Albion U21s v West Ham United U21s - 7pm tonight at the Amex Stadium

[perseus]

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/...r-league-tables.html?paramYouthStage=NATIONAL

 

[AZ Gull]

Walton comes up for the corner, and we play it short and don't get it in the box!

 

[Machiavelli]

Great last minute action in their penalty area. Hambo had a good chance from a Monakana cross, but headed it wide.

 

[Discodoktor]

Unlucky not to draw

 

[severnside gull]

Better but still not good
One or two encouraging performances though we were second best in skill terms in pretty well every position.

 

[Napier's Knee]

Dalliaon is very good in a Dunk kind of way although he seems to stop giving team mates orders at around 60 minutes. Molumby looks very very promisIng indeed. I thought we over complicated at times and some of the tackling was a bit blind.can definitely see Molumby making the steps up, some of the others I can't.

 

[El Sid]

First game in how long? Give the lad a break.

With hindsight maybe a bit harsh, but I expected to see a few more decent touches.
He's clearly not fit and would possibly have benefitted from being on the bench and coming on with Hambo for last 30 minutes.

Liked the look of Starkey and Molumby though.

 

[Rogero]

Just back from the game. I enjoyed the game. About 250 people there. Harper is very unfit and did not touch the ball for about 12 minutes. He did not get involved at all.One really good dummy. Others played better. West Ham looked strong in the first half especially a Nowegiam lad Samuelson. I thought our best player was Ward on the wing . Harper played for 50 minutes.
Hambo has some nice touches. He hangs well in the air and not afraid to go hard on not the keeper.zhe should have scored with a header at the end.
Montana looked good on a couple of runs forward but does not work hard enough to defend. He beat a few players to score a goal.
The result was probably fair.

 

[burnee54]

Just back from the game. I enjoyed the game. About 250 people there. Harper is very unfit and did not touch the ball for about 12 minutes. He did not get involved at all.One really good dummy. Others played better. West Ham looked strong in the first half especially a Nowegiam lad Samuelson. I thought our best player was Ward on the wing . Harper played for 50 minutes.
Hambo has some nice touches. He hangs well in the air and not afraid to go hard on not the keeper.zhe should have scored with a header at the end.
Montana looked good on a couple of runs forward but does not work hard enough to defend. He beat a few players to score a goal.
The result was probably fair.

That sounds like the same game I saw.
Loved Hambos first touch of the ball dribbling past three players just outside the box.
It was a bit bloody cold through, really needed that Bovril at half time.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Just back from the game. I enjoyed the game. About 250 people there. Harper is very unfit and did not touch the ball for about 12 minutes. He did not get involved at all.One really good dummy. Others played better. West Ham looked strong in the first half especially a Nowegiam lad Samuelson. I thought our best player was Ward on the wing . Harper played for 50 minutes.
Hambo has some nice touches. He hangs well in the air and not afraid to go hard on not the keeper.zhe should have scored with a header at the end.
Montana looked good on a couple of runs forward but does not work hard enough to defend. He beat a few players to score a goal.
The result was probably fair.

What struck me about Harper was how one-footed he is for someone schooled at Real Madrid. He had a great shooting chance on his right foot but chose to cut back the other way and try to go round a player so that he could use his left. I thought Monakana looked good when he started taking players on but his build is starting to look a bit Kemy-like. Lose a few kilos and he could be even faster. Agree with others that Molumby and Starkey were the pick of our team.

 

[HermTalks]

Attended the game last night, my first U21 game for a while. Overall I was quite impressed with the squad - we've certainly come a long way recently and we were playing a team such as West Ham with a historically good academy. I thought that Ward and Monakana on the wings showed good pace and skill at times and I thought Hambo and Harper showed some good touches on their return to fitness. For me Molumby looked so composed for a 16 year old and definitely our best player, he's got a bright player. This said, their lad from Norway - Samulesen - looked an absolute class above. I wouldn't say any of them are ready for first team football. I think it was a fair result but a good squad that's learning a lot in a league of strong opposition.

 

[BigGully]

Attended the game last night, my first U21 game for a while. Overall I was quite impressed with the squad - we've certainly come a long way recently and we were playing a team such as West Ham with a historically good academy. I thought that Ward and Monakana on the wings showed good pace and skill at times and I thought Hambo and Harper showed some good touches on their return to fitness. For me Molumby looked so composed for a 16 year old and definitely our best player, he's got a bright player. This said, their lad from Norway - Samulesen - looked an absolute class above. I wouldn't say any of them are ready for first team football. I think it was a fair result but a good squad that's learning a lot in a league of strong opposition.

With respect, how do you conclude that ??

We are bottom of the table and although it shouldnt represent a definitive view of the potential of the clubs U21's it also shouldn't represent anything particularly positive.

 

[BensGrandad]

What is Monakana s role was he brought in as a potential first team player or just to boost the U21s? Did he play well and is he anywhere near the first team squad?

 

[HermTalks]

I just meant that last time I was watching them it was against Sussex league clubs and smaller teams around the country. Since investing in the academy we've gained Premier League status and that's against strong academies with years experience in coaching and player investment. I just think that it's something that should be recognised and whilst bottom of the table isn't great - there's some of their squad members out on loan and we'll have to see if Hambo/Harper etc when fully fit make a difference.

 

[BigGully]

I just meant that last time I was watching them it was against Sussex league clubs and smaller teams around the country. Since investing in the academy we've gained Premier League status and that's against strong academies with years experience in coaching and player investment. I just think that it's something that should be recognised and whilst bottom of the table isn't great - there's some of their squad members out on loan and we'll have to see if Hambo/Harper etc when fully fit make a difference.

We have never competed in a Sussex League and back in the 80's our reserves competed within the old Combination League which included all the top southern clubs and our youth in the South East Counties, again with the major clubs, we not in an absolute unique position here.

I understand your point, but it might be worth remembering that everything that has changed is purely and solely due the training ground and nothing more, bricks and mortar and a few tick box questionnaires by a few coaches.

We have yet to win one solitary FA Youth game since moving to Lancing (albeit just 3 games) and find it extremely difficult to win an Under 21's game.

It seems we only had one player last night in the starting XI coming through our own ranks, Charlie Harris (if coming at 14'sh years old after being released by Fulham is our own), but at least he is from Sussex and the general consensus seems to be we were pretty poor.

The recent recruitment policy of predominately Irish lads, Premier Leagues cast offs with a bizarre smattering of engineered signature signings of Icelandics, Norwegian, American and Scottish Real Madrid youngsters is flawed and purely self serving.

At some point the priority should shift away from far flung 'silly season' recruitment and into the core development of youngsters, local when possible, that is the real magic bullet, but it takes skill, some patience and a commitment to a process of improvement.

If ignored I can see a time when an Academy manager might be asking for an uneasy meeting with Bloom to suggest whether he might consider a lower academy status for the good of player development, that is if he hasnt already been sacked.

 

[HermTalks]

We have never competed in a Sussex League and back in the 80's our reserves competed within the old Combination League which included all the top southern clubs and our youth in the South East Counties, again with the major clubs, we not in an absolute unique position here.

I understand your point, but it might be worth remembering that everything that has changed is purely and solely due the training ground and nothing more, bricks and mortar and a few tick box questionnaires by a few coaches.

We have yet to win one solitary FA Youth game since moving to Lancing (albeit just 3 games) and find it extremely difficult to win an Under 21's game.

It seems we only had one player last night in the starting XI coming through our own ranks, Charlie Harris (if coming at 14'sh years old after being released by Fulham is our own), but at least he is from Sussex and the general consensus seems to be we were pretty poor.

The recent recruitment policy of predominately Irish lads, Premier Leagues cast offs with a bizarre smattering of engineered signature signings of Icelandics, Norwegian, American and Scottish Real Madrid youngsters is flawed and purely self serving.

At some point the priority should shift away from far flung 'silly season' recruitment and into the core development of youngsters, local when possible, that is the real magic bullet, but it takes skill, some patience and a commitment to a process of improvement.

If ignored I can see a time when an Academy manager might be asking for an uneasy meeting with Bloom to suggest whether he might consider a lower academy status for the good of player development, that is if he hasnt already been sacked.

I completely agree with the home grown development from the local area - I'm unaware of whether the U18 squad contains any with good potential? I think your points are very fair and I agree with you that patience and commitment to process of improvement for sure, I think that is crucial. As I pointed out earlier that teams like West Ham have those developed academies with top notch experienced youth coaches. Our new academy is only a year or so old and given time (patience) it could end up the same. Everything has to start somewhere, let's hope that this is the start of something special.

 

[stss30]

We have never competed in a Sussex League and back in the 80's our reserves competed within the old Combination League which included all the top southern clubs and our youth in the South East Counties, again with the major clubs, we not in an absolute unique position here.

I understand your point, but it might be worth remembering that everything that has changed is purely and solely due the training ground and nothing more, bricks and mortar and a few tick box questionnaires by a few coaches.

We have yet to win one solitary FA Youth game since moving to Lancing (albeit just 3 games) and find it extremely difficult to win an Under 21's game.

It seems we only had one player last night in the starting XI coming through our own ranks, Charlie Harris (if coming at 14'sh years old after being released by Fulham is our own), but at least he is from Sussex and the general consensus seems to be we were pretty poor.

The recent recruitment policy of predominately Irish lads, Premier Leagues cast offs with a bizarre smattering of engineered signature signings of Icelandics, Norwegian, American and Scottish Real Madrid youngsters is flawed and purely self serving.

At some point the priority should shift away from far flung 'silly season' recruitment and into the core development of youngsters, local when possible, that is the real magic bullet, but it takes skill, some patience and a commitment to a process of improvement.

If ignored I can see a time when an Academy manager might be asking for an uneasy meeting with Bloom to suggest whether he might consider a lower academy status for the good of player development, that is if he hasnt already been sacked.

The academy was only opened just over a year ago, it will take a number of years before we begin to see results... Give the club a chance.

 

[BigGully]

The academy was only opened just over a year ago, it will take a number of years before we begin to see results... Give the club a chance.

No the building has only been built just over a year ago but the dynamics of an Academy or Centre of Excellence and previous acknowledged youth system has been in place since approx. 1979'sh and some research will show with some success.

We are Brighton it will always take time and will be difficult to compete with the big gun's, but that's my point, forget trying to emulate Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal, they recruit the best of the best from outside Manchester, England and Europe we can't, we wont be getting the Spanish, Portugese or German youth international captain anytime soon, so get your head down and develop the talent, hopefully local based and stop wheeling out another youth International from errr Iceland (Population of Eastbourne) and prioritise your development strategies rather than playing a poormans top trumps.

 

[stss30]

No the building has only been built just over a year ago but the dynamics of an Academy or Centre of Excellence and previous acknowledged youth system has been in place since approx. 1979'sh and some research will show with some success.

We are Brighton it will always take time and will be difficult to compete with the big gun's, but that's my point, forget trying to emulate Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal, they recruit the best of the best from outside Manchester, England and Europe we can't, we wont be getting the Spanish, Portugese or German youth international captain anytime soon, so get your head down and develop the talent, hopefully local based and stop wheeling out another youth International from errr Iceland (Population of Eastbourne) and prioritise your development strategies rather than playing a poormans top trumps.

I agree with you and that appears to be what the club are focusing on in the long term, but at the moment we don't have a plethora of players from the local area who are ready to play for the u21s/development squad so we will have to scout our players from elsewhere for the time being to fill the void.

 

[Rodney Thomas]

No the building has only been built just over a year ago but the dynamics of an Academy or Centre of Excellence and previous acknowledged youth system has been in place since approx. 1979'sh and some research will show with some success.

We are Brighton it will always take time and will be difficult to compete with the big gun's, but that's my point, forget trying to emulate Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal, they recruit the best of the best from outside Manchester, England and Europe we can't, we wont be getting the Spanish, Portugese or German youth international captain anytime soon, so get your head down and develop the talent, hopefully local based and stop wheeling out another youth International from errr Iceland (Population of Eastbourne) and prioritise your development strategies rather than playing a poormans top trumps.

Agreed. Dean Wilkins always believed we had enough talent in Sussex to field a full 11 local lads who could compete in the Champ/League 1.

We do seem to have left that ethos behind somewhat.