| Centre back options 17:50 - Nov 17 with 3557 views | numptydumpty |
Given that Tylon Smith is now in the top three shortlisted for young African player of the year 2025, where are we going forwards in the centre back roles. Best African young player to be named this Wednesday. Even to get to the shortlist of three is some achievement. Really impressive. Be interesting to see how we manage this young boy and his undoubted potential. I felt also from watching Akindileni, in pre season, also a centre back and only 17 years old, but a big and strong boy has looked composed also.
What would be the next steps ahead for these lads. We have to get this right.
Clearly, JCS is a permanent sick note. Cook surely is in his last season and also despite him being captain this season, i doubt Jimmy Dunne will be here next season. So that would leave us with Mbuenge, liable for suspensions, and Morrison, decent but no more than that. Even if we were to get Edwards in January, feel both of these young lads, need more exposure to develop.
But yes especially with Tylon Smith, to be in the top three for an entire year for an accolade covering the whole African continent, where many footballing nations are no mugs, is an incredible achievement, and yet he is nowhere near our current squad set up, as yet.
What are others thoughts ??
[Post edited 17 Nov 17:55]
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| Centre back options on 20:53 - Nov 17 with 3199 views | Lblock |
I think I'm more useful than JCS to the club at the moment.
It's sort of Taylor Richards again but without the "baggage".
Yet again we have Exhibit A as to why the "if there wasn't something wrong with him he wouldn't be here" positioning is bollox. If players aren't available for 75% of their tenure at the club then they are neither use nor ornament (as me old Nan used to say).
I know nothing about these other kids.
If they have a pulse and can run about for 90 mins then they are the stuff of dreams compared to JCS..... far, far, far more worthwhile to the club.
All sounds good in respect of opinions on them at young ages.
All that aside..... I still maintain if we'd got Edwards over the line we'd be a much better squad.
No idea why he isn't a star at Saints as he was such a calming influence and that bit of silk that makes the difference. |  |
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| Centre back options on 21:23 - Nov 17 with 3125 views | derbyhoop |
Agree that Cook is unlikely to be retained beyond this season. Will JCS ever be fit.? No doubt about his quality when fit. But when is doing a lot of work.
We need at least 4 fit CBs. Possibly 5, considering Mbengue'⅝s disciplinary record and the frequency of injuries.
How quickly can Smith and Akindeleni be developed. Both seem promising from reports but not many have seen them in a proper game.
Any others - like Wilkie or McDowell?⅘ |  |
| "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
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| Centre back options on 22:33 - Nov 17 with 2999 views | Beckenhamhoop |
| Centre back options on 21:23 - Nov 17 by derbyhoop |
Agree that Cook is unlikely to be retained beyond this season. Will JCS ever be fit.? No doubt about his quality when fit. But when is doing a lot of work.
We need at least 4 fit CBs. Possibly 5, considering Mbengue'⅝s disciplinary record and the frequency of injuries.
How quickly can Smith and Akindeleni be developed. Both seem promising from reports but not many have seen them in a proper game.
Any others - like Wilkie or McDowell?⅘ |
I’m glad you’ve mentioned Jack McDowell. In my opinion he gets very overlooked what with Smith and Akindileni joining us. He was great in last seasons cup final and he’s currently out on loan at Bracknell Town who aren’t doing too well in the Southern Isthmian Premier League (I think!).
Since he’s joined he’s played three times and been MOTM three times. I’ve just watched bits of their live streamed game tonight and he was a class apart. And he scored in a 3-0 win. Our other loanee there, Noah McCann also played well and scored.
[Post edited 17 Nov 22:47]
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| Centre back options on 13:42 - Nov 18 with 2607 views | oldmeadoniansR |
I was at the Plymouth away game and thought Smith was the best of the young crop. He was strong quick and composed. From this I would be surprised if he wasn't pushing for a first team place next year. Contrary to most I actually enjoyed seeing such a young team. I think Smith will go on to have a very good career. | | | |
| Centre back options on 15:54 - Nov 18 with 2415 views | Beckenhamhoop |
| Centre back options on 13:42 - Nov 18 by oldmeadoniansR |
I was at the Plymouth away game and thought Smith was the best of the young crop. He was strong quick and composed. From this I would be surprised if he wasn't pushing for a first team place next year. Contrary to most I actually enjoyed seeing such a young team. I think Smith will go on to have a very good career. |
On all the clips and games I’ve seen him playing he’s never been in a physical battle. He needs to go out on loan and see if he’s physically strong enough to cope with men’s football in this country. Way too early to say if he’s good enough imho. | | | |
| Centre back options on 16:34 - Nov 18 with 2308 views | Wilkinswatercarrier |
Keep an eye on Wilkie. He's only 19, yet signed for us just a few weeks before the Cup final v Brentford in which he scored and was excellent. Never came through an Academy.
Thought he and Smyth were the two standouts against Plymouth.
He's just signed with Hampton on loan for a few weeks, so may wander down and watch him. | |
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| Centre back options on 19:01 - Nov 18 with 2086 views | aston_hoop |
That Plymouth game remains Smith's only experience of senior football, never got off the bench in South Africa. Needs to go on loan second half of the season, no idea where but someone who will give him 20 odd games. Can get him back in pre-season and re-assess then. |  |
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| Centre back options on 20:47 - Nov 18 with 1992 views | oldmeadoniansR |
| Centre back options on 16:34 - Nov 18 by Wilkinswatercarrier |
Keep an eye on Wilkie. He's only 19, yet signed for us just a few weeks before the Cup final v Brentford in which he scored and was excellent. Never came through an Academy.
Thought he and Smyth were the two standouts against Plymouth.
He's just signed with Hampton on loan for a few weeks, so may wander down and watch him. |
Wilkie was poor in the fa trophy game on Saturday but the whole team was crap. Lost 2-0 to a team two divisions below. He is only 19 so tough coming into a team that hasn't won in about 9 games. | | | |
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| Centre back options on 13:10 - Nov 19 with 1711 views | Lblock |
Nice interview with Smith on SSN's
Fair play to the lad - hope he wins the award.
Agree he could do with a loan out soon as then IF he's not in first team consideration (yet).
The club needs to be spinning this to the max and get him the best possible and most suitable loan with some guaranteed playing time clauses. | |
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| Centre back options on 14:39 - Nov 19 with 1632 views | Hunterhoop |
If lads aren’t excelling in non-league football by 18/19, even if they are a little inconsistent, it’s unlikely they’ll make it at Championship level.
Chair and Eze went on loan to Stevenage and Wycombe (and were exceptional for them, as was Freeman at Stevenage earlier in his career. These are the lads with sell in value.
Even Armstrong and Lloyd did well in the Conference I think, and yet, you wouldn’t say they are Champ quality really, even now.
Liam Manning was on loan at Wigan aged 20, and is only 22 now.
I think the club’s approach of signing these 16-19 yr olds is entirely valid, and I doubt they expect more than the odd one every few years to come off and make it in the second tier. But that just makes the language and expectation around our youth set up something to be cooled.
Kolli was a Ramsey product. Eze was brought into at 18 by Les and Ramsey. Chair likewise. Armstrong likewise. Furlong developed by Ramsey. Lloyd, I’m not sure. Now, there were a lot of failures in amongst that lot over a number of years. However, there’s no evidence yet that under Nourry and (forgot their name) that youth set up is producing any players likely to make it at Championship level. None of them, bar Lloyd and Cooper (also brought in under Les, I think), are on loan in the football league. Now, some of them have a couple of years on their side. And their pedigree gives you hope. But after two years in the hotseat, you’d potentially hope for a little better in terms of promise. [Post edited 19 Nov 19:36]
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| Centre back options on 15:31 - Nov 19 with 1559 views | dmm |
You must mean Murphy Cooper at Barnsley, not Doughty.
Lloyd seems to be struggling at Orient. |  | | |
| Centre back options on 18:54 - Nov 19 with 1416 views | 7374Ranger |
| Centre back options on 21:23 - Nov 17 by derbyhoop |
Agree that Cook is unlikely to be retained beyond this season. Will JCS ever be fit.? No doubt about his quality when fit. But when is doing a lot of work.
We need at least 4 fit CBs. Possibly 5, considering Mbengue'⅝s disciplinary record and the frequency of injuries.
How quickly can Smith and Akindeleni be developed. Both seem promising from reports but not many have seen them in a proper game.
Any others - like Wilkie or McDowell?⅘ |
I would send Akindele and Smith out on loan to a decent League 1 side in January (with a recall option in case of injuries to the CBs still at QPR).
As for next season, I expect Cook will leave, but Dunne, Morrison, Mbengue and JCS will remain, the latter still out injured.
Akindele and Smith (depending on how their loans went) will join the team 1st team squad. | | | |
| Centre back options on 13:41 - Nov 20 with 1081 views | richranger |
Smith is training with the first team now. | | | |
| Centre back options on 14:11 - Nov 20 with 1027 views | Dorse |
According to the clickbait legions of doom, the lesser spotted Jake Clarke-Salter is available for Saturday. I realise it's been cold recently but this must mean that Hell has frozen over too!
Edit - fcking autocorrect. [Post edited 20 Nov 14:12]
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| 'What do we want? We don't know! When do we want it? Now!' |
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| Centre back options on 14:39 - Nov 20 with 967 views | OakR |
| Centre back options on 14:39 - Nov 19 by Hunterhoop |
If lads aren’t excelling in non-league football by 18/19, even if they are a little inconsistent, it’s unlikely they’ll make it at Championship level.
Chair and Eze went on loan to Stevenage and Wycombe (and were exceptional for them, as was Freeman at Stevenage earlier in his career. These are the lads with sell in value.
Even Armstrong and Lloyd did well in the Conference I think, and yet, you wouldn’t say they are Champ quality really, even now.
Liam Manning was on loan at Wigan aged 20, and is only 22 now.
I think the club’s approach of signing these 16-19 yr olds is entirely valid, and I doubt they expect more than the odd one every few years to come off and make it in the second tier. But that just makes the language and expectation around our youth set up something to be cooled.
Kolli was a Ramsey product. Eze was brought into at 18 by Les and Ramsey. Chair likewise. Armstrong likewise. Furlong developed by Ramsey. Lloyd, I’m not sure. Now, there were a lot of failures in amongst that lot over a number of years. However, there’s no evidence yet that under Nourry and (forgot their name) that youth set up is producing any players likely to make it at Championship level. None of them, bar Lloyd and Cooper (also brought in under Les, I think), are on loan in the football league. Now, some of them have a couple of years on their side. And their pedigree gives you hope. But after two years in the hotseat, you’d potentially hope for a little better in terms of promise. [Post edited 19 Nov 19:36]
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I guess you have Morgan - did he come in end of Les or start or Nourry? He is definitely in the can make it, and you might say has already made it to an extent.
But yes generally we need to cool anticipation, but it's nice to dream! | |
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| Centre back options on 16:33 - Nov 20 with 895 views | derbyhoop |
Out of a 1 year age group of 10-15, you'll be lucky if one of them makes a decent professional career at EFL level.
So many of the most promising at 18 don't get further than DS. | |
| "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky |
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