Do you think there are any U23 squad players ready to be involved with the first team.
I know Dennis and Luca have been around the squad, are there any others who could be involved this season??
Tayo Edun perhaps (1000th post! 049:gif)
Humphreys
I think all players have potential until they hit the point of decline through age. It's just some young players never realise it or just cannot make it happen for them.
My youngster to watch is Josh Smile.
Quote from: toshes mate on June 22, 2017, 07:48:23 AM
I think all players have potential until they hit the point of decline through age. It's just some young players never realise it or just cannot make it happen for them.
My youngster to watch is Josh Smile.
Josh was released this season.
Quote from: razor05 on June 22, 2017, 09:23:42 AM
Quote from: toshes mate on June 22, 2017, 07:48:23 AM
I think all players have potential until they hit the point of decline through age. It's just some young players never realise it or just cannot make it happen for them.
My youngster to watch is Josh Smile.
Josh was released this season.
I think my second sentence answers that point.
Quote from: razor05 on June 22, 2017, 09:23:42 AM
Quote from: toshes mate on June 22, 2017, 07:48:23 AM
I think all players have potential until they hit the point of decline through age. It's just some young players never realise it or just cannot make it happen for them.
My youngster to watch is Josh Smile.
Josh was released this season.
Never did think Josh was good enough to make it at Fulham.
Apologies for bringing such an old topic "back from the dead", but didn't want to create a new one on the U23s.
It all started as having a quiet night at home, I remembered Aron Davies - it's probably the wine! I never saw him play, but had read very good things about him on this forum and there were a lot of people that believed he could make the jump to the first team. There are some (very old) threads that mention how cultured and composed he looked (he was a centre back) and how he liked to play out of defence. I don't remember him ever playing for the first team and he ended up going to Maidenhead in the National League last summer, where he has played mostly as a defensive midfielder.
To those that have seen him play, was he not good enough to be a part of the first team? I know him being in the National League probably answers the question, but it got me thinking. Are the teams and eventually the fans looking for the next big thing, the next wonderkid? Don't we have the patience to nurture someone to be a backup or a useful player and not a superstar or simply it's not worth the effort and perhaps the money?
This is one of the things that disappointed me a bit this year: I would have expected that being in the Championship we would give more chances to some players from the U23. I understand this is very difficult to happen in the Premier League where the stakes are higher and perhaps it was still difficult for us this year with automatic promotion being the target. Still, I can't help thinking that I would have liked to see more of O'Riley and de la Torre this year instead of Arter and Kebano. I know Kebano has come good in the last few games, but he rarely played until the season resumed. Also, not criticizing Arter, just thinking that McDonald and O'Riley could have taken his minutes and this would have saved us some money for his loan fee and salary and would have provided more experience for O'Riley and perhaps the chance to sign a new contract with us.
If the unthinkable happens and we play in the Championship next season, would you like to see a couple of youngsters being more involved with the first team and get some actual time? I know O'Riley is leaving, but are Francois and Ben Davis good enough for a few games in this level? And how about Opoku as a backup CB/LB, especially if Odoi's contract is not renewed?
Is Marlon Fossey still with us?
Quote from: davew on July 24, 2020, 11:15:42 PM
Is Marlon Fossey still with us?
According to transfermarkt, his contract expires this summer but we have the option to extend it for an additional year.
Most of our youngsters have one year contracts, I would prefer to give players a go on longer contracts like Kamara. If like a Steven Sessegnon, they sign a long contract then give them game time.
Besides three players (Onamah, Hector and Sessegnon) got from the under 23s to the first team, so it is possible.
Quote from: The Rational Fan on July 25, 2020, 06:24:26 AM
Most of our youngsters have one year contracts, I would prefer to give players a go on longer contracts like Kamara. If like a Steven Sessegnon, they sign a long contract then give them game time.
Besides three players (Onamah, Hector and Sessegnon) got from the under 23s to the first team, so it is possible.
Hector and Onomah was acquired as first team players, and have nothing to do with this topic whatsoever. Steven Sessegnon and Rodak are the examples this year, even if they had different paths. If we are talking straight from the U23s without much first team experience it is only Steven, with cameos for Jasper and O'Riley.
Quote from: Sting of the North on July 25, 2020, 07:33:18 AM
Quote from: The Rational Fan on July 25, 2020, 06:24:26 AM
Most of our youngsters have one year contracts, I would prefer to give players a go on longer contracts like Kamara. If like a Steven Sessegnon, they sign a long contract then give them game time.
Besides three players (Onamah, Hector and Sessegnon) got from the under 23s to the first team, so it is possible.
Hector and Onomah was acquired as first team players, and have nothing to do with this topic whatsoever. Steven Sessegnon and Rodak are the examples this year, even if they had different paths. If we are talking straight from the U23s without much first team experience it is only Steven, with cameos for Jasper and O'Riley.
I'd chuck De La Torre in there as well, a player I always wanted to see a lot more of but never quit made it past the fringes. Plus Onomah walked right into his position as our young CM/AM so DLT will surely move on. Shame as he showed moments of class I thought and was a good link to our American fan base.
Stansfield.
Parker has two teams of big money buys available to him for team selection. Every championship game is tight and a lot of them six pointers. We have been in a promotion race where every point counts, indeed every goal can count, just ask Forrest.
Under these circumstances only youngsters with extreme ability are going to be given valuable game time, it is going to be similar next season whether we are fighting against premier league relegation or looking for championship promotion . The best chance for a Fulham youngster is a loan deal with a lower club.
Quote from: filham on July 25, 2020, 10:23:18 AM
Parker has two teams of big money buys available to him for team selection. Every championship game is tight and a lot of them six pointers. We have been in a promotion race where every point counts, indeed every goal can count, just ask Forrest.
Under these circumstances only youngsters with extreme ability are going to be given valuable game time, it is going to be similar next season whether we are fighting against premier league relegation or looking for championship promotion . The best chance for a Fulham youngster is a loan deal with a lower club.
If they're good enough then thats it, bring them in whether they're 16 years old or 40. It doesn't matter what game, what league, teams, especially Fulham, should be producing more 1st team players from the younger age groups. For example, If Stansfield is good enough and Mitro and AK are injured, play him in the final, if he's not good enough then don't. We over complicate thing way too often
Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk
Quote from: Tempest on July 25, 2020, 12:39:12 PM
Quote from: filham on July 25, 2020, 10:23:18 AM
Parker has two teams of big money buys available to him for team selection. Every championship game is tight and a lot of them six pointers. We have been in a promotion race where every point counts, indeed every goal can count, just ask Forrest.
Under these circumstances only youngsters with extreme ability are going to be given valuable game time, it is going to be similar next season whether we are fighting against premier league relegation or looking for championship promotion . The best chance for a Fulham youngster is a loan deal with a lower club.
If they're good enough then thats it, bring them in whether they're 16 years old or 40. It doesn't matter what game, what league, teams, especially Fulham, should be producing more 1st team players from the younger age groups. For example, If Stansfield is good enough and Mitro and AK are injured, play him in the final, if he's not good enough then don't. We over complicate thing way too often
Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk
Who is overcomplicating? Isn't this most likely exactly how it is already, meaning that most U23 players are deemed currently not good enough to play instead of the players already in the first team squad?
Looking forward to seeing Stansfield and Bowie (who we got from Raith Rovers last month) get some game time next season, hopefully. But who knows. Every year or two we seem to have a 'hot prospect' who will be the next best thing, only never to see him, or they are sold before we see them - Sessegnon being the obvious exception.
The young left back we got from PSG this summer is supposed to be the real deal. Lakeche? He is 17 but goes straight into the U23's so must be one to watch.
Stansfield, Fossey (if he can stay healthy) and Larkeche (know nothing about him).
Timmy Abraham has potential as a striker as well.
Curious why we can't develop a first team CB in house.
Quote from: The Rational Fan on July 25, 2020, 06:24:26 AM
Most of our youngsters have one year contracts, I would prefer to give players a go on longer contracts like Kamara. If like a Steven Sessegnon, they sign a long contract then give them game time.
Besides three players (Onamah, Hector and Sessegnon) got from the under 23s to the first team, so it is possible.
Sorry TFR perhaps I am misunderstanding, are you suggesting that Hector and Onomah came from our U23 squad?
Quote from: Twig on July 26, 2020, 10:36:21 PM
Quote from: The Rational Fan on July 25, 2020, 06:24:26 AM
Most of our youngsters have one year contracts, I would prefer to give players a go on longer contracts like Kamara. If like a Steven Sessegnon, they sign a long contract then give them game time.
Besides three players (Onamah, Hector and Sessegnon) got from the under 23s to the first team, so it is possible.
Sorry TFR perhaps I am misunderstanding, are you suggesting that Hector and Onomah came from our U23 squad?
Onamah and Hector were bought as first team players, but played in u23 first. They were both excellent in u23s for the short period they played around 1-2 games and if anyone plays as well as them over a bit longer period say 7-10 games they will end up in the first team.
Matt O'Riley is good in u23, but he wasn't as good as Onamah in u23. Le Torres was good in u23 but wasn't as good as Benrama was in the championship. Stansfield, Jasper and Dramah have proven they are too good for u18 but not smashing the u23s enough to command more game time in the first team.
In generally England has tonnes of good teenagers, but whether it's Micah Richards, Theo Walcott or Jack Wilshire play too much football too soon.
With Fulham's money we should be bringing in as many top notch U17 prospects as we can...but we need to give them 1st team football.
Quote from: AnOldBrownie on July 27, 2020, 03:29:22 AM
With Fulham's money we should be bringing in as many top notch U17 prospects as we can...but we need to give them 1st team football.
Frankly, there are probably less than a dozen under 17 year olds in the UK good enough to ploay for Fulham first team, the Big Six will sign nearly all of them and the rest stay with their local clubs.
Brentford have built their entire club strategy around not investing in players under 17 years old and it's working for them. We spend £5m+ per year on youth and we may get £750k for Harvey Elliott, what a joke.
In the EPL and aside from the Big Six; the youngest squads were Wolves, Bournemouth and Norwich; of which two out of three went down; the three of the four cheapest squads were also three of the four cheapest squads including Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sheffield United so youth is not the answer.
