Patrick Roberts

[General]

My son has just told me he was reading (i do not know whether n/paper or mag), apparently stating that he should never have left Fulham as he has only had 4 mins playing time. I do not know if this is factual or just paper talk, but here is an example for Hyndman, maybe your agent does not have the answer.

if the 4 minute playing time was the only point the writer was debating then it's not worth the paper spent on it. There's a lot more to his move then first team action. Hyndman and dembele don't seem to be that stupid and hyndman has family that have been in top tier football in the u.s. as guidance on the issues. Our club is not a attractive one to play for at the moment and all points to the direction ownership or the severe inability to understand the british footballing and management culture.

[alexmur]

I think what would help is if agents couldn't accept bonuses/fees until a player turns 21.

that's actually a very good idea

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[alfie]

Sorry alfie but I think your son has been sold a kipper - I strongly suspect that what he was reading was facebook/twitter chatter that has no basis on fact.

Well has no reason to tell lies, but i see your point, trouble is my son does not use FB/Twitter, so where he read it i have no idea.

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

Like Klopp said the other day, youngens should look for football education not money. Easy to say as a fan, if the money was offered to me I´d perhaps go for it aswell.

Klopp was talking about Sinclair, who's leaving a top notch club/setup (Liverpool) to join a smaller club (Watford it seems) where he's more likely to get first team football. So the opposite of What Roberts did. So presumably Klopp would say (and I agree) that Roberts is better off at Man City than Fulham, irrespective of wages

Regardless of whether the player is going to a bigger or smaller club the premise of chosing education over money is still valid.

Indeed. But his point was you get the best "education" (quality of coaches, players alongside you etc) at a big club like Liverpool... Or man City. In Roberts' case it just so happened man city were probably offering more money as well as a better education

I would really like to understand this and hoped that I might learn something about it at a Fulham open training session.

My question is how is training organised and divided up between different activities? In particular, how much time is spent playing realistic games?

My suspicion is not a lot so that, beyond the coaching and being around and watching top players, a young player would be missing out on competitive matches, playing with and against u21s rather than with and against more experienced players in lower league sides.

[clarkey]

what would have really helped is when we had him, he had been given more pitch time, and never insultingly brought on for two minutes here and four minutes there. he always looked good...so he should have been played. magath and kit both did him and our club a great disservice and so we lost him.

[Rhys Lightning 63]

Who?

[davew]

Why are we even discussing him, we should be spending more time talking about the players who are still with us who are unable to perform to a level which might just keep us in this division next season?

[Max Headroom]

I feel sorry for the guy. He isn't getting game time, and he is happy. Doesn't sound like he has his priorities quite right.

[J]

No chance - as much as it might be nice to think he has done the wrong thing moving to city, most young prospects move to a big club aged sub 20 and develop there.
No guarantee that he will kick on an become first team for Man City but he is good enough to think he has a shot - and he can go out on loan to get first team experience in the meantime. In the short term he is training with the first team, so he will learn lots through 6-12 months with Silva/Aguero etc. even if he isn't playing first team football.

[Max Headroom]

I have to disagree J. The best talent to come into the premier league are the guys who are 21-23 who have been playing regularly since they were 18. Why are there fewer top English players in the premier league than there should be. Money. It attracts top players, but prevents youngsters getting experience. Look into the academies of the top clubs..... How many Man City academy players have played for their first team in the past two years? Chelsea? Arsenal? Liverpool? A handful, but very few yet particularly Chelsea and Man City stockpile and stifle them. There was a youngster who played for west brom first team who Chelsea bought. Disappeared..... It is absolutely NOT in the best interest of young players to move to big clubs without first team experience.

[Mince n Tatties]

Who cares what he does,he chose to leave us.
Patrick Who?

[J]

I have to disagree J. The best talent to come into the premier league are the guys who are 21-23 who have been playing regularly since they were 18. Why are there fewer top English players in the premier league than there should be. Money. It attracts top players, but prevents youngsters getting experience. Look into the academies of the top clubs..... How many Man City academy players have played for their first team in the past two years? Chelsea? Arsenal? Liverpool? A handful, but very few yet particularly Chelsea and Man City stockpile and stifle them. There was a youngster who played for west brom first team who Chelsea bought. Disappeared..... It is absolutely NOT in the best interest of young players to move to big clubs without first team experience.

To be honest that wasn't the point I was trying to make as I do completely agree that players are better off playing football than sitting on the bench... I just feel it is ridiculous for people to think that he is going to be or should be unhappy having been there 6 months. He was barely getting any game time here, so it is not like he has gone from regular football to not playing, and he can't have expected to be a regular at City straight away upon moving.

[grandad]

Like so many youngsters that are lured to big clubs they will more than likely never be heard of again.

[J]

He is likely to go out on loan soon anyway

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-city-discuss-patrick-roberts-10775767

[grandad]

If he goes out on loan & makes appearances I suppose we will get a few bob from the add ons.

[J]

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/10142795/celtic-in-talks-to-sign-man-city-winger-patrick-roberts-on-loan

[Bronaldinho]

I feel sorry for the guy. He isn't getting game time, and he is happy. Doesn't sound like he has his priorities quite right.

The kid isn't even 20 years of age yet and makes £12,000 a week.

He signed a 5 year deal wasn't it?

He's made for life already.

[Bronaldinho]

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/10142795/celtic-in-talks-to-sign-man-city-winger-patrick-roberts-on-loan

Interesting that says in the region of £12m.

Yet we still got hit hard for the FFP.

[Chutney]

I feel sorry for the guy. He isn't getting game time, and he is happy. Doesn't sound like he has his priorities quite right.

The kid isn't even 20 years of age yet and makes £12,000 a week.

He signed a 5 year deal wasn't it?

He's made for life already.

Yeh, I wouldn't feel that sorry for him, add sponsorship deals on to that and he could retire comfortably by 23

[cmg]

No idea how authoritative this article is, but it puts his basic salary at £25k per wk - which makes him one of their lowest earners!

Multiply the difference between that and the max he could have got at Fulham (with no guarantee that he would make the grade) x 5 years to see that his departure was a complete no-brainer.

The total £12m fee payable to Fulham is obviously performance related so, aside from the fact that he is a product of our Academy, Fulham and Fulham supporters have distinct interest in his progress.