Youth Cup Final Squad 2012/3-Here's where they are now

[res]

 Here's where the 2012/3 Final squad are now:

Still at Fulham:
-Rodak, Norman, Williams

At Premier League/English League/Scottish Premier League Clubs
-Dembele, Hyndman, Roberts, Burgess

At Non League Clubs:
- Evans (Bala Town), Donnelly (Hartlepools), Smile (Chippenham), 0'Halloran (Bohemians), Baba (Macclesfield), Reford (I.F. Huggin), Walker (Hendon)
Don't Know:
-Sheckleford, Sambou

So from that that (so promising) side, we got lots of cash for Roberts, and developed Dembele who contributed to our Championship survival but then wouldn't agree contract terms...but who, despite his current injury problems, will be a multi £m player. Hyndman is on the fringes at Bournemouth having played a fair bit in our first team, but his development seemingly stalled. Burgess was thrown into the first term by our mad German and seems destined to be a lower league journeyman.
Just shows how difficult it is to bridge the gap between Academy and first team. I suspect the Chelsea squad from that final will show no-one breaking through at Chelsea, may be a couple out on loan.

[Tabby]

Solanke has had a full international callup and Christiensen is a regular starter.

Izzy Brown, Loftus Cheek and Kasey Palmer are currently on loan to PL clubs and will probably make it at a decent level at least.

Their lineup that year was pretty impressive.

[ealex40]

The Final was actually from the 2013-14 season.

Three of the Chelsea team haven't done too bad. I don't recognise any others.

Chelsea (4-3-3) 1 Mitchell Beeney, 2 Fankaty Dabo, 3 Andreas Christensen, 4 Clarke-Salter, 5 Jay DaSilva, 6 Jordan Houghton, 7 Kasey Palmer, 8 Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 9 Dominic Solanke, 10 Charlie Colkett, 11 Charly Musonda

Substitutes 12 Isak Ssewankambo (on for Palmer, 46) 13 Bradley Collins, 14 Isaiah Brown (on for Loftus-Cheek, 46) 15 Ola Aina (on for Clarke-Salter, 46) 16 Isaac Christie-Davies.

[filham]

I was certain that Roberts was the best we had seen since Haynes. Is he still a Man. City player.

[Tabby]

I was certain that Roberts was the best we had seen since Haynes. Is he still a Man. City player.

Still at loan at Celtic. Did well by all accounts during his first spell, but has had a couple of injuries keeping him off the pitch most of this season.

[Bill2]

The Final was actually from the 2013-14 season.

Three of the Chelsea team haven't done too bad. I don't recognise any others.

Chelsea (4-3-3) 1 Mitchell Beeney, 2 Fankaty Dabo, 3 Andreas Christensen, 4 Clarke-Salter, 5 Jay DaSilva, 6 Jordan Houghton, 7 Kasey Palmer, 8 Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 9 Dominic Solanke, 10 Charlie Colkett, 11 Charly Musonda

Substitutes 12 Isak Ssewankambo (on for Palmer, 46) 13 Bradley Collins, 14 Isaiah Brown (on for Loftus-Cheek, 46) 15 Ola Aina (on for Clarke-Salter, 46) 16 Isaac Christie-Davies.

Didn't Isiah Brown play for Huddersfield last season, I think he was on loan. Not sure if he still there.

[cmg]

Jay Dasilva is on loan at Charlton.
He played LB in the same England u19 as Ryan Sess that won the Euro championship in the summer.
I thought he was outstanding but seems to have stalled a bit - often happens.

[snarks]

 Dasilva is on the short side for a full back at 5'7" hence his stalled progression

[Southcoastffc]

The Final was actually from the 2013-14 season.

Three of the Chelsea team haven't done too bad. I don't recognise any others.

Chelsea (4-3-3) 1 Mitchell Beeney, 2 Fankaty Dabo, 3 Andreas Christensen, 4 Clarke-Salter, 5 Jay DaSilva, 6 Jordan Houghton, 7 Kasey Palmer, 8 Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 9 Dominic Solanke, 10 Charlie Colkett, 11 Charly Musonda

Substitutes 12 Isak Ssewankambo (on for Palmer, 46) 13 Bradley Collins, 14 Isaiah Brown (on for Loftus-Cheek, 46) 15 Ola Aina (on for Clarke-Salter, 46) 16 Isaac Christie-Davies.

Didn't Isiah Brown play for Huddersfield last season, I think he was on loan. Not sure if he still there.

Izzy Brown still a Chelsea player, went on loan to Brighton this season but did his ACL, out for the year.

[cmg]

I was certain that Roberts was the best we had seen since Haynes...

Best 15 year old English player I ever saw. May still come good. Showed some brilliant touches for Celtic, but, perhaps, showed a lack of ambition by going back.

Dasilva is on the short side for a full back at 5'7" hence his stalled progression

Roberts hasn't grown much either, which might prove detrimental.....
On the other hand, Jay Dasilva has only to grow another inch to be the same height as Dani Alves. He's already as 'tall' as Philip Lahm and towers by 2cm over Roberto Carlos!

Sol Sambou is currently at St Albans City in NL South.
He would have been my top pick out of that team apart from the usual suspects. Shows how difficult the progression from junior to senior can be/what a lousy judge I am (delete according to taste).

[Fernhurst]

I was certain that Roberts was the best we had seen since Haynes...

Best 15 year old English player I ever saw. May still come good. Showed some brilliant touches for Celtic, but, perhaps, showed a lack of ambition by going back.

Dasilva is on the short side for a full back at 5'7" hence his stalled progression

Roberts hasn't grown much either, which might prove detrimental.....
On the other hand, Jay Dasilva has only to grow another inch to be the same height as Dani Alves. He's already as 'tall' as Philip Lahm and towers by 2cm over Roberto Carlos!

Sol Sambou is currently at St Albans City in NL South.
He would have been my top pick out of that team apart from the usual suspects. Shows how difficult the progression from junior to senior can be/what a lousy judge I am (delete according to taste).

What an interesting thread. Sol was a mighty player at that age and in that team. The tactic employed by Sol was tackle/ intercept hard give the ball to Pat who would score or pass to Dembele who would score.

St Albans mid table, just hope he is enjoying his football.
Looks like falling out of the football league wasn't enough for Torquay United, they lie bottom of the National league and it appears they will be joining St Albans next season. Did they suffer points deduction, only 20 points from 30 games

[Carborundum]

It is an interesting thread.  Seems like only Ryheem Sheckleford has dropped off the radar screen. 

Given that bad injuries happen to footballers, including young footballers, it's striking how successful the academy has been at setting people up for some form of career.  Hopefully they still love the game too.

Loving the game, enjoying playing it is a key benchmark of success in my book.  Another is to have been paid to play football at any level at all.  Anyone who can tick both those boxes has done well in my book.  Plenty couldn't and would have loved to have done.

[snarks]

Actually we have a bloke I work with (he's 27) who was on Bournemouth's books. He was let go at 19 and has just fallen out of love with football, he occasionally plays 5 a side for us and is so much better than anyone I have ever seen. When he left Bournemouth he had offers from others but played local league for a while then just stopped. He now runs sub 2 hr 30 marathons for something to do. So I can see how if you were that good as a youngster you could just stop.

[res]

I was certain that Roberts was the best we had seen since Haynes...

Best 15 year old English player I ever saw. May still come good. Showed some brilliant touches for Celtic, but, perhaps, showed a lack of ambition by going back.

Dasilva is on the short side for a full back at 5'7" hence his stalled progression

Roberts hasn't grown much either, which might prove detrimental.....
On the other hand, Jay Dasilva has only to grow another inch to be the same height as Dani Alves. He's already as 'tall' as Philip Lahm and towers by 2cm over Roberto Carlos!

Sol Sambou is currently at St Albans City in NL South.
He would have been my top pick out of that team apart from the usual suspects. Shows how difficult the progression from junior to senior can be/what a lousy judge I am (delete according to taste).

Sambou scored in the final..not sure whether it was first or second leg, a 25 yarder if I recall correctly. Thought he was a bit slow but also thought that his physique and strength would offset that, to allow him a league career somewhere...obviously not the case. Hope he's happy at St.Albans though where we had connections through John Mitchell.

[Jamie88]

Am I correct in thinking that originally Sambou was offered a contract with us before his release, but his agent was pushing for more money? Then he went on trial with Bolton for a bit, next thing you know he is playing non-league. It's a shame as I thought he could do a good job in the FL.

[elgreenio]

Sambou was probably the least gifted of the lot to be honest