Apter & Holmes

Makes no sense to give them minutes until we know for sure where they will sit in terms of the final squad.
If Holmes is 5th choice striker it’s better to get him some League 2 football on loan and maybe even a second loan in League 2 come January. If we play him for even 2 seconds now it means he can only register for 1 other league club this season - which therefore limits the potential for loans that could aid his development best. Imagine he goes on loan to a club who shortly after changes manager - and that manager doesn’t rate him. It’s basically season over at that point unless we have the opportunity to loan elsewhere - and if they’re needed to be good enough here then really they need to be playing League football elsewhere
 
So we have a Development Squad, last season I think we signed more people for said Development Squad than first team players. Brad Holmes plays for Development Squad, which is the equivalent of the old Central League Team and scores almost every time he plays..
Now I've never watched the Development Squad and have no idea what the standard is like, but scoring goals on a regular basis can't be easy against fellow developing players.
No he's not Jimmy Greaves, but wouldn't it be worth having someone who has the knack of finding the net on the bench ?
Particularly when we are short up front.
 
rememberlesshannon said:
So we have a Development Squad, last season I think we signed more people for said Development Squad than first team players. Brad Holmes plays for Development Squad, which is the equivalent of the old Central League Team and scores almost every time he plays..
Now I've never watched the Development Squad and have no idea what the standard is like, but scoring goals on a regular basis can't be easy against fellow developing players.
No he's not Jimmy Greaves, but wouldn't it be worth having someone who has the knack of finding the net on the bench ?
Particularly when we are short up front.
Click to expand...
He has pretty much been told that he wont get a chance. As we already know Critchley won't play the youth which I find very odd given his back ground.
 
It's not good news for Holmes that he can't get on the bench when we don't have any other strikers on there or available. We certainly need a different target man bringing in.

Beesley probably would have been replaced today had we had another option on the bench.
 
Apter is a cracking player who should be a starter for us.

If I was his agent I'd have gotten him out last season whilst we were in the Championship.

We should scrap the whole youth system. There hasn't been a single player come through for over a decade and then he was potted off to Accrington after having a bit part and then spending years in the Championship with Preston.

Before him I struggle to remember any. Either invest in the youth system and bring them into the first team or don't bother at all and save a lot of money on salaries and coaches.

Not bothered either way but stop the pretense that we develop players internally. Because we don't and we never have.
 
Apter has shown enough and plays in a position where in a stalemate with 20 minutes to go a brave manager would give him a chance.
Unpopular opinion but I don't think Beesley or Lavery have performed that poorly with the limited service they've been given.
 
Posted in another thread (Apter):
We may as well scrap our youth system, there's literally no point in it. We don't play them, we don't sell any on (maybe Samuel is an exception), we generally loose them on free's/nominal fees (Telford, Waddington).
We finally have a player who looks confident/natural with the ball at his feet (Hoolahan-esque to me) & who could pick up those loose balls (that continuously dropped in that number ten area from their defenders always winning the headers/or it bouncing off Beesleys shins yesterday), yet he can't even get in the squad.
Looking at that bench yesterday, there was absolutely nobody who was going to come on and change the game or do something a little different (maybe Carey on paper, but he's just not cutting it for me so far).
Looking & listening around yesterday (& myself included), the fans are bored..... Simple as that......
I don't agree with the boo's, but maybe it's the only way to show displeasure.
Critchley just seems to stick with "his" tried and tested players, and reluctant to change, and now it's with an obsession to play the diagonal ball down the channel, that defenders just mop-up.
Play & bed Apter in with a run of games in the number 10 role (Surrounded by players that will protect him and allow him to play his game).
 
Seaseaseasider said:
It's not good news for Holmes that he can't get on the bench when we don't have any other strikers on there or available. We certainly need a different target man bringing in.

Beesley probably would have been replaced today had we had another option on the bench.
Click to expand...
It’s stupid to not use him at least on the bench when we have no strikers. Maybe he’s just saving the slot for Owen Dale who he doesn’t bring on.

Holmes is going out on loan, makes sense for him, but in the meantime throwing him on for 5-10 mins when we need a goal wouldn’t do anyone any harm.

He’d be replacing Jake Beesley not Harry Kane.
 
Murphy9 said:
Posted in another thread (Apter):
We may as well scrap our youth system, there's literally no point in it. We don't play them, we don't sell any on (maybe Samuel is an exception), we generally loose them on free's/nominal fees (Telford, Waddington).
We finally have a player who looks confident/natural with the ball at his feet (Hoolahan-esque to me) & who could pick up those loose balls (that continuously dropped in that number ten area from their defenders always winning the headers/or it bouncing off Beesleys shins yesterday), yet he can't even get in the squad.
Looking at that bench yesterday, there was absolutely nobody who was going to come on and change the game or do something a little different (maybe Carey on paper, but he's just not cutting it for me so far).
Looking & listening around yesterday (& myself included), the fans are bored..... Simple as that......
I don't agree with the boo's, but maybe it's the only way to show displeasure.
Critchley just seems to stick with "his" tried and tested players, and reluctant to change, and now it's with an obsession to play the diagonal ball down the channel, that defenders just mop-up.
Play & bed Apter in with a run of games in the number 10 role (Surrounded by players that will protect him and allow him to play his game).
Click to expand...
The lad has got good movement,
Just like Wes, we were sadly lacking that yesterday.
 
Dale was the only attacking option on the bench yesterday and wasn't used
Apter definitely needs to get another team if he is to develop
Course we did have a temporary manager that gave our youth a chance
 
I think he’s waiting to unleash Apter second half of the season to propel us to automatic .

If he shows him off now the opposition will have him worked out by the time we play them again.
 
Look at where our development squad players go on loan and then realise maybe they aren’t as good as we think/hope.

A few games in Conference North or wherever isn’t going to make them ready for L1.

The only player I would have to agree on is Apter though, he looks like he could make it.
 
We have always been told Critchley’s main attribute is his ability to bring young players on.
I just don’t see it.
How Apter didn’t make the bench yesterday is beyond me. He would have been the only potential game-changer.
If these guys like Apter and Holmes are now 20-ish they are not kids any more. Plenty of teams are playing people younger than them.
 
philmus said:
We have always been told Critchley’s main attribute is his ability to bring young players on.
I just don’t see it.
How Apter didn’t make the bench yesterday is beyond me. He would have been the only potential game-changer.
If these guys like Apter and Holmes are now 20-ish they are not kids any more. Plenty of teams are playing people younger than them.
Click to expand...
Perhaps Mr C is becoming Conservative in his old age. He should be prepared to give Apter his chance.
 
Let's remember, 4 and a bit years ago Owen Oyston still owned the club, taking the academy from total neglect to producing first team ready players is not an overnight job.
 
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When I saw holmes play against Southport I thought he did well…scored assists and was involved in the 3rd…then not had a chance till Morecambe were tbh put his body on the line and got a bad head injury to try an score the winner…I’ve not seen any Blackpool player yet put them selves out there…so jus shows there hungry…I’d defo have holmes an apter on that field there both ready
 
To my mind if Apter isn't on the bench on Saturday, then the club should arrange a loan to League Two for him(Crewe were sniffing last January). We need to ensure that he gets considerable game time at a competitive to aid his development, if Critchley ignores him again.
 
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