29 Jul 2015 13:57:11
Despite all the arguments for and against buying new players vs youth the thing that grates me is that many were not given a fair chance.
Liverpool in recent years have had numerous promising young players and many more than many other teams.
It is undoubtedly not easy to bring kids through, but spending money we don't have is in the long term suicidal for the club.
For Liverpool to be successful in the future a good youth system should not just be desirable but an imperative.
How ironic then that thanks to Benitez, Borrell and Segura we now have it, and yet it is being criminally squandered.
Buying players is part and parcel of football, but give the youngsters a chance to prove themselves first.
Will this situation improve in future? who knows, but one truth about the world is that stupid is everywhere, everyday, and you can't fix stupid. As you can probably tell I'm not optimistic.
29 Jul 2015 14:30:28
I disagree with you. You are optimistic. It is in the interests of our club that you point out the areas that you see we should change/improve. Some people never complain no matter what. Some people always complain no matter what. Then there are those in the middle, which I would class as the best type of fan.
29 Jul 2015 15:52:13
Good post mate.
29 Jul 2015 19:56:03
Great post, Spank! I have echoed your thoughts many times on this issue of youth.
30 Jul 2015 09:21:57
So to be given a chance you have to play a certain arbitrary number of competitive games?
These players are given a chance to impress in youth/reserve games. The ones who have a chance generally shine at that level. If they don't, they are very unlikely to make it. Give the coaches some credit, if the player has a chance they can generally tell.
How many former LFC reserve/youth players have been let go only to go on and star for another top club?
I can't think of one.
{Ed001's Note - the same old nonsense argument. If a player isn't given a chance at the right time, even the best will usually fail. Rush was woeful for years, never stood out in the reserves or at first team level, resulting in Liverpool losing the services of its greatest ever scout, Geoff Twentyman. A more recent example was Harry Kane, who was not highly rated at all in youth football, nor when he got loan spells away from Spurs. He was given his chance anyway, as Spurs had little in the way of options, and he grew into the role after a shaky start. You simply can not tell for sure until players are given a good run of games.}
30 Jul 2015 10:02:16
I still can think of any of our youth/reserve players who have been let go by us and then excelled at another top club or even a half decent club. Surely that speaks for itself. If they are good enough and let go then they will surely make a go of it in a less competitive environment.
{Ed001's Note - no it doesn't! Will people stop this crap. It means nothing unless the player has left at a very young age and then flopped. When they are leaving in their 20s, they have wasted the prime development years with us in the U21s watching the first team from the sidelines. To really develop they need to be playing in the first team. If they leave at 17 and then fail, that is different. By the way Coady is doing well, he had an excellent season at Huddersfield Town last time out and that led to Wolves buying him this summer.}
30 Jul 2015 10:58:41
So if a kid doesn't make the first team by the time they're 20 we might as well let them go? Doesn't sound right to me.
{Ed001's Note - is that what I said? Or are you just making things up in your head? I am saying it is stilting their progression by not giving them first team football, either with us or on loan, so that you can't judge them properly. I did not say anything about letting them go did I?}
30 Jul 2015 23:34:16
Ron, your argument has no basis in fact or reality and frankly, makes no sense. You and other posters like Muscatred seem bent on defending BR's incompetence or inability to play our youth with such baseless excuses just makes you sound desperate. Did you even know that your golden boy doesn't even go to the youth games to watch the boys play? That's because he does NOT, per Ed02. so ask yourself, how can you know if a player is good enuff if you don't watch him closely to see if he can maybe hack it? Don't answer that because like Muscat, you'll prolly have an excuse for that. Had KK done that, how do think he would have given Flanno and Raheem their chances for the results and successes they have shown (if you think BR gave them their debuts then you are fooling yourself because like your excuses, they would have no basis in fact)? The only way you will get success with youth is to play them, hang on on those you believe will make it and fight for them, all the things BR lacks nor is unwilling to do, and I can name examples for days. However, your reason is nonsense and no coach or expert will ever agree with you. I played the game for 25 years of my life at every level but the pros and I was lucky enough with ex pros, coaches and club academy players and in all those years of discussions with them, NEVER have I heard such garbage to explain why youth players should not be played.