Step the kids up!!

Good player Rob, with a real future. A winger tho Mac, we need someone 2 stick it in the net, Madine 6 foot 2 can't win a header? Yates? Not good enough,.. Try Bange!
 
think some on here are failing to grasp the massive difference between youth team football and league football especially at Championship level. Critch has managed the Liverpool Academy so I'd imagine he's far more qualified and knowledgeable about who is and isn't ready to step up. And it seems he's reluctant to give the youngsters a chance. Clearly there's a reason for that. Maybe it's because he thinks they are not ready.
 
20togo said:
think some on here are failing to grasp the massive difference between youth team football and league football especially at Championship level. Critch has managed the Liverpool Academy so I'd imagine he's far more qualified and knowledgeable about who is and isn't ready to step up. And it seems he's reluctant to give the youngsters a chance. Clearly there's a reason for that. Maybe it's because he thinks they are not ready.
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Bang on. That’s why he’s at bamber bridge not playing in the championship. People are mental if they think they are the answer at this point in the season.
 
20togo said:
think some on here are failing to grasp the massive difference between youth team football and league football especially at Championship level. Critch has managed the Liverpool Academy so I'd imagine he's far more qualified and knowledgeable about who is and isn't ready to step up. And it seems he's reluctant to give the youngsters a chance. Clearly there's a reason for that. Maybe it's because he thinks they are not ready.
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I agree with everything you say, but if Critchley is reluctant to blood young players maybe we need to stop the policy of signing "ones for the future" and recruit players with experience
 
Victorsponge said:
I agree with everything you say, but if Critchley is reluctant to blood young players maybe we need to stop the policy of signing "ones for the future" and recruit players with experience
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Yep valid point. We should have enough players already in our current squad as ones for the future. Add in those still playing youth team football and if one or two of them can step up then the future looks good. But as I've said it's a big step up.
 
Northstandsinger said:
Bang on. That’s why he’s at bamber bridge not playing in the championship. People are mental if they think they are the answer at this point in the season.
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I feel slightly better qualified to comment than some having watched the players referred to fairly regularly, including Apter and Bange playing "mens" football at Bamber Bridge.
@20togo is correct to say that there is a big difference between youth football at Cat 3 Academy level and league football but there are several examples of young players making that transition. (I remember speaking to Callum Styles' Dad after our u/18s had played Bury and telling him how impressed I was with his son's performance. Callum went straight into Barnsley 1st team and has now made over 60 appearances and he's still only 21)
Like @Sea sea seasiders says "if they good enough, they are old enough".
Some of the current u/18s haved play in pre-season with first teamers and have played subsequently in bounce games and Lancashire Cup games. I think they have given a good account of themselves but I agree this is a world away from Championship football.
My view is if you have one player in the team they will "play-up" to the level.
On the Critch factor of course he knows the comparative ability of our academy compared to Cat 1 academies, from where he is recruiting, and of course I respect that.
However I do think he should give Rob Apter a go (because he's the cream of the current crop) in the FA Cup game. Let him show what he can do. Let him set a benchmark.
Apart from anything else giving a recently graduated young footballer a full first team debut would serve as an inspiration to others coming through the Academy. This door has been closed for a couple of years now and we have lost a couple of good young players in Tony Weston and Charlie Penman because I feel they think there maybe??? a lack of opportunity.
Just my un-informed thoughts.
 
Insider said:
I feel slightly better qualified to comment than some having watched the players referred to fairly regularly, including Apter and Bange playing "mens" football at Bamber Bridge.
@20togo is correct to say that there is a big difference between youth football at Cat 3 Academy level and league football but there are several examples of young players making that transition. (I remember speaking to Callum Styles' Dad after our u/18s had played Bury and telling him how impressed I was with his son's performance. Callum went straight into Barnsley 1st team and has now made over 60 appearances and he's still only 21)
Like @Sea sea seasiders says "if they good enough, they are old enough".
Some of the current u/18s haved play in pre-season with first teamers and have played subsequently in bounce games and Lancashire Cup games. I think they have given a good account of themselves but I agree this is a world away from Championship football.
My view is if you have one player in the team they will "play-up" to the level.
On the Critch factor of course he knows the comparative ability of our academy compared to Cat 1 academies, from where he is recruiting, and of course I respect that.
However I do think he should give Rob Apter a go (because he's the cream of the current crop) in the FA Cup game. Let him show what he can do. Let him set a benchmark.
Apart from anything else giving a recently graduated young footballer a full first team debut would serve as an inspiration to others coming through the Academy. This door has been closed for a couple of years now and we have lost a couple of good young players in Tony Weston and Charlie Penman because I feel they think there maybe??? a lack of opportunity.
Just my un-informed thoughts.
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yep good post especially your last sentence. Nah only kidding about the last sentence,

you've no doubt seen more of these kids than anyone else on here. Again I'll emphasise the point that you can go and watch these kids and see some great individual performances from them and that can inevitably lead to one thinking that yep they are good enough to step up. But what you also have to consider and is jjust as vital as any other point mentioned is that they are only playing against kids of their own age so it can and is easier for them to stand out. What they are not doing is playing against hardened professionals at Championship level. The gulf is enormous.

All that said and it was discussed before on an fa cup thread there is an opportunity to maybe give one or two a go in that comp. But then I come back to the point that our squad is already big enough to give players well ahead of them in the pecking order a chance. I'm sure players like Casey, Carey, even CJ who've relatively had very little game time should rightly come before all the others mentioned when it comes to be given an opportunity. You could pick a starting eleven from our squad who've had little game time.
 
I think we would be better served signing players like Sonny Carey and Shane Lavery from clubs below us. We should be capable of scouting the Jocko Irish and even Welsh leagues where there must be some seriously talented youngsters. I have long held the belief that we should also be raiding the smaller cubs from the Conference, League two and league 1 and taking their best players...Peterboro and Brentford have always fared well with this strategy. I hope Apter makes the grade but past history suggests our young players just dont graduate to our first team and any decent ones seem to be snapped up by bigger clubs.
 
Ive watched a bit of the youth sides theres some cracking potential there love they way they move the ball around i feel in our current situation a couple of steady older heads may benefit us more.
 
20togo said:
Again I'll emphasise the point that you can go and watch these kids and see some great individual performances from them and that can inevitably lead to one thinking that yep they are good enough to step up.
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I've been watching the development of our young players for long enough now to know absolutely that is not the case.
Can I just add that when Youth football does return to Blackpool however good, bad or indifferent they are compared to Chelsea's academy I strongly recomend you just go along and enjoy what is more often than not quite simply a good game of football.
#5for25.
 
Insider said:
I've been watching the development of our young players for long enough now to know absolutely that is not the case.
Can I just add that when Youth football does return to Blackpool however good, bad or indifferent they are compared to Chelsea's academy I strongly recomend you just go along and enjoy what is more often than not quite simply a good game of football.
#5for25.
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Sorry, wasn't mean to imply that that's how you thought. I was just making a general comment about the massive difference between playing in a youth game and then stepping up to play in a Championship game.
 
I notice Bridge have announced Rob has left and returned to Blackpool. Will be interesting to see if he is given a chance with the first team.
 
Insider said:
I feel slightly better qualified to comment than some having watched the players referred to fairly regularly, including Apter and Bange playing "mens" football at Bamber Bridge.
@20togo is correct to say that there is a big difference between youth football at Cat 3 Academy level and league football but there are several examples of young players making that transition. (I remember speaking to Callum Styles' Dad after our u/18s had played Bury and telling him how impressed I was with his son's performance. Callum went straight into Barnsley 1st team and has now made over 60 appearances and he's still only 21)
Like @Sea sea seasiders says "if they good enough, they are old enough".
Some of the current u/18s haved play in pre-season with first teamers and have played subsequently in bounce games and Lancashire Cup games. I think they have given a good account of themselves but I agree this is a world away from Championship football.
My view is if you have one player in the team they will "play-up" to the level.
On the Critch factor of course he knows the comparative ability of our academy compared to Cat 1 academies, from where he is recruiting, and of course I respect that.
However I do think he should give Rob Apter a go (because he's the cream of the current crop) in the FA Cup game. Let him show what he can do. Let him set a benchmark.
Apart from anything else giving a recently graduated young footballer a full first team debut would serve as an inspiration to others coming through the Academy. This door has been closed for a couple of years now and we have lost a couple of good young players in Tony Weston and Charlie Penman because I feel they think there maybe??? a lack of opportunity.
Just my un-informed thoughts.
Click to expand...

Nice post this insider.

Apter also looked well "in place" when he played for us in league 1. Also we are on a terrible run. Why not mix it up with a tricky winger with an eye for goal?

IMO the reason English football stagnated for decades is because of these ridiculous views that "the gap is too big" and "they ain't ready". How can we possibly know with out giving them a go? If the young players are never going to be "ready" then you might as well scrap the academy at Blackpool.
 
Insider said:
I feel slightly better qualified to comment than some having watched the players referred to fairly regularly, including Apter and Bange playing "mens" football at Bamber Bridge.
@20togo is correct to say that there is a big difference between youth football at Cat 3 Academy level and league football but there are several examples of young players making that transition. (I remember speaking to Callum Styles' Dad after our u/18s had played Bury and telling him how impressed I was with his son's performance. Callum went straight into Barnsley 1st team and has now made over 60 appearances and he's still only 21)
Like @Sea sea seasiders says "if they good enough, they are old enough".
Some of the current u/18s haved play in pre-season with first teamers and have played subsequently in bounce games and Lancashire Cup games. I think they have given a good account of themselves but I agree this is a world away from Championship football.
My view is if you have one player in the team they will "play-up" to the level.
On the Critch factor of course he knows the comparative ability of our academy compared to Cat 1 academies, from where he is recruiting, and of course I respect that.
However I do think he should give Rob Apter a go (because he's the cream of the current crop) in the FA Cup game. Let him show what he can do. Let him set a benchmark.
Apart from anything else giving a recently graduated young footballer a full first team debut would serve as an inspiration to others coming through the Academy. This door has been closed for a couple of years now and we have lost a couple of good young players in Tony Weston and Charlie Penman because I feel they think there maybe??? a lack of opportunity.
Just my un-informed thoughts.
Click to expand...

I’m not saying they are too young I’m saying I don’t think they are good enough at the minute.
 
rease4 said:
I notice Bridge have announced Rob has left and returned to Blackpool. Will be interesting to see if he is given a chance with the first team.
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Judging by what is coming out of the club,likelihood is Rob Apter will be heading out on loan again further up the football pyramid.
 
The gulf between youth football and higher levels is undoubtedly large. I watched a Pool reserve team play a far more experienced Morecambe reserves 2 or 3 years ago. Morecambe had a regular first teamer in midfield, whom I had watched on various occasions and who was mainly known for his tackling and heading abilities. Against our youths, this player looked like Pele, spraying the ball around, always in space and dominating the game. It really brought home the difference. After saying all that, however, Blackpool brought on a young sub for the last 20 minutes who immediately looked different class and gave the Morecambe defence problems. His name was Apter.

PS Weston played from the start and was largely anonymous.
 
Poolster said:
The gulf between youth football and higher levels is undoubtedly large. I watched a Pool reserve team play a far more experienced Morecambe reserves 2 or 3 years ago. Morecambe had a regular first teamer in midfield, whom I had watched on various occasions and who was mainly known for his tackling and heading abilities. Against our youths, this player looked like Pele, spraying the ball around, always in space and dominating the game. It really brought home the difference. After saying all that, however, Blackpool brought on a young sub for the last 20 minutes who immediately looked different class and gave the Morecambe defence problems. His name was Apter.

PS Weston played from the start and was largely anonymous.
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I saw Tony Weston have several bad games against players of his own age. To quote Tom Jones, "It's not unusual" for a 16/17 yr old.
Rob and Tony are very similar.
 
20togo said:
think some on here are failing to grasp the massive difference between youth team football and league football especially at Championship level. Critch has managed the Liverpool Academy so I'd imagine he's far more qualified and knowledgeable about who is and isn't ready to step up. And it seems he's reluctant to give the youngsters a chance. Clearly there's a reason for that. Maybe it's because he thinks they are not ready.
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When will they ever be ready? The goalscorers we have now are not doing the job, not always their fault I know but maybe we need somebody in there with the hunger to prove themselves.
 
People post stuff on here who don't have a clue sorry 2 say... We have quality academy lads... As good as any! Played Liverpool twice this year.. 1.0 loss and 1.1 draw. Hold our own with the best academy teams in Cat 1.
 
Macseasider said:
Nice post this insider.

Apter also looked well "in place" when he played for us in league 1. Also we are on a terrible run. Why not mix it up with a tricky winger with an eye for goal?

IMO the reason English football stagnated for decades is because of these ridiculous views that "the gap is too big" and "they ain't ready". How can we possibly know with out giving them a go? If the young players are never going to be "ready" then you might as well scrap the academy at Blackpool.
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Jeez, you don't half talk bollox. He came on in his only appearance in a league game as a very late sub for barely a couple of minutes. How the hell do you relate that to "looked well in place". Crackers.
 
Sea sea seasiders said:
People post stuff on here who don't have a clue sorry 2 say... We have quality academy lads... As good as any! Played Liverpool twice this year.. 1.0 loss and 1.1 draw. Hold our own with the best academy teams in Cat 1.
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tosh. It doesn't mean they are ready for Championship football. I'd much rather take Critch's view than your obviously biased one. As I said earlier, they might look good in youth team football but this is Championship football we are talking bout here. If Critch thinks they are ready then he'll give them a chance and to date he's basically not given any of our youth a run out in the first team at a competitive level.
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I remember playing in the 'A' team down at Sqiures Gate in 1969, I was 16 at the time we played Stockport County Res as they had no 'B'team.
At centre forward I was up against 27yrs centre half returning from injury 6ft plus, vaseline on his eyebrows etc a very imposing figure. I dived into
a tackle near the touchline, before I got up he lifted me up by the shirt and explained to me what would happen if I did that again ! It is very difficult playing against more experienced men and it can phase you. These young players can only take it one game at a time and hope to build there character along with there ability. The Manager and Coaches will know which players are ready and when.
 
So he's going on loan to Livingston which hopefully will be good move for him and aid his development. I know I've discussed similar with Insy before on here. His case is similar to that of Antwi and Shaw who were players standing out in our youth teams.i They were given minutes in various first team games and yep I thought they did well but ultimately Critch clearly felt they weren't ready and sent them out on loan. Both those players at the time were probably a good few years older than Apter is now and where he is with his development. Critch clearly sees this as the right path for him to follow and that he is not yet ready for Championship football. Despite what some on here say.
 
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