[Albion] Albion’s U23s

[albionfan37]

Currently this crop have beaten two league 1 clubs away from home. They’ve also walloped some traditionally big clubs putting 7 past Manchester City last season in finishing 3rd overall in pl2. This season they put 4 past Tottenham after going behind. With two 17 yr olds in central positions cb and cm and most of them under 21 so my question is just how good could this current crop become?

 

[Two Professors]

Some very good young players,in particular Gwargis and Roberts.

 

[Stat Brother]

Currently this crop have beaten two league 1 clubs away from home. They’ve also walloped some traditionally big clubs putting 7 past Manchester City last season in finishing 3rd overall in pl2. This season they put 4 past Tottenham after going behind. With two 17 yr olds in central positions cb and cm and most of them under 21 so my question is just how good could this current crop become?

Recently there was an article, posted on here, about palace's under 23's.
Many of whom are now into their 4th year 'playing in the reserves'.

palace are to centre mildfielders as we are to centre backs, they currently have something like 14 on their books, across all age ranges, but most importantly the are all physically at the club.


The Albion's current crop of under 23's are either in the first team squad, in a league (mainly Championship) first team squad, or in a German first team squad - That's how good they are.

 

[blue-shifted]

They could become very good, or not. A high degree of unpredictability with assessing youth prospects and more won’t make it at the top level than will.

What our results, performances and progressions say to me is that we’ve put good recruitment and coaching systems in place.

I can see us making a few sales this summer, (especially some of the players we’ve loaned out) to cover the costs (or offset some of the loss) of running the academy. We can expect to see this happen now every year

In any case, hopefully there will be fewer tedious comments on here now about new young signings going into the “black hole” or whatever it is they say.

 

[albionfan37]

Recently there was an article, posted on here, about palace's under 23's.
Many of whom are now into their 4th year 'playing in the reserves'.

palace are to centre mildfielders as we are to centre backs, they currently have something like 14 on their books, across all age ranges, but most importantly the are all physically at the club.


The Albion's current crop of under 23's are either in the first team squad, in a league (mainly Championship) first team squad, or in a German first team squad - That's how good they are.

I think I read that thread. I believe it was also one of our biggest problems with our youngsters until this season. As you say they’ve all gone out to decent clubs at decent standards the future is very bright indeed

 

[Mackenzie]

We can’t compete with most in our league by paying transfer fees, but we can do this very well. Hopefully the trickle, Connolly, Alzate, will become a pour.

 

[drew]

I wonder how many fans would go if the team managed to reach the final at Wembley?

 

[Ninja Elephant]

It's amazing really - the best of the crop are out on loan, so the players in the team now are a mixture of younger players getting experience and in the case of Taylor Richards, next in line to step into the senior squad when required. The balance seems pretty good and the level of the players coming through the system seems quite consistent. Kudos to Simon Rusk and the coaching teams behind the scenes who are able to produce a conveyer belt of players for the u23s which don't seem to have been too badly impacted by losing their best talent.

 

[schmunk]

It's amazing really - the best of the crop are out on loan, so the players in the team now are a mixture of younger players getting experience and in the case of Taylor Richards, next in line to step into the senior squad when required.

Note - we signed Taylor Richards from Man City 11 weeks ago. He's not really a product of our academy...

 

[Coldeanseagull]

I really want to be a pedant and state it was the u21's who have beaten league opposition recently, but the u23's are a team so full of younglings, I'm quite happy to ignore this fact.
There are some exceptional kids learning their trade at the club at the moment, law of averages suggests that a few will progress like Connolly and Alzate have

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Note - we signed Taylor Richards from Man City 11 weeks ago. He's not really a product of our academy...

Which is why I didn't say he was. He's supplementing the u23s team with a view to breaking into the first team.