Ajay Matthews - Fabrizio Romano

BoroPhil said:
I'd say so along with Lennon and also Dan James / Eric Hamelberg in the u18s who have been in and around England squads. McCabe, Cartwright, Hamelberg, James, Bridge, Woolston are all CM (and a few left footed) so we have a lot in that area though McCabe and Cartwright at least can play a more attacking role.

Shea Connor (GK) as well who is still an u18 but regular u21 keeper now and has been with the first team.
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I've seen Shea train down at Rockliffe and he is brilliant.
 
Ash88 said:
It's definitely fine margins - but they need to go out on loan in my opinion - Hackney played 50 times for Scunthorpe before he played for us.

Law McCabe will be 18 before the start of next season - if he's really got what it takes - send him out for 6 months with the view of if he succeeds, he can be in the squad post-January.
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Yeah I don't think the benefit of a full season on loan with and against older experienced players can be underestimated even for a struggling team as it was in Hackney's case
 
B_G said:
Some of them are 18 and 19...
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The ones to keep an eye on right now:

Sykes -21 - been on the bench, but nowhere near challenging any of our CBs
Bridge - just turned 19 - too young to challenge
Agyemang - 19 - been on loan at National League
Willis - 21 - been injured most of this season
Finch -18 - been injured most of this season, but now around the first team
McCabe - 17 - also too young but has been around the first team
Cartwright - 17 - made his debut, too young, injured
Hamelberg - 17 - too young
Coulson - 17 - very young
Lennon - 18 - been around the first team
Matthews - 17 - been training with first team but too young and behind Finch
 
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BoroMart said:
The ones to keep an eye on right now:

Sykes -21 - been on the bench, but nowhere near challenging any of our CBs
Bridge - just turned 19 - too young to challenge
Agyemang - been on loan at National League
Willis - 21 - been injured most of this season
Finch - been injured most of this season, but now around the first team
McCabe - also too young but has been around the first team
Cartwright - 17 - made his debut, too young, injured
Hamelberg - 17 - too young
Coulson - 17 - very young
Lennon - been around the first team
Matthews - 17 - been training with first team but too young and behind Finch
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Thought we might have seen Jack Hannah at some point with all the defensive injuries we've had, 21 now so assuming he won't be retained.
 
TheYorkshireTerrier said:
Thought we might have seen Jack Hannah at some point with all the defensive injuries we've had, 21 now so assuming he won't be retained.
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Yeah he has pretty much played every u21 game this season and been skipper but not a sniff of the bench. Had a brief spell at Darlo on loan but didn't last long.
 
Kieran Scott has talked about the need to fill out the academy teams with more quality from other regions and overseas. That will help the local players develop a competitive edge, which I think is a major factor in some of our more promising young players not breaking through. Some of them just have it too easy at that level before they’re ready for first team football and it holds them back. They don’t play a ton of competitive games in youth football so they need to fight in training day to day to be ready when the opportunity does come.
 
BoroMart said:
Yup, let them get on with improving because we’ve all seen arnel jakupovic, ronnie O’Brien move to big European clubs and slip. We’ve seen Liverpool and Chelsea sniff around Nathan porritt and flop.

Best thing kids at a champo club can do, is get their heads down, and play for a contract, then push for a first team chance. It’s far better for them than trying the quick route to a Chelsea, juventus or any other big club youth academy
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For balance, for every Ronnie o’Brien there’s a Billal Brahimi
 
SilentProf said:
Kieran Scott has talked about the need to fill out the academy teams with more quality from other regions and overseas. That will help the local players develop a competitive edge, which I think is a major factor in some of our more promising young players not breaking through. Some of them just have it too easy at that level before they’re ready for first team football and it holds them back. They don’t play a ton of competitive games in youth football so they need to fight in training day to day to be ready when the opportunity does come.
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Yes I never got the obsession with just having players from within 30 miles of the stadium and seeing it as a badge of honour. The first team has been littered with lads from around the country and world so do the same with the youths, don't handicap ourselves. We do seem to now have london lads and some rejects/poached players from other teams acadamies.

I think when we do finally get promotion, we should go all in with the academy. Give it the best financiing we can, get scouts in other countries, particularly Ireland, scotland, the scandis, netherlands. They all have good english, well the scots try and are just about legible. Players in all those countries so the prem as the place to be, and EFL sides as a good stepping stone. I know everyone was excitable about the Ituana link up a few years ago, but we'd do much better with a second tier scottish, danish, swedish and netherlands club. Get them to scout on our behalf and train. Then sell to us for pittance, with a good bonus if they make it. We can loan young players to them in exchange, and if a player doesn't make our standard, they go back to them at end of youth contract. win-win-win
 
Humpty said:
For balance, for every Ronnie o’Brien there’s a Billal Brahimi
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well there's one Brilal Brahimi have we had any other "slip through the net moments"? I can't really think of many that haven't signed on and have made it elsewhere.
 
BoroMart said:
well there's one Brilal Brahimi have we had any other "slip through the net moments"? I can't really think of many that haven't signed on and have made it elsewhere.
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Nathan Wood is a player who seemingly got frustrated with lack of first team opportunity at 19 so moved to Swansea. Despite us playing a back 3 that season which regularly contained Peltier and Dijksteel.

He was transferred rather than not signed on but it's a player we lost because we didn't give him first team football. Straight in the first team at Swansea.
 
B_G said:
Nathan Wood is a player who seemingly got frustrated with lack of first team opportunity at 19 so moved to Swansea. Despite us playing a back 3 that season which regularly contained Peltier and Dijksteel.

He was transferred rather than not signed on but it's a player we lost because we didn't give him first team football. Straight in the first team at Swansea.
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I think you could make the argument with Wood we cashed in our chips as we didn't believe he would go any higher rather than we lost him
 
B_G said:
Nathan Wood is a player who seemingly got frustrated with lack of first team opportunity at 19 so moved to Swansea. Despite us playing a back 3 that season which regularly contained Peltier and Dijksteel.

He was transferred rather than not signed on but it's a player we lost because we didn't give him first team football. Straight in the first team at Swansea.
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Yes, although to be fair, the few appearance he had, he didn't look ready. He looks a standard champo defender right now, but plenty of time to progress.

Billal Brahimi was homesick, which is why he left. Although he is signed to a Ligue 1 club, he hasn't been a success and is back on loan in the second tier.

They're the main ones I can think of, of course if you take their high water mark values it's about 11m of possible cashing in we have missed out on. we may still get a bonus if wood is sold.

There are players we hae released, or sold at low value who've gone on to careers down the leagues. I can't think of any playing regularly in the prem, I guess Steel played 15 games earlier in the season, but he's not that good.
 
I’ve seen clamour for various young players over the years, rarely considering if that player is ready or capable of stepping up, I can think of very few that leave Boro and we can look on as the club making a mistake. That leads me to believe that the coaches and staff know what they are doing and that it’s an incredibly big step up from youth to professional football, which is why so few players make it at Boro or elsewhere.

Of course there are always what ifs and unfortunate or unpleasant circumstances that lead to players leaving the club or not making the grade, but generally I think the cream usually rises and, based on where players end up, Boro have made very few mistakes down the years in both releasing and undervaluing academy players. In fact the professional leagues have numerous ex academy players plying their trade, even if they didn’t make it here or go on to be prem stars it’s still something the academy can be proud of.
 
MickaelDebevePhenomenal said:
I think you could make the argument with Wood we cashed in our chips as we didn't believe he would go any higher rather than we lost him
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Maybe. But £400k for a 19 year old with good potential. Was representing England at U19s. Seems mad. That was one we got wrong and we didn't give an opportunity to.

That period between 17-19 years old is a massive time for potential pros. They need to start breaking into the seniors, even if it's League 1 or league 2 level on loan.

Look at the ones who do make it. They are playing senior football before they turn 20 90% of the time.

I can see why good prospects at 18 and 19 what start getting itchy feet if they can see they none of them are getting game time.
 
BoroMart said:
Yes, although to be fair, the few appearance he had, he didn't look ready. He looks a standard champo defender right now, but plenty of time to progress.

Billal Brahimi was homesick, which is why he left. Although he is signed to a Ligue 1 club, he hasn't been a success and is back on loan in the second tier.

They're the main ones I can think of, of course if you take their high water mark values it's about 11m of possible cashing in we have missed out on. we may still get a bonus if wood is sold.

There are players we hae released, or sold at low value who've gone on to careers down the leagues. I can't think of any playing regularly in the prem, I guess Steel played 15 games earlier in the season, but he's not that good.
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He signed for Nice for 10 million euros. I think it's a little disingenuous in the context of the discussion to say he hasn't been a success.
 
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