Youngsters - I'm getting de-ja-vu

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

For the last few seasons we have been praising the potential of our young crop and hoping for some break throughs.
But apart from the financial deal with Roberts and this years Sessegnon performances, our shining stars seem mostly to have fizzled out each year, have left us for nothing, are loanies, squad players or just headless chickens.
I appreciate that in this list there are some youngsters, but so is/were Roberts and Sess

To name a few...........
Dembele (2)
Hyndman
Roberts (exception)
Grimmer
Burgess
George Williams
Woodrow
Joronen
Bettinelli ?
Kavanagh
Burn
Casasola
Cole
De La Torre
Humphrys
Halloran
Kaka
Trotta
David
Donnelly
Arthurworry
Ryan Williams
Sambou
Buata
Briggs
Mesca
Brister
Minkwitz
Lyle Della-Verde
Pritchard
Tankovic
Islamovic
Kasami
LVC
Baba
Passley
Stockdale
Frei
Plumain
Etheridge
Alex Smith
Hoesen
Marsh-Brown

Perhaps not only a few, and these are just the youngsters in the transfer merry-go-round of FFC.

Criminal, foolhardy, worthless, costly.
Wasn't Mesca Felix's starlet ?

I know there's been similar threads in the past but this is a more complete list of hopefuls and current.

What is striking is the amount of players who have been on the fringe and disappeared, highly rated
kids who many posters on FOF who watch the youngsters and sung their praises were 'sure' that such-and-such
were great potentials (not a criticism of those faithful's)
Indeed; I was so excited at the start on the 2014 season and thought our young'uns would rip apart the CS.
How naïve I was, it was many years since Tigana stormed the league and I'd forgotten how hard a league it was
which makes our achievement then more impressive than I thought, we were all on such a high and thought we were omnipotent !!

Players like Chris David, Frei, Kasami, Grimmer, Kavanagh, Williams, Kaka, Burn and Tankovic who have caused many
a heated discussion on here are no where to be seen.

Conclusion:  Pat Roberts has kept the Academy operating.

[Skatzoffc]

The thing is Roger, we get the kids for buttons, they don't harm FFP and you only have a O sell on one in a blue moon to get  a substantial amount of money back into the club.

We are a small club and this is how small clubs have to work.

[cookieg]

The numbers are many but perhaps it just shows that players that were highly regarded at 16,17 & 18 just don't have the ability to step up to the first team at this level. That's not to say that they couldn't do a job at a lower level just not were we are now.

Or that our academy set up isn't getting the best out of them.

[Mince n Tatties]

Its the way it goes at most clubs, none more so than the  Premiership.
I was reading a good article last week in one of the papers about
why do Premier clubs have Academies? Chelski spend 6 million a year
and Man City double that, yet not a sole ever seems to make it into their sides, are they
being held back by major big money signings.
2 weeks ago only 4per cent of the 200+ players who took part in premier games actually
Played for the clubs where they learnt their trade.
The journalist who wrote the piece was asking the question, What are
the point of clubs like Man Cify having a costly Academy.

[MJG]

All if that and really you answered your own question... If there was one.... When you mention potential. That's all they are.
Also that list covers some six years at least andi think many of us who do watch that age group on a regular basiscould go through and give an answer against each one. There are a couple of excellent players, and some good players and some who were never going to make it at this level. But that's the way it works. Clubs throw mud at a wall and hope some of it sticks.

The main issue for me is patience.... None from clubs and none from fans. Young players written off after half a dozen games as no good.
Players not good enough said by fans who have never seen the kick a ball.
Likewise.. Get him in.... When they haven't seen them play.

Even last night the abuse that Was thrown at mistakes made by the two main youngsters was horrendous.

Mismanaged as well is a cause of some of our problems. Players rushed through without support.

To just list a load of players and then conclude that Roberts is the only plus is wrong in my view. Some have made the first team and are still around and still very young.
Have many lived up to the hype.... Well depends who was doing the hype and what they expected.

[Skatzoffc]

I also heard awful abuse last night towards a couple of the youngsters, absolutely uncalled for and unfair. They are not being given long enough to prove their worth. Patients is the key, they could end up the backbone and heart beat of the team in the near future.
I had to ask, no that's the wrong word, I had to demand politely to a couple of ill informed gobby degenerates to refrain from hurling abuse and filthy profane language at some of our lads, and I threatened I would sit in front of these rough men, and then they wouldn't see any of the match. Fortunately they heeded my proffesional advice and never said a dickie bird after that, and I was able to put my Flame Thrower back in its box.
But to be serious, let's not abuse the youngsters or any player in a Fulham jersey, that is counter productive and very ignorant. How would fans who do this like it, if their sons were subjected to this abuse in public.

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Can and never will see the point of slagging off your own team players.
Absolutely mindless.

[Mince n Tatties]

I also heard awful abuse last night towards a couple of the youngsters, absolutely uncalled for and unfair. They are not being given long enough to prove their worth. Patients is the key, they could end up the backbone and heart beat of the team in the near future.
I had to ask, no that's the wrong word, I had to demand politely to a couple of ill informed gobby degenerates to refrain from hurling abuse and filthy profane language at some of our lads, and I threatened I would sit in front of these rough men, and then they wouldn't see any of the match. Fortunately they heeded my proffesional advice and never said a dickie bird after that, and I was able to put my Flame Thrower back in its box.
But to be serious, let's not abuse the youngsters or any player in a Fulham jersey, that is counter productive and very ignorant. How would fans who do this like it, if their sons were subjected to this abuse in public.

Nothing compared to the abuse I was getting off of
The Wife when they scored their second and I started  ripping
the Paper up which she hadn't read yet  lol