[Albion] U-23's pre-season friendly v Sutton United, Thursday morning, training ground; live stream

[British Bulldog]

Nothing like a preseason game to build the confidence ahead of the new season.

Will do the youngsters a lot more good than harm if they want to make it in the game

 

[Brovion]

Nothing like a preseason game to build the confidence ahead of the new season.

This is a vital, vital preseason friendly. On this showing by the U-23s I think it's obvious to everybody that we shouldn't even bother playing the Premier League fixtures and Bloom should sell the Amex for housing. We're finished.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Will do the youngsters a lot more good than harm if they want to make it in the game

This

It's showing in very clear terms the bare minimum these lads need to achieve if they are going to get a loan into the football league next season. Far more important than 'team morale' of a load of u18s and u23s put together for a game where the result is really meaningless compared to the experience.

 

[Originunknown]

Absolutely, there is a fine line between weakening our 23s with loans and early promotion to the senior squad. We do also need to maintain that balance where the 23s are still competitive in PL2D1.

The physicality has been a mismatch, an obvious lesson if there ever was one there.

 

[elwheelio]

I'm not prone to hyperbole or overreacting but, based on what I've just watched, we should close the performance centre and sack the board.

 

[Pavilionaire]

F/T 0-6.

Not pretty viewing but it will keep their feet on the ground, and the experience of playing a bona fide men's League 2 outfit will be invaluable.

There are still a squad of 25 in front of them and 9 or 10 out on loan / resting from tournaments, and I still like the look of Moran and Ifill as potential 1st XI players.

 

[GT49er]

I watched for 10 mins and gave up. Very Hughtonesque what I saw, passing backwards and sideways showing no intent and then losing the ball with a sloppy pass. Has it got better?

Yes, it does sometimes look as if Potterball hasn't filtered down to the junior ranks yet. Very Hughtonesque at times - the apparant desire to pass backwards all the time, and never, ever to cross is frustrating to watch.

 

[Originunknown]

Not sure Dicker has much of a future in the game

 

[chaileyjem]

This fixture might have seemed a good idea 5 or 6 weeks ago but we are looking like a demoralised and well-beaten side.

.

I think it was only an idea a few days ago. The original plan (h/t @azgull ) was to play Bristol Rovers dev team in this slot.

 

[haardman]

It seemed to me that the ref was giving everything to Sutton. Toward the end we had a throw in and a Sutton player fouled our player, threw himself to the floor and waited for the whistle (which duly came). Every 50-50 seemed to go their way. Fair Albion challenges which the ref didn't give were met with howls of indignation from the Sutton players and staff - and then the ref would blow and give a free kick to Sutton.

It was so biased that I wondered if the ref had been instructed to do it on purpose to test the mental strength of the youngsters - or indeed to prepare them for the woeful experience that they will inevitably have when they make it to the first team and meet the Prem refs!

 

[WATFORD zero]

Absolutely, there is a fine line between weakening our 23s with loans and early promotion to the senior squad. We do also need to maintain that balance where the 23s are still competitive in PL2D1.

The physicality has been a mismatch, an obvious lesson if there ever was one there.

Because TB has spent all that money in order to prioritise winning PL2D1 over promoting players to the first team squad and loans into more competitive leagues

 

[Originunknown]

Because TB has spent all that money in order to prioritise winning PL2D1 over promoting players to the first team squad and loans into more competitive leagues

Behave , hopefully we get the balance right again this term. Staying in D1 would be beneficial for all, clearly.

 

[chaileyjem]

Absolutely, there is a fine line between weakening our 23s with loans and early promotion to the senior squad. We do also need to maintain that balance where the 23s are still competitive in PL2D1.

The physicality has been a mismatch, an obvious lesson if there ever was one there.

PS: We've finished 3rd, 3rd, and 9th in the last three years of PL2 Div 1...

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Incredible that i've read someone on here suggesting the kids losomg 6-0 to a (now) league team full of adults is a result of Chris Hughton's tenure as first team manager over 2 years ago.

Despite Ashworth, our wealth of academy coaches, the turnover in players and a first team head coach who has been in the job 26 months.

****ing hell I hate the way some people have been brainwashed into thinking everything is perfect.

It's a little bump in the road, it happens to quite a lot of U23 sides this time of year. It may hopefully even act as something of a rocket to some of the youngsters who have believed the hype around our academy and think they are destined to reach the top even without putting the graft in.

Did Taylor Richards play by the way? Did fairly well for Doncaster didn't he but hard to see him getting into the first team midfield now. Wonder if there's much chance of getting any of the £1.5 million back.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[Originunknown]

PS: We've finished 3rd, 3rd, and 9th in the last three years of PL2 Div 1...

Believe you're correct yes.

 

[chaileyjem]

Did Taylor Richards play by the way? Did fairly well for Doncaster didn't he but hard to see him getting into the first team midfield now. Wonder if there's much chance of getting any of the £1.5 million back.

He was probably our best player in the first half. Not sure i'd write his career off after 45 minutes in a pre-season friendly !

 

[Stat Brother]

If we don't beat the monkey tennis league team on Saturday I'm throwing my season ticket back in Bloom's face.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

He was probably our best player in the first half. Not sure i'd write his career off after 45 minutes in a pre-season friendly !

No I'm not, I had wondered if we would see him around the first team soon after a purple patch out on loan, but I think I saw there was some bother with his contract, and having signed Lallana, Moder, Caceido and Mwepu in the last 12 months his 'pathway' looks increasingly blocked.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[chaileyjem]

No I'm not, I had wondered if we would see him around the first team soon after a purple patch out on loan, but I think I saw there was some bother with his contract, and having signed Lallana, Moder, Caceido and Mwepu in the last 12 months his 'pathway' looks increasingly blocked.

He's still only 20 . I think the last report i read was that he was being lined up with a Championship loan this year.
https://twitter.com/AndyNaylorBHAFC/status/1415700558917287939

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Incredible that i've read someone on here suggesting the kids losomg 6-0 to a (now) league team full of adults is a result of Chris Hughton's tenure as first team manager over 2 years ago.

Despite Ashworth, our wealth of academy coaches, the turnover in players and a first team head coach who has been in the job 26 months.

****ing hell I hate the way some people have been brainwashed into thinking everything is perfect.

It's a little bump in the road, it happens to quite a lot of U23 sides this time of year. It may hopefully even act as something of a rocket to some of the youngsters who have believed the hype around our academy and think they are destined to reach the top even without putting the graft in.

Did Taylor Richards play by the way? Did fairly well for Doncaster didn't he but hard to see him getting into the first team midfield now. Wonder if there's much chance of getting any of the £1.5 million back.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

I've seen no evidence that this is a common attitude in our u23 team

Having said that, this defeat should act as a positive. They know where they need to get to physically and they know the job they have in front of them to have a league, let alone PL, career.