U23s come unstuck at Man Utd

Simms has scored to put the Blues 1-0 ahead, in tonight's U23's game v United then missed an absolute sitter just after and United have equalised and got a penalty.

United scored the penalty, goalkeeper close to saving it, but that miss by Ellis proves costly.

Simms was on his own up front with five in midfield and only Virginia in goal stood out, according to one fan's opinion I read.

So much for all these young top players getting loan deals, nobody wants them, do you now why, because they are not good enough...

Unsworth will play them every week and do you know why, to win games end off!

Feel sorry for the young goal keeper Harry Tyrer, he won't get a game now...

Antony, I'd have said there's at least 4 players in the starting line up who are being groomed for senior football with Everton. 7 or 8 from the squad as a whole.

COVID-19 aside we'd probably have shed a few of the starters but championship club finances are all over the place.

But instead of Pennington and Broadhead, what would you suggest? Promoting U18s players that just lost 4 nil to Liverpool?

Absolutely promote younger players to play up its called development. Get rid of Pennington, Baningime, Broadhead, Ouzounidis, Bowler, Virgina etc they are just not good enough and they are blocking younger players like young Harry Tyrer eg, Pennington is 26 for God's sake, 26 it unbelievable!!

Reece Welch is a centre-back and is rated. Lewis Dobbin is a striker and is rated. Also, what about Lewis Warrington and Kouyate? I've read posters on threads saying these players are very good, so why not give them a proper go?

Private Anthony Kelly strikes again. We're doomed!

This level is for to develop the best players whom EFC, have retained, but shit happens at all levels of football.

Everton should be getting more through who are able to join the first team, but off recent times only Anthony Gordon and Tom Davies have broken through.

Matthew Pennington, should in fairness be some where but not at Everton, it's like 5 minutes since he signed professional forms, but for me he's not good enough, as much as, like all the players we want them to succeed at EFC, there's a problem.

The RS, up sell their apprentices, whom make it, at good profit, and in most cases even with loans and first team experience, we sell ours at break even, or loss.

But I sense and believe good times are forming up at Goodison Park.

Now for Soton, our biggest game of this season, to date.

“Whats Our Name”

Paul (#6) I completely agree. Our Academy/U23 set-up has produced next to nothing for our first team since the inception of the Premier League. Rooney aside, it's not produced a player who thrived at his next club either.

The fees we get for our Academy/U23 players are pathetic when compared to other top clubs.

Occasionally I just wonder whether any one person right at the top of our club has had total responsibility for our mediocrity since before my hair started turning grey.

Rooney aside...??? well we cashed in on him...

Don, it doesn't matter what fees our players command in terms of funding the academy because it is so cheap to run. Victor Anichebe's fee kept it going for years and in the case of Barkley, I believe the player himself diddled the club out of 10m by refusing to leave in the Jan window.

Yes, a more robust approach to player retention could generate more funds for the first team. I am still a little shocked that the RS sold Brewster for a fortune given the hype surrounding him but that's a decent fund to bring another orc over to Mordor.

But pretending on the back of one result that the academy is pointless is a bit too rich for me.

"Get rid of Pennington, Baningime, Broadhead, Ouzounidis, Bowler, Virgina etc they are just not good enough and they are blocking younger players like young Harry Tyrer"

I THINK I know what you mean, it is just baffling how those outfield players you mention are stifling the progress of a young goalkeeper.

If I was a betting man I would wager that you couldn't actually think of other players to name.

Come on Peter

Players who were brought into our academy or came through the ranks have been a waste of time since Rooney.

Vic 5M
Hornby 2M
Rodwell 12M
Barkley 15m
Davies Value (10m ?)

Players brought in for a pittance to join under 23 set up
Holgate - Value 50M ?
DCL - Value 80M ?
Stones 50M

Don`s monotonous criticism may SEEM to be born out of complete ignorance, but scratch under the surface and you will find somebody constantly talking about something he knows nothing about.

We would easily have raised that 250m quid if we didnt have an under 23/Academy set up...All we had to do is be a bit more aggressive with the raffle ticket sales

Like the first team, the u23s has been a mess. Also like the first team there are good signs of it being sorted out. Obviously Pennington should be elsewhere. He's a decent player and should be first team in the championship somewhere. Broadhead and Baningime are also championship players really too. So I do know what you mean Anthony. Yes Dobbin and a few others deserve (and I am sure will get) their chance.

But:

- the age really is coming down

- Brands and Unsworth seem to have the structure under better control (not least because we're no longer skint and don't need to take a punt on someone like Galloway eventually coming good)

- we've got some good players at this level - and investing in the likes of Jagne

- probably doesn't hurt to have a few over age players in the side to carry the younger players on (Rojo played for Man Utd)

- Virginia is a good keeper rebuilding his confidence after awful loan at Reading - and does merit his opportunity too (much as I like Tyrer)

But most of all the anti Unsworth stuff. Don't really get it. Rebuilt various teams now and delivered players to the first team set up in Holgate, DCL, Davies, Kenny - with Dowell and Robinson only falling marginally short.

Darren (11), going back a bit but you can add around £20M from the sale of Jeffers, Ball and Dunne, with quite a few more millions from Joe Williams, Antonee Robinson, Keiran Dowell and a few more whose names escape me at the moment.

Ref post 10 - yes Peter I am a betting man look at my post Ref 4... Where do you want me to collect? Wake up son...

Youth teams are in hope of finding or developing players that are better / potentially better than what we already have.

Its not going to happen every season with each age group but now and again a few emerge.

Then the problems begin. Keeping player's happy, alignment of ambitions, pay, time frame, game time all whilst the club and player continue to progress and develop to expectations.

Throw in changes of managers and coaches with different playing styles and demands it's no wonder unstable clubs struggle so much.

Fans, owner's and player's have little patience but on the whole we do OK.

To improve further we new stability and direction which is what Brands was brought in to do.

We improved in all aspects under Moyes because of his control and the stability it brought. Since he left the whole club has under gone a lot of mismanagement. Hopefully we are moving onwards and upwards.