U23s "clear out" on January

khoazany

Full Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2012
Messages
6,589
Location
Singapore
Thoughts?

It looks very likely that the U23s will struggle a tad for the rest of the season and it will massively impact the development of the best youngsters on the side (Tuanzebe,Goss,Riley,...). Furthermore there's oversupply of talent in the U18s side (we had to bench Chong and Hamilton last game and Barlow didn't even make the squad). It might be a good idea to try to "rebalance" the U23s side on January by sending some players on loan (or even get rid of couple of them permanently) and promote some of the U18s especially attacking players.

For example:
Loan: Willock, Harrop, Riley, Redmond
Promote: Hamilton, Gribbin, Buffonge, Warren

XI:
Whoever
Warren/El-Fitouri - Tuanzebe - Williams - Osolunde
McTominay/Kehinde - Goss
Buffonge - Gribbin - Hamilton
Mitchell

Still not ideal but we can at least play good football with that line-up IMO.
 
Some of these should be being loaned out now IMO to play regular game time or am I wrong in thinking the U23's get a small amount of games a season in comparison to first teams?
 
At the moment it looks as though we're trying to keep the u18s together as a group and turn them into a proper team/squad and writing off the u23s league to a degree rather than promoting players early. Will be interesting to see if this continues if we go out of the youth cup and when a new manager is brought in for the u23s.
 
At the moment it looks as though we're trying to keep the u18s together as a group and turn them into a proper team/squad and writing off the u23s league to a degree rather than promoting players early. Will be interesting to see if this continues if we go out of the youth cup and when a new manager is brought in for the u23s.

Suppose that could work but it leaves players like tuanzabe in the lurch a bit.
 
Buffonge and Warren should be promoted. They're both 18 now. Burkhart should be given a few 10-15 minute run outs every now and then.

I'd keep the rest of The U18s together.
 
I'd like to see Gribbin moved up to the U23s. Not only do I think he's good enough for that level now, but it also means we won't have the issue we've had the last few weeks, which is having to move either himself or Gomes out wide to accommodate the other.
 
If there is a clear out and El Fitouri by some miracle survives there is something seriously wrong with our club.
 
I'd probably promote Warren, Hamilton, Buffonge and Gribbin but the issue is that loaning players out is dependent on there being an interest in the players obviously. Right now the only player I can see getting interest from other clubs is Riley, and maybe Harrop. If Willock, Goss, Redmond etc. don't also go out then there'd be no point in moving the likes of Hamilton and Buffonge up. United might just be stuck with the current Under-23 squad for the entirety of this season. El-Fitouri not being around would also make space for some appearances from the likes of Tanner and O'Connor as well although I don't see the club getting rid mid-season.
 
I mostly agree with khoazany. But would consider promoting Dearnley and Diedrick-Roberts to U23s as well, because they are attack minded players which U-18s are flush with. I think loans should depend on whether a player is likely to get games. If coaches are confident a player can get games on loan then send them out. I think McTominay, Goss, Tuanzebe, Poole might all get loan requests as well.
 
I'd probably promote Warren, Hamilton, Buffonge and Gribbin but the issue is that loaning players out is dependent on there being an interest in the players obviously. Right now the only player I can see getting interest from other clubs is Riley, and maybe Harrop. If Willock, Goss, Redmond etc. don't also go out then there'd be no point in moving the likes of Hamilton and Buffonge up. United might just be stuck with the current Under-23 squad for the entirety of this season. El-Fitouri not being around would also make space for some appearances from the likes of Tanner and O'Connor as well although I don't see the club getting rid mid-season.

I'm really surprised Riley hasn't at least gone on loan. Are other clubs scouting the u23's properly? I'm sure he would improve a lot of Championship teams.
 
I'd consider just promoting all the u18s if they want to keep them together, give them some harder competition than scoring 5 goals a game. Send the top u23s on loan and just bin the rest tbh or let them stay as back-ups for when u23 and u18 matches overlap. The likes of Riley, Harrop, Tuanzebe, and Poole are far too good for the u23s anyway, get them out on loan and stop wasting their time. Williams even too but he can stay as he is younger, Goss too but his injuries and everything. The likes of El-Fitouri, Redmond, McTominay, who really cares. They'll never come anywhere close to making it here so give the games to some actual talent and just have them make up the numbers.
 
I mostly agree with khoazany. But would consider promoting Dearnley and Diedrick-Roberts to U23s as well, because they are attack minded players which U-18s are flush with. I think loans should depend on whether a player is likely to get games. If coaches are confident a player can get games on loan then send them out. I think McTominay, Goss, Tuanzebe, Poole might all get loan requests as well.

Dearnley is injured and has been for a while. Before he got injured he was consistently with the u23s. Roberts is arguably not even good enough for the u18s, so no reason for him to be promoted really. I do agree that the u18s is flush with attacking players however.
 
I'd consider just promoting all the u18s if they want to keep them together, give them some harder competition than scoring 5 goals a game. Send the top u23s on loan and just bin the rest tbh or let them stay as back-ups for when u23 and u18 matches overlap. The likes of Riley, Harrop, Tuanzebe, and Poole are far too good for the u23s anyway, get them out on loan and stop wasting their time. Williams even too but he can stay as he is younger, Goss too but his injuries and everything. The likes of El-Fitouri, Redmond, McTominay, who really cares. They'll never come anywhere close to making it here so give the games to some actual talent and just have them make up the numbers.
I've seen very little from Poole to suggest he's far too good for u23s football. He's had a few very good games but has had quite a few shockers as well. His stand out quality is John Terry style last ditch tackles and blocks but a lot of the time they come about because he's out of position to begin with.
 
I've seen very little from Poole to suggest he's far too good for u23s football. He's had a few very good games but has had quite a few shockers as well. His stand out quality is John Terry style last ditch tackles and blocks but a lot of the time they come about because he's out of position to begin with.

Having already played 18 games as a professional, I think he could do with a loan to League One club.
 
Having already played 18 games as a professional, I think he could do with a loan to League One club.
Most of those games came for a league 2 side who were missing a number of players and didn't have much choice but play him and he made a number of mistakes in those games according to their fans. As I said he's done nothing to suggest he's far too good for u23's football yet regardless of how many games he played for Newport County
 
Poole isn't too good for the U23s, but again surely Tuanzebe is more ready than him for a loan move if any.

The likes of Harrop and Willock are all "third year scholars" who should have started playing senior football if we want them to fullfill their talent.
 
Promote Gribbin. If there's an early FAYC exit then promote Buffonge and Hamilton too. I wouldn't mind Burkhat getting a game for the U23s too, given the lack of striking options.
 
I'd like to see Gribbin moved up to the U23s. Not only do I think he's good enough for that level now, but it also means we won't have the issue we've had the last few weeks, which is having to move either himself or Gomes out wide to accommodate the other.

Im not enlighten about u program. But isnt there a curriculum or something in the academy? Like a progressive training based curriculum?

A player who's too good for the u18 might still need to undergo the training designed for the 18 years old. Will it be beneficial in the long run to put thwm in u23 where it's all a different ball game and physically more demanding?
 
I've seen very little from Poole to suggest he's far too good for u23s football. He's had a few very good games but has had quite a few shockers as well. His stand out quality is John Terry style last ditch tackles and blocks but a lot of the time they come about because he's out of position to begin with.
Maybe far too good is a bit of an overstatement and maybe it is just an indictment of how little I rate u23s football but by the end of January I don't think there is much left at this level for those players. I don't think good players should be spending much more than a year at this level because frankly it isn't very good and after the initial step-up I don't think it is a big enough challenge. We have 9 more games until the end of January, 8 if you don't want to count the Everton one on the 30th. By then he should be moving on from this level. I think he has been very good this season and some of his performances have gone under the radar because of Tuanzebe. Sure he makes some mistakes but so does Tuanzebe and so do senior players. He has played senior football before, he is now an u21 international and by the end of January he should be looking to progress.
 
Maybe far too good is a bit of an overstatement and maybe it is just an indictment of how little I rate u23s football but by the end of January I don't think there is much left at this level for those players. I don't think good players should be spending much more than a year at this level because frankly it isn't very good and after the initial step-up I don't think it is a big enough challenge. We have 9 more games until the end of January, 8 if you don't want to count the Everton one on the 30th. By then he should be moving on from this level. I think he has been very good this season and some of his performances have gone under the radar because of Tuanzebe. Sure he makes some mistakes but so does Tuanzebe and so do senior players. He has played senior football before, he is now an u21 international and by the end of January he should be looking to progress.

Him and Tuanzebe are of the same age, and Tuanzebe looks to be a brighter prospect. The fact that Poole has played senior football doesn't mean much as surely Tuanzebe would be a regular if he played for Newport. We can't loan out both of them since it will leave the defence short of options unless we start Warren or Osolunde as CB. I think Poole still need more time at this level before playing senior football, some of his mistakes would have cost him his place if he's playing senior football.
 
In the past we had loads of 15 and 16 year olds playing in the Reserves playing against men every week.

I'm confident some of our 18's like Warren, O'Connor, Whelan, Gomes, Chong, Boonen and one or two others would be fine in U/23's.

You don't know until you give them a try.

Having said that, the U/23 league has to be the most meaningless in years.