more lackadaisical approach we seem to come to games with. We often play players out of their best position - I get that this might help with their individual development but it does affect the team's effectiveness. We also don't have a settled team. Leeds have an established core. I think it would be beneficial for us to have a real drive to get the U23 promoted to the higher division next season. The good players we all know we have got will be a year older. Maybe we should spend some money to fill in the weak spots in the team so that as a club our U23s are competing at a higher level in the following season. Anybody else got any thoughts? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 No, Leeds play first teamers in their U23s regardless of whether they're coming back from injury or not, it's the way Bielsa does things, gets their younger players used to playing with first team senior players, with the idea being that they're better ready to play with them should they be needed for the first team. Not saying that it's wrong, but it is the reason why they're so far ahead of anyone else in our division at U23 level, if you look at them at U18 level where they're not allowed to use anyone over the age of eighteen they're 12th in a thirteen team league. It sounds counterintuitive but the best academies aren't always the ones that produce the best academy teams, as it's more about producing individual players than it is a good team. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 19, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2021 Front page Leeds match stats updated. Ramsey gets into double figures for goals and this was the 2nd oldest starting 11 of the season, only behind our last match against Leeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 19, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2021 Two games today. You'd imagine home wins. 12:00 Wolves(5) v WBA(13) 19:00 Stoke(2) v Newcastle(12) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted April 19, 2021 Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2021 Not the first one. A draw in the Yam Yam derby 1-1. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 19, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2021 Just now, OutByEaster? said: Not the first one. A draw in the Yam Yam derby 1-1. Damn it, I forgot to include the derby variable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 19, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2021 That point takes West Brom temporarily off the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 20, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 20, 2021 On 19/04/2021 at 10:16, BOF said: 12:00 Wolves(5 4) 1-1 WBA(13 12) 19:00 Stoke(2) 2-1 Newcastle(12 13) Stoke are now guaranteed a playoff place. Next matches are over the next weekend and Monday, with everyone except third placed Burnley playing (they've only 1 game left) ... Take note that we are rather weirdly playing on the Sunday. Hopefully we don't play rather weirdly. Quote Friday 13:00 West Brom(12) v Stoke City(2) Sunday 14:00 Middlesbrough(5) v ASTON VILLA(9) Monday 13:00 Wolves(4) v Norwich City(11) 13:00 Sunderland(7) v Reading(8) 13:00 Fulham(10) v Leeds Utd(1) 13:00 Newcastle(13) v Crystal Palace(6) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Yesterday Google and the Middlesbrough website had us down as playing Sunday at 14:00 and the Villa website had us as playing Friday at 19:00. They're all now saying that we're playing this Friday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 21, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 21, 2021 3 hours ago, useless said: Yesterday Google and the Middlesbrough website had us down as playing Sunday at 14:00 and the Villa website had us as playing Friday at 19:00. They're all now saying that we're playing this Friday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Ahh bugger. Cheers useless. You don't live up to that username at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 23, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 23, 2021 Revised times below. As useless points out, our match is today at 3pm. Quote Friday 13:00 West Brom(12) v Stoke City(2) 15:00 Middlesbrough(5) v ASTON VILLA(9) Monday 13:00 Wolves(4) v Norwich City(11) 13:00 Sunderland(7) v Reading(8) 13:00 Fulham(10) v Leeds Utd(1) 13:00 Newcastle(13) v Crystal Palace(6) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich192 Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Any idea if it’s live anywhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 23, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 23, 2021 27 minutes ago, Rich192 said: Any idea if it’s live anywhere? Boro's preview article doesn't mention anything about coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich192 Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 1 minute ago, BOF said: Boro's preview article doesn't mention anything about coverage. Ah for **** sake. You mean I have to work instead? Boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted April 23, 2021 Author Moderator Share Posted April 23, 2021 41 minutes ago, Rich192 said: Ah for **** sake. You mean I have to work instead? Boring. Take the afternoon off. You've earned it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Despite that we can still technically get into the play-offs, I think we will probably see a much changed team today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exeter Fan Too Posted April 23, 2021 Visiting Supporter Share Posted April 23, 2021 On 18/04/2021 at 07:39, mallett said: .... I think it would be beneficial for us to have a real drive to get the U23 promoted to the higher division next season. The good players we all know we have got will be a year older. Maybe we should spend some money to fill in the weak spots in the team so that as a club our U23s are competing at a higher level in the following season. Anybody else got any thoughts? Really good post by Mallett. I think the U23s should aim to get promoted when they are good enough rather than by buying players for the U23s. (merit, winning games, rather than spending money, to get promoted - an idea for the greedy six to copy, possibly). Fine if the players signed are intended for the first team, or if the general improvement of the first team squad strengthens the U23s. But otherwise , as Mallett points out, the U23s should get better as they get older. So sign players if they might make it, but not just to strengthen the U23s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 3 minutes ago, useless said: Are the Trialist's related? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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