Mid-season report on Everton's Under-18s

While it’s unfair to put too much pressure on 17 year old kids it would have been nice to see a proper assessment as all four featured at u18 last season. Who’s kicked on? Has Dobbin actually stalled a wee bit given we have high expectations of him ?

What about the first years? Thierry Small and Katia Kouyate are the obvious standouts having got much attention and played at U23s. Others like Reece Welch, Luke Butterfield, Isaac Price, Charlie Whittaker, Eli Campbell have become established in the squad, all playing regularly. It’s a shame really, we get so little info that it seems like an opportunity wasted to get an insight into what Tait actually thinks.

He predicted very big things for at least a couple of this group, hopefully this happens, but it looks like the last position he was looking for, could end up being the one who goes the furthest?

That’s why I’m not so big on academy football, because they get coached too much, from too many different coaches, and football really changes once kids get to around the age of 15 imo, and so many more things come into play?

Martin Waldron pops up in interviews every so often mentioning young players he’s worked with, Isaac Price and Katia Kouyate were the last two I remember him tipping.

His observations on player development seem to me to be bang on the nail. 50 players coming through in the Premier League era? Seem high... I might just have to create a TW page for that!

Great also to not see anywhere in that article any mention of loaning players out? It would be great if that was really not part of the Everton Way... but I know only too well it is. Or has been in the past.

I started reading Carragher’s book years ago, but got to a page early on in the book and could read no more. He talked about his time at Lilleshall, and how a no nonsense coach stopped Joe Cole doing a cruyff turn, in the middle of the pitch, and probably because their coaching was all textbook, constantly taking the individualism out of the kids?

Hopefully after the lockdown the FA, look at revamping kids football, and start doing away with the depths of winter stuff, until the kids reach senior school, and concentrate on making it more of a summer sport, where the kids can play for hours?

Sorry I went off track, but the weather plays such an important part imo, and I’m not sure Xavi and Iniesta, would have ever had so much skill, if they had spent their early years on mud baths in the pissing down rain?

I do think the academy system has a long way to go still, though. Personally, I think clubs should be ashamed to represent their community with fewer than 3 or 4 academy graduates in the first 11 and a good few more in the squad.

Coaching is great but I'm certain little snippets of information is much better than do as I say.

But I've probably used the wrong thread because this is more about Unsworth, who despite his critics, is working every hour possible to make our academy better.

We need to instill the Everton heart into these young lads. Unsie is the man to do it.

As I recall from my time spent their it rains a lot and gets balls freezing in winter.

Belgium is no tropical paradise and neither is Germany or Poland.

Hasn't stopped any of those countries producing talent.

Our kids play on full-size pitches from a very early age. Result of that is the big, strong kids are the ones who are picked up. Smaller pitches develop the young lads' first touch, awareness of space, and awareness of teammates' availability for a pass.

I'm pointing out the weather has no real effect on producing decent players.

What stood out was the scale of their game, all kids wearing bibs, shorts and using equipment to scale, based on age. This gave the kids belief and confidence, and nothing like the Billy Casper type days from Kes that TWrs of an age will know about.

They take all the kids to play in different positions and to gauge their positional traits. They gain a knowledge and appreciation of the game and team structure.

The basic training intensity and focus on the basics and good communication skills has never left me.

It's always made me wonder what goes on at Finch Farm, and what Everton look for.

These days they are looking for athletes and very rarely do young small and talented lads make the grade these days at Finch Farm, and if they do they rarely get through and make it.

It's a shame but I believe and hope it will change as, if you're good enough size, and stature is in the mind, and the football brain makes the space and buys time, as you scan and read the game.

Here's hoping, that some good rough diamonds, can become shaped into world class players for Everton.

What about the borderline kids, who the clubs release? Usually the skilful kids who quite don’t have the physicality, and after having a period on those nice pitches, are thrown back into the mud, where being strong, helps more than being skilful?

I’m talking about something that should have been done a very long time ago imo, and not just for the chosen few, (summer football for the younger kids) because I honestly think if the FA made these changes then the chosen few would grow?

Coach-ability? I understand what Unsworth is saying, but sometimes I feel it’s just words, even if I’m aware talent alone isn’t enough, because sometimes I think it’s the coaches in this country, that are the ones who aren’t prepared to change, but that’s obviously a different argument altogether.

I took the liberty of adding a link to our TW profile of the little fella... sorry about the strange format. I see I updated it some time recently with his latest whereabouts...

He " was destined to never wear the Everton shirt in earnest for a first-team game, despite being named and on the bench for nine league games."

That's what bugs me about these players... yea, good enough to sit on the bench, we're gonna give you a right good glimpse of what might've been your future. Except... No, you don't ever get to play a senior game for the Blues. Sorry, kidda.

NEXT!

This side of football is absolutely brutal, but I’m talking about changing the overall structure and becoming better because of it, because as they say, neither the Brazilian’s or the Spanish, are born with more skill than the English, Surely?

The weird thing is what you have described is not some kind of industry secret – it's been known for decades. Quite why the UK is so painfully slow to catch up is beyond me. But the lack of such intelligent coaching must also be why there are so few decent British managers.

Rodgers is the only one – possibly Potter – who is something other than just a motivator who can give a team a decent defensive shape.

Very young kids get chewed up and spat out of academies at borderline child abuse levels. They lose the love of the game and mental edge to bounce back after being rejected.

We lose a lot of talent before kids are fully developed mentally and physically.
Our system is very good at producing single minded resilient characters.

I would love to see clubs not being able to pick kids up until they are 16 so that they can have a normal grass roots football education but they are all petrified of missing out on the next Rooney, instead academies are hoovering u7s up and selling the dream to parents and kids. Grassroots from u15s upwards in Liverpool is in alarming decline. I think there is only 1 league in the entire city for u17/u18.

Our u18 squad is probably based around 2 or 3 kids that coaches have high hopes for whilst the others are making the numbers up for them rather than trying to install a club ethos that runs consistently throughout the club.

I have digressed from the main thread topic but until someone is brave enough to think outside of the box the academy will keep on the normal churn which is better than most but not trail blazing.

I often revert back to the Peter Gabriel song, with Kate Bush called “Don’t give up” when watching the parents screaming at their 8 year old kids, in the cold, on damp muddy pitches with the ice cold rain, battering down on their faces.

I was taught to fight, taught to win, I never thought that I could fail!

I'm glad you mentioned Pienaar, Paul, because I've been watching Everton for a very long time, and I'd say it was obvious to see how differently he'd been coached.

English players, rarely come towards the ball, but I used to love watching Pienaar though because his first movement was always towards the ball.

I do miss the Old Evertonian Newspaper, never bought the glossy one. Both now defunct. . . probably for the same reasons we got this wafer-thin "assessment".

Unfortunately, I have little faith in Unsworth. I hope Brands can continue to reform, which might get the academy closer to Rob's template and a more Dutch-based system.