Under-23s score handsome win over Derby

Just wonder if by chance you are there, or if you've got a feed to the game. Probably only via the Derby website if so!

Just need to quickly enrol then free access.

Got it.

Thanks.

Although Derby is a Championship side, they always compete well in PL2.

Everton U-23s v Derby U-23s

If you need to register, make stuff up as necessary. It worked for me!

Everton U-23s v Derby U-23s

Just make up your details if you need to register. Worked for me!

And as that cheeky booger Brent also said elsewhere, it worked for him too...using my details!

You just HAVE to ruin the moment, don't you Brent?

What a groaner!

Just hope it stays like that.

The Derby commentators saying numerous times how buoyant Everton is looking and feeling these days across all age groups.

I noticed tonight he clipped the ball forward with his left foot a few times, he's been almost exclusively right-footed in the past so that's new, his left foot pass into midfield was picked up and sent to Simms for that final chance he had in injury time. Much more typical is his slide rule side foot pass with his right, like the one which set up Simms for his second.

Overall another very encouraging performance, nice to see Tom Cannon coming on too.

Having watched this game and last week's against Leicester, there is no doubt that Unsworth knows how to set up and motivate a team. Both Derby and Leicester provided spirited opposition but eventually were worn down and in the end, well beaten.

Seriously though, this is a cracking result. Good job David Unsworth for yet another rebuild underway. Would love to see Simms get some minutes in the first team this season to build on his place on the bench at the end of last. I guess it will come if he just keeps scoring.

Is there hope yet for Bowler? I assumed he'd be off on loan or leave. Too good for U23s, not quite good enough for us?

Get your point but I’ve a soft spot for Penno after his derby goal

Hopefully they will all be gone soon then again if nobody wants them they will be playing U23s all season. I am sorry but for me this is not development we need a younger team, young players need to be playing not this over the hill mob...

Of those 20 or over I think its expected that only Ouzounidis will stay. He's the youngest anyway at 20.

The fact that Pennington and Garbutt etc spent so long at this level is that we were skint and hoping they would do an Osman and come good a bit later on. Their long contracts were cheap compared with buying players in. It didn't work.

We're not skint now, the U23s already has a better look about it and the most talented from the U18s are getting long contracts.

For the time being, Bowler and others are helping the transition of responsibility over to the younger lot like Simms. The older lot will then depart on loan etc to free up spaces for the youngsters to step into.

The loans are not generally a development thing for Bowler etc. They happen because clubs lower down the leagues can't afford to buy. I don't expect any of those over 20 to play for our first team.

Robert (48) I think Pennington has paid for himself, one of his loan deals with Leeds Unt. I think, was worth £500,000 according to reports at the time and he has had a few more loans as welll.

Everton U-23s v Derby U-23s

A little confusing for those of us who watched it live on the Derby County website last night as their cameras shot the action from the opposite side of the pitch.

Nice one touch football by Everton sets up the first for Simms. These images fail to even get Joe Anderson in camera for his thunderous goal at the start of the second half.

The perspective of the Derby goal gives the appearance keeper Harry Tyrer is too far over to his left and the ball flies into the opposite corner, whereas the Derby images showed the ball actually passes over his head and he is seemingly deceived by the flight, doesn't raise his hands and the ball dips in under the bar.

Both Bowler and Simms very tidy in their finishes for the 3rd and 4th goals. It was a very professional performance by the team again last night, replicating a similar level of performance v Leicester on Friday.

A very good read which will resonate with many, I'm sure:

Bergkamp's Football Philosophy & The Future of The Game

He talks of:

* 'bridging the two islands' between 1st team football and the academy
* how players are built of four parts - a tactical side, a technical side, a physical side and a mental side. You need all four parts working at a high level to succeed as a professional footballer
* clever strategies employed to iron out faults in a young players game
* too much structured coaching to the detriment of a young players natural ability and inventiveness
* an over-reliance on stats to determine the contribution a player makes

A good read. Recommended.

Many players, past and present thankfully ignored such rubbish. Baines, Jags, Osman, Duncan, De gea, Southall, Vardy, Henry, Scholes, Becks and many more looked very average whilst under 21 years of age.

Agree Penningtons 'development' is now too late at the top level but he's good enough for championship / league one and then who knows?

Sadly bad injures at the crucial ages between 18-22 stunted his progress and may have took a yard of pace away from him. But what a goal!

Unfortunately his last two Championship clubs have been relegated -- although he was a POY candidate at Ipswich before injuring his ankle -- and he was in the Hull defense that gave up 7 first-half goals to Wigan in July. It would appear League 1 is now his future.

You could look at both as being huge failures of EFC. Lookman wanted away and rightly so. We never so much as gave him a chance, a few sub appearances here and there. He was excellent at his first spell in Germany, but when he went back he found he was at a team that had progressed whilst he had regressed over the previous 12 months. If he had stayed at Leipzig, he probably would have had much better time of it.

Barkley again, talented but injuries have taken their toll. And when he was a talent that we could have built the midfield around, we spent 45 million on someone not as good and built it around him.

He's now 26, in what should be the prime of his career, and he's been dumped on Villa. For all his talent, he just doesn't have what it takes.