Exciting Youth

[PIW]

I think there is a lot of confusion, unfairly for our players, as to what ios expected from teh youth system. just getting one or two in or around the first-team is a massive achievement itself. Forget about Little, Giddie, Sid etc as they were just great players who came through. Every club can be lucky to have them. A youth set-up is primarily designed to get the best out of the players that you have. I think ours is outstounding for how many players stand-out at resevre level and look to get into the first-team.

As has been said playing first-team football in the highest division in England is no mean feat. If one or two can survive at that level then you're incredibly fortunate. Of the current bunch we have a few that can play there. Albrighton, Clark, Bannan, Herd etc. Those that can play at the top level, stay there and push on to have a career at the top level is even rarer - Whittingham, Froggatt, Luke Moore.

So, we have to be sensible and clear-headed when we assess our kids and what we expect. I have seen nothing of the Gardner's, Grealish's etc etc to comment but of the ones in and around the fist team i think Clark is the only one i'd expect to stay and build a big career at Villa or elsewhere. Albrighton has an outside chance but not only are youngsters inconsistent but so are wingers. he needs to add a bit nmore to his game before he can be a valuable part of the team. Bannan I expect to have a career at Rangers. Lichaj, Herd will be lower league. Delfouneso will be on the Stefan Moore trail I fear.

[quizme]

Maybe, maybe when the season starts in 2013/2014 the kids will be ready to fly and we could line up team like this:

Given

new RB ? new CB? new CB? new LB?

Herd, Clark

Albrighton/N´Zogbia/Bannan - Gardner - Agbonlahor

Bent/new striker

If we could put together an experienced back 5, I´d really look forward to that team in a couple of years.

[PIW]

Maybe, maybe when the season starts in 2013/2014 the kids will be ready to fly and we could line up team like this:

Given

new RB ? new CB? new CB? new LB?

Herd, Clark

Albrighton/N´Zogbia/Bannan - Gardner - Agbonlahor

Bent/new striker

If we could put together an experienced back 5, I´d really look forward to that team in a couple of years.

Unless the new back four contains players like Alves, Puyol, Piquet, and Sergio Ramos that team would keep us in the hunt for mediocrity every season.

[quizme]

Ok, so I see you know exactly how these players WILL develop. Interesting.

[PIW]

Yeah, its not that difficult. I raise you your 'honest guv these will be great' and play my 'we need better players anyway' card.

[VillaRoy]

but when was the last time one of our youth players sent us home drooling.

Marc Albrighton on a few occasions, West Ham start of last season being one of them, an outstanding performance. 2-2 draw vs Man United, another awesome performance.

Gabby Agbonlahor another youth product, many times this season he has been our best player in games.

Ciaran Clark vs Man City at home was another top performance. Good vs Chelsea last season too.

I think our youth system is superb at this moment. Chris Herd is looking a good ball winning midfielder this season. Athletic, full of energy. He is progressing fast this year.

Fonz and Weimann already decent, have potential to get better, but will have careers that see the championship as their lowest destination I'd say.

Barry Bannan would get into a fair few Premier League teams right now, can still improve. Playing well at national team level, could be important for us.

Gary Gardner, we'll wait and see, but I think this lad could be a star in the making.

Young Nathan Baker is doing very well on loan at Millwall, instantly improving their troubled defense. Now starting to get capped at England U-21 level.

Then we got a group of promising youngsters that are storming that NextGen series. Jack Grealish, Jordan Graham, Daniel Johnson, Derrick Williams, Benji Siegrist (man of the tournament at U17's World Cup with Switzerland) and Samir Curruthers all look to have decent futures, some may break into our first team like the names mentioned above have.

You'll struggle to find a better youth system in the UK better than ours. Granted Barca's is in a league of its own.

[VillaRoy]

Well if you compare them to players of the same age in the division you will find there are only about three or four who get people drooling, and most of them were signed for big money.

Comparing them to players in their age group in the UK I'd say there are only a couple of standouts. They are:-

Sturridge

Jones

Smalling

Wilshere

Walker

Surprise, surprise they all play for a top four team pretty much. You then look at players such as Henderson, Carroll, Welbeck, Rodwell and Gibbs and they are all extremely inconsistent too.

Just because they aren't top class doesn't mean they're good enough. Milner was extremely inconsistent for us under DOL yet we ended up selling him for massive money several years later. You could say the same thing about Ashley Young who was inconsistent in his first PL season at Watford.

Spot on there, and Sturridge started off his youth career at Villa. Only Wilshere came through the respected clubs youth systems mentioned in the 5.

I'd image the value of our youth players as they are now would be quite high if other teams came in for them.

In the current market, lets say we sold Albrighton, we'd get a good £7-£10m I'd say. Bannan and Clark would probably command a similar fee. These are decent players already, that have plenty of room to improve.

[TRO]

but when was the last time one of our youth players sent us home drooling.

Marc Albrighton on a few occasions, West Ham start of last season being one of them, an outstanding performance. 2-2 draw vs Man United, another awesome performance.

Gabby Agbonlahor another youth product, many times this season he has been our best player in games.

Ciaran Clark vs Man City at home was another top performance. Good vs Chelsea last season too.

I think our youth system is superb at this moment. Chris Herd is looking a good ball winning midfielder this season. Athletic, full of energy. He is progressing fast this year.

Fonz and Weimann already decent, have potential to get better, but will have careers that see the championship as their lowest destination I'd say.

Barry Bannan would get into a fair few Premier League teams right now, can still improve. Playing well at national team level, could be important for us.

Gary Gardner, we'll wait and see, but I think this lad could be a star in the making.

Young Nathan Baker is doing very well on loan at Millwall, instantly improving their troubled defense. Now starting to get capped at England U-21 level.

Then we got a group of promising youngsters that are storming that NextGen series. Jack Grealish, Jordan Graham, Daniel Johnson, Derrick Williams, Benji Siegrist (man of the tournament at U17's World Cup with Switzerland) and Samir Curruthers all look to have decent futures, some may break into our first team like the names mentioned above have.

You'll struggle to find a better youth system in the UK better than ours. Granted Barca's is in a league of its own.

You mention lots of players and only Gabby is an established first team player....you are living on hope and I'm with you on that, but thats all it is.

We are looking for players who will make a major impact on our team not make the numbers up.....I'm sorry, but i don't share your optimism.

As for the title of one of the best Youth systems in the country, I think that is a tad complimentary..... when we are producing stars on a regular basis, then i will agree with you.

We are actullay producing players that are making a lving in the game at a reasonable level..... there is a difference.If by doing that you label us one of the best Youth teams in the country, then my standards are pretty high, because I don't see it.

[VillanousOne]

One of the issues is we have some good youth players involved in the team and coming through but the issue is most teams with youth players shining have a team that don't need those youth players, i.e. in many cases using the younger players are a luxury they can afford to play from time to time, there is little pressure for those players to come in and instantly succeed and form that team's backbone. Teams like Arsenal, Manure, Chelsea etc have the quality in the team that can carry the naivety and inexperience of a youth player, or let them develop on loan at a lesser team in the same league (hmm like us). At present we are using youth players due to injury or because our experienced players are not performing and we put a hell of a lot of pressure on them and none of them get a run in the team. Herd and Delph have had the most games but there is nothing to suggest they will stay in the side and Delph has been dropped already, Bannan, Delf and Clark are utility players who 'fill in' none have the class to be automatic starters and none would walk into an other Prem side.

We've not seen Gardener or Johnson yet or much of the next wave - but as far as i can see the last wave of youth players hasn't really shown anything to make me think they will be players that form the foundation of our future.

[DeepDish]

but when was the last time one of our youth players sent us home drooling.

Marc Albrighton on a few occasions, West Ham start of last season being one of them, an outstanding performance. 2-2 draw vs Man United, another awesome performance.

Gabby Agbonlahor another youth product, many times this season he has been our best player in games.

Ciaran Clark vs Man City at home was another top performance. Good vs Chelsea last season too.

I think our youth system is superb at this moment. Chris Herd is looking a good ball winning midfielder this season. Athletic, full of energy. He is progressing fast this year.

Fonz and Weimann already decent, have potential to get better, but will have careers that see the championship as their lowest destination I'd say.

Barry Bannan would get into a fair few Premier League teams right now, can still improve. Playing well at national team level, could be important for us.

Gary Gardner, we'll wait and see, but I think this lad could be a star in the making.

Young Nathan Baker is doing very well on loan at Millwall, instantly improving their troubled defense. Now starting to get capped at England U-21 level.

Then we got a group of promising youngsters that are storming that NextGen series. Jack Grealish, Jordan Graham, Daniel Johnson, Derrick Williams, Benji Siegrist (man of the tournament at U17's World Cup with Switzerland) and Samir Curruthers all look to have decent futures, some may break into our first team like the names mentioned above have.

You'll struggle to find a better youth system in the UK better than ours. Granted Barca's is in a league of its own.

You mention lots of players and only Gabby is an established first team player....you are living on hope and I'm with you on that, but thats all it is.

We are looking for players who will make a major impact on our team not make the numbers up.....I'm sorry, but i don't share your optimism.

As for the title of one of the best Youth systems in the country, I think that is a tad complimentary..... when we are producing stars on a regular basis, then i will agree with you.

We are actullay producing players that are making a lving in the game at a reasonable level..... there is a difference.If by doing that you label us one of the best Youth teams in the country, then my standards are pretty high, because I don't see it.

I think there has been too much focus on the reserve team and U18 team rather than producint top class players and develop them individually.

Look at Spurs, how they have decided to send their young players out on loan at different levels as they develop instead of having a reserve team. Example is Kyle Walker, who started on loan back at Sheffield Und, then progressed to QPR before making the progress to PL at Aston Villa.

Another example is Kyle Naughton, who was on loan at Middlesbrough, then Leicester and now Norwich.

This is the way to make the young talents ready for the premiership. A plan for every player. Instead of playing great football as a team in the reserve league.

[keefa3011]

There's definitely something the club are not getting quite right in the 'finishing' (mental, not goalscoring) school of the academy. For seemingly years now people outside the Villa have talked in glowing terms of our academy and how there are some proper players going to be coming through soon, but have they ever materialised? No (Gabby and Cahill apart).

Do we choose the wrong loan moves for our young players? As great as Kevin MacDonald has done with the reserves, is he causing a problem with the mental development of our kids when they reach reserves level? Do we sacrifice technique and possession football for a more typically British physical game in the academy, which in turn distorts the results we see from them up until they reach first team level?

I don't see anything of our reserves or academy so I don't know, but there seems to be some kind of snag in the system that prevents the lads taking the next step into becoming decent Premier League players.

[AndyBM]

i still believe that a team should never field more than 2 youths at a time, 3 on the very odd occasion, its suicidal, no matter how good they are

albrighton id like to see as a regular right winger, make that sport his, hes still got way far to go before he thinks hes made it mind

clark id like to see developed into a solid centre back, no moving about, not a jack of all trades, but a master of one

same goes for herd, but as a defensive midfielder, weve never really produced a solid DM, we either produce average strikers like richard walker or stefan moore, or weedy full backs

[keefa3011]

Richard Walker, now there's a blast from the past!

I spent many an hour on Champ Manager trying to make him a Villa legend. Never managed it though

[AndyBM]

the first player i used to release, nobody want him

[VillaAlex]

There's definitely something the club are not getting quite right in the 'finishing' (mental, not goalscoring) school of the academy. For seemingly years now people outside the Villa have talked in glowing terms of our academy and how there are some proper players going to be coming through soon, but have they ever materialised? No (Gabby and Cahill apart).

Do we choose the wrong loan moves for our young players? As great as Kevin MacDonald has done with the reserves, is he causing a problem with the mental development of our kids when they reach reserves level? Do we sacrifice technique and possession football for a more typically British physical game in the academy, which in turn distorts the results we see from them up until they reach first team level?

I don't see anything of our reserves or academy so I don't know, but there seems to be some kind of snag in the system that prevents the lads taking the next step into becoming decent Premier League players.

Our reserve and youth sides have always been one of the more technical set of players who look to player football.

Teams like Chelsea on the other hand have a lot of physically dominant players.

Experience is key and it is no coincidence that two if our better youth products went out on loan and are now having good careers. (Gabby and Cahill).

[Ginko]

Our reserve and youth sides have always been one of the more technical set of players who look to player football.

Teams like Chelsea on the other hand have a lot of physically dominant players.

Experience is key and it is no coincidence that two if our better youth products went out on loan and are now having good careers. (Gabby and Cahill).

Interesting, if this is true then it would certainly explain why perhaps our youth team players have never really settled in and earned a consistant place in the starting line-up.

We haven't been a technical team for a long time now, Houllier tried it which is probably why a lot of the youth team players were quite positive to his training and approach.

[Zatman]

no thread for him but Elliot Parish joined Cardiff permanently

[quizme]

Here is something for SGC...

We are giving a trial to a 12-year old ( :shock: ) swedish kid, Linus Brunzell from Norrstrands FF. He will train for a week and play a practice game against Liverpool.

[AVFCforever1991]

Here is something for SGC...

We are giving a trial to a 12-year old ( :shock: ) swedish kid, Linus Brunzell from Norrstrands FF. He will train for a week and play a practice game against Liverpool.

great he should be ready for the everton game on sunday in the year 2020 :/

[brummybloke]

this is pretty much the thing which gives me any kind of positivity, the youngsters dont get to go anywhere near the GC, they have good, honest reliable sensible coaches and trainers, showing the boys how to play the game to their strengths and also how the game should be played.

players like gardener, carruthers, johnson , the problem is they need to be getting into the first 18 and most dont get the chance as the places are being taken up with people like heskey and hutton who are getting 10 times the wage at least

at least if they play a couple times in the first team they will still be under the same coaches and no where near the first team coaches who will try and beat the skill out of them.

im proud of our youth /reserve set up