Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 11:48 am

Watching ManUre the other night and their handful of youngsters on show made me wonder.. Why do they always seem confident to throw in youngsters/fringe players against lesser opposition and still manage to get the results?

I mean, if any game could remind a team these ties are 2 legged affairs, it was our debacle on tuesday night, but no, United send out a half a reserve team and still make it look simple. You also look at Arsenal who throw Pennant, Fabregas, Clichy in on numerous occassions and still hammer everybody.

For years under Ged we often put out full strength teams against the likes of Tranmere and Wycombe Wanderers for fear of an embarrassment. United were playing against a team superior to AK Graz and with a narrow 2-1 lead so why did they seem so confident of victory??

So fair enough, on tuesday night we made way for a youngster in Potter and a couple of players who haven't really figured under Benitez yet why did we still struggle to overcome poor opponents??

This is not a swipe at Benitez, as the players he's inherited are stuck in old ways and are in a period of transition. What we saw was typical stagnent non posession based football we've been used to of old..

I fear that Rafa has a big job on his hands, as he not only has to change the quality of the squad, but he also has to change the mentality of the squad as a whole.. Sorry for sounding pesimistic, watching that dross just really hit home how much of a rebuilding job Rafa has..

Hopefully, three points on Sunday will be the start of this rebuilding process!

by **Fingers** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 11:59 am

Good point St Mick,

Ithink what we need to remember here is, (like you said) the Scum, and Ars*nal have been slowly intergrating these players over 2 or three years into the team by means of the League cups, and Fa cup draws against lower opposition. Where as under Houllier, our young boys never had the chance, as he was (2001 aside) under alot of pressure to deliver. Add to this Houlliers policy of buying promising players from French sides rather than promoting from within. (which means if Le tallec, Flo, Diarra, and a whole bunch of other singings, are taking places in the reserves, where are our youth going to get experience from?

Like you said i feel there is a lot of work to do.

But that said, i really feel we have the right man to sort this out.

Nothing makes me more proud than seeing homegrown talent making it at the highest level.

hopefully now we'll see more of that, but as you said St mick, i think it'll be a long term thing. As we have some ground to make up.

by **Leonmc0708** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:05 pm

stmichael wrote:Watching ManUre the other night and their handful of youngsters on show made me wonder.. Why do they always seem confident to throw in youngsters/fringe players against lesser opposition and still manage to get the results?

I mean, if any game could remind a team these ties are 2 legged affairs, it was our debacle on tuesday night, but no, United send out a half a reserve team and still make it look simple. You also look at Arsenal who throw Pennant, Fabregas, Clichy in on numerous occassions and still hammer everybody.

For years under Ged we often put out full strength teams against the likes of Tranmere and Wycombe Wanderers for fear of an embarrassment. United were playing against a team superior to AK Graz and with a narrow 2-1 lead so why did they seem so confident of victory??

So fair enough, on tuesday night we made way for a youngster in Potter and a couple of players who haven't really figured under Benitez yet why did we still struggle to overcome poor opponents??

This is not a swipe at Benitez, as the players he's inherited are stuck in old ways and are in a period of transition. What we saw was typical stagnent non posession based football we've been used to of old..

I fear that Rafa has a big job on his hands, as he not only has to change the quality of the squad, but he also has to change the mentality of the squad as a whole.. Sorry for sounding pesimistic, watching that dross just really hit home how much of a rebuilding job Rafa has..

Hopefully, three points on Sunday will be the start of this rebuilding process!

All the players you mention are not new. Eagles, Bellion, Richardson, Spectre at Man Utd and Pennant, Fabregas and Clichy at Arsenal have been on the verge of the first team for at least 18months.

Our youth has not been given the chance to play, and come thru, thats why ours look so bad.

This time nextyear we will have an excellent prospect in every position, as Rafa will not stifle the young lads, and he will give them a go.

by **Sean** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:07 pm

I reckon when your team is successful with very experienced and successful senior pros it is alot easier to breed youngsters. In the 70's Shankley brought in Keegan in '71 /'72 and Paisley introduced David Fairclough during the '75 / '76 season with great success. In another team Keegan and Fairclough mightn't have made the same impact. In 1981 / 82 Paisley did the same thing with Ronnie Whelan (Ray Kennedy's successor) and later Steve Nicol. Even average players like Gary Ablett can make an impact when they have guidance from a dressing room of experienced and successful players.

When Beckham, Scholes etc. broke into the United team they still had Cantona, Keane, Schmeichal, Bruce, Pallister, Hughes and Irwin. Arsenal can slot Fabergace into the team alongside Pires, Henry etc

When we introduce young players to the first team now......who do they look up to apart from Gerrard ?

by **who the hell is diarra** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:07 pm

I like the fact that Rafa has shown more interest in the youngsters that GH did.

However the jump from academy to Premiership is massive and i feel strongly that a years experiencein lower leagues is vital to their development. Warnock was player of the season at Coventry last year and shown great promise. However Potter looked well out of his depth, a million miles away from the first team, i'm sure the lad has talent but if we are to see him playin regularly in the red shirt he needs experience elsewhere first, the same goes for the others like Whitbread

by **Leonmc0708** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:09 pm

I think St Michael means the actual youth system at the club, ie home grown players though sean, and not purchasing younger players.

by **Redrider** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 1:01 pm

The current crop in the Academy are not winning many key games. :ghostface:

by **dotty** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 9:07 pm

who if anyone has talent down at the accademy

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Breeding youngsters - Everyone else makes it seem simple

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